Hollyoaks star calls for Emmerdale villain to stay behind bars

Emmerdale set up the shocking return of Tom King last night, after almost two years behind bars. The villain was convicted and sentenced in December 2024 for his campaign of abuse and assault against his then-wife Belle Dingle.

Tom later appeared on our screens in February 2025, as he found out that Belle had begun divorce proceedings. But after she finally started moving on with her life, the wedding planner's past came back to haunt her in yesterday's (19 October) episode.

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Last night, Belle was horrified to learn that Tom was set to be released from prison after being up for parole. Though the victim liaison officer assured her he would have to keep his distance, Belle and her loved ones were left fearing the worst.

Meanwhile, it's not just the Dingles who were worried about Tom's return, as soap star Louis Emerick shared his views on the storyline. The actor, who plays Donny Clark on Channel 4's Hollyoaks, urged Emmerdale to keep the villain locked up.

"@emmerdale #TomKing coming back?" wrote the actor on X, with a sad and angry face emoji, before adding: "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo."

He then replied to an article highlighting the news, adding: "Ahh come on @emmerdale, you're better than this... some originality Please, from my fave Soap! The only #GoingBack2MyRoots I wanna hear is The #LamontDozier kind from the 70s! Leave Tom inside where he belongs!"

The replies under Emerick's post seemed to echo the same sentiment, with fans of the ITV soap dreading the villain's reappearance. But how will the villagers react when he finally shows his face?

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Speaking about reprising his role, James Chase, who plays Tom, previously it as a "responsibility" that he wouldn't take "lightly", adding: "He is a character driven by obsession and a desperate need for control, and it is both fascinating and challenging to step back into that mindset."

"The audience knows exactly who he is and what he is capable of, so the challenge now is to show the lengths he is willing to go to in order to get what he wants, even if it means dismantling Belle's life all over again. It's a dark path, and I'm ready to see how far Tom will push it."

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

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