viewers couldn't believe their ears tonight as 'vile' unleashed a torrent of abuse at young Clemmie. It all kicked off when he walked in on her dismantling the toy he'd bought for her in order to keep her silence over his affair with her mum, Dawn.

Joe Tate actor Ned Porteous reprised his role in the last year when he was revealed to be the puppet master behind Will Taylor's revenge plan for Kim Tate. But since then, his storyline has taken a darker turn. After collapsing multiple times due to breathing issues, Joe was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Facing a ticking clock and the urgent need for a transplant, he turned to his half-brother Noah Dingle.

Rather than ask for help, Joe had Noah kidnapped and drugged for compatibility testing. When Noah was found not to be a match, he was dumped by the roadside, leading to a tragic chain of events. Charity Dingle swerved a limo to avoid hitting Noah, resulting in a fatal crash that killed Amy Wyatt, Leyla Harding, and Suzy Merton.

Desperate, Joe then set his sights on Caleb Miligan. After orchestrating a stabbing and having Caleb delivered to the shadowy Dr. Crowley, the transplant was completed. When Caleb later discovered the truth, Joe threatened to expose secrets surrounding Anthony Fox's disappearance unless he kept quiet.

But the latest drama has erupted from Joe's affair with Dawn Fletcher. Behind Billy's back, Dawn and Joe began a secret relationship. When she finally left her husband, she insisted Joe keep the affair under wraps until emotions cooled.

However, their secrecy fell apart when Dawn's daughter, Clemmie, witnessed the pair kissing, and, overwhelmed with emotion, bit Joe. In response, Joe attempted to buy her silence with a gift, which she destroyed. What followed was a disturbing and vicious tirade.

When Clemmie reminded Joe that he wasn't her dad, he cruelly snapped: "I don't want to be your dad. I can't think of anything more unpleasant." Things escalated quickly:

"I know I said I wasn't going to tell anyone about this bite, but maybe I'm not so sure now. How can Dawn trust you with Evan?" he taunted.

He then delivered a chilling threat: "You're not her real child, are you? And I hate to break it to you, Clemmie, but I'm her family now. And there's not going to be a place for you in it once she finds out what you've done."

When Clemmie stood her ground and said she'd tell Billy, Joe lashed out again: "I'll go straight to social services and make sure they put this on your file. You need to realise what a nasty little girl you are. Animals bite-children don't. You're out of control."

His final, sinister words left viewers reeling: "If you tell one single soul, I'll make sure they send you away to that special place for all those other damaged children." Later, Clemmie confided in Billy, revealing everything-and leaving him furious over Joe's emotional abuse toward his daughter.

The episode sparked immediate backlash on social media, with viewers flooding X (formerly Twitter) to condemn Joe's behaviour and demand his downfall. One user wrote: "Joe is being a manipulative bully! It would be really good if what he saying was picked up on a monitor." Another person added: "No he is actually so so cruel oh my god!" And a third user simply wrote: "Joe is pure vile."

Fortunately, fans won't have to wait long. Emmerdale has teased a high-stakes whodunnit this week, as Joe finds himself surrounded by enemies at Home Farm. With so many characters out for revenge, it's not a matter of if, but when Joe gets what's coming to him.

Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.