Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte Tutton

Who was Frank Tate in Emmerdale, and how did he die? Death explained after Caleb twist

Emmerdale 's Frank Tate got a big mention on Thursday night as a twist unfolded on the ITV soap, with it revealed he is Caleb Miligan's real father.

Caleb confirmed the news to his secret son Nicky in a recent episode, as he visited his dad's grave 25 years on from his death.

The character was huge during his stint on the show back in the 80s and 90s, and is often remembered now too.

He was killed off in dramatic scenes nearly 30 years ago, and his final moments are pretty memorable thanks to his wife Kim Tate's savage decision to leave him to die.

Frank had a fair few enemies on the show, including his own family, thanks to his schemes. This no doubt played a part in many residents believing Kim was behind her husband's death.

But who was Frank, who was he linked to in the village and did Kim really cause his death? Here's everything you need to know...

Francis 'Frank' Ronald Tate was a character on the ITV soap from 1989 to 1997 (Yorkshire Television)

Who was Frank Tate? Who is Caleb?

Francis 'Frank' Ronald Tate was a character on the ITV soap from 1989 to 1997. He was the husband of Kim Tate, and his children were Zoe and Chris Tate.

He was later confirmed to be the father of Kim's son James, or Jamie, too. Frank is the grandfather of current character Noah Dingle and former character Joe Tate, as well as Zoe's daughter Jean.

It's now known that Frank is the father of Faith Dingle's son Caleb, and grandfather to Caleb's son Nicky.

What did Kim do to Frank?

Kim betrayed Frank (ITV)

Kim betrayed Frank twice on the soap with two separate affairs, before she took the ultimate revenge and faked her death.

She set him up so it looked as though he had killed her and he was sent to prison, before being released.

When she returned to the village a heated row ensued between the pair, and Frank ended up suffering a heart attack - with Kim leaving him to die.

She would later confess this to his son Chris when attacking him two years later, as she stole a load of money from Home Farm before fleeing again in a helicopter.

Now, Home Farm is all hers while the money she stole no doubt played a part in her remaining wealthy today.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.