Emmerdale star James Chase has spoken about his exit from the show after his character, Tom King, was jailed for three years.

Thursday’s (December 19) special hour-long episode saw the villain’s fate revealed as he was put away for the assault and coercive control of his wife Belle, who gave evidence in the trial despite his

attempts to intimidate her into silence.

Following the powerful scenes, Chase – who debuted on the ITV soap in April 2023 – detailed the significance of the storyline and its conclusion, explaining that it was important for the character to face justice rather than revenge.

“I always knew to some extent he was going to lose, because we had always had that conversation,” said the actor. “Months ago, the producers and I spoke and I agreed with them that Tom had to get his comeuppance.

“So I always knew he was going to [face justice], to some extent. I didn’t initially know in what form the justice would take. At one point I thought maybe he’d get killed off but I knew it would be either killed off or sent to prison.

“It was really important that Belle got justice, because Tom has just done so many things to her. Not only was it important for Belle but it was important for the viewers to see that it can happen. Obviously, there are so many people affected by this kind of thing.

“Unfortunately, I believe it’s all too rare in real life for the victim to get through the system and get the justice they deserve. So I think it was nice to see and hopefully give hope that it can happen.

“I think it [the incarceration] does offer more closure, even though it would have been understandable if the story had ended up with Cain taking matters into his own hands. However, I’m glad we didn’t go down that route.

“I think it would have been stooping to a level similar to Tom if they had done that. So I think it’s better that it went down the law abiding route with it, and it keeps Belle clear and she keeps her innocence – she doesn’t become pessimistic like he is.”

Despite being put behind bars, the severity of Tom’s actions over the past year make the three-year sentence – with the possibility of a reduction depending on good behaviour – seem light, though Chase expressed his opinion that the character wouldn’t fare well in prison.

“I think he’ll struggle being in prison, but I think through that struggle, it will humble him and he’ll hit rock bottom,” he said. “But it could be the best thing for him, because of how tough it’s going to be inside. It may make him realise what he’s done and not take things for granted.”

In addition to the powerful thematic message at the storyline’s centre, Chase also noted that the special hour-long episode was proof of the soap’s willingness to freshen up its format, remarking that there would always be a need to “evolve.”

“With any show you need to keep your core foundation, tone [and] main subject matter,” he said. “But at the same time, you do need to evolve your show in ways, and I think that Emmerdale does this in the best way by doing these special episodes because it does shake things up a bit.

“These episodes have helped make some of our most impactful moments. I loved filming the whole ‘Welsh’ episode which was just a two-hander [as it] depicted just how isolated Belle was and the pressures that Tom was putting on her.

“It was such a unique experience. And the dinner party that really highlighted the different faces of a relationship. So, yeah, I think those special episodes, they kind of feel like the landmark episodes in the year.”

Though he may have elected to leave the soap of his own accord, Chase shared that he didn’t take the decision lightly, adding that the storyline provided a “perfect” opportunity to depart on an impactful note.

“It feels bittersweet [to leave], definitely,” he said. “It was super intense to do this story. And there were some days where, I think if Eden [Taylor-Draper, who plays Belle] and I weren’t so close and didn’t have such a good partnership together, it would have been more difficult.

“I think maybe we wouldn’t have gotten through some of those days, because they were really intense scenes and we were doing so many of them in a day. It can get physically draining, not just the material, but just the sheer amount of it.

“And it takes over your life. But it has just been an amazing experience, and I think together, we made it work – I’m really proud of what we achieved. I think it’s definitely the right time [to leave]. I think the amount of time we’ve spent on it is the perfect amount.

“Having done the research and having spoken to viewers and fans, everyone still seems to be really engaged by it. And they want to see what the outcome is now. The worst thing would be to keep this going for another six months and allow people to start losing interest.

“I think it’s better to end something when people are still enjoying it and wanting more than to carry on for too long. Also, as abuse can go on for a long time in a relationship and takes many forms, we did have to have the time to reflect this too.”

With Tom definitively not being killed off, there is naturally a chance for the character to return to the village at some point in the future, and Chase certainly didn’t rule out the prospect as he listed the various storylines that could play out.

“it would depend where they would want to go with the character, because there are many different avenues you could go with it,” he remarked. “They could make it that Tom potentially had got even worse, and hasn’t changed at all.

“Perhaps, he could hate Belle even more for it. Or if he did go the other way and finally did realise the terrible things he’s done, and perhaps did, actually start to try to become a better man.”

With the curtain now down – at least for the time being – on his Emmerdale career, Chase shared that he would miss several co-stars and members of the crew, reserving particular praise for Taylor-Draper.

“There are just so many wonderful people there,” he said. “On my last day, it was strange because obviously you’re friends with everyone, but then you have your certain people that you just really clicked with and really love.

“And it felt like on my last day, they were just all there across the different teams… Obviously I’m going to miss Eden big time because we’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time together over the last year and a half. It would be silly if we hadn’t become great friends.

“Countless lovely moments I’ve had, you know, silly moments on set where myself and Eden are just talking about whatever nonsense, even though the scene we’re doing might be really intense.

“We’d be talking about some random TV show or what we had for dinner. Because that’s the job, isn’t it? You find ways of keeping it cool. But yeah, I think I’m just going to miss the general set, because it’s just such a lovely place. Everyone keeps it fun.”

Though Chase may have spent the past year portraying an evil character, the star did share that he would be open to playing another villain, though he did caveat this by insisting that he would prefer to play somebody with more “redeeming qualities.”

“Playing villains is interesting – whilst playing a villain you obviously have to not view them as a villain,” he said. “Obviously, I know Tom is a villain, but you have to find ways to understand the character and understand their psyche.

“I think the villains are often very interesting characters, so I would like to keep playing similar characters, but definitely not someone quite as bad – perhaps a similar vein kind of character, but someone with a few more redeeming qualities.”