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Emmerdale airs shock turning point for Joe Tate and Dawn Fletcher in early ITVX release

Warning: Contains spoilers for Wednesday's episode of Emmerdale, which airs at 8pm on ITV1 or can be streamed now on ITVX.

Dawn and Joe stood talking in Home Farm in a scene from Emmerdale

Published: Wednesday, 20 May 2026 at 11:25 am

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Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) has shown a rare change in character in Emmerdale, after discovering partner Dawn Fletcher's (Olivia Bromley) secret scheme against him.

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As viewers will recall, Joe blackmailed Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) into framing Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) for double murder and human trafficking, by planting passports belonging to Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray Walters's (Joe Absolom) enslaved workers in her living room.
Robert was terrified that his little sister Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) would be sent down otherwise, as Joe had a video of her killing their half-brother John (Oliver Farnworth).

The Tate multi-millionaire's ulterior motive was to get his hands on Moira's farm, Butler's, which she eventually signed over to him after discovering husband Cain's (Jeff Hordley) prostate cancer diagnosis.

Upon her release from prison, Robert decided to come clean, and she decided to seek revenge on Joe. She aimed a double-barreled shotgun towards him, which then sparked questions from Dawn.

Joe and Graham look sideways in a scene from Emmerdale

Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) and Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) became aware of Dawn Fletcher's (Olivia Bromley) scheming. ITV

She declared that she was pregnant, and wanted to know whether the father of her unborn child would be capable of doing such an abhorrent thing. In true Joe Tate style, he denied everything.

Plagued with doubt, Dawn met with Moira and Cain on a country road, and the trio plotted to really make Joe pay for his crimes. With Dawn as a sitting duck, it was hoped that Joe would go through with their wedding, and then take him for everything he has.

Earlier this week, however, she began to feel guilt-ridden over her scheming as Joe doted over her. She was experiencing morning sickness, and he'd prepared a care package to try and make her feel better.

He even seemed prepared to welcome her ex-husband Billy (Jay Kontzle) into their new family unit, and the group enjoyed a meal. But not all was as it seemed, as we later learnt that Joe and his former guardian Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) were well aware of what she was up to.

In today's episode, Graham demanded answers from Joe, wondering when he was going to strike and bring Dawn down. Joe was insistent that he was going to do things his way, and didn't need his help.

Graham stands over Dawn's lifeless body in a scene from Emmerdale

Graham found Dawn unconscious at the bottom of the staircase. ITV

Just hours later, Dawn was found unconscious at the bottom of Home Farm's grand staircase, with a shifty looking Joe stood at the top. Graham was stunned, believing that he was responsible, though it later transpired that she'd actually collapsed due to low iron levels.

There was no signs that she'd actually fallen down the stairs, and doctors believed that she'd simply passed out.

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While she recovered, Graham took opportunity to quiz Joe on his plans again. To everyone's surprise, he explained that he was actually trying to prove to Dawn that he was a good man, that he was capable of change, and that he was finally going to put his family first.

He wants them all to remain at the manor house, though it would be Dawn's decision.

Upon returning home, she realised that the time had come for her to tell him about the plot. The two were stood in the kitchen, but she couldn't bring herself to admit anything – and instead just expressed her love for him.

Will Joe still attempt to seek revenge?

Read more:

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.

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Authors

Michael Adams wearing a white t-shirt and beige gilet against a white background

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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