Frank Tate (Emmerdale) Frank Tate (Emmerdale) Frank Tate is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, "Emmerdale", played by Norman Bowler. He made his first appearance on 21 November 1989 and remained a regular for almost eight years, before Bowler opted to quit in 1996, leading to his character’s exit the following year. Introduced as the patriarch of the new Tate family, who were brought in as part of the show’s rebranding, in 1989, many of Frank’s storylines revolved around his volatile relationship with his wife Kim Tate (Claire King). During his time in the programme, Frank and Kim divorced and
Emmerdale By 2000, "Emmerdale" episodes were regularly getting 12 million viewers, and the number of episodes per week was increased from three to five. An ITV talent show, "Soapstars", was held in 2001 to cast the new five-member Calder family; the Calders made their debut on the show in November that year, and all members had left by August 2002. In 2004, "Emmerdale" became the first British soap opera to broadcast six episodes a week. By 2006, Emmerdale was contending with, and at times beating, "EastEnders" in viewership. The early and mid-2000s saw the introduction of major long-term characters, including the