Emmerdale Joe Tate’s next victim ‘exposed’ by fans after huge clue – and it’s not Dawn

Emmerdale fans are convinced they’ve worked out what Joe Tate is planning next on the ITV soap(Image: ITV)

Emmerdale viewers reckon they’ve sussed out Joe Tate’s next move amid his chilling secret shroud.

Those glued to the soap will remember that since Joe’s dramatic return to the village over the festive season, he’s been spotted keeling over and popping pills on the sly.

Last week, a rattled Joe was heard barking down the phone: “It isn’t working! You know what! Well if I could fix it, I would have done it by now wouldn’t I? I know, I know! It needs to be sooner than that, please try, thank you!” before giving a mysterious black case the boot under his bed.

And in recent scenes, viewers were introduced to Joe’s secret health battle after a sudden tumble, culminating in an under-the-radar medical meet up back at Home Farm.

After getting patched up, the doc eyeballed the black case and let slip a shocker: “That, my friend, is not a long term plan!” prompting a quick fire comeback from Joe: “I know, the long term plan we do have needs to hurry up, I’m not sure how much time I’ve got left!”

All this follows Joe juicing up his kid brother Noah Dingle, hinting at hospital-based tests, leaving a bewildered Noah reeling with trauma as he’s clueless about what went down, even though he’s haunted by blood-curdling memory flashes.

Soap fans reckon Joe’s in dire need of a donor and had his sights set on brother Noah’s organs, speculating that the mysterious black case was actually a dialysis kit. But with Joe’s plans for Noah hitting the skids, viewers are now convinced they’ve cracked who’s next in line for his twisted scheme.

Social media has been buzzing after the soap updated its ITV Hub image to a spine-chilling photo of Joe alongside Caleb Milligan. This follows a flashforward earlier this year showing Caleb flatlining on an operating table, reports Leeds Live.

One viewer tweeted: “Anyone noticed that the icon has changed on ITVX to Joe and Caleb? Maybe the theories about Joe using Caleb as an organ donor are in the pipeline! #JoeTate #CalebMiliganTate #TheTates #Emmerdale”, sparking a flurry of responses including: “Can’t wait for this storyline if it goes ahead. My guess is Joe has a heart problem like Frank” and another chiming in with: “Our money’s on kidney.”

Another fan speculated: “I wonder if Joe Tate is behind Caleb flash forward maybe kidnaps him for the organ he needs? #emmerdale”, while yet another suggested: “We think Joe has kidney failure. The case had a dialysis machine? He needs a kidney match… So theories about Caleb on the operating table could be due to that. #JoeTate #CalebMiliganTate #TheTates #Emmerdale.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and available to stream from 7am on ITVX