Zoe Tate is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...
'', played by
Leah Bracknell
Alison Rosalind Bracknell (12 July 1964 – 15 September 2019), known professionally as Leah Bracknell, was an English actress who played the role of Zoe Tate in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (1989–2005), for which she was nominated for the ...
. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 12 December 1989. Zoe was involved in many major storylines during her time on the soap, including the deaths of her father
Frank
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curr ...
(
Norman Bowler
Norman Clifford Bowler (born 1 August 1932) is an English actor, best known for his role as Frank Tate in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''.
Early life
Norman Clifford Bowler was born on 1 August 1932 in London, England. His father, Clifford N ...
) and brother
Chris
Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common.
People with the given name
* Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...
(
Peter Amory
Peter Amory (born Peter Walton on 2 November 1964) is an English actor best known for playing the role of Chris Tate in ITV's soap opera ''Emmerdale''. He was born in Norwich, Norfolk.
Personal life
He was married to actress Claire King, who ...
), the betrayal and departure of her stepmother
Kim
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
(
Claire King
Jayne Claire King (born Jayne Claire Seed; 10 January 1962) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Kim Tate in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' and Karen Betts in '' Bad Girls''. She has appeared in the fourth series of ''Stric ...
), coming out as
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
and a battle with
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
. Zoe became the first lesbian character in a British soap opera when she came out in 1993. She departed on 22 September 2005.
Storylines
Zoe's family move to Beckindale, while she is at university studying to be a veterinary surgeon. Following her graduation, Zoe also moves to the village and finds employment at a surgery in Hotten. Zoe helps deliver
Elsa Feldmann
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 1990, by order of first appearance. This year saw the introduction of a new family, the Feldmanns. Siblings Elsa and Michael debuted in Februar ...
's (Naomi Lewis) baby and she becomes involved in a protest march for animal rights. Zoe leaves the village when she gets a job as a flying vet in New Zealand. She returns the following year and helps Frank with his drinking problem, which he developed during the breakdown of his marriage to Kim. Zoe has a one-night stand with Elsa's brother,
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
(Matthew Vaughan) and a fling with
Archie Brooks
Archie Brooks is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Tony Pitts. Pitts had a 10-year span as Archie between 1983 and 1993, but was axed and Archie became one of the victims of the Emmerdale plane c ...
(
Tony Pitts
Anthony Pitts (born 10 October 1962) is an English actor, most notable for playing Archie Brooks in the long-running British soap ''Emmerdale Farm'' between 1983 and 1993.
Early life
Pitts was born in Sheffield, England. His family was wor ...
). Zoe eventually tells Archie that she is gay. Zoe meets interior designer
Emma Nightingale
''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared during 1995, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the series producer Mervyn Watson. ...
(Rachel Ambler) and they begin a relationship. Zoe is almost raped by Ken Adlington (Douglas McFerran), but she fights him off and Emma tries to convince her to tell the police. Zoe refuses and Ken denies the attack happened. Frank gets revenge for Zoe by publicly humiliating Ken. Emma and Zoe decide to have a blessing. Emma's ex-girlfriend, Susie Wilde (Louise Heaney), turns up in the village and Zoe falls for her. Shortly after the blessing ceremony, Zoe leaves Emma for Susie. Zoe and Susie's relationship ends when Susie has an affair with another woman.
Zoe sets up a veterinary practice with
Paddy Kirk
Paddy Kirk (also Dingle) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Dominic Brunt. He has been married four times: to Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) in 1999, to Emily Dingle (Kate McGregor) in 2002, to Rhona Goski ...
(
Dominic Brunt
Dominic Adam Brunt (born 15 April 1970) is an English actor, director and producer, best known for portraying the role of Paddy Kirk in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. For his role as Paddy, Brunt has been nominated in various categories at t ...
). She is devastated when she discovers Frank has died. She begins dating Sophie Wright (
Jane Cameron
Jane Cameron (born 29 November 1974) is an English actress, known for her roles as Sophie Wright in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' and as Ms. Templeman in the BBC children's show ''M.I.High''. In 2011–12, she appeared on ''EastEnders'' as ...
), the nanny for Frank and Kim's son
James Tate (Sam Silson). They break up when Zoe wants to start a family but Sophie does not. Zoe initially resists the married
Becky Cairns
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 1997, by order of first appearance.
Lyn Hutchinson
Lyn Hutchinson, played by Sally Walsh, made her first appearance on 8 January 1997. Walsh sa ...
' (Sarah Neville) advances but later has a fling with her. She later develops a crush on truck driver, Frankie Smith (Madeleine Bowyer). Chris is kidnapped by
Liam Hammond
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 1999, by order of first appearance.
Ezra Dingle
Ezra Dingle is Zak Dingle's brother. He appeared in 1999.
Ezra appears a few times during 199 ...
