Amid showing symptoms of an illness, the devious character has sparked suspicion from Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) after her son, Joe’s half-brother Noah (Jack Downham), was drugged recently.

Veteran Emmerdale schemer Kim Tate (Claire King) is also wary of Joe, asking friend Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) to spy on him.

Joe and lover Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley) made plans to meet at a cottage on Home Farm grounds.

But Joe would never make their ‘date’, as he had a run-in with Noah and Charity that led to more drama.

Noah was spooked when Joe spoke words that he remembered from a chilling flashback of himself in a private hospital, and he asked Joe outright if he had been involved in what happened to him.

Noah backed down when Joe played innocent, but Charity and Ross Barton (Michael Parr) clocked something odd, as Joe referenced Noah being injected when he was spiked!

Ross confronted Joe, threatening him inside a barn with a syringe – but Joe produced evidence that he was abroad during Noah’s ordeal.

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Eventually, Ross revealed that the syringe contained a harmless liquid, before locking Joe inside the barn.

His mysterious condition worsening, Joe managed to drag himself outside and crawl back to Home Farm, where he called the man we presume to be his doctor to come over and treat him.

Meanwhile, Dawn was annoyed to have been stood up by Joe, while oblivious Kim asked her to join in keeping tabs on him!

Later, Joe made excuses to Dawn that he had a bug – but we then saw Joe tell his doctor that his alternative solution to his problem needed to hurry up, as he feared he was running out of time.

Is Joe dying? And if so, what is his plan for Noah?

Read more:

• Emmerdale’s Joe Tate rouses Charity Dingle’s suspicions over spiking horror
• 6 Emmerdale spoilers next week: Sarah Sugden is pregnant and Mary Goskirk keeps secret amid funerals

Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.