Emmerdale villain Dr Crowley returning to ITV soap

The Herald Scotland

07-07-2025

Now, he is coming back to the show to seek revenge on Joe Tate (Ned Porteous).
The villain was at the centre of many theories during his previous storyline with Joe.
Hold onto your seats, it's been a busy week...
Paddy was attacked by a dog 😱 The new farmer stirs up trouble 🌾 Mack's dodgy deals backfire 💸 And Vinny had something or someone on his mind 👀
Catch up now on ITVX or watch the full episodes now on YouTube:… pic.twitter.com/GsjZobRkyB — Emmerdale (@emmerdale) July 4, 2025
When did Dr Crowley last appear on Emmerdale?
James Hillier's character last appeared on the ITV soap on March 31.
Joe Tate hired the shady doctor to treat him and secure him a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.
Joe and Dr Crowley spiked Joe's half-brother, Noah Dingle, but he proved not to be a match.
Joe's paternal half-uncle, Caleb Miligan, was later found to be a match, so Joe took his kidney after Caleb was stabbed.
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Dr Crowley transplanted it into Joe before fleeing the country, with it later revealed that he may have told Joe a fake name.
At the time of the storyline, Emmerdale viewers were full of theories surrounding the dodgy doctor.
A post was made on the r/Emmerdale Reddit page, one fan said: "I just find Dr Crowley such a weird addition to the show and Joe's storyline.
"Something is telling me that either he isn't really a doctor, or he has ties to the Tates.
"Why would he help Joe and go to so much length and secrecy to do so? How comes only Joe has seen him, and no one's seen him sneaking into home farm?"
They also questioned why the relationship between Joe and Crowley appeared to be "a bit closer than doctor and patient".
Another said: "He's probably just some dodgy private doctor willing to go to lengths as Joe is willing to pay."
However, others questioned whether he was a real doctor at all.
Emmerdale villain Dr Crowley returning to ITV soap
Now, the villain is on his way back to Emmerdale to exact revenge on Joe.
Spoilers for this week reveal that Joe wakes up in a makeshift hospital after being knocked out.
Dr Crowley is revealed to be watching over Joe, with the exact nature of his revenge unknown.
Some fans believe he has a connection to a character already on the show.
One said: "Omg it's the doctor that Kim's dating."
Another added: "I think Crowley is Kim's new interest."
Teasing the situation to The Sun, actor Ned Porteous, who plays Joe, spoke about the moment his character wakes up to see the doctor looking on.
He said: "[Joe's] very confused, very scared. A very powerless situation for Joe to be in."
On working with James again, he added: "He's a really, really lovely guy.
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"I enjoy working with him, and the character that he built is fun, it's got more dimensions than just a helper, and it serves as a very interesting character going forward.
"Hopefully the audience likes what we do with it, because it all gets a bit crazy."
Emmerdale is available to watch live and on demand via ITV and ITVX.