Tom King in Emmerdale: Troubled teen turned stalker and domestic abuser!
His wife Belle Dingle is a wreck thanks to him
Tom King in Emmerdale is quickly becoming one of the show’s nastiest baddies ever as he torments his new wife Belle Dingle.
It’s hard to believe it’s less than a year since he arrived in the village to take the job at the vet’s, much to the surprise of the Emmerdale residents who knew him when he was younger.
So what’s Tom’s story? Here’s the lowdown on his shocking behaviour towards his wife – and his dodgy family background that means the way he’s treating poor Belle isn’t really a surprise!
Tom King arrives in Emmerdale
Tom, who called himself Thomas back then, arrived in the village in 2004 with his sister Anya. They were Carl King’s kids, with his ex-wife Colleen. And we have to be honest – they were pretty troublesome!
But what do you expect?
In case you’d forgotten, the whole King clan were pretty murky and Carl was the worst of the lot. He was a cheat and he murdered his own dad – who was also called Tom.
Not a nice person!
The older Tom King was also a master manipulator, his son Matthew was ruthless, and even Jimmy – the only surviving one of the four King brothers – has his dark side.
Tom and Anya
So Tom and his younger sister came and went a few times, between 2004 and 2009, flitting between visiting their dad and their mum.
Then they came back again for their dad’s engagement to Lexi Nicholls. By 2010, they were staying in the village full time as their mum had to care for their injured stepfather – though they were still up to no good, and caused trouble for Edna Birch, and Ashley and Laurel Thomas.
Later Anya and Tom went to live in Saudi Arabia with their mum. But it wasn’t long before Tom returned, this time for his dad’s wedding to Chas Dingle.
The wedding ended in drama when Chas jilted Carl at the altar, knowing he’d been cheating with Eve Jenson. Carl and Tom both went to to Saudi Arabia.
Tom King hits out over Carl’s murder in Emmerdale
When Carl was murdered by Cameron Murray, at first everyone – including Chas herself – believed she was the killer. Chas was even in prison for a while. She’d hit Carl over the head with a brick when he tried to rape her – but it was serial killer Cameron who finished him off!
Cain told Tom the truth about his dad. He was upset and blurted out that his dad was a rapist at the funeral service.
It was Edna, who Tom had previously tormented, who gave the troubled teen a shoulder to cry on.
Tom King the stalker
In early 2013 Chas Dingle’s life was made a misery by a creepy stalker who was sending her photos of her and Carl in the post, with her eyes scratched out. She was getting dodgy phone calls and generally her life was miserable.
And it turned out her stalker was Tom King, who’d secretly come back to Emmerdale!
He told everyone he wanted revenge on Chas for killing his dad – as everyone still believed to be true at the time – and persuaded his Uncle Jimmy to let him stay in the village.
Tom and Belle part one
Belle had a thumping great crush on Tom and even posed for provocative pics to entice him. They shared a kiss at Sandy Thomas’s 80th birthday party, but Belle’s parents, and Jimmy and Nicola weren’t happy about the romance.
So of course the teenagers found a way to see each other anyway! And when the truth was revealed – thanks to Tom kissing Belle in front of her furious dad, Zak – they decided to run away.
Runaway lovers!
The pair stole Dan’s camper van and fled. But Belle’s mum Lisa was convinced Tom had abducted Belle, and reported him to the police.
When Belle told Tom that his dad was in the van the night he died, he got upset and drove back to the village. Belle went home, but Tom drove away again. The van was found at the airport and later Jimmy discovered Tom had gone back to his mum in Saudi Arabia.
And that was the last we heard of Tom King until he showed up in the village again last year.
If only the Dingles had remembered Tom’s past history with their family, instead of welcoming him into their lives again with open arms, eh?!
Tom’s abuse of Belle
Viewers have watched in horror as Tom’s controlling and punishing treatment of Belle has grown increasingly sinister and violent.
He’s turned poor Belle into a shadow of herself, doubting her own instincts and terrified of her husband. And now he knows Belle terminated her pregnancy, he’s planning revenge. He wants to drag her off to the deepest depths of Wales to isolate her even further.
Belle has realised the extent of his abuse, but will she find the courage to act on it?
Who plays Tom King in Emmerdale?
Tom is played by actor James Chase. When he first arrived in the noughties as a small boy, he was played first by Jack Ferguson, then by Connor Hill.
When Tom – who then called himself Thomas – came back to Emmerdale as a troubled teenager for a longer stint, he was played by Mark Flanagan.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.30pm and 2.05pm.