The 1990s character resurfaces as Detective Sergeant Thea Ramsden begins searching for her biological father, after Kim Tate names him in Monday’s episode
Paul Opacic is returning to Emmerdale as Steve Marchant, the former husband of Kim Tate, almost three decades after the character left the village. ITV has said Steve will reappear when Detective Sergeant Thea Ramsden, played by Chelsea Edge, tracks him down in her search for her biological father. Kim, played by Claire King, revealed his name to Thea in Monday night’s episode, telling her: “Your father is a man called Steve Marchant. We were married.” Opacic first appeared as Steve in March 1996, and his last on-screen appearance was in January 1999.
How Thea found the name
Thea came to the village intending to take revenge on her estranged mother, Kim. After months of what ITV called “stalking, escalating tension, and deep-seated misunderstandings”, the two reached a tentative truce. Kim has now given her the one thing she wanted, but Thea has only a name to go on, and it is not clear whether Steve knows he has a daughter.
ITV says Thea poses as a solicitor in her first contact with him. “Because Kim previously sent Steve to prison, a romantic reunion between the former spouses is out of the question,” the broadcaster said. “However, whether Steve can build a relationship with his detective daughter remains to be seen.” Steve, “cautious and suspicious”, is drawn back towards the village looking for answers.
Opacic said things were left “rather bitter” between Kim and Steve, so he is surprised to be contacted by a solicitor. “He guesses something is afoot when Kim starts brandishing notes to keep him away. With the sniff of more cash to be made, Steve wonders what is going on. And soon Thea leaves him a jaw-dropping voicemail.”
Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said: “Determined to uncover the truth about her father, Thea devises a clever ruse to lure him into a meeting under false pretences. But will Steve fall for her deception, and does he even realise he has a child – or could he know secrets that even Kim isn’t aware of?”
Steve’s history
Steve was sentenced to ten years in prison for attempted murder, after what ITV describes as being framed by Kim. Radio Times reports that Thea was born while Kim was fleeing the village in January 1999, which makes her a half-sister of Kim’s son Jamie. Opacic was originally cast for six episodes, with Steve introduced as a former university friend of Rachel Hughes, played by Glenda McKay.
Opacic is also known for playing Carl Costello in Hollyoaks and Stefan Brent in Coronation Street. His other credits include prison officer Mark Waddle in Bad Girls and a part in the BBC drama The Chase.
