Belle Dingle returns to the village as abuser Tom King makes sick plan in Emmerdale

EMMERDALE fans will see Belle Dingle make her return to the village next week, but her abusive husband Tom King plans to use that to his advantage. 

Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper) left the Dales last week after she realised the extent of Tom’s (James Chase) manipulation. 

ITV

ITV

ITV

The event planner realised that her husband Tom was controlling her for months, tracking her phone and keeping an eye on her through security cameras in their home.

He then violently attacked her while they were on holiday in Wales, but Belle managed to escape, taking her dog, Piper, with her. 

Needing time on her own, Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) drove her out of the village. 

Belle’s time away from Tom seems to have done her some good because when she returns, she stands up to him and tries to reclaim her power. 

However, abusive Tom is one step ahead of her and tries to regain control of his estranged wife by organising a surprise for her homecoming. 

Belle is welcomed home by Sarah (Katie Hill), who reveals Tom’s gift: a retro Mini Cooper.

Tom then pressures Belle even more by presumptuously letting himself into Dales Head, where Belle is staying with Piper, to talk about them getting back together. 

Putting her foot down, Belle tells Tom she won’t accept the car and doesn’t want to get back together. 

In first look pictures from next week’s scenes, Belle looks visibly terrified as she comes face to face with Tom. 

Her anxiety rises as he attempts to fill her with guilt, but Belle stands in defiance of Tom as he tries all his tricks to talk her round. 

Belle remains strong and tells him she doesn’t want to see or talk to him for a long time. 

She’s then left stunned when he calmly agrees to her terms and leaves. 

However, later it becomes clear Tom has not given up as he sits in the Woolpack beer garden and watches Belle through secret security camera feeds. 

Will Belle realise what Tom has done?

Most complained about soap storylines

Over the years, all three of the main soaps have featured plots that have had even die-hard fans reaching for their phones and laptops so they can get in touch with Ofcom and complain. Here are just some of the most scandalous…

EastEnders baby theft: 13,400 Ofcom complaints – Back in 2011, EastEnders was flooded with complaints when Ronnie Branning (RIP) swapped her baby for the dead son of Kat Moon. The storyline drew the most number of objections in the soap’s long history and saw it roundly criticised by campaigners – with 13,400 flying in over the course of the storyline. Some viewers called it “distressing” and “horrific” but Ofcom ruled the scenes were not “unduly disturbing”.

Emmerdale dog-napping: 550 Ofcom complaints – Back in 2016, Ross Barton and Charity Dingle came up with a plan to steal a dog and hold it ransom – but viewers didn’t like it one bit. The nation’s pet owners rose up, insisting the storyline would encourage copycats (not to mention copydogs). Complaints over two episodes totalled a staggering 550 and soap writers quickly learnt you don’t mess with animal-lovers.

Coronation Street double murder: 546 Ofcom complaints – Marginally less people complained about a gruesome double murder than objected to a dog-napping plot when Pat Phelan was at the centre of a spate of killings. First he forced Andy Carver to shoot dead Vinny Ashford – and then Pat killed Andy. All the bloodshed back in 2017 proved to be too much for some viewers, who lodged complaints in vast numbers about the “violent scenes”.