Emmerdale officially confirms Steve Marchant's return after 27 years

Emmerdale bosses have announced that Steve Marchant is returning to the show after 27 years.

Paul Opacic is reprising his role as Kim Tate's roguish ex-husband as part of the ongoing storyline surrounding DS Thea Ramsden's search for answers about the past.

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In recent months, Emmerdale has revealed that Thea is Kim's long-lost daughter, who came to the village looking for revenge against her birth mum for abandoning her when she was a baby.

More recently, Kim has tried to make amends with Thea following their frightening Halloween showdown. She has told Thea that her father is Steve and has promised to help track him down if that's what she wants.

Show chiefs have now confirmed that Steve will return to the village after nearly three decades away.

Despite Thea only having a name to go on, she manages to find Steve and tricks him by initially posing as a solicitor. Suspicious about what's really going on, Steve heads back to the village in search of answers.

A romantic reunion with Kim is out of the question for Steve, as he still holds a grudge against her for sending him to prison all those years ago. But can he build a relationship with Thea?

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Speaking about his surprise return, Paul commented: "Things were left rather bitter between Kim and Steve, so he's very surprised when a solicitor contacts him out of the blue.

"He guesses something is afoot when Kim starts brandishing notes to keep him away. With the sniff of more cash to be made, Steve wonders what is going on. And soon Thea leaves him a jaw-dropping voicemail."

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw added: "Determined to uncover the truth about her father, Thea devises a clever ruse to lure him into a meeting under false pretences.

"But will Steve fall for her deception, and does he even realise he has a child – or could he know secrets that even Kim isn't aware of?"

Since leaving Emmerdale in 1999, Paul has starred in Bad Girls, Hollyoaks and Coronation Street.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

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