Joe Sugden
Joseph "Joe" Sugden is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale, played by Frazer Hines. He first appeared on-screen during the soap's first episode broadcast 16 October 1972 and remained in the programme until 1983. After a brief return in the following year, Hines reprised his role on a permanent basis in 1986, a landmark year for the show under Richard Handford. He made his last appearance in August 1994, and subsequently died off-screen the following year. In 2019, Hines confirmed that he would like to return to the soap despite his off-screen death.
Development
Joe is a farmer as was his father. When Emmerdale began it depicted actual farm life. Rather than act out tasks, Hines learned to dip sheep and milk cows.Joe is involved in a relationship with Christine Sharp. They married during the episode broadcast 10 September 1974. The duo overcome a series of problems before marrying and Christine has the wedding day "she'd always dreamed of". To commemorate the event TVTimes featured a promotional souvenir photograph for readers prior to the episode's airdate.
In August 1994, Hines, along with Madeleine Howard and Fionnuala Ellwood, departed the serial. At the time Hines commented "We've all been there for a while and just decided it was time to move on." He later stated that he was ready for a change and had wanted to pursue more comedy for a while. On-screen, Joe moves to Spain to be with his mother.
Storylines
Joe was born on 31 May 1949, named after his paternal grandfather, and is the youngest child of Jacob and Annie Sugden. After Jacob dies, the family learn that he has left the farm to his estranged son, Jack Sugden, who divides it between the family.After a failed attempt at courting Marian Wilks, Joe starts dating Christine Sharp and they soon marry but separate when Christine decides she does not want to be a farmer's wife. Christine returns the following year to reconcile but Joe wants a divorce and she leaves for good. Joe's next relationship is with Kathy Gimbel, who moves in with him. Their relationship is a huge talking point in the village as Kathy is separated from her husband, Kenny. When Kathy's father, Jim shoots himself, Kathy leaves Joe to live with her mother, Freda.
Joe gets a job working for NY estates and gets jobs for his nephew Jackie Merrick and Jackie's half-sister Sandie. Joe develops feelings for vicar's daughter Barbara Peters in 1983 but is rejected and moves to France for several years but briefly returns for the funeral of his grandfather, Sam Pearson, in November 1984. In 1986, Joe returns permanently and becomes regional manager for NY Estates. During this time, he has a brief relationship with Karen Moore, who had previously had an affair with Jack, but Karen ends the relationship.
Joe meets divorcee Kate Hughes, and her two teenage children, Rachel and Mark Hughes. Initially Kate and Joe argue after he shoots her dog for bothering his sheep but they eventually fall in love. Joe proposes, but with Mark and Rachel opposed and wanting Kate to reconcile with their father, David, Joe becomes worried. They do marry and Kate's children eventually come round to their mother's new marriage. Kate accidentally runs over Pete Whiteley – a married man who had had an affair with Rachel – whilst drunk, killing him. She is jailed for two years, but released after a year. Joe and Kate attempt to make their marriage work, but Kate ultimately feels too big a distance has grown between them, so tells Joe the marriage is over and returns to Sheffield. Rachel and Mark decide to stay and Joe forms a closer relationship with them. Joe later has a controversial relationship with Pete's widow, Lynn, but suspects her main motive is to upset Rachel, so breaks things off. He also becomes attracted to Kim Tate, but she remains faithful to husband Frank, and the two ultimately remain just good friends, even after Kim and Frank separate.
Joe and Mark argue over a vacuum cleaner that needs returning so Mark goes to the Whiteley Farm when a large section of an Eastern European Airjet comes down, knocking down a wall which falls on Mark, killing him. Joe, his mother, Annie, and her new husband, Leonard Kempinski, are also hit when another part of the plane hits his car. Joe breaks a leg, Annie is left comatose and Leonard is killed. When Joe learns of Mark's death, he becomes very depressed and blames himself. Vic Windsor later finds Joe with a shotgun, contemplating suicide. Jack is eventually able to talk him out of it.
After Joe saves Dave Glover from being run over by a car, Jack and Rachel persuade him to go to spend time with Annie in Spain. The following year, news reaches Emmerdale that Joe has died in a car crash. Annie and Amos Brearly return to the village for his funeral.