(
Mark Powley
Mark Powley (born 4 October 1963) is a British actor known for his work on television. He appeared in 88 episodes of police drama ''The Bill'' as P.C Melvin (1987–1990), and as builder Tom in BBC sitcom '' Next of Kin'' for 2 series (1995 ...
), who reveals he is Frank's illegitimate child. Zoe rescues her brother and shoots Liam dead. Chris and Zoe try to cover up the crime and a jury reaches a verdict of lawful killing. Zoe then gets together with Frankie. Zoe is not happy when Chris moves Charity Dingle into Home Farm and gives her a job as his assistant. However, Charity and Zoe begin an affair, but when Zoe starts exhibiting obsessive behaviour towards Charity, it ends. Zoe starts blackmailing Charity, who confesses the affair to Chris. He chooses Charity over Zoe and she becomes depressed. Zoe then begins talking to her deceased father and she sets fire to the church. During one of her early schizophrenic episodes she ends up having
sex with
Scott Windsor
Scott Windsor (also Dawson) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale''.
From 1993 to 1996, Scott was played by Toby Cockerell. In 1996, Scott left the village to join the army and when he returned in 1998, Ben Fr ...
(
Ben Freeman) but has no memory of the event.
Zoe is sectioned and diagnosed with schizophrenia. She also discovers she is pregnant, with no idea how it happened, and she considers having an abortion. After seeing the baby during a scan, Zoe changes her mind and decides to put the baby up for adoption instead. Zoe later chooses to keep her baby and she gives birth to a daughter named
Jean
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
(
Megan Pearson
Megan Pearson is a British actress who is best known for playing Jean Tate in ITV's ''Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (k ...
). Zoe returns to work at the veterinary surgery in the village and she hires
Chloe Atkinson (
Amy Nuttall
Amy Abigail Nuttall (born 7 June 1982) is an English actress and singer known for playing Chloe Atkinson in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2000 until 2005, and housemaid Ethel Parks in ITV period drama ''Downton Abbey''.
Early life
Nut ...
) to be Jean's nanny. When Zoe notices Jean is crying more often, she takes her to the hospital and is told that Jean has a couple of broken ribs.
Syd Woolfe (Nathan Gladwell) eventually confesses that Jean's injuries occurred when he and Chloe took their eyes off her when they were together. Zoe immediately fires Chloe. Scott realises that he is Jean's father and when Zoe finds out she becomes convinced that he raped her.
Ashley Thomas
Ashley Thomas is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by John Middleton. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 December 1996. It was announced on 22 October 2015 that Middlet ...
(
John Middleton) tells Zoe that she had in fact had sex with him before being diagnosed and Zoe accepts that she willingly had sex with Scott, albeit with no recollection of the incident.
Chris commits suicide and frames Charity for murder. Charity becomes aware that Zoe knows the truth and tries to seduce her. However, this does not change Zoe's mind and she testifies that Charity killed Chris. Charity is found guilty and sent to prison. She later gives birth to Zoe's nephew,
Noah
Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
(Alfie Mortimer). Zoe, in her time of loneliness and feeling like her daughter should have a mother and father in her life has a very brief relationship with Scott, she tries to be romantic with him, but since she is obviously not attracted to him, she has an affair with
Rachel Whatmore (Zoe Lambert). Charity agrees to give Zoe custody of Noah for the evidence that Chris committed suicide. Zoe tries to adopt Noah, but she is refused permission. Noah is later returned to his mother. Zoe continues to run Home Farm and the businesses Chris left her, aided by estate manager
Callum Rennie (
Andrew Whipp) and nanny
Effie Harrison
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2005, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Keith Richardson.
Max King
Max King, port ...
(
Phillipa Peak
Phillipa Peak is an English actress who appeared in ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' as Zoe Tate's nanny Effie Harrison in 2005 and as Ellen Dunn in '' EastEnders'' in 2007. She also appeared in an episode of '' Doctors'' on 9 January 2007, Litt ...
). Zoe plans to emigrate to New Zealand with Jean and Joseph. Zoe takes revenge on Scott after she learns he was going to betray her and lets him think that they are going to reunite and when he proposes, she turns him down. Stating she would, rather "put needles in her eyes". Scott then attacks Zoe and attempts to rape her. Initially trying to defend herself, Zoe injects him with
ketamine
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used medically for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. It is also used as a recreational drug. It is one of the safest anesthetics, as, in contrast with opiates, ether, and propofol, it suppresses ne ...
. However, when Scott falls unconscious, she injects him again and is later arrested for attempted murder.
Effie reveals her feelings for Zoe and shortly before she is due to stand trial, Zoe plans to run away with her and the children. At the airport,
Sadie King
Sadie Sinclair (also King) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Patsy Kensit. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 10 May 2004. The character was introduced as the ex- ...
(
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and was the lead singer of the pop band Eighth Wonder in the 1980s.
Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Bird ...
