Zoe Tate
Encyclopedia
Zoe Tate is a fictional character
on the ITV
soap opera
Emmerdale
. She was played by Leah Bracknell
. She appeared between December 1989 and September 2005.
In early episodes, the character of Zoe was given few lines or storylines and Leah Bracknell has been quoted as stating she considered quitting the soap at this point.
When the programme was revamped around the time of the infamous plane crash
, which leaves Zoe's brother Chris in a wheelchair, Zoe ends her relationship with local farmer Archie Brooks and comes out
as a lesbian
.
Zoe was the first lesbian character on a UK soap opera, ahead of Beth Jordache on Brookside
. She was involved in the first lesbian wedding. In May 1996 (a commitment ceremony with no legal effects, as civil partnerships were not recognised legally at that time) on British TV. Zoe marries her longtime girlfriend, Emma, only for the relationship to end soon afterward when Zoe becomes involved with Emma's ex, Susie.
After Susie and Zoe split, Zoe dates Sophie Wright, nanny to Zoe's half-brother, James, and Frankie, a local truck driver who works for one of the family businesses, Tate Haulage. She also has a fling with married woman, Becky Cairns.
Zoe began suffering mental illness after killing her half-brother, Liam, in the culmination of a plot where Liam, conceived as a result of an affair Zoe's father, Frank, had had years before, kidnapped Chris and Zoe. Zoe's personality changed a great deal after this ordeal. She began an affair with Chris's lover Charity Dingle and exhibited obsessive behaviour trying to persuade Charity to leave Chris, even referring to her once-loved brother as a 'cripple'. She also recorded a conversation in which Charity admitted to the affair and used it to blackmail her. Charity finally told Chris what was going on and Chris chose Charity over Zoe. Zoe became very depressed and began drinking heavily. She also started talking to her dead father, Frank. After burning down the local church, Zoe was diagnosed with schizophrenia
.
. After being diagnosed as schizophrenic and having her pregnancy confirmed, she was stunned - unable to remember sleeping with a man. Previous reference had been made to her wanting children (she and Sophie discussed the possibility of having a baby) but Zoe decided to have an abortion. After seeing the baby on a scan, Zoe changed her mind and after talking to Charity, decided to put the baby up for adoption instead. Unfortunately Charity's daughter, Debbie, turned up and seeing them together meant Zoe decided to keep her baby. Zoe named her daughter, Jean, (named after her mother).
Zoe returned to work at the vets' and hired Scott's girlfriend, Chloe, as Jean's nanny. Chloe enjoyed looking after Jean but she didn't have the job for long. Looking for excitement, Chloe began an affair with Syd. One day, they spent the afternoon together at Home Farm and while they were distracted, Jean fell off the kitchen table. She seemed fine but began crying a lot more but Chloe assumed it was because she was teething.
Soon afterwards, she developed a fever and concerned, Zoe took her to hospital. While there, the doctor saw two ribs had recently been broken. Concerned that Zoe couldn't explain this, the doctor called Social Services who insisted Jean remain in hospital for the time being. Syd felt guilty and confessed to accidentally causing Jean's injury by distracting Chloe. Horrified that Chloe had kept quiet, Zoe sacked her. Scott told Social Services that he was Jean's father. As Zoe is gay, it was assumed that Jean was conceived through rape. Scott insisted she wasn't and local vicar, Ashley Thomas
, backed him up. He told Zoe that she had propositioned him before she was diagnosed. Zoe took some convincing but Ashley talked her round.
After Chris's death, Zoe and Scott had a brief relationship, but Zoe ended it when she had a brief affair with her family's lawyer, Rachel. They were caught together by Scott's mother, Viv Windsor. Scott wasn't surprised and was happy to settle for being friends with Zoe and regular access to Jean. He also helped her look after her nephews, Joseph and Noah, who she named Christopher after his father. Zoe was content with her life but decided to make everything perfect, she wanted to adopt Noah and change his name legally. The judge, concerned about Zoe's mental illness, refused to allow the adoption and Social Services insisted Charity remove her son from Zoe.
The night before Zoe was due to give Noah back to Charity, Scott caught her about to abscond with the children. He made her realise if she absconded and was later caught, she would lose all three children. If she stayed and gave Noah to his mother, Charity had promised her regular access. Zoe agreed and took Noah back to Charity despite Social Services's offer to do it for her, knowing it would be hard.
