Emmerdale – Francis 'Frank' Ronald Tate character history explained
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Emmerdale spoilers follow from Thursday's episode (April 6).
Emmerdale kicked off a huge new storyline on Thursday night (April 6), as Caleb Miligan and Nicky the nanny paid a secret visit to the grave of Frank Tate.
The ITV soap has revealed that Caleb is the son of Frank, which explains his ruthless masterplan to claim Home Farm for himself.
Caleb's desire to take over the iconic estate has been clear to viewers for some time, but his connection to Frank hadn't been disclosed until now.
Emmerdale fans were also kept in the dark over Caleb being in cahoots with Nicky, with the scheming pair now confirmed to be father and son.
But who was Frank and how does the latest twist fit into Emmerdale history? Here's a quick refresher.
Who was Francis 'Frank' Ronald Tate on Emmerdale?
Frank was an Emmerdale regular between 1989 and 1997, played by Norman Bowler.
The classic character's most notable connection to the current show is that he was Kim Tate's first husband, with their volatile relationship sparking some of Emmerdale's most explosive storylines in the '90s.
Frank was brought into the ITV soap as part of a revamp in 1989, as Emmerdale aimed to shed its cosy countryside image and build a reputation for bigger and bolder plotlines.
The arrival of the Tate family was seen as key to this new direction, with Frank right at the centre as the clan's patriarch.
What were Frank's biggest Emmerdale storylines?
Frank moved to Emmerdale with Kim in 1989. They were joined by Frank's children Chris and Zoe, from the businessman's marriage to his first wife Jean.
Frank and Kim took over the Home Farm estate, bringing them into conflict with some of the villagers.
The couple's marriage was hit by tragedy in 1992 when Kim became pregnant but sadly lost the baby.
Cracks started to show between the pair afterwards, with Frank turning to alcohol and Kim beginning to feel neglected by her husband.
Kim went on to have an affair with Neil Kincaid and was kicked out by Frank when her cheating was exposed.
The collapse of the Tates' marriage led to a divorce, but clearly gluttons for punishment, they reconciled and tied the knot again in 1994.
History repeated itself when Kim had another affair, this time with Dave Glover.
When Kim realised she was pregnant with her son Jamie (then referred to as James), she was unsure whether the father was Frank or Dave.
Frank was later officially confirmed to be the daddy, while Dave died in 1996 after helping to rescue baby Jamie from a fire.
In 1997, one of Emmerdale's most outrageous storylines saw Kim fake her own death to frame Frank for the murder.
Kim came back to haunt a bewildered Frank several weeks later – and the stress of the argument caused her husband to have a huge heart attack.
Refusing to call for help, Kim told him: "I don't respect you anymore. You're a dinosaur, Frank – and you know what happened to them."
Frank's heart attack proved fatal, with Kim memorably checking for breathing with a compact mirror before coldly using it to re-apply her make-up.
What is Caleb's plan?
In the closing moments of Thursday's episode, Caleb visited Frank's grave with his son Nicky.
Caleb hinted that he was partly taking revenge on Frank's behalf, telling Nicky: "I know you've had your doubts, but we're doing what he would have wanted. I know that. We're going to make it right."
Previously, Caleb had confided in Cain about his plan to worm his way in at Home Farm – vowing to "take it all, and leave them with nothing".
Emmerdale bosses have confirmed that Caleb sees Home Farm as his birthright.
More details about his reasons for being in the village, and his plan to win back Home Farm, will be revealed in Friday's hour-long episode (April 7).
Will Ash, who plays Caleb, has explained: "I knew that Frank Tate was Caleb's dad and Faith his mum. Plus I knew that Caleb's son had got a job at Home Farm which Caleb had pushed him to do to place him in that world to find out as much as possible about it.
"There's always been that clash between the Tates and the Dingles but it will really ramp it up now! It's really big what Caleb and Nicky are attempting to do so there are a lot of fireworks ready to go off."
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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