Emmerdale fans have been left baffled by the sudden reappearance of Zak Dingle.
The patriarch has been played by actor Steve Halliwell since 1994.
But in recent years he has only appeared sporadically with frequent trips to Scotland written into the storylines.
However since his return to the village almost 18 months ago, Zak has been back living at Wishing Well Cottage.
But he is rarely ever seen – and hasn’t been seen on screen in weeks.
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That is until last night when he made a shock appearance to deal with pervert Dingle, Noah.
Noah had tried to flee the village to go on the run to escape a prison sentence for stalking ex Chloe Harris.
He only got as far as an empty shed in the village before Belle found him.
Emmerdale airs return for Zak Dingle
Claiming he didn’t want to go home, she convinced him to check in with the police to stay within his bail terms and then move in with her.
Inviting him in she begged her dad to let him stay.
“Dad please, you’re always saying family should be there for each other and whatever he’s done, he is still family,” she said.
Zak agreed – before laying down the Emmerdale law to Noah.
“Well I suppose you better stay, but he better not cause any more trouble!” he said.
“And let’s get one thing straight, you’re here to face up to what you did not just slag off your mum.”
He continued: “You’ve caused enough trouble for this family already, we don’t need any more from you.
“If you step out of line, you step out of the house, have you got that?”
Fans took to social media baffled about Zak’s return.
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One Emmerdale fan wrote: “Sorry but where did Zak just appear from not been in it for months?”
“ZAK!! WTF?!!,” another penned.
A third wrote: “[Expletive] me Zak! #Emmerdale.”
Want more spoilers from Emmerdale? Entertainment Daily has a dedicated Emmerdale spoilers section for you to get your fix before the latest episodes air.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
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