Zoe planned to emigrate to New Zealand
with Jean and her nephew, Joseph. Before leaving, Zoe allowed Scott to think that they would marry and he could be a full-time father to Jean. When Scott proposed, she refused, rather brutally. Angry and feeling that Zoe had made a fool of him, Scott attacked and attempted to rape her. Managing to get away, Zoe injected him with horse ketamine
. This was initially to defend herself but injected him again while he was unconscious. Zoe stood trial for attempted murder but was freed when Paddy Kirk
revealed that Scott had threatened him. The police asked Zoe to make a statement about Scott attempting to rape her but she refused.
Zoe then continued to run Home Farm and all the other businesses Chris had left her, aided by estate manager Callum Rennie and nanny Effie Harrison. Unfortunately for Zoe, Sadie King wanted Home Farm and was determined to get it. Knowing Zoe was a lesbian, she paid Effie to claim that she had feelings for Zoe and shortly before she was due to stand trial, planned to run away with Effie and the children. Unfortunately Sadie got out of the plane and blackmailed Zoe to return with her and sell Home Farm to her at a reduced price in return for her silence about Zoe attempting to abscond.
Zoe left Emmerdale on 22 September 2005. Callum, unlike Effie, was not faking his feelings for Zoe and refused to manage Home Farm for the Kings. His and Zoe's revenge was to break the gas pipes, causing the house to explode just as Tom, Jimmy and Max King were stood outside. Zoe was last seen sitting in her car, watching the burning house in the distance, smiling in satisfaction.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
. She was played by Leah Bracknell
Leah Bracknell
Leah Bracknell is an English actress, best known for her role as Zoe Tate in the long-running soap opera, Emmerdale.-Career:...
. She appeared between December 1989 and September 2005.
1989–2001
Zoe arrived in Beckindale in 1989 along with her father Frank, brother Chris and stepmother Kim. As Zoe was at university, studying to be a veterinary surgeon, she did not appear until December.In early episodes, the character of Zoe was given few lines or storylines and Leah Bracknell has been quoted as stating she considered quitting the soap at this point.
When the programme was revamped around the time of the infamous plane crash
Major Emmerdale storylines
Popular ITV soap Emmerdale has featured numerous famous storylines since it began in 1972. For a full list of major storylines in Emmerdale, see List of major storylines in Emmerdale.-The Plane Crash :...
, which leaves Zoe's brother Chris in a wheelchair, Zoe ends her relationship with local farmer Archie Brooks and comes out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
.
Zoe was the first lesbian character on a UK soap opera, ahead of Beth Jordache on Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
. She was involved in the first lesbian wedding. In May 1996 (a commitment ceremony with no legal effects, as civil partnerships were not recognised legally at that time) on British TV. Zoe marries her longtime girlfriend, Emma, only for the relationship to end soon afterward when Zoe becomes involved with Emma's ex, Susie.
After Susie and Zoe split, Zoe dates Sophie Wright, nanny to Zoe's half-brother, James, and Frankie, a local truck driver who works for one of the family businesses, Tate Haulage. She also has a fling with married woman, Becky Cairns.
Zoe began suffering mental illness after killing her half-brother, Liam, in the culmination of a plot where Liam, conceived as a result of an affair Zoe's father, Frank, had had years before, kidnapped Chris and Zoe. Zoe's personality changed a great deal after this ordeal. She began an affair with Chris's lover Charity Dingle and exhibited obsessive behaviour trying to persuade Charity to leave Chris, even referring to her once-loved brother as a 'cripple'. She also recorded a conversation in which Charity admitted to the affair and used it to blackmail her. Charity finally told Chris what was going on and Chris chose Charity over Zoe. Zoe became very depressed and began drinking heavily. She also started talking to her dead father, Frank. After burning down the local church, Zoe was diagnosed with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
.
2002–05
During a schizophrenic episode, Zoe had a one night stand with local mechanic Scott WindsorScott Windsor
Scott Windsor is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale.From 1993-1996, Scott Windsor was played by Toby Cockerell...
. After being diagnosed as schizophrenic and having her pregnancy confirmed, she was stunned - unable to remember sleeping with a man. Previous reference had been made to her wanting children (she and Sophie discussed the possibility of having a baby) but Zoe decided to have an abortion. After seeing the baby on a scan, Zoe changed her mind and after talking to Charity, decided to put the baby up for adoption instead. Unfortunately Charity's daughter, Debbie, turned up and seeing them together meant Zoe decided to keep her baby. Zoe named her daughter, Jean, (named after her mother).
