Tom King made his return to the Emmerdale village in Thursday's hour-long episode as he bumped into ex Belle Dingle but ITV soap fans are worried about his true motive for reappearing in the Dales.
Emmerdale fans spotted a mysterious figure watching Belle and in the latest instalment viewers watched as she met with the character, who turned out to be her ex Tom.
He told her: "It's a flying visit, I've got to get back to Leeds in a couple of hours. My mate's doing this theatre thing."
Belle replied: "Yeah, okay, if you've got to head off," with him adding: "I'm good for another half hour but then I've got to scoot."
Fans will remember Tom was last seen in the village in 2013 and the pair enjoyed a romance before he fled the village alone after promising her he wanted them to run away together.
ITV soap fans worry Tom, whose father is the late murderer Carl King, will hurt Belle yet again.
One viewer asked: "Why is it that when anyone new comes into the show they ALL have a hidden agenda? Tates, Dingle and now King! Where will it end? Oh I know; unbelievable story lines! Come on Yorkshire, you can do better than this."
Another begged: "Please let Tom King be just, well normal. No revenge story from years ago, just back to visit like normal people do," and a third added: "Bet Belle and Tom King will hook up especially if he's already married."
Soap boss Jane Hudson told The Mirror that Tom's return would see him rekindle things with Belle, and that there were new stories ahead for them.
She told us: "Jimmy's nephew Tom will be coming back into the show and he has been living overseas for some time. He's back in England and is qualified as a vet, so I think we all know where he is gonna be working.
"Tom and Belle have a history, they see each other and rekindle things and we will be on a journey with Tom and Belle for some time as we play out stories for them."
Newcomer James Chase has taken on the role, which was previously played by actor Mark Flanagan.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