) appears and blackmails Zoe into returning home and selling Home Farm to her at a reduced price. When Zoe returns home, Effie pleads with her to understand, but Zoe punches her. She stands trial for attempted murder and is freed when Paddy reveals that Scott was angry on the night of the attack and had threatened him. Zoe packs up Home Farm and plans to leave with Callum, who refuses to stay behind with the Kings. Zoe and Callum break a gas pipe and set a timer to go off just as
Tom (
Ken Farrington
Kenneth William Farrington (born 18 April 1936) is a retired English actor. He first came to fame playing the role of Billy Walker, wayward son of publican Annie, in ITV's long-running soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. Following a brief period ...
),
Jimmy (
Nick Miles
Nick Miles is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Jimmy King in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Prior to appearing on ''Emmerdale'', he made appearances in various television series such as '' Casualty'' and ''The Bill'' ...
) and
Max King Max King may refer to:
* Max King (theologian) (born 1930), founder of the school of thought known as Transmillennialism
* Max King (runner) (born 1980), American ultramarathon runner, winner of the 2014 IAU 100km World Championships
* Max King (ru ...
(
Charlie Kemp
Charlie Kemp is a British actor. He played the character of Max King in the ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale''. He only featured in the series for a few months, with his last appearance on 2 October 2005, in an episode in which his character was ki ...
) arrive. Callum stops the car and he and Zoe watch the house explode before driving away.
When James (now Alexander Lincoln) returned in 2019, he and Paddy talked about vets and his reason he wanted to be a vet was down to Zoe's days as a vet.
Casting
Two years after graduating from the
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to:
*Webber, Kansas, a US city
*Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA
*Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA
*Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA
*Webber (surname)
Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...
and having only done theatre and commercial work, Bracknell was cast in the role of Zoe.
Bracknell initially signed a nine-month contract and she thought that was how long the job would last.
She also stated: "I'd only ever been to Leeds once before, and I'd never really watched ''Emmerdale''. It was strange, going from the dole with no money, to having a proper job."
Bracknell made her first appearance as Zoe on 12 December 1989.
[ Parkin 2002, p.134.]
In March 2005, Bracknell announced she was to take a nine-month break from ''Emmerdale''.
A reporter for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
said she would leave in the autumn following a dramatic storyline involving Zoe.
Bracknell said "I am looking forward to spending some time with my family and having the opportunity to pursue other projects. I will also be finishing my teaching diploma in yoga which is something I am passionate about."
Series producer Kath Beedles said she wished Bracknell all the best and looked forward to welcoming her back in the future. Beedles added that Bracknell had made "a huge contribution to ''Emmerdale's'' ongoing success."
Despite initial reports that it would be a temporary break, Bracknell never returned to ''Emmerdale''. The actress died in October 2019.
) moved into Home Farm.
Chris and Zoe's mother, Jean, died of cancer.
Originally studying to be a veterinary surgeon, Zoe later started a veterinary practice in Emmerdale. In his 2002 book, ''30 Years of Emmerdale'',
noted that Zoe stuck up for what she believed in and was committed to animal rights and welfare.
Parkin described Zoe as "charitable and reasonable compared with the other Tates".
He said while Zoe had a romantic streak, she also had a dark side, which often saw her become moody and angry.
Bracknell said of her character in 2005: "She was very unpredictable which I liked. She wasn't a victim but she had lots of problems to deal with and at the same time she could be very Tate-like, ruthless and sometimes violent."
and the two later began a relationship.
Zoe struggled to deal with the physical aspect of their relationship and she realised that she was a lesbian.
(Matthew Vaughan) and an older man, Patrick, who she once brought home for Christmas, Zoe did not have much experience with men and the mystery behind that had finally been revealed.
Bracknell explained that Zoe was not aware of her sexuality when she decided to have sex with Archie and said "Zoe wanted to sleep with Archie to put her fears to rest but she didn't do it to prove anything. She didn't count out the possibility that it could all work out with him."
Bracknell added that Archie would be gutted by the news, but Zoe would want to remain his friend.
Bracknell thought Zoe's sexuality would be "a big hurdle to cross" with her family, especially with Frank who Zoe was very close to.
Arnold reported that Zoe's bad luck with men was one reason why the show's producers felt the storyline could work for the character. He added that lesbianism had not been tackled before in a British soap.
Of how the storyline unfolds, Bracknell explained "Zoe is quite feminine and not the obvious media stereotype of a lesbian, but the writers aren't taking any sort of moral stance. This is something that Zoe discovers gradually and it will be dealt with constructively, emotionally and positively."
Zoe was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2002.
According to Bracknell, this was the ''Emmerdale'' storyline she was most proud of portraying, "
cause it dealt with a particular area of mental health and we did it over a relatively long period of time - about ten months - so there was a lot of research involved and the story was ongoing and changing. We had to get the nuts and bolts right and also it wasn't just about how it affected her