Emmerdale’s Tom King to commit physical, emotional and tech abuse against wife Belle Dingle in horrific campaign
Emmerdale will continue to focus on Tom King (James Chase) and Belle Dingle’s (Eden Taylor-Draper) abusive relationship in the coming months, with the storyline set to highlight how someone can use technology to track their partner.
In tonight’s (February 22) episode of the ITV soap, Belle and Tom returned from their honeymoon following their wedding last week. Despite the impression they are happier than ever, Belle and Tom’s relationship is far from a bed of roses.
Tom has already started displaying signs of coercive control, but there are also indications this may develop into physical abuse as well.
As Belle keeps this a secret from her family, Emmerdale will shine a light on the rise of abuse via technology, which features someone using devices such as trackers and hidden cameras to control and follow their partner.
Discussing this storyline, producer Laura Shaw said: ‘Soaps are in the extraordinary position of being able to highlight what happens behind the public face of an abusive relationship, over a longer period of time. The audience knows these characters so well, sometimes as well as they might know their own friends and family and they care deeply about them.
‘As harrowing as it can be to watch this type of storyline play out, it’s imperative that we use our platform to shine a light on domestic abuse, and help give a voice to people who have so often been silenced.’
Revealing her reaction to Belle’s future, actress Eden Taylor-Draper added:
‘When we first heard from the producers the way the Tom and Belle relationship story was going to go, we were fully aware of the responsibility that would bring. But it is an important story to tell. Soaps offer the viewer a glimpse of life behind closed doors and reveal what people present to the world isn’t always a truth. The sad reality is that behaviour like this in a relationship is all too prevalent.
‘I hope we do this story justice. And if people are in a situation like this they should definitely get help.’
Throughout the researching process, Emmerdale worked with domestic violence charity New Beginnings Peer Support.
‘As an after-crisis service we see the longevity of the trauma resulting from domestic abuse and firmly believe preventative measures are key. We therefore, very much welcome Emmerdale covering this storyline to highlight the realities of domestic abuse, red flags within a relationship and the challenges of leaving’, CEO Lindsay Olive said.
‘Domestic abuse remains a hidden pandemic and the more information in the public domain to increase awareness, the higher the chance of perpetrator behaviour being recognised and victims gaining the support they require.’
As Emmerdale puts a spotlight on the complex nature of domestic violence, Tom King will abuse Belle emotionally, physically, through the use of technology, plus isolation from family and friends, love bombing and manipulation.
Emma Pickering, Head of Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment at Refuge, commented:
‘Refuge is pleased to have had the opportunity to work with the writers and producers of Emmerdale, to develop the storyline between Tom and Belle and show viewers the sad realities of domestic abuse.’
