Emmerdale star teases Joe Tate's blackmail drama and Doctor Crowley return

While Joe's on-off lover Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley) was unveiled as the person who pushed him from his bedroom window, and the pair have since reunited, he will soon be watching his back once more.

As Joe receives some letters, demanding payment for silence over his crimes, Porteous explained his alter ego's reaction to RadioTimes.com and other media at a recent press event.

"It's a rather large sum of money, even to Joe, which is quite a scary thing. It's less the money, and more the idea that someone had got into the house. You've lost your safe bubble when someone's broken into your kitchen and left a note.

"He's less scared and worried about the bribe [as] such, he's more worried about the fact that his girl and her kids are going to be in danger."

On whether Joe thinks that Dawn's estranged husband Billy (Jay Kontzle) is responsible, the actor doesn't rule it out - although he's quick to point out that there's a long list of suspects to choose from!

"Probably. Hell, it could be anyone. It could be Kim at this point, it could be Dawn, it could be Dawn's kids! It could be anyone by this point, really, couldn't it?

"I think there's enough people in the village who have it in for Joe who could have a reason to be blackmailing him!"

With Joe's latest lackey, Shaun (James Boyland), turning on him with a gun, it's Sam Dingle (James Hooton) who comes to his rescue.

"They have a little bit of a confrontation, Joe and Shaun," revealed Porteous. "And then luckily Sam turns up with a big old shotgun in tow, so I get to hide behind him and go, 'Yeah, who's laughing now, huh?'"

Unfortunately, Joe is later knocked out by a shovel, only to wake up in a makeshift hospital, where he comes face to face with none other than dodgy Doctor Crowley (played by James Hillier).

"[Joe's] very confused, very scared. A very powerless situation for Joe to be in."

While you'll just have to wait and see what happens next, the star was asked whether he was happy to be working with Crowley actor Hillier again.

"No!" Porteous joked. "No, of course I was!" he laughed. "He's a really, really lovely guy.

"I enjoy working with him, and the character that he built is fun, it's got more dimensions than just a helper, and it serves as a very interesting character going forward.

"Hopefully the audience likes what we do with it, because it all gets a bit crazy."

As Joe's fate hangs in the balance, does the actor think his alter ego deserves what's coming to him?

"I like to believe that he's just doing what he has to do to survive, and I think if you were to hold that mirror up to everyone and say, 'What would you do if your life really depended on it?' Could you really ask yourself... you wouldn't do that?

"People say that they wouldn't want to, and it's not the right thing to do. Of course it's the wrong thing to do, it's completely unethical, it's completely immoral, but he was fighting for his life and now he's just having to pick up the scraps, I guess."

Read more:

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• Emmerdale airs ominous John Sugden cliffhanger in ITVX release
• Emmerdale teases Robron future in emotional Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden scenes
• Emmerdale star opens up on future of Matty and Amy's adoption story
• Emmerdale newcomer Joe Absolom opens up on his dark storyline involving April

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.

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