What happened to Frank Tate on Emmerdale?
Kim wouldn't be where she is today without Frank.
Well before Kim Tate was at the head of Home Farm, it was her husband Frank Tate who was in charge of the estate on Emmerdale.
Played by Norman Bowler, the classic character was introduced to the ITV soap in 1989, when he relocated to the village (then known as Beckindale) with his children and his second wife, a young Kim (Claire King).
During his eight-year stint on the series, to be brought to a dramatic halt by a tragic death, Frank had quite the rocky romance with Kim, with whom he had an affair while still married to his late wife Jean. He and Kim tied the knot twice, with her scheming leading to his untimely demise after she faked her own death.
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Who was Frank Tate?
Frank was a businessman and the violent patriarch of the Tate family.
Before moving to the Dales, he was married to Jean, with whom he had two children, Chris (Peter Amory) and Zoe (Leah Bracknell). In the 1960s, he also fathered an illegitimate child, Liam Hammond (Mark Powley).
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When Jean was diagnosed with cancer, Frank began an affair with his secretary Kim, who also helped him cover up his alcohol addiction. Being told she didn't have much to live, Jean's mental health deteriorated and she asked Frank to assist her suicide, which he agreed to. She passed away on Christmas Eve in 1984.
Two years later, Frank and Kim married for the first time. Now a multimillionaire, he decided to retire and purchased Home Farm, officially moving to Emmerdale in 1989.
What happened to Frank Tate?
Frank's stay in Emmerdale saw him clash with local farmer Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby), his own son Chris and even Kim, who had multiple affairs during their two marriages, namely with gamekeeper Neil Kincaid (Brian Deacon) and Home Farm employee Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey).
When he discovered Kim's dalliance with Neil in 1992, Frank threw her out and the two divorced. Their separation had a terrible effect on the businessman, resulting in him turning to the bottle once again.
The tense situation between Frank and his children took a turn after he and Chris butted heads over selling Home Farm. While Frank wanted to give it up to focus on new ventures, his son bought Kim's shares. Zoe attempted to smooth things out between her brother and father, with Frank vowing to support her when she came out as gay in 1993.
Frank and Kim grew close again in 1994. When a plane crash rocked the village, he even temporarily set aside his feud with Jack, and prevented Kim from running into her burning stables to save her horses.
After he suffered a heart attack that summer, Frank and Kim decided to give their romance another shot and got married again in December.
But their marital bliss didn't last very long as Kim took a liking in Dave, and the two were ultimately caught in bed by Frank. Later on, she discovered she was pregnant, giving birth to Jamie (most recently played by Alexander Lincoln) in 1996. He was biologically Frank's son.
While Kim was involved with Dave, Frank started courting his assistant Tina Dingle (Jacqueline Pirie), who rejected him. During a fire in 1996, Kim's lover died rescuing baby Jamie.
Emmerdale in 1997 was marked by Kim's evil plot to frame Frank for her murder. She faked her own death, getting her husband imprisoned.
Following his release, she shocked him by showing up on his doorstep in May of that year. The two had a heated argument, with Frank suffering a second, fatal heart attack and being found the next morning by Zoe, dying in front of her before he could warn her that Kim was back.
Who are Frank Tate's children?
We thought he had four children in total, but Frank actually has five children.
The millionaire had a son out of wedlock, Liam, with an unnamed woman in 1961.
With Jean, he shared Chris and Zoe. From his second marriage to Kim, he fathered Jamie. Though he initially believed the baby could be Dave's son, it was confirmed that Jamie was biologically his.
On Thursday 6th April 2023, Emmerdale confirmed he had another, secret, son - Caleb (played by William Ash). When Caleb was introduced to the ITV soap, it was revealed he was the long-lost brother of Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Chas (Lucy Pargetter), and the son of Faith (Sally Dexter).
The crafty businessman was hiding a secret, though and it was later revealed he was out to get Home Farm - but the reasons why were never clear.
Now it's been revealed he is Frank's son, his reasons for wanting the Tate estate are a lot clearer - setting up an almighty clash with current owner, Kim.
Caleb has one son, Nicky.
Read more:
- 6 Emmerdale spoilers next week: Amelia's health scare & Rhona's big decision
- Emmerdale hints at Gabby baby twist in new Nicky scenes
- Is Thomas King returning to Emmerdale?
Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Soaps hub.
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