Joe Tate was hit over the head with a shovel in Tuesday night’s Emmerdale (July 8) and let’s just say it was more than a little bit comical.

So much so that the internet has become awash with memes and jokes about it. And the best ones will have you laughing almost as much as when the shovel attack took place!

Joe Tate hit over the head with a shovel in Emmerdale

Someone has been blackmailing Joe for a few weeks now. They’ve taken his medication, keyed his car and left letters at Home Farm demanding £100k.

Joe assumed it was henchman Shaun and questioned him. When Shaun immediately said Joe should pay the blackmailer off, Joe decided that made him look guilty as sin and sacked him on the spot. Sam came in with his shotgun and backed Joe up, seeing Shaun off. Or so they thought…

Feeling like he needed to get away for a while while the dust settled, Joe told Dawn he was off to Monte Carlo on a business trip – that very evening.

But as he made plans for his flights, he was alone in the stables. And that’s when shovelly Shaun struck. He whacked Joe over the head with a spade, sending him crashing to the floor.

Comedy hit causes hilarity on social media

Except, it wasn’t really a whack, was it? It was more of a tap… did it actually even make contact?!

And Joe didn’t exactly crash to the floor, did he? He sort of looked a bit shocked and then slumped down. It was almost like actor Ned Porteous forgot he was supposed to drop and waited a bit too long!

And let’s not mention the fact the shovel was brand new and had never been near a horse’s stable in its life!

Of course, Emmerdale fans are no fools and immediately took to social media to share their thoughts, memes and jokes on the scene.

Amongst the comments of: “It was like something out of a cartoon” and “they could have at least made it look realistic” were some true gems.

One person quite rightly asked: “What the hell was this!”

Others went to town with their edits and comparisons. Not quite a shovel, said some, more a fly swatter or a ‘royal’ spade!

More comments

Plenty of people thought Joe was easily knocked out and Shaun didn’t even need to use a shovel!

And finally, to sum it all up perfectly, this one:

Does Joe Tate survive in Emmerdale?

We know Joe will recover from this hit at least because on Thursday night, he wakes up. He is in a makeshift medical room with Dr Crowley looming over him.

Crowley is the dodgy doctor who performed Joe’s kidney transplant surgery – and saved Caleb’s life after Joe ordered him stabbed to get said kidney.

But why does he want revenge now? What will he persuade Joe to do? Will Joe pay up? Or does Crowley have something else in store for him?