British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

Chas Dingle Chastity Dingle (also Livesy and Spencer) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Lucy Pargeter. More commonly known as Chas, she made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 October 2002. ...

Lucy Pargeter Lucy Kate Pargeter (born 1 March 1977) is an English actress, known for her roles as Helen Raven in ''Crossroads'' (2002–2003) and Chas Dingle in ''Emmerdale'' (2002–present). She also finished third in the 13th series of the ITV reality ...

Suzanne Shaw Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest ''Popstars'' and subsequently being a member of the band Hear' ...

Paul Marsden Paul William Barry Marsden (born 18 March 1968) is a British writer, businessman and politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shrewsbury and Atcham from 1997 until 2005. He was most prominently known for his anti-war views and cro ...

Tom Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tom'' (1973 film), or ''The Bad Bunch'', a blaxploitation film * ''Tom'' (2002 film) ...

Ken Farrington Kenneth William Farrington (born 18 April 1936) is a retired English actor. He first came to fame playing the role of Billy Walker, wayward son of publican Annie, in ITV's longest-running soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. Following a brief per ...

Jimmy Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

Nick Miles Nick Miles (born 15 December 1962) is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Jimmy King in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Prior to appearing on ''Emmerdale'', he made appearances in various television series such as ''Casu ...

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

Glynis Barber Glynis Barber (born Glynis van der Riet; 25 October 1955) is a South African born British actress. She is known for her portrayals of Sgt. Harriet Makepeace in the British police drama ''Dempsey and Makepeace'', Glenda Mitchell in ''EastEnders ...

Donald Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...

Michael Jayston Michael A. James (29 October 1935 – 5 February 2024), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film '' Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971). He also made many television appearances, whi ...

Debbie Debbie (or Debby or Deb) is a feminine given name, commonly but not always short for Deborah (or Debra and related variants). Debbie is a name of Hebrew origin, derived from the Hebrew name Deborah, which means “ bee”. Notable people *Debb ...

Charley Webb Charlene Joanne Webb (born 26 February 1988), commonly known as Charley Webb, is an English actress. From 2002 to 2021, she portrayed the role of Debbie Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. In 2014, she was nominated for Best Female ...

Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...

Jeff Hordley Jeff Hordley (born 7 March 1970) is an English actor, best known for portraying the role of Cain Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. For his portrayal of Cain, he has been nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Actor at three c ...

Charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

Emma Atkins Emma Jayne Atkins (born 31 March 1975) is an English actress, best known for her role as Charity Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Early life Atkins grew up in the village of Silverdale, Lancashire, and then went to study at the Un ...

Sally Oliver Sally Oliver (born 26 December 1983) is an England, English actress who appeared in United Kingdom, British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from July 2007 to August 2009, playing the character of Lexi King, Lexi, the daughter of Carrie Nicholls (pla ...

Dominic Power Dominic Power (born 5 May 1973) is an English actor. Power has portrayed Leon Taylor in the ITV police drama ''The Bill'' (2008–2010), Cameron Murray in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2011–2013), and Dave Chen-Williams in the Channel ...

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.the show's 40th anniversary episode. This involved Carl fighting with Jimmy over their problematic brotherhood; spoiling Chas' wedding to her fiance

Dan Spencer Dan Spencer (born September 10, 1965) is an American college baseball coach. He currently serves as the head coach for the Linfield College Wildcats. He previously served as head coach at Green River Community College (1992–1996), Oregon State ...

(

Liam Fox Sir Liam Fox (born 22 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative ...

); and then nearly raping her after she rejects his efforts to recoup their broken relationship, up to the point where he confesses to killing his father for her. The seduction ends with Chas hitting Carl on the head with a brick, though he survives and ends up exposing her affair with Cameron to Debbie – shortly before Carl is then murdered by Cameron after the latter arrives in a failed attempt to stop him from destroying their lives.

Casting and creation

In January 2004, ''

The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

'' announced that ''Emmerdale'' would bring in "four new single 'hunks'" who are all brothers in an attempt to increase the sex appeal of the serial. They announced that the siblings would arrive in February with Tom Lister having been cast as Carl who would arrive first after securing a job in Tate Haulage.

