Emmerdale confirmed that Joe Tate was Manpreet Sharma’s mystery blackmailer on Tuesday leaving some fans puzzled about his reasons, as others predicted there was more to it
Joe Tate may have had a secret motive for blackmailing Manpreet Sharma on Emmerdale, amid his claims about his reasons.
Viewers were stunned to find out he was the one threatening the GP for money, threatening to leak racy images she uploaded online and to a subscription website. Manpreet was getting nasty messages on her phone from the harasser, before they demanded money.
When Manpreet showed up a the drop-off location she was horrified to see Joe there and accused him of targeting her. But as he protested his innocence Manpreet feared the worst, when a mystery blue car was seen driving off.
Her fears were confirmed when her blackmailer texted her once more claiming she’d brought someone with her, Joe, leading to them upping the money they wanted. Joe feigned sympathy and even offered to pay off the blackmailer, before heading with Manpreet to the meeting point.
With that a random man appeared and demanded the money, before being handed the cash by Manpreet. But viewers soon learned what Joe was up to after he was heard confessing with Dr Crowley that they had deliberately targeted Manpreet, sending the texts all along.
READ MORE: Emmerdale ‘reveals’ identity of blue car driver following Manpreet amid ‘return’
Joe suggested that it was all because they needed the doctor’s help in order to find a suitable match for an organ donation. Joe was revealed to be seriously ill, needing a kidney transplant to survive.
In a disturbing twist it emerged he was targeting his uncle Caleb Miligan, planning to somehow get his kidney for a transplant without consulting him. Exactly what he has planned is not yet clear, but in a chat with Manpreet he revealed what he needed her for.
He claimed he had a genetic condition that had made him seriously ill, inherited from his late grandfather Franke Tate. He claimed to Manpreet he wanted to secretly test Caleb’s blood for the disorder, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily while also not wanting him to know about his diagnosis.
Manpreet was baffled and unnerved as she realised Joe wanted her to obtain a blood sample from Caleb without telling him the real reasons. Of course Joe was also withholding the real reason he needed this.
But viewers were completely baffled by the whole thing, not understanding the Manpreet blackmail situation. Some fans claimed it didn’t make any sense for Joe to taunt Manpreet that way, all for the sake of getting her to risk her career by getting him the blood sample from Caleb.
While some viewers said it was clear Manpreet was being used as means of getting the sample to see if Caleb was a match, others suggested the whole thing was a bit odd and some questioned if there was actually more it it. One fan posted online: “It’s like some weird jigsaw puzzle where lots of bits are missing.”
Another asked: “What’s Joe’s issue with Manpreet?” as a third fan asked: “What on earth does Joe think that Manpreet can do for him? She’s a GP, not a surgeon!” It’s then that fans suggested the money Manpreet had put in for the harasser, before Joe topped it up, might have been what he was after.
It wasn’t entirely clear if Manpreet paid any money towards the blackmailer or if Joe ended up paying the whole amount, which was soon handed over to the fake blackmailer. Some fans said the plan was for Joe to then reclaim this money, including the share that Manpreet paid, if she did, and that it wasn’t just about the sample.
One fan said: “Probably running out of money & time, as his doctor wants more money.” Another agreed: “He don’t have money, he makes out he does,” as a third added: “Probably running out of money.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
