ITV‘s Emmerdale has confirmed that DS Thea Ramsden is the biological daughter of Kim Tate, and the Kim Tate secret daughter storyline has already sent fans racing back through the soap’s archives to name the most likely candidate for Thea’s father: Steve Marchant, Kim’s second husband, last seen on screen in 1999.
The revelation landed hot on the heels of Sadie King’s return to the Dales, and it has set fan forums and social media alight. The soap has established that Kim put her daughter up for adoption shortly after birth, and a flashback scene appeared to place the year at 1999, which fans say lines up squarely with Steve Marchant’s time in the village.
Why fans are pointing to Steve Marchant in the Kim Tate secret daughter plot
The arithmetic, viewers argue, is hard to ignore. Steve Marchant was Kim’s husband at the time the adoption is believed to have taken place, and fans have been quick to highlight that Thea herself has described the adoption as ‘illegal’ within the show. ‘Going by the dates Thea Ramsden’s father is Steve Marchant,’ one fan wrote on Twitter/X, adding: ‘Also the fact that she said that the adoption was illegal. That would mean because Kim was married, the father has rights too.’
A second viewer’s guess was blunter: ‘Must be Steve Marchant… or Graham.’ A third put the timeline in context, noting that Steve ‘was sent to prison after she framed him in early 1999, so it could be him depending on when she was born.’ The flashback that aired showed Kim choosing the name Anthea for her baby and insisting that giving her up was the right decision, with a poster in the scene appearing to confirm the year as 1999.
According to The Sun, Steve Marchant was played by Paul Opacic and appeared in Emmerdale from 1996 to 1999. And Radio Times has pinpointed that Steve Marchant was arrested on 13 January 1999, following a conviction for a hit and run and robbery. That specific date gives the writers a tight but workable window for Kim’s pregnancy and the adoption to sit within the 1999 timeline the show itself appears to be using.
What the cast has said about the storyline ahead
Kim star Claire King has been teasing some turbulence to come as the soap unpicks Thea’s backstory. ‘I think there’ll be some very big scenes, because of all the intricacies and all the backstories involved with it,’ she said. ‘Because, you know, who is Thea’s father? Thea wants to know that. So we’ve got to delve into that and go into a bit of history.’ King’s phrasing suggests the question of paternity will be central to the coming drama rather than a quick resolution tucked into a single episode.
Chelsea Edge, who plays DS Ramsden, has spoken about what drives her character’s pursuit of Kim. ‘It’s clear she’s very keen to understand why Kim, who seemingly has everything, status, wealth and power, to give her away all those years ago,’ Edge said. She added that there is ‘certainly a lot more drama to come’, and hinted at the nature-versus-nurture thread running through the story: ‘As to how far the apple falls from the tree… I guess we’ll have to wait and see.’
Thea’s apparent grudge against Kim means a confrontation between the two is building, and the question of who stands beside Kim when it arrives remains open. With Steve Marchant’s arrest dated to January 1999 and the flashback year appearing to match, Paul Opacic’s possible return to the Dales after more than two decades away is the fan theory that currently has the most evidence behind it.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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