Tom King’s dad was obsessed with Chas Dingle back in the day.
Emmerdale’s ex resident lothario and abuser Carl King has been at the centre of many a dramatic storyline in his eight-year stint on the soap.
The character, portrayed by Tom Lister, made his debut in the Dales in 2004. The first member of the King family to move to the village, Carl was married to Colleen (Melanie Ash), with who he shared children Anya and Tom.
As the latter recently returned to the ITV soap, now portrayed by James Chase, let’s take a look at what his father was up during his stay in Emmerdale.
What happened to Carl King on Emmerdale?
Carl’s marriage to Colleen never prevented him from pursuing other women. Within days of him arriving in the village, Carl flirted with Louise Appleton (Emily Symons) and agreed to go on a date with her and was subsequently discovered and thrown out by Colleen.
One of the rockiest, most significant relationships Carl had on the soap was with Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter). The two bonded over feeling like they were being bad parents and embarked on an on-again, off-again romance.
Their relationship hit a first setback when Chloe Atkinson (Amy Nuttall), with who Carl had a one-night stand with, targeted him and Chas with poison pen letters and lied about being pregnant. After Chas and Carl reconciled, he proposed and they moved into Home Farm together.
Carl’s father Tom (Ken Farrington) was murdered after he bribed Chas to stay away from his son. It was later revealed that Carl was behind Tom’s death, a secret he shared with his brothers Jimmy (Nick Miles) and Matthew (Matt Healy), explaining that he hit and pushed his father when he started calling Chas names, causing him to fall out of the window.
As the relationship with Chas had finished, Carl first dated DCI Grace Barraclough (Hollyoaks‘s Glynis Barber), who died right after learning the truth about Tom’s death. Then, Carl began a romance with Lexi (Sally Oliver), whose mother Carrie had told her who Tom’s killer was.
!["carl]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/05/carl-king-2-f76402f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"carl")
How did Carl King die?
Despite being in a relationship with Lexi, Carl was still hung up on Chas, who insisted they were done and dusted. He went on to tie the knot with Lexi after she proposed, but their marriage was unhappy and came to an end when Carl finally admitted he had only said “I do” because his now wife knew his secret.
Single again, Carl rekindled his romance with Chas but their newfound happiness was short-lived, as he soon began an affair with Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw). Chas proposed to Carl only to expose the affair and humiliate him on their wedding day.
By the end of his time in the village, Carl became increasingly obsessed with getting Chas back as she had began an affair with Cameron Murray (Dominic Power).
Carl stopped Chas as she intended to flee after getting married to Dan Spencer (Liam Fox). In Dan’s van, Carl attempted to rape Chas, who managed to escape after hitting him over the head with a brick. When Cameron found her in the woods, he went to see who she was running from, with an altercation between him and Carl ensuing. In a fit of rage over Carl’s actions, Cameron grabbed the brick and hit him, killing him.
Read more:
- 5 Emmerdale spoilers: Mack’s betrayal fallout continues and Caleb targets Moira
- Emmerdale casts Flo Wilson as Charles’s mum, “a force to be reckoned with”
- Emmerdale boss teases returning character ‘tied to wedding’
Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Soapshub.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.