Chris Tate
| Chris Tate | |
|---|---|
| Emmerdale character | |
Millie Tate |
Chris Tate is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Peter Amory. The character made his first appearance on 14 November 1989, when he arrived in the village alongside the rest of the Tate family – his father Frank (Norman Bowler); stepmother Kim (Claire King); and younger sister Zoe (Leah Bracknell).
Initially a decent man, Chris was left permanently resentful of his life after a plane crash in 1993 left him paralysed from the waist down. His storylines on the show included his numerous feuds, including one with his father Frank; a longstanding rivalry with his stepmother Kim; and his marriages with local villager Kathy Merrick (Malandra Burrows), her best friend Rachel Hughes (Glenda McKay), and scheming ex-prostitute Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins). Towards the end of his story arc, Chris learned that he had an inoperable brain tumour and used this opportunity to get revenge on Charity for cheating on him with her cousin Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley). After wasting all of his money to ensure that Charity would be left with nothing, Chris committed suicide to frame her for his "murder" – with the character making his final appearance on 18 September 2003 as a corpse following his death an episode earlier.
Characterisation
Chris is a shrewd businessman living in the shadow of his father, Frank. After [Frank's] death, Chris took over the Tate business and never lets anything or anyone get in his way.
Chris was initially portrayed as a decent man, but was left permanently resentful of his life after a plane crash in 1993 left him paralyzed from the waist down.[2] The character then became much more jaded and bitter, often using his intelligence and assets to exact revenge on those he perceived to have hurt him. Radio Times described Chris as a "wealthy bad boy" and "one of the most complex, conniving characters in Emmerdale history."[3]
Storylines
Chris Tate first arrives in Beckinsdale in November 1989 when his father,
Chris and Kathy eventually begin dating and Chris writes a song for Kathy to sing at a village concert, 'Just This Side of Love' (which was released as a single sung by
On 30 December 1993, Chris spends the evening in Skipdale with a friend – unaware that Kathy is planning to leave him that night. He is supposed to pick up Kathy and meet Zoe in The Woolpack, but goes straight to the pub and is there when a plane crashes into the village. Chris is trapped in the wreckage of the wine bar, with his family thinking he is still in Skipdale. He is eventually discovered by Josh, and is dug out overnight. He has spinal injuries and is left
Chris is very bitter about being disabled and realises that Kathy has stayed with him out of duty only. He forms a bond with her best friend Rachel Hughes (Glenda McKay), whose brother, Mark, died in the plane crash, and she begins giving him swimming lessons. The friendship becomes an affair and Kathy finds out when she sees them kissing on their third wedding anniversary. When Kathy finds out Rachel is expecting Chris's child, she slaps Chris and throws him out of his wheelchair.
The following summer, Rachel goes into labour prematurely not long after discovering that her stepfather Joe Sugden (Frazer Hines) has died. She gives birth to a baby boy named Joseph Mark after her stepfather and brother. Chris helps Rachel raise their son and the pair start to fall out with Frank over his interference with Joseph. On 7 December 1995, Chris and Rachel get married – though Joe's brother Jack Sugden (Clive Hornby) and his wife Sarah (Alyson Spiro) are the only attendees due to Frank's refusal to attend the ceremony. However, the marriage lasted less than a year after Chris returns to Frank's business and becomes just as money-ambitious as his father,cmuch to Rachel's disapproval. They soon divorce after Chris indirectly causes Rachel to undergo financial problems, and the pair end up squabbling over their rights to Joseph.
By this point, Chris has become archenemies with his stepmother Kim. This continues to the stage where Frank divorces Kim after her affair with Kathy's new fiancé,
In 1997, it is revealed that Kim is actually alive and had faked her death in order to get revenge on Frank by implicating him in her supposed disappearance and death. She returns to the village to confront Frank and ultimately allows him to die after causing an argument that ends with Frank having a fatal a heart attack. On the day of Frank's funeral, Chris and Zoe discover that Kim is alive. He speculates that she killed Frank and swears revenge on Kim for his father's death, especially when Kim later inherits everything in Frank's will. Their rivalry intensifies for a long time, even when it comes to the pair co-managing operations in Tate Haulage and at Home Farm. Trouble emerges when Kim gets into a business partnership with a seemingly-legitimate aristocrat named
In 1998, Chris is pleased to learn that Kim and Steve are planning to sell Home Farm due to their financial problems not long after the pair get married. He seeks help from Lord Alex Oakwell's former wife Tara Cockburn (Anna Brecon) in her partnership with the Tates to grant him ownership of Home Farm. This works successfully, and Chris sends Kim and Steve packing as they move out of Home Farm. A few months later, Chris seeks his chance to get revenge on Kim for his father's death when both she and Steve end up facing a potential prison stint for stealing a horse from their business rival, which, as a result, got Kathy hospitalized. Steve is convicted to a 12-year prison sentence while Kim is set to face the same fate once her bail ends. That night, Chris lures Kim into Home Farm for a confrontation as he attempts to bring Kim to justice for killing his father. When Chris tries to blackmail her into giving him custody of James, she hits Chris over the head and tips him out of his wheelchair. Kim then confesses to Chris that she had watched his father die, before pouring whisky over him and then escaping the village with James by helicopter. This is the last time Kim and Chris ever crossed paths.
