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Grace Morris

Who is Tom King in Emmerdale? Everything you need to know

James Chase as Tom King Jr

Emmerdale welcomed back a familiar face as Tom King Jr (James Chase) returned to the village, ten years after his exit.

During his Emmerdale return, a mysterious man was watching Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) from his car as she busily prepared for the Wellness Retreat she had organised.

Later on, when the mysterious figure bumped into Belle, she was stunned to see that it was none other than her ex-boyfriend Tom!

It wasn't long before the former lovers were flirting and catching up over a drink, where Tom revealed that he was now a vet. 

With Tom now seemingly becoming a changed man since his dark past, here is a refresher on who is Tom King in Emmerdale?...

Could Tom potentially reunite with his childhood sweetheart Belle? (Image credit: ITV)

Who is Tom King in Emmerdale?

Tom King — formerly known as Thomas King  — is the son of killer Carl King (Tom Lister) and Jimmy King's (Nick Miles) nephew. He was originally played by Mark Flanagan. 

His father, Carl was killed in a live episode in October 2012 and Tom believed that Carl's former fiancée Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) was responsible for the murder and decided to terrorise her in revenge.

He made her life a living hell by stalking her, sending her disturbing photos, making anonymous vicious phone calls to the pub and attacking her when he threw a glass bottle at her.

Tom was eventually exposed for his cruel acts and it was later revealed that Cameron Murray (Dominic Power) was the one who killed Carl, as he was having an affair with Chas at the time.

The troubled teen then had a secret romance with Belle and planned to run away with her, but fled the village on his own to live in Saudi Arabia with his mum Colleen (Melanie Ash) in 2013.

Belle was heartbroken when Tom left her behind. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Who is Tom King Sr in Emmerdale?

Tom is named after his grandfather Tom King (Ken Farrington), who appeared in the soap from 2004 to 2006.

The rich businessman was murdered on Christmas Day 2006 at his wedding reception when he was pushed from his bedroom window after being hit over the head with an ornament. It later transpired that Carl King (Tom Lister) was the unknown assailant who killed Tom.

Tom King was Tom's grandfather. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Why isn't he called Thomas any more?

When Tom returned, Belle was surprised to hear that he no longer went by the name Thomas and he revealed the reason why.

"So, 'Tom' what happened to 'Thomas'?" Belle asked.

"Thomas? That's a five-year-old's name. Now, Tom, that's strong. Masculine. Alpha," he replied.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30 pm on ITV1, with a hour-long episode on Thursdays — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITVX.

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