Character development

Characterisation

Describing Carl, ''

itv.com itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV1 brand. The website offers the ITVX streaming service, with sections for ITV News, ...

'' said: "Carl is a bit of a womanizer and a ladies' man. As one of the younger King brothers he's always had to fight for his place in the family. He's also commitment phobic, and despite apparently finding his perfect match in Chas, his eyes wandered onto Eve and he wrecked what could have been a beautiful relationship. Carl has a bad temper on him and has been responsible for two accidental deaths – so he's not one to be crossed".

Relationship with Chas Dingle

Carl has an on and off relationship with

Chas Dingle Chastity Dingle (also Livesy and Spencer) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Lucy Pargeter. More commonly known as Chas, she made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 October 2002. ...

(

Lucy Pargeter Lucy Kate Pargeter (born 1 March 1977) is an English actress, known for her roles as Helen Raven in ''Crossroads'' (2002–2003) and Chas Dingle in ''Emmerdale'' (2002–present). She also finished third in the 13th series of the ITV reality ...

). Carl and Chas end their relationship. Lister explained that Carl never stopped loving Chas but the relationship ended when "that door was basically slammed in his face when Chas's son Aaron fell into the mix and gave his mum an ultimatum – him or Carl. So Chas chose her son". Pargeter explained that Chas could not reunite with Carl while

Aaron Livesy Aaron Dingle (also Livesy) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Danny Miller. The character was originally played by Danny Webb and appeared in a recurring capacity. Aaron made his first appearance duri ...

( Danny Miller) is around due to his ultimatum. Chas begins a relationship with

Paddy Kirk Paddy Dingle (also Kirk) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Dominic Brunt. He has been married five times: to Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) in 1999 and 2024, to Emily Kirk, Emily Dingle (Kate McGregor) in ...

(

Dominic Brunt Dominic Adam Brunt (born 15 April 1970) is an English actor, director and producer, best known for portraying the role of Paddy Kirk in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. For his role as Paddy, Brunt has been nominated in variou ...

). Pargeter said that Chas loves Paddy as a friend and she could not "love anybody the way she loved – or still loves – Carl, really". She added that Chas has "never moved on because there was never closure" in the relationship. Carl begins a relationship with Lexi Nicholls (

Sally Oliver Sally Oliver (born 26 December 1983) is an England, English actress who appeared in United Kingdom, British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from July 2007 to August 2009, playing the character of Lexi King, Lexi, the daughter of Carrie Nicholls (pla ...

). Lister said that Lexi proposes as she knows "there's something there between Carl and Chas and Lexi's envious of that. Obviously Lexi knows that Carl killed his father, but she doesn't know that Chas was the reason. Lexi decides to go all-guns blazing and propose. I think rather than being backed into a corner, part of Carl thinks that if Chas has knocked him back, he'll try and do right by Lexi". Lister told Kris Green of Digital Spy that Carl enters the relationship with the best intentions instead of "wishing he was with Chas all the time" who will always be in the "background". The actor said that viewers would be unsure whether Carl would go through with the wedding to Lexi or whether Carl would instead reunite with Chas. On his wedding day to Lexi, Carl tells Chas that he can not marry Lexi because he still loves her. Pargeter explained that "Chas is completely screwed up by the revelation" and is "desperate to get things back on track with Carl, but she's got Aaron to contend with. So Carl pours his heart out and she has to be as strong as she can". When Chas rejects Carl he marries Lexi but the marriage soon after ends when Carl admits he does not love Lexi. Carl reunites with Chas but becomes tempted reignite his affair with Eve Jenson (

Suzanne Shaw Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest ''Popstars'' and subsequently being a member of the band Hear' ...