In 1999, Chris hires his lawyer
In 2000, Chris faces another major crisis when one of his lorries ends up colliding with a village minibus – thus causing a devastating road collusion that leaves Kathy among several residents critically injured. Kathy survives along with some others, but four people are killed in the crash, including local resident
In 2001, Chris embarks on a relationship with Cain's other cousin Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) – a former prostitute – and they soon plan on getting married towards the end of the year. However, Zoe appears to dislike Charity and later tells her it was because of her history. Soon enough, though, Zoe begins to fancy Charity herself and even offers her money to leave Chris. Tensions continue to rise between them when Charity responds by kissing her. Eventually, the pair begin a lesbian affair that would last for several months behind Chris's back. Charity becomes alarmed by Zoe's obsessive behaviour and tries to end the fling, but Zoe secretly records Charity confessing to the affair and blackmails her into signing a prenuptial agreement so that she would always have a hold over her. Charity then confesses all to Chris, and he surprises her by forgiving her and ripping up the agreement. The pair later get married despite opposition from both Cain and Zoe, while Cain's father and Lisa's husband, Zak (Steve Halliwell), reluctantly accepts this – though not before he warns Chris about the consequences should he mess Charity about.
In 2002, Chris continues to dismiss Zoe's forgiveness for complicating things in his relationship with Charity. This soon changes, though, when Zoe ends up exhibiting signs of unstable behaviour and mental issues that culminate in her setting fire to the local church. Despite being rescued from the fire, Zoe gets sectioned in the process after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. Chris supports Zoe through her ordeal and forgives her.
In 2003, Chris is shocked when Zoe falls pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl, whom she names
By then, Chris's marriage has grown complicated and his feud with Cain has intensified. This is due to the revelation that Charity had a baby when she was 13 and gave it up adoption. Later, a preteen schoolgirl named
Chris's reaction to Charity's affair with Cain is partly sidetracked when his paranoid behaviour evokes a starting discovery – that he has an inoperable brain tumour with only months to live. Chris later admits this to Zoe when she learns of Charity's betrayal, before requesting that neither she nor Terry informs anyone about this. At the same time, Chris throws Charity out of Home Farm and plans to divorce her. He soon begins frittering away all his money to ensure Charity would be left with nothing. When his condition deteriorates, Chris plans to settle his score with Charity once and for all by inviting her to Home Farm for a chat. As he prepares himself for this, Chris bids a tearful goodbye to Zoe and Joseph before thanking Terry for standing by him at all costs. When Charity arrives, she desperately seeks to rebuild their marriage – but Chris makes it clear that he will never forgive her for cheating on him with Cain and proposes a morbid toast, to "the death of [their] marriage". When Chris drinks his champagne, he suddenly collapses onto the floor and dies in the same spot where his father had died six years previously; his last word to Charity was 'whore'.
Following Chris's death, Charity discovers his brain tumour before she ends up getting arrested on suspicion of his murder; Chris had, in fact, poisoned his own drink in order to frame Charity for his death as revenge for her affair with Cain. In 2004, Charity goes on trial for Chris's murder and Zoe is determined to get her sent down for it. This initially becomes the case when Charity is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for Chris's death. Later, Charity gives birth to a baby boy in prison and names the infant
In 2017, Chris's now-adult son
Reception
Chris' on-screen death on 18 September 2003 was watched by 10.25 million viewers.
See also
References
- ^ "Chris Tate". itv.com. Granada Media Group Limited. Archived from the original on 5 June 2002. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ CBS Drama. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ a b Hughes, Johnathon (4 January 2018). "Emmerdale: who is Joe Tate? Tom's true identity explained". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. (No permanent link available. Search for relevant dates.)
- CBBC. 8 May 2004. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ "Soap Villains: The 15 Characters We Love To Hate, From Janine Butcher To Richard Hillman (VIDEO)". HuffPost. UK. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
General references
- ISBN 978-0-233-05068-3.
- ISBN 978-0-7528-1043-0.