Emmerdale confirms Steve Marchant’s return as Thea tracks down her father

Emmerdale has tonight confirmed that Paul Opacic is returning as Steve Marchant, nearly three decades after his dramatic departure.

Kim’s (Claire King) former husband is set to be drawn back to the village when their daughter Thea (Chelsea Edge) tracks him down, opening up another chapter in the detective’s complicated family history.

Thea originally arrived in the village in August, secretly seeking revenge on the mother she believed had abandoned her, but it was only last week that Kim discovered she was her daughter.

Kim had rushed Thea to hospital after stabbing her during a confrontation, wrongly believing she had kidnapped Joe’s (Ned Porteous) baby. Whilst Thea slept in her hospital room, Kim found her driving licence and realised from her full name—Anthea—and date of birth that she was her daughter.

Tonight’s episode saw the name of Thea’s father finally revealed, but before we get into the details of his return—who exactly is Steve Marchant (Paul Opacic)?

Long-term viewers will remember that Kim and Steve wed in 1998, but their married life got off to a bad start mere hours after the ceremony.

It transpired Steve had gambled away both of their fortunes on the stock markets, leaving them broke and prompting a plan to steal a valuable horse.

During the theft, Steve accidentally ran down Kathy (Malandra Burrows) and later tried to smother her in hospital to cover his tracks. Kim stopped him, but concealed her own role in the theft whilst encouraging Kathy to report him.

As Kim claimed she’d ended their marriage and feared him, Steve realised she was leaving him to take the blame and vowed to expose her. Both stood trial in January 1999, with Kim denying theft and obtaining money by deception.

When Kathy began to question Kim’s account and changed her testimony, Kim’s attempts to escape blame unravelled.

Before the verdicts were delivered, and after a final showdown with stepson Chris (Peter Amory), she famously fled the village by helicopter with her young son, Jamie.

Steve was sentenced to ten years for attempted murder, whilst Kim was found guilty to her charges in her absence.

We now know that, following her departure, Kim gave birth to Thea in July 1999. However, the crimes she’d left behind caught up with her, leaving her facing prison for both the original charges and for absconding.

With no money or contacts left, she had been forced into a deal with a corrupt police superintendent who wanted her baby.

According to Kim, giving up Thea had been the only way to avoid prison and prevent both her children being taken into care. She had been assured that her daughter would be loved and cared for.

However, Thea revealed that her childhood had become miserable after her adoptive mum died shortly before her eighth birthday, leaving her with a father who made it clear he didn’t want her.

In tonight’s episode, Thea visited Home Farm and admitted that Kim wasn’t quite the woman she’d expected. However, she still had questions about her family, and asked Kim who her father was.

“Your father is a man called Steve Marchant. We were married,” Kim revealed.

Kim explained that Steve never knew she was pregnant, admitting that they’d split on far from amicable terms. When Thea asked about finding him, Kim reluctantly agreed to help, although she asked to have her daughter to herself for a little longer first.

Thea wasn’t ready to put everything behind them just yet, declining Kim’s invitation to dinner and reminding her that one nice chat hadn’t solved their problems.

With a complicated history between them, Kim has little reason to welcome her ex-husband back. But Thea remains determined to find her father, and poses as a solicitor when she makes her initial approach.

The unexpected contact will leave Steve suspicious, but the prospect of money will give him a reason to investigate further.

“Things were left rather bitter between Kim and Steve, so he’s very surprised when a solicitor contacts him out of the blue,” Paul Opacic tells us.

“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.”

Whilst a romantic reunion with Kim is firmly off the cards, could Steve be persuaded to get to know their daughter?

“Determined to uncover the truth about her father, Thea devises a clever ruse to lure him into a meeting under false pretences,” says Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw.

“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?“