). Lister explained that his character decides to be "sensible" by putting some distance between Eve and himself as he does not want to mess up again after his "disaster" of a marriage to Lexi. He added that Carl is "not tempted enough" to cheat on Chas as he believes she is "the love of his life and he's decided to stay faithful to her – at least for now". Carl and Eve begin an affair; Chas discovers this. Pargeter revealed that Chas' initial reaction is to confront the pair but instead she decides to seek revenge as she is "very hurt". Chas begins her revenge by doing "little things" but later decides to "up her game and to start playing really dirty". Chas proposes to Carl as part of her plan, Pargeter said Chas "can't help wishing it was all for real". She added that it is important to Chas that Carl and Eve get their comeuppance. Pargeter said that Chas can not decide whether she will go through with her revenge or if she would instead forgive Carl and marry him. She added that Chas "genuinely thinks he loves her" and she loves him too. Chas lies she is pregnant. Lister said that Carl will be "gutted" if Chas goes through with her revenge plan. He explained that Carl was "thrilled" at Chas' pregnancy and he now wants to "give Chas whatever she wants – a big Christmas day wedding, anything to make her happy". Carl "wants to become a proper family with Chas and the baby. He'll be devastated if it all comes crashing down". He "realises his fling with Eve was a massive mistake, based on excitement and lust". Lister added that Carl felt Chas' proposal and pregnancy were "a great excuse to get out of the affair with Eve because it was all getting a little bit complicated", explaining that Eve "was becoming too much hard work". Lister explained the couple's relationship saying: "there's something about those two – they are an absolute nightmare when they are together because they either fall out or one of them does something that jeopardises the relationship. But they always keep coming together, back to one another. They are destined to be together". Chas plans to expose Carl's affair on their wedding day, Lister explained that Chas begins "losing confidence in the whole revenge plan because she realises how much she would actually love to marry him and would love to have a family with him". He added that Carl and Chas have always wanted to marry and begin a family but they have never been able to "get their act together and decide to do it". Lister told Ryan Love of Digital Spy that Chas begins to doubt whether she will go through with exposing Carl's affair after she sees how serious Carl is about their relationship and that he has ended his affair with Eve. Lister said that if Chas goes through with her plan then Carl will be in disbelief that Chas "could do something like this – that she could pretend that she was pregnant, that she could do all this stuff basically just to bleed him dry of all the money. ..For her to take him to the cleaners, I think he would be so gutted and completely ashamed for it to be revealed like that in front of everybody". Lister added that Carl could forgive Chas if she was honest about her plot before the wedding. Lister went on to say that Carl has "always seen Chas as the answer to all of his problems. She was like the one who he could get his life sorted with".

Departure and death

In October 2012, as part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations, Carl was murdered by love rival Cameron Murray. His last words were "I'm indestructible." His body was found the next morning.

Storylines

Carl was the first member of the King family to arrive in Emmerdale as the new driver for Tate Haulage. However, no one knows that he is a spy, reporting back to his family business, King & Sons. Carl learns what Tate Haulage plan to bid for a new contract and, with this information, his family revise their bid and win the contract. Despite being married, Carl flirts with Louise Appleton (

Emily Symons Emily Symons (born 10 August 1969) is an Australian actress, active on both Australian and British television. She is known for playing Anne Costello in the short-lived soap opera '' Richmond Hill'' in 1988 and when that series ended in 1989, s ...

) and she agrees to a date until Carl's wife, Colleen (Melanie Ash), arrives and tells Louise that she is Carl's wife and mother of his children;

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

(Mark Flanagan) and

Anya Anya, Ania or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most East European countries and unisex in several African countries. Origins and variant forms * Anya (Аня) is a Russian diminutive of Anna. * Ania is the spelling in Polish ...

(Lauren Sheriston) before telling Carl not to come home. Louise slaps Carl and goes home so he moves into Holdgate Farm with his family but is "persuaded" to do some repairs to the roof, despite his fear of heights. Local postman,

Paul Marsden Paul William Barry Marsden (born 18 March 1968) is a British writer, businessman and politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shrewsbury and Atcham from 1997 until 2005. He was most prominently known for his anti-war views and cro ...

( Matthew Booth) helps him and seeing his nerves about heights, starts teasing him and mucking about but stretches too far and falls, dying instantly. Not wanting people to know they were involved, Carl and his brothers,

Jimmy Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

(

Nick Miles Nick Miles (born 15 December 1962) is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Jimmy King in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Prior to appearing on ''Emmerdale'', he made appearances in various television series such as ''Casu ...

