Emmerdale fans have rumbled who Joe Tate will target next as the victim of another organ donor scandal. Viewers have been suspicious of Joe (Ned Porteous) for many weeks, as he planned for Noah to move to Dubai earlier this year. But he was angry when Noah turned down the offer, with fans left thinking he had something a lot more serious up his sleeve.

On the night of the fatal limo crash, Noah (Jack Downham) was hospitalised after it was suspected he had been spiked. Ever since, his mum Charity (Emma Atkins) has been determined to get to the bottom of what really happened to her son, with Joe at the centre of the controversy.

Meanwhile, Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley) has been cheating on her husband Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) with Joe. Oblivious to her ruthless actions, Billy has been keen to relight the spark which has been missing in their relationship, as Dawn has been clearly keeping her distance romantically.

But during Monday’s (March 17) broadcast of the ITV soap, Joe rejected Dawn as she cheekily attempted to get playful while they had the house to themselves. But to her surprise, Joe declined the offer and told her she was coming across as “a bit needy.”

Later in the episode, it was revealed that Joe has kidney disease and has been searching for an eligible donor. He met with his private doctor, when he also admitted to spiking Noah in an attempt to get him into surgery for his kidney. He explained how targeting Noah was a mistake, which caused the limo crash which killed Suzy Merton (Martelle Edinborough), Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson) and Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi).

Talking about his pain, Joe said: “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.” He explained: “I’ve already had one failed transplant, I can’t have another.” He told the doctor he has another “blood relative” in mind, which left viewers guessing who his next victim might be.

Taking to social media, one viewer asked: “So who is Joe getting his compatible kidney from? Who else is he related to if Noah isn’t compatible?” More added to the conversation on X: “Joe’s responsible for Caleb’s death and nick’s his kidney! Because they’re blood relatives”, “Uncle Caleb better watch his back Joe wants a kidney and he wants it soon!”

More fans agreed that Caleb is number one suspicion for Joe’s next victim: “Joe coming for Caleb” and “Joe’s the reason why Caleb was on the operating table in that flash-forward.”

Joe is the half-nephew of Caleb Miligan. Caleb’s dad Frank Tate is the half-brother of Joe’s dad Christopher Tate. Joe returned to the fictional village at the end of last year, but the actor was a series regular from 2017-2018.

Speaking about his return to the ITV soap, he said: “I’m so excited to be returning to Emmerdale. There’s a lot of unfinished business for Joe, and it feels like the right time for him to make a comeback.

“Joe has always been a character with a dark side, but there could be something much bigger at play here. Joe is back for a reason, and the devastation at Home Farm is just the beginning of a much bigger story. It’s safe to say the audience can expect fireworks this holiday season!”