Zoe returned to work at the vets' and hired Scott's girlfriend, Chloe, as Jean's nanny. Chloe enjoyed looking after Jean but she didn't have the job for long. Looking for excitement, Chloe began an affair with Syd. One day, they spent the afternoon together at Home Farm and while they were distracted, Jean fell off the kitchen table. She seemed fine but began crying a lot more but Chloe assumed it was because she was teething.
Soon afterwards, she developed a fever and concerned, Zoe took her to hospital. While there, the doctor saw two ribs had recently been broken. Concerned that Zoe couldn't explain this, the doctor called Social Services who insisted Jean remain in hospital for the time being. Syd felt guilty and confessed to accidentally causing Jean's injury by distracting Chloe. Horrified that Chloe had kept quiet, Zoe sacked her. Scott told Social Services that he was Jean's father. As Zoe is gay, it was assumed that Jean was conceived through rape. Scott insisted she wasn't and local vicar, Ashley Thomas
Ashley Thomas
Ashley Michael Thomas is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by John Middleton.-1996–99:Ashley soon began developing feelings for the landlady of the Woolpack pub, Bernice Blackstock. He tried putting them aside as Bernice was engaged to Gavin, despite suspecting that...
, backed him up. He told Zoe that she had propositioned him before she was diagnosed. Zoe took some convincing but Ashley talked her round.
After Chris's death, Zoe and Scott had a brief relationship, but Zoe ended it when she had a brief affair with her family's lawyer, Rachel. They were caught together by Scott's mother, Viv Windsor. Scott wasn't surprised and was happy to settle for being friends with Zoe and regular access to Jean. He also helped her look after her nephews, Joseph and Noah, who she named Christopher after his father. Zoe was content with her life but decided to make everything perfect, she wanted to adopt Noah and change his name legally. The judge, concerned about Zoe's mental illness, refused to allow the adoption and Social Services insisted Charity remove her son from Zoe.
The night before Zoe was due to give Noah back to Charity, Scott caught her about to abscond with the children. He made her realise if she absconded and was later caught, she would lose all three children. If she stayed and gave Noah to his mother, Charity had promised her regular access. Zoe agreed and took Noah back to Charity despite Social Services's offer to do it for her, knowing it would be hard.
Zoe planned to emigrate to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with Jean and her nephew, Joseph. Before leaving, Zoe allowed Scott to think that they would marry and he could be a full-time father to Jean. When Scott proposed, she refused, rather brutally. Angry and feeling that Zoe had made a fool of him, Scott attacked and attempted to rape her. Managing to get away, Zoe injected him with horse ketamine
Ketamine
Ketamine is a drug used in human and veterinary medicine. Its hydrochloride salt is sold as Ketanest, Ketaset, and Ketalar. Pharmacologically, ketamine is classified as an NMDA receptor antagonist...
. This was initially to defend herself but injected him again while he was unconscious. Zoe stood trial for attempted murder but was freed when Paddy Kirk
Paddy Kirk
Patrick Frederick "Paddy" Kirk is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Dominic Brunt. Paddy demonstrates the dedication of the soap's writers towards maintaining a comedic tone in plotlines. While he has appeared at the centre of some grave storylines, Paddy is often...
revealed that Scott had threatened him. The police asked Zoe to make a statement about Scott attempting to rape her but she refused.
Zoe then continued to run Home Farm and all the other businesses Chris had left her, aided by estate manager Callum Rennie and nanny Effie Harrison. Unfortunately for Zoe, Sadie King wanted Home Farm and was determined to get it. Knowing Zoe was a lesbian, she paid Effie to claim that she had feelings for Zoe and shortly before she was due to stand trial, planned to run away with Effie and the children. Unfortunately Sadie got out of the plane and blackmailed Zoe to return with her and sell Home Farm to her at a reduced price in return for her silence about Zoe attempting to abscond.
Zoe left Emmerdale on 22 September 2005. Callum, unlike Effie, was not faking his feelings for Zoe and refused to manage Home Farm for the Kings. His and Zoe's revenge was to break the gas pipes, causing the house to explode just as Tom, Jimmy and Max King were stood outside. Zoe was last seen sitting in her car, watching the burning house in the distance, smiling in satisfaction.