) and

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

(Matt Healy), move his body to the back garden of the cottage Paul shared with his wife,

Siobhan Siobhán is a female name of Irish origin. The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the Irish spelling but omitting the acute accent over the 'a'), Shavawn, Shebahn, Shevaun and Shivaun. A now uncommon spelling variant is Siubh ...

(Abigail Fisher). She finds him and assumes he fell from their roof after fixing the television aerial. Meanwhile, Carl bonds with

Chas Dingle Chastity Dingle (also Livesy and Spencer) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Lucy Pargeter. More commonly known as Chas, she made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 October 2002. ...

(

Lucy Pargeter Lucy Kate Pargeter (born 1 March 1977) is an English actress, known for her roles as Helen Raven in ''Crossroads'' (2002–2003) and Chas Dingle in ''Emmerdale'' (2002–present). She also finished third in the 13th series of the ITV reality ...

) over feeling like they're bad parents for abandoning their children and tells her about Paul's death. They start dating but the relationship is rocky and during one break, Carl has a one-night stand with

Chloe Atkinson Chloe Atkinson is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Amy Nuttall. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 4 December 2000. Nuttall quit the serial in order to pursue a singing career after ...

(

Amy Nuttall Amy Abigail Nuttall (born 7 June 1982) is an English actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Chloe Atkinson in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2000–2005), housemaid Ethel Parks in the ITV/ PBS period drama ''Downton Abbey'' (201 ...

). When she finds out Carl and Chas are back together, she decides to split them up permanently. She starts a campaign of poison pen letters and undermines Chas's trust in Carl, succeeding in her aim so he reconciles with Chloe but soon tires of her and tries to end it. Not wanting to let him go, she tells him she's pregnant, despite the fact that she isn't and starts trying to get pregnant before Carl discovers the truth. Chas discovers Chloe's lie and forces her to tell Carl the truth, that she isn't pregnant and never was. Before leaving the village, she reminds Carl that she could be pregnant as they weren't taking precautions. Horrified at his mistake, Carl tries to reconcile with Chas but she is not interested and leaves to join the army so Carl starts dating her cousin,

Del Dingle Del Dingle is a fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Hayley Tamaddon. She made her first on-screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 15 July 20 ...

(

Hayley Tamaddon Hayley Soraya Tamaddon (born 24 January 1977) is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the ITV (TV network), ITV soap operas as Del Dingle in ''Emmerdale'' and Andrea Beckett in ''Coronation Street''. Tamaddon won the Dancing on Ice ...

). Realising that Carl wanted Chas, not her, Del encourages him to fight for Chas so he tracks her down and declares his feelings, accidentally dropping her after picking her up and breaking her leg. Consequently, Chas is discharged on medical grounds and reconciles with Carl and he proposes marriage but Chas refuses, until he does a wing walk to conquer his acrophobia. They move into Home Farm with his father

Tom Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tom'' (1973 film), or ''The Bad Bunch'', a blaxploitation film * ''Tom'' (2002 film) ...

(

Ken Farrington Kenneth William Farrington (born 18 April 1936) is a retired English actor. He first came to fame playing the role of Billy Walker, wayward son of publican Annie, in ITV's longest-running soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. Following a brief per ...

) and Chas becomes Jimmy's personal assistant. Tensions erupt when Matthew and Jimmy's ex-wife, Sadie King (

Patsy Kensit Patricia Jude Francis Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Birds Eye frozen peas. She went on to appear in films ...

), declare their feelings for each other, move into Victoria Cottage and start a rival company. Matthew uses Carl to pass Jimmy false information so he loses an important deal while Tom and his fiancée, Rosemary Sinclair (

Linda Thorson Linda Thorson (born Linda Robinson; June 18, 1947) is a Canadian actress known for playing Tara King in '' The Avengers'' (1968–69). Early life Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Linda Robinson attended Bishop Strachan School, and then moved ...

