Who was Joe Tate’s mum in Emmerdale? Rachel Hughes’ history explained, including tragic murder

Joe remembers his mum alongside Sam Dingle

Dec 18 2025

Joe Tate’s mum Rachel Hughes appeared in Emmerdale for 11 years until her tragic murder in 1999. Joe was just a boy when his mum was killed and he was taken in by his aunt Zoe after his father’s death in 2003.

So what happened to Rachel? How did Joe Tate lose his beloved mum?

Rachel arrived with her brother Mark in 1988 (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Joe Tate’s mum, Rachel Hughes, arrives in Emmerdale

The Hughes family – mum Kate, 17-year-old Rachel and 15-year-old Mark – arrived in Emmerdale in 1988. Rachel’s mother married Joe Sugden, but Mark was unhappy about the union.

Rachel began an affair with married man Pete Whiteley on her 18th birthday. But Pete was killed when Kate ran him over when driving whilst drunk.

Rachel and Chris were Joe Tate’s mum and dad in Emmerdale (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Affair with Chris Tate and birth of Joe Tate

Mark Hughes was killed in the plane crash of 1993. The same plane crash left Chris Tate in a wheelchair and Rachel began helping him by giving him swimming lessons. Their closeness soon blossomed into an affair. Chris’ wife Kathy saw them kissing and banged Rachel’s head against a wall in anger.

But in December 1994 Rachel discovered she was pregnant with Chris’ baby. She gave birth to Joseph Mark Tate on the same day her stepfather Joe Sugden died. Joe was named in his honour. Kathy was with Rachel during the labour and the pair put their differences aside – Kathy was even named Joe’s godmother!

Chris and Rachel married on December 7 1995. Chris was desperate for another child, but Rachel did not want one so secretly went on the pill. The couple split when he stole confidential information from her work file and she was granted full custody of Joseph.

Rachel embarked on her third affair with a married man when she started sleeping with Jack Sugden. But he went back to wife Sarah.

Graham turned out to be a killer (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Rachel meets Graham

After starting work as a secretary at Hotton Comprehensive, Rachel met teacher Graham Clark. He soon moved in with her. But it wasn’t long before his controlling nature began to show.

He started off small – rearranging her CD collection and the furniture in her house. He then tried to donate her clothes and got a hairdresser to come and change her image. Rachel agreed, but was horrified to find Graham had changed her into his late-wife Rebecca who had supposedly taken her own life.

The pair also argued about having children with Graham wanting Rachel to be a housewife. Although she refused, Graham planted drugs on her in order to get her fired so he could have his wish.

Graham then started organising for them to move away, despite Rachel insisting she was going nowhere. She confided in Eric Pollard she was going to leave Graham and was going to break the news during a picnic.

Graham pushed Rachel off a cliff (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

The tragic death of Joe Tate’s mum Rachel Hughes in Emmerdale

Graham quickly realised what Rachel was planning and proposed instead. She felt unable to say no.

But then he started talking about their wedding being down south and Rachel snapped. She once again told him she would not be moving away.

As things got heated, Rachel realised she was in danger. She tried to run. But Graham cornered her on the clifftop.

It soon became clear his first wife had not committed suicide, but he had killed her. Panicking Graham then pushed Rachel off the cliff to her death.

Graham returned to the village and pretended he and Rachel had been separated while playing a game of who could get back to the village first. A search party was launched and Jack Sugden found Rachel’s body the next morning. It was concluded that Rachel must have fallen.

Kathy exposed Graham and then he was killed (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Graham caught

Eric knew Rachel had been planning to leave Graham and suspected the fall was not an accident. Realising he was under suspicion, Graham, who had got together with Kathy Glover by this point, persuaded her to leave the village with him.

However, they had an argument in the car and Graham grabbed the wheel, causing it to get stuck on the edge of a cliff. Graham confessed he had killed Rachel.

Kathy managed to escape, but Graham was in the car when it fell to the bottom and exploded.

Joe Tate returned in 2017 (Credit: ITV)

What happened to Joe Tate after his mum’s death in Emmerdale?

Joe was just four years old when his mum died and he went to live with dad Chris. Chris then died in 2003 and his sister, Zoe, was given custody. They then emigrated to New Zealand in 2005.

Joe returned to Emmerdale in 2017 under the guise of Tom Waterhouse. He left again in 2018, but returned in 2024.

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns