Emmerdale’s Tom King has been mentally abusing and controlling his wife Belle for months – and our exclusive photos reveal what’s next in the harrowing domestic violence storyline. Ahead of Wednesday’s episode actor James Chase revealed what it’s like playing the brutal character

For five months, Emmerdale’s evil Tom King has been mentally abusing and coercively controlling his petrified wife, Belle, in the soap’s harrowing domestic violence storyline.

But this week, Tom will take it to another level by violently and physically lashing out at Belle after he persuades her to go away together to Wales for a romantic holiday.

And as our exclusive pictures show, tempers will sadly get so out of control, Belle is left fearing for her life.

Now in his first newspaper interview ahead of Wednesday’s shocking episode, actor James Chase, 28, who plays Tom, admits even his proud parents have branded their son’s TV character a ‘complete bas*ard’ as the soap’s millions of fans pray Belle will be able to find the strength to leave her abusive husband.

The horror abuse is set to escalate

He tells the Mirror: “Mum and dad have been so supportive of me and ever since I was 12 and told them I wanted to be an actor; they’ve always been there for me.

“They are really proud of me for landing the role as Tom but like me, they think he is a complete bas*tard. “When they watch me on Emmerdale, they can’t believe some of the awful things that come out of his mouth. “Nobody in their right mind would say what Tom says to Belle and even though I knew it was going to be a domestic violence storyline, I have been shocked by the levels he will go to.

James admits even his parents hate the on-screen character he plays on Emmerdale
“But I am so proud to be part of this storyline, alongside Eden, who plays Belle. We both hope if this story helps one person to find the bravery to break out of something so horrible, then that would be incredible.”

The Mirror has also been championing the fight against domestic violence and coercive control with our Justice For Our Daughters campaign, focusing on when such abuse turns deadly.

James has been a big supporter of the campaign – and has also been really touched by the number of people who have come up to him in the street to tell him how much his storyline means to them.

Thousands of viewers are hoping Belle manages to escape
Indeed, according to Refuge Charity who have advised the soap’s bosses, one in four people experience domestic abuse – and every 30 seconds, police receive a call for help.

Derbyshire Police tweeted last month praising James for his storyline.

He says: “I couldn’t believe it..Derbyshire Police talking about how great the representation of domestic violence on Emmerdale was. It was really great to see a police force tweeting about it.

“I have spoken to a few people who told me they had a partner years ago that was abusive. They told me it was good to see the story is being shown in such detail. A soap does lend itself to being able to show even little things like, in the case of Tom and Belle, him telling her he doesn’t like the way she puts out the laundry. Such tiny detail shows how control is a part of every bit of her life now.

“Thankfully people are very understanding and realise it is a character and not me when I meet them on the street.”

James say it’s fun to play a hated character – but he was determined to get it right

The storyline has been widely praised for its realistic depiction
DON’T MISSEver since he landed the role of Tom in April 2023, James says he always knew his character would eventually become abusive towards Belle.

So how does it feel to be Britain’s most hated soap villain? Smiling, he says whilst it has been fun to play such a hated character, it’s also been very important to him to make sure he gets it right.

“When they offered me the part, I knew it was going to be a domestic violence storyline but I didn’t know to what extent,” he adds. “It was a shock at first. It took a bit of getting used to but as an actor, it’s great to play compelling and complicated characters. Yes, it is challenging at times but.. for me, it’s just been so important to make sure I get it right.”

Viewers saw the abuse start in February after the couple tied the knot. Since then, Tom’s mental control over Belle has slowly escalated.

Now things are set to take a nasty turn on Wednesday [July 24] when Tom takes Belle away to Wales.

“He almost views himself as a medieval king as he is so old fashioned and he knows she won’t fight back,” explains James. “It’s then he lashes out at her.”

As he chats, James comes across as a likeable, down-to-earth actor who is worlds apart from his vile screen alter ego. And it’s clear even he still can’t quite believe that his childhood ambition to grow up and become a TV villain, like his hero Tom Cruise, would have quite this huge impact.

“I’ve been acting ever since I was 12 and I used to watch a lot of movies with my dad,” he recalls. “I can remember watching Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible and hoping I would one day find success too. I always dreamt about playing a villain but I never thought it would become this big.

“Working with Eden, who plays, Belle is brilliant. She is as devoted as I am in making sure we get this storyline right. I am enjoying it all.”

The horror abuse is set to escalate
Growing up in Leicester with his retired parents and older sister, Izzy, he reveals it was she who inspired him to pursue a career in acting. He adds: “I used to do a lot of youth shows when I was growing up but I can remember being so inspired by my sister, who was also an actress at the time. She was the lead in a show called Match Girls and it really pushed me to pursue acting.”

On leaving school, he attended Mountview drama school in London and went on to land several parts, including ones in Robin of Loxley and the Beginning and End of Everything, before an audition came up to be the fourth actor to play Tom, the son of murdered Carl Lister, in Emmerdale.

James credits his previous roles with helping him to make sure he switches off as soon as the harrowing scenes between Tom and Belle have been filmed.

The abuse started in February
Says James: “I have played other characters that have been less than stellar before and that has definitely helped me. It’s good to play someone so different and experience a world that is so far from yourself. It is rare though that I will walk away feeling down because I am so focused on making sure I nail the scene and do it justice.

“The thing with Emmerdale too is you will film six to nine scenes in a day, so you don’t have time to reflect too much.”

A private person, James keeps his personal life away from the public spotlight but he says whenever he has any spare time, he’ll pop to Leicester to visit his family. “Mum and dad are so proud,” he says, smiling. “When I last went home, they had bought all the magazines of me on the front cover and put them on the coffee table!

“I am super grateful for everything they have done.”

Like every TV soap villain, James knows his time will eventually come to an end on the soap but when this will be is, for now, remains a big secret. “It is good this storyline won’t last forever,” adds James. “I know there will be a finite end but working with everyone on Emmerdale is a dream in itself and I am proud to be part of it all.”