The moment Emmerdale fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) is back, baby! And he’s here to wipe that weaselly constipated smirk right off Joe Tate’s (Ned Porteous) face.
He’s tough. He’s mean. He’s the only man in the village who could beat Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) in a glowering competition. The world thought Graham was murdered by his then-girlfriend Rhona Goskirk’s (Zoe Henry) abusive husband Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather). But it seems the gravelly voiced gangster is just too hard to die, and after Corriedale revealed his miraculous resurrection, he’s back to settle some old scores – starting with his former protégé.
To say Graham and Joe had a complicated relationship is something of an understatement. Originally appointed by Kim Tate (Clare King) to look after her son Jamie during her sojourn in prison, Graham had his fair share of disagreements with Home-Farm’s biggest trust fund baby in no small part due to his own short temper and struggles with alcoholism.
However, over time a bond was forged as Graham not only became Joe’s legal guardian but the Alfred to his evil Bruce Wayne, keeping the lad on the straight and narrow and helping him with they day-to-ray running of Home farm – like the time he assisted Joe in faking his death to escape Kim’s wrath.
Joe’s been a rock for Graham too, pulling his father-figure from a burning hut when he hit the bottle and tried to end his life.
Don’t mistake their close bond for affection. Graham may be bad, but beneath all that dark and brooding demeanour, there’s a moral compass and a strong sense of fair play.
In the past, he’s tempered some of Joe’s darker impulses and isn’t afraid to slap his overly ambitious ward down the second he steps out of line.
The sinister Mister Foster is all for revenge, but he doesn’t like innocent people getting caught in the crossfire… which is why he’s almost certainly going to have a problem with Joe’s plan to frame Moira Barton (Natalie J Robb) for the late Celia Daniels’ (Jaye Griffiths) people trafficking operation on Home Farm. Expect fireworks!
Joe’s not the only one who’s got history with Graham. His step-grandmother Kim was a former Mrs Foster who ordered her hubby’s murder when she discovered that not only had he had been stealing from her, but lied about leaving Rhona.
Like many of Graham’s personal relationships, his connection to Kim was a mix of attraction, control, and mutual dependency. Or as we at the Metro call it – Soapy goodness!
In upcoming episodes, fans will be treated to the eagerly anticipated showdown between Graham, Joe and Kim Tate as their old employee finally announces his presence at Home Farm.
In the surgery, Rhona’s stopped dead in her tracks to find a smiling Graham waiting for her – and she’s less than thrilled about him ignoring her repeated attempts to contact him. Suddenly, their conversation is interrupted by an oblivious Joe’s arrival, so Graham is forced to hide in the next room while Joe talks to Rhona… and Rhona’s left looking like a deer in headlight when Joe mentions that he thought he saw Graham in the village.
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But before Joe leaves, he alludes to his newfound closeness that leaves the malicious Mister Foster well and truly rattled…
Later on, Kim turns down Joe’s offer to replace Ice with a horse from the same gene pool, reasoning that you can’t bring the dead back to life…cue Graham stepping from the shadows to prove her wrong! Just when we thought there was no topping his Corriedale grand reveal.
For a long time, Joe has believed that he lost the closest thing he ever had to a father.
The loss had a profound effect on the young Mister Tate, so we can imagine he won’t be best pleased to discover that his old mentor used his woman on the inside Detective Inspector Dent (Linda Armstrong) to cover up his death.
Speaking about his return to the Dales, actor Andrew Scarborough teases the explosive reunion between Graham and Joe.
‘It was brilliant because it was like a Play For Today.’ Andrew gushes. ‘It was lovely to flesh that out and it was very well written. The scenes are quite heightened, which I think they should be, as it’s an unreal situation for somebody to come back from the dead. I loved acting in these scenes because we were bouncing things around like tennis balls and that is what it should be. I think many actors would know what I’m talking about.’
What does the future hold for Graham? Will the Tates forgive him for his deception? Will he be able to worm his way back into the fold? Andrew Scarborough thinks so.
‘Well, I think if Kim Tate can forgive Joe for harvesting an organ she can forgive Graham for coming back from the dead. And if he helps matters by proving himself by fixing some things for them, they will appreciate his skills and his loyalty. But it might take some months.’
We’re not going anywhere!