), insist that Chas is not good enough for Carl and on learning that Chas has been giving information about the Kings to

Jamie Hope Jamie Hope is a fictional character in "''Emmerdale''", a British soap opera broadcast on ITV, portrayed by actor Alex Carter. The character debuted on the show on 16 February 2006 and made his final appearance on 21 May 2010. Carter's depa ...

( Alex Carter), whose sister died in the King's River Showhome disaster, Tom bullies and bribes Chas to end things with Carl. Chas, however, encouraged by her cousin,

Eli Dingle Eli Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Joe Gilgun. He first appeared on screen in the episode which aired on 13 July 2006 and made his last appearance on 30 April 2010. He is the younger br ...

(

Joseph Gilgun Joseph William Gilgun (born 9 March 1984) is an English actor and producer known for several roles, including that of Vinnie O'Neill in the Sky Max series '' Brassic'', which he also co-created, Marcus in ''Hollyoaks'', Eli Dingle in the ITV ...

), tells Carl the truth on Tom and Rosemary's wedding day. Later that day, Tom dies after falling from his bedroom window, and his sons are the primary suspects. The brothers are stunned to learn that they have a half-sister, Scarlett ( Kelsey-Beth Crossley), daughter of their mother's nurse, Carrie Nicholls (

Linda Lusardi Linda Frances Elide Lusardi (born 18 September 1958) is an English actress, television presenter and former glamour model. Early life Lusardi was born in Wood Green, London, to Lilian (née Glassman; 1932–2023) and Nello Lusardi (1930–201 ...

). Carl struggles to bond with her and he and Matthew try to buy her share of the business. Carl eventually softens but is uncomfortable around Carrie, as they had a brief relationship when he was a teenager but is grateful when Carrie helps evict Rosemary from Home Farm.

Hari Prasad Hari Prasad is a fictional character from British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by John Nayagam. He made his first on-screen appearance on 5 December 2005. Development In November 2005, an ''Inside Soap'' columnist reported that John N ...

(John Nayagam) tells the police that he heard the King brothers discussing how they murdered Tom and Louise, his girlfriend, backs him up but the case collapses when Louise admits giving a false statement. After the acquittal, Carl admits to Jimmy and Matthew that he killed Tom. He reveals that he confronted Tom about Chas, hitting him when Tom called Chas names and then pushed him away, causing Tom to fall out of the window. Carl begins dating DCI Grace Barraclough (

Glynis Barber Glynis Barber (born Glynis van der Riet; 25 October 1955) is a South African born British actress. She is known for her portrayals of Sgt. Harriet Makepeace in the British police drama ''Dempsey and Makepeace'', Glenda Mitchell in ''EastEnders ...

) in secret, unaware of her plan to learn who killed Tom, but Carl won't say. Grace ends their relationship and Carl gets drunk, telling Jimmy and Matthew about the relationship so Jimmy takes Carl abroad to clear his head. However, on his return, Carl deliberately gets arrested for drink driving so he can see Grace and tells her that he killed Tom and decides to confess. Jimmy watches as Carl and Grace go to the police station and as Carl stops to answer his phone, Grace carries on and is hit by a lorry. Grace dies and despite telling the police that he is a killer, the police ignore him as they are more concerned about Grace. Carrie's daughter, Lexi (

Sally Oliver Sally Oliver (born 26 December 1983) is an England, English actress who appeared in United Kingdom, British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from July 2007 to August 2009, playing the character of Lexi King, Lexi, the daughter of Carrie Nicholls (pla ...

), visits her sister and becomes involved with Carl. He joins De Souza Enterprises, angering Matthew.

Donald De Souza Donald De Souza is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Michael Jayston Michael A. James (29 October 1935 – 5 February 2024), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He playe ...

(

Michael Jayston Michael A. James (29 October 1935 – 5 February 2024), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film '' Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971). He also made many television appearances, whi ...

