Emmerdale legend Zak Dingle has a mysterious son, Nathan who is estranged from the family – now fans are certain they know who he really is
Emmerdale fans are convinced they know who Zak Dingle’s long-lost son, Nathan really is – and he’s a Dales resident.
The much-loved character of Zak (Steve Halliwell) was recently written out of the soap following the real-life passing of actor Steve Halliwell in December 2023 at the age of 77.
Zak made his debut in 1994 – and it’s fair to say the Dingles have a long family history on the ITV soap. As the head of the iconic clan, Zak has been married three times and has seven children.
These include Cain (Jeff Hordley), Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper), Tina (Samantha Power), Butch (Paul Loughran), Sam (James Hooton) and Ben (Steve Jackson).
He is also a father to Nathan – who is spoken of but has never been seen. Nathan, the offspring of Zak and Nellie Dingle (Sandra Gough) was first mentioned by Tina Dingle (Jacqueline Pirie) in the 1990s and later at Butch’s (Paul Loughran) funeral.
It appears Nathan has severed ties with the Dingles, leaving his current location a mystery. However, viewers of Emmerdale are now convinced they know exactly who Nathan really is – and he’s a beloved village resident.
On a Reddit thread, one person mused how Nathan could make a return soon and wrote: “It would be interesting to see how Cain reacts to being the head of the family knowing that his eldest brother is still alive and takes his place he was said to be stuck up lol if and if he’s got kids they’ll be more grandchildren of Zak’s.”
Meanwhile, on an Emmerdale Facebook fan page, the Nathan Dingle discussion continued, with one person writing: “They should reintroduce Nathan, there’s definitely a story for him.”
A second agreed: “It would have a lot of potential!.” A third then speculated how village resident Dr Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) could actually be Nathan.
They mused: “What if Dr Liam is really him all this time?” Another person said: “That would be good.” A fifth fan also wrote: “It could work, they would have to retcon a few things but good idea!”
Meanwhile back in October, the soap brought back Zak’s estranged daughter Tina – now played by Samantha Power – after nearly three decades with two shocking revelations.
In a dramatic confrontation at Zak’s funeral, she claimed her share of her father’s estate and revealed to Mandy, played by Lisa Riley, that she is Vinny Dingle’s real mother, a role taken on by Bradley Johnson.
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm
