We finally know who the mysterious DS Thea Ramsden (Chelsea Edge) is in Emmerdale – and why she is so adamant to bring down Kim Tate (Claire King).
Earlier this year, the lady of the manor was victim to an unusual home intrusion. In the dead of night, she heard a strange noise and wandered downstairs with her shotgun.
Although she didn’t discover the culprit, viewers learnt that it was Serena Sugden (Casey Al-Shaqsy) who’d snuck into Home Farm and stole a USB stick.
The device didn’t really contain anything of importance, other than a few family photos, and so Serena later had to plant it back in the house. It later transpired that Serena had been acting under instruction of her best pal Thea, who wanted dirt on the Tates.
With Serena covering up the circumstances surrounding Dr Caitlin Todd’s (Caroline Harker) death, Ramsden made a deal. She said she’d help with the Todd case if her mate kept to her deal regarding Kim.
Chelsea Edge as DS Thea Ramsden. ITV
On oblivious Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) then approached, though Ramsden asserted that her problem lay firmly with Kim and not him.
Earlier this week, the copper told a stunned Serena that she intended to frame Kim for death by dangerous driving. She’d discovered that another vehicle had forced Jimmy King (Nick Miles) to swerve into Joe’s wedding marquee, not only killing himself but also Joe’s bride-to-be Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley).
Although there was little evidence to support Ramsden’s claims, she remained insistent that Kim would be the one sent down for the crime.
Chelsea Edge as DS Thea Ramsden and Casey Al-Shaqsy as Serena Sugden. ITV
In today’s episode, poor Joe was grieving for Dawn and couldn’t bear to face his newborn son in hospital. It would be too much of a painful reminder of everything he’d lost, and he also felt compelled to push Dawn’s other children away from himself.
In his eyes, they’d be better off without him.
A number of scenes then showed nurses cooing over a baby, saying that the child was going to grow up parentless and that it was in a horrible predicament. On the surface, it seemed like this was Joe’s child.
Meanwhile, Ramsden arrived at Home Farm and pulled Kim into the station, asking a series of bizarre and personal questions about her family life. She wondered what relation Joe was to her, and although Kim explained that he was her step-grandson, she also made it clear that he’s the closest thing she has to a child as a result of her estrangement from son Jamie.
The detective was relishing in the pain she was bestowing onto Kim, each question deviating further from her investigation into the crash.
Kim then remarked that Ramsden was clearly very bitter, and that she’d hate to “meet the person who made [her] that way.” Ramsden laughed, saying that the same thought had gone through her head.
Archive footage was used to show a younger Kim Tate (Claire King). Tim Roney/Getty Images
We then returned to the hospital, where one of the nurses reprimanded her colleague for using a ’90s style brick mobile phone.
She apologised, and when they walked into the corridor, the clothing worn by those around them seemed notably dated. These scenes weren’t set in 2026, but rather 1999.
A woman in a blazer gazed in through the window, admiring the baby. The nurse then approached and confirmed that this woman was Kim.
Kim is Thea’s mother! Alan Olley/TV Times
Using archive footage that had been manipulated with new dialogue, we saw a younger Kim saying that she wasn’t prepared to take the youngster on, though she would like if they’d call her ‘Anthea’.
Thea is Kim’s daughter! But who is the father?
If it’s someone we know, there’s only one real possibility – Kim’s second husband, Steve Marchant (Paul Opacic).
First hubby Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) was long dead before Thea’s arrival, as was her lover Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey).
Could Steve Marchant (Paul Opacic) be Thea’s father? Alan Olley/TV Times
Kim and Steve had a rocky marriage. Shortly after they tied the knot, he stole a horse from one of her business rivals, but accidentally knocked over Kathy Glover (Malandra Burrows) in the process. Kim stopped him from making a huge mistake, and ordered him to leave the country until the investigation had blown over.
At the airport, the police arrested him for theft and attempted murder. Steve then discovered that Kim was planning to save her own skin and frame him as the sole orchestrator in their plan.
The trial was explosive, and before Kim could be sent down, she fled in a helicopter with Jamie. Steve was sent down for 10 years for attempted murder.
Did Kim abandon Thea because of Steve’s imprisonment and the fear of bringing up two children alone?
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Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.
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