Emmerdale spoilers follow.

It’s set to be a rough time on Emmerdale for Joe Tate, as two characters will unite to bring down their common enemy. After weeks of scheming and blackmailing, will the villainous Joe finally meet his downfall?

Earlier this year, Joe finally got his hands on Butler’s Farm after months of yearning, though he made a surprise move as he relinquished the day-to-day running of the operation to Robert Sugden and Aaron Dingle.

person standing indoors near a staircase

ITV

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Despite that, Joe still wanted to retain a degree of control, and set about blackmailing Robert. His leverage was the knowledge that Victoria had killed John, and he has tried to put it to good use.

In tonight’s episode of the ITV soap, Aaron expressed dissatisfaction with the situation regarding Joe, urging Robert that he needed to take action unless he wanted him to “keep running” their lives.

Aaron met with Cain at the hospital, and learned that Moira would be pleading guilty to charges of slavery. Aaron later informed Robert, with the latter becoming anxious at the thought of his extended family being torn apart.

Cain had also told Aaron that he wanted him to step-up with the running of the farm, and was even okay with Robert helping out. After Aaron told his partner about this arrangement, Robert sought to start immediately.

He headed to the Tates, and urged Joe to take action in response to Moira’s plea. Joe very much made it clear that he wasn’t getting involved, and threatened to expose Victoria’s secret if Robert attempted to throw him under the bus.

two men standing in a home entrance

ITV

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Ross Barton, who was recently installed as the Director of Operations at Home Farm, came downstairs, and played happy faces as Joe wore his entitlement as a badge of honour. Despite not having a great relationship with Robert, the pair have a mutual interest.

Ross quipped that he would gladly “do time” to wipe the smug look from Joe’s face, and Robert suggested they could band together to take him down a “peg or two”. When Ross asked what was in it for him, Robert promised that it would be worth it.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage

For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – as Todd breaks his silence over Theo, and Moira gives her plea in court.