“It’s great being bad all day – I can go home and happily be nice!”
As Kim Tate sashayed back into the village after 20 years away, old fans rejoiced while new ones were treated to a right royal drama, when she was pushed from a balcony and straight into a fountain of champagne. And we’re sure Kim wouldn’t have it any other way! Meanwhile, Claire King returned to the role after two decades, and is very glad to be bad again – in fact, she’s even up for an award celebrating it...
Hi Claire, it’s wonderful to have you back – and our Best Bad Girl nomination means people have taken Kim to their hearts again...
Oh, it’s great. There’s a whole new generation watching Emmerdale now that didn’t 20 years ago when I left – a whole load of new viewers. I know she takes some getting used to, but Kim’s one of those characters that people actually love to dislike. They enjoy that they don’t know what she’s going to do next. Viewers like Kim as she gets away with outrageous things they wish they could get away with themselves!
She certainly does – we were shocked that Kim broke the girl code with Rhona when she tried it on with her other half, Pete...
Yeah, but Rhona had been a bit naughty prior to that, remember! Nothing came of it with Pete, though, which is a bit of a new twist for Kim because she’s tried it on with a couple of guys now, and they have rejected her! But she has faithful Graham wrapped around her little finger. I find them really amusing and intriguing as a couple. They must get up to all sorts. We think that they have a dungeon!
We reckon that Kim must be holding something more over Graham than we know...
Well, there is a big story coming up soon and all hell will break loose again. So yes, there will be more. We haven’t really discovered the background of Graham and Kim, because obviously they knew each other. There’s still quite a bit to explore on that.
Were you happy to finally meet Kim’s son, Jamie?
Yes. I love Alex [Lincoln, who plays Jamie]. He’s so sweet and soft and scatty, and ditsy – he’ll trip over his own feet! He’s like a Labrador puppy and so talented. He’s also a hit with the girls at my stable at home! And the good thing about Alex as well is that he’s a few inches taller than me – as actors tend to be small – so it stops my double chin showing!
What has it been like to return to the show – do you feel as if you’ve come home now?
Not when I first came back, because the show films in a different studio now, and most of the cast and crew were different. But as soon as I went to the Home Farm exterior, suddenly I was home and the memories kept flooding back. Introducing the Tate family around Kim made it feel more secure, as I thought, ‘Right, I can feel settled now. I’m not such a pinball’, which I have felt in the past with other jobs. You want the structure of a family around your character, and then you’ve got somewhere to go. Otherwise you just fumble about. So a very strong part of coming back to
Emmerdale was introducing the family.
Yes, there weren’t many villagers who knew Kim when she returned – which is why we loved it when Lisa Dingle gave her a slating...
Yes, she did! And Kim loves things like that. When Priya said “Excuse me!” and stood her ground, Kim thought, ‘Oh I respect her’. She likes strong women.
Is it nice to do bad things on screen and then go home and be a good person?
Yeah, it is good and it stops it at home, as you’ve got it all out of your system at work! You can be as nasty as you want and it’s all written for you. Fabulous!
How would you feel if you won the Best Bad Girl award?
I’d be chuffed to bits because, well, it’s a long time since I’ve won an award – back in those days I was always up against Martine Mccutcheon and she just swept the board! So, it would be really thrilling actually, just lovely.