Emmerdale fans have been ever-so-slightly suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Joe Tate's 'death' last October after he was punched to the ground by Cain Dingle and bashed his head on a rock.
Although many presumed he was dead, other eagle-eyed fans spotted that Joe's fingers twitched slightly as he was being bundled into the boot of a car by his former business associate Graham Foster - who had been ordered by Joe's step-grandmother Kim Tate to bump him off. Thankfully, Cain saved him a job - or did he?
Apparently not, if new reports are anything to go by. Skeptical fans of the show could now have their opinions vindicated as rumours are swirling that Joe AKA actor Ned Porteous could be set to return VERY soon.
Referencing Graham's obvious guilt over the last few months, a TV insider has now revealed to The Sun exactly where Joe has been over the last five months, "Everyone was convinced he died in October. But he has been alive all this time and secretly living abroad with Graham’s help.
"Unsurprisingly, it comes as a huge shock to the rest of the village. And Cain in particular will be stunned - he’s been living with the belief he murdered Joe, with Debbie Dingle blaming him for her loss."
But they added that as per usual in Soapland, "unless a body or burial is seen, it’s likely a character could come back at any point — and that’s the case with Joe."
Swipe through to see all the Emmerdale spoilers you need to know for this week...
Emmerdale spoilers: week 13
1 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
With Rishi and Manpreet finally back from their holiday, Jai senses something is up.
2 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Rishi and Manpreet are just about to announce some big news when high maintenance daughter turns up on their doorstep looking for a place to stay.
3 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
She's been dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of their home. Jai is furious – but he's yet to hear Manpreet and Rishi's news...
4 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
They've got married! They decided on a whim to tie the knot while they were out in Las Vegas.
5 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Stunned, Jai realises that things around Holdgate are going to be very different from now on.
6 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Elsewhere, Police show up at the park where Billy and Tracy are waiting for April, explaining they've had a complaint from another parent who thinks he's acting suspiciously.
7 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Tracy is livid when she realises the complaint is racially motivated and goes to confront the other parent who called the cops.
8 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
But the confrontation quickly results in Tracy getting arrested herself, frustrating Billy who didn't want to cause a scene.
9 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Back at the house, and hearing of the news, Jessie gets emotional as she explains to Marlon the prejudice that she and her boys have faced.
10 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
But realising the whole village knows about the altercation, Billy blames Ellis and shoves him up against a wall. Tracy is shocked to see his behaviour.
11 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Meanwhile, after splitting from Graham Megan is touched when Frank tries to comfort her.
12 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
When Robert meets a potentially lucrative business client, he's keen to impress him, But Charity recognises him and warns Robert he's trouble.
13 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Nevertheless, she knows the client, Mike, could mean big money for Robert and agrees to help him win the contract.
14 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Charity agrees to accompany Mike as his date to an awards ceremony, but assures Vanessa that the dalliance is purely professional.
15 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Looking on from the bar, Vanessa is unimpressed by Charity's flirting and thinks her "act" is a little too convincing.
16 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Despite Charity working her best magic, later on Vanessa overhears Mike's plans to double cross her. Will she be able to intervene?
17 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Now that Cain is fearing the worst, Moira is worried about him knowing that the police might get involved.
18 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Unbeknownst to them, Kim has vowed to buy the Barton farm out from underneath them, and Moira and Cain are unnerved to find her in their kitchen.
19 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Later on, Noah is frightened when he overhears a conversation between Graham and Kim concerning Cain.
20 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Not realising they've been overheard, Kim is surprised when Cain turns up to confront her.
21 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Noah has reported the conversation back to them at the garage. But nothing prepares Cain for what Kim has to say.
22 of 22Emmerdale spoilers
Elsewhere, Laurel's panicked she's got a last-minute booking in the Pirate Ship as Arthur watches from the side-lines, stony faced.
At the time of his apparent departure from the soap, actor Ned Porteous fooled fans into thinking it was an actual exit by appearing in a video for the soap's social media pages - however, rather tellingly, he's stayed off Twitter since then and only posted one relevant picture on his Instagram profile.
Hopefully we won't have to wait long to find out the truth!
Emmerdale airs every weeknight at 7pm on ITV, with a second showing on Tuesday nights at 8pm.
NOW WATCH: 'Can I say say this out loud?!' Ricky Gervais answers the Internet's funniest rhetorical questions!
If you’re a sucker for the Spice Girls and love a bit of One Direction, you need heat Radio in your life.
We’re online at heatradio.com, and you can still get us on the free app on your Android, iPhone or tablet. Tune in on Freeview channel 716 on the telly or get us on your smart speaker by asking it to “play heat radio.”