The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Emmerdale that hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX.

Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) has left Emmerdale following his kidney transplant.

But he will return.

Joe has been on a desperate mission since the start of the year to find a blood relative able to donate their kidney to him. His first port of call was brother Noah (Jack Downham), but he turned out to not be a match.

He then asked Manpreet (Rebecca Sarker) for a blood sample from Caleb (William Ash). She did as Joe asked, he got it tested, and then learnt he was a match.

The actual process of getting Caleb to the operating table involved him getting stabbed by a man called Shaun. Joe then found Caleb and rushed him to Doctor Crowley (James Hillier), who eventually stabilised him and then performed the kidney transplant.

As part of Joe and Crowley’s plan, they both agreed that once the operation had been complete, they would leave the village to decrease suspicion.

This seemed easy enough when the plan first developed, but Joe wasn’t counting on falling in love with Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) while in the Dales.

In tonight’s episode, Joe and Crowley said their goodbyes. Joe had announced he would be going back to Dubai and Crowley let him go, despite noting the medical risks surrounding travelling so soon after an op.

Meanwhile, in the village, Dawn was wondering what to do about her future. Just a few days ago she admitted to Joe that she was in love with him, and they were even talking about their life together.

Unaware of what Joe is doing, Dawn found comfort in a bottle of alcohol.

In the taxi, Joe deleted Dawn’s number and got ready for his flight back to Dubai.

Emmerdale has previously confirmed to us that Joe will ‘ultimately get his comeuppance’ given he is a villainous character, which certainly makes it seem as though tonight’s episode isn’t his last…