) appoints Carl MD of his business, disappointing his daughter,

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

( Emma Davies). Carl hires Lexi to be his PA, but discovers she has been passing information to Matthew, and ends things with her. Carl and Anna are attracted to each other and he is jealous of her relationship with Matthew and reconciles with Lexi, but when he tries to end their relationship, Lexi tells him that Carrie told her that he killed Tom. Donald buys Mill Cottage for Carl and he and Lexi move in together. However, on learning that Carl sent an important client to his brothers, Donald terminates Carl's contract and Carl returns to work with his brothers. Carl is saddened when he hears that Donald has died and Matthew admits causing his death by refusing to give him his heart medication. Knowing the guilt Matthew will live with, urges him to tell Anna but he refuses. When King & Sons is declared bankrupt and the bailiffs move in on Matthew and Anna's ill fated-wedding day, Carl is furious to learn that De Souza Enterprises wrecked King & Sons's chances of survival and that Matthew will have an interest in the company as he is married to Anna, Carl blames Matthew for everything and reveals the truth about Donald's death at the wedding. This leads to a fight between him and Carl and Matthew drives a van at him. However, on seeing Anna standing with Carl, he swerves and is thrown through the windscreen, dying on the road. Carl realises his only assets are Mill Cottage and a mortgage he gave

Debbie Dingle Debbie Dingle (also Jones and Barton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Charley Webb. Webb has taken maternity leave three times, with the first time being in 2010, and the second in 2016, with ...

(

Charley Webb Charlene Joanne Webb (born 26 February 1988), commonly known as Charley Webb, is an English actress. From 2002 to 2021, she portrayed the role of Debbie Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. In 2014, she was nominated for Best Female ...

) and begins pressuring her for money. Carl, Jimmy, Lexi and Scarlett scrape together enough money to start a new haulage company. Carl tells Chas that he still loves her, but she insists they are history. Lexi proposes to Carl and he accepts, she sets a date but Carl goes missing on the day. He meets Chas and she insists she has moved on so he marries Lexi but is furious when he learns she has stopped taking precautions without consulting him. He reluctantly agrees to have a baby and Lexi gets pregnant but miscarries almost immediately as the pregnancy is ectopic. Tests done just after the miscarriage show that Lexi is unlikely to conceive again without IVF and Carl agrees to try IVF initially but soon changes his mind. Nicola De Souza (

Nicola Wheeler Nicola Wheeler (born 4 April 1974) is an English actress. After appearing in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in the recurring role of Melanie Tindel in 1999, Wheeler began portraying the role of Nicola King in the ITV soap opera ''Emm ...

) insists that Carl tell Lexi, which he does, and they argue. She also argues with Nicola and Nicola goes into premature labour after falling down the stairs. Lexi apologises and Nicola forgives her. Later, after a nurse gives baby

Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 90 species of tall Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous, herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as ...

to Lexi while Nicola is in the shower, she takes her up on to the roof, simply wanting to show her the world. However, seeing Lexi sitting on the roof with baby Angelica makes Jimmy, Nicola and Carl panic that she is going to jump. Carl talks her down and she returns baby Angelica to Nicola and Jimmy after Carl admits that he doesn't love Lexi and wouldn't have married her if she hadn't known that he killed Tom. Lexi tells Carl that she is leaving him and joins Carrie in Canada as Lexi herself divorces from Carl off-screen. Nicola insists Carl move out of Mill Cottage and he reconciles with Chas again after telling her partner,

Paddy Kirk Paddy Dingle (also Kirk) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Dominic Brunt. He has been married five times: to Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) in 1999 and 2024, to Emily Kirk, Emily Dingle (Kate McGregor) in ...

(

Dominic Brunt Dominic Adam Brunt (born 15 April 1970) is an English actor, director and producer, best known for portraying the role of Paddy Kirk in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. For his role as Paddy, Brunt has been nominated in variou ...

), about their affair. They are happy together for a while but, now getting bored, Carl begins an affair with Eve Jenson (

Suzanne Shaw Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest ''Popstars'' and subsequently being a member of the band Hear' ...

). Chas proposes to him and implies she is pregnant. Carl accepts and gives her money for the wedding and ends things with Eve but on the day, Chas reveals Carl's affair with Eve to the village and jilts him. Carl becomes bitter towards Chas for stealing his money and is accused of starting a fire near her house, which engulfs the village and kills

Terry Woods Terence Woods (born 4 December 1947) is an Irish folk musician, songwriter/singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his membership in such folk and folk- rock groups as the Pogues, Steeleye Span, Sweeney's Men, the Bucks, Dr. St ...

(

Billy Hartman Billy Hartman (born 1957) is a Scottish actor, well known for playing the part of Terry Woods on ITV's ''Emmerdale'' from 1995 until his character was killed off in 2011. Career Together with ''Emmerdale'' co-stars Steve Halliwell and Al ...

) and

Viv Hope Viv Hope (also Dawson and Windsor) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Emmerdale''. Portrayed by Deena Payne, the character first appeared on 10 August 1993, and remained until 13 January 2011, becoming one of the lo ...

(

Deena Payne Diane Margaret "Deena" Payne (born 29 August 1954) is an English actress and former singer. She is best known for playing Viv Hope in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. Life and career Payne was born in Orpington, Kent. She used ...

). Carl is arrested but later freed. He and Chas have a one-night stand months later and he comforts her when her son,

Aaron Livesy Aaron Dingle (also Livesy) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Danny Miller. The character was originally played by Danny Webb and appeared in a recurring capacity. Aaron made his first appearance duri ...

( Danny Miller), is charged with murder. Carl borrows money from Scarlett to hire a lawyer for Aaron but when Aaron refuses to take it, invests it in his business instead. Disgusted, Scarlett discovers what he has done and leaves the village. Carl is caught speeding on CCTV and he convinces

Rodney Blackstock Rodney Blackstock is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Patrick Mower. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 24 October 2000. He was introduced as the estranged father o ...

(

Patrick Mower Patrick Mower (born Patrick Archibald Shaw; 12 September 1938) is an English actor. He is often known for his portrayal of Rodney Blackstock in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role he first played in 2000. Mower has extensively appeared ...

) to take his speeding points for him, in exchange for a job. The police reveal that a cyclist was hit during the incident and Carl is shocked when he learns Rodney could go to prison. Rodney blackmails him into giving him money and a job. Jimmy discovers what is happening and confronts Carl. Carl discovers Chas has been having an affair with Cameron Murray (

Dominic Power Dominic Power (born 5 May 1973) is an English actor. Power has portrayed Leon Taylor in the ITV police drama ''The Bill'' (2008–2010), Cameron Murray in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2011–2013), and Dave Chen-Williams in the Channel ...

) and begins blackmailing them for the £30,000 that Chas took from him. Carl slowly becomes obsessed with getting Chas back and starts pushing everyone away, including Jimmy. Carl asks Chas to run away with him and she agrees, wanting to keep him sweet. However, on her wedding day, Carl has a fight with Jimmy. However, after she marries

Dan Spencer Dan Spencer (born September 10, 1965) is an American college baseball coach. He currently serves as the head coach for the Linfield College Wildcats. He previously served as head coach at Green River Community College (1992–1996), Oregon State ...

(Liam Fox), Carl realises that she has no intention of being with him. He corners Chas and confesses that he killed his father for her. Chas is disgusted and tries to flee. However, he pushes her down and attempts to rape her. In self-defence, Chas hits him over the head with a brick. She flees the scene. Later, Cameron turns up. They argue and Cameron hits Carl with a brick, killing him. His last words were "I'm indestructible." His body is found the following morning by Adam Barton (

Adam Thomas Adam Gordon Thomas (born 11 August 1988) is an English actor, known for his roles as Donte Charles in the BBC One school-based drama series ''Waterloo Road (TV series), Waterloo Road'' (2006–2009, 2023–present) and Adam Barton (Emmerdale), ...

) and

Victoria Sugden Victoria Sugden (also Barton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played since 12 October 2006 by Isabel Hodgins. As a young child, Victoria was played by Jessica Heywood until 1997, followed by Hannah Midg ...

(

Isabel Hodgins Isabel Hodgins (born 23 November 1993) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Victoria Sugden in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2006. Career Hodgins made an appeal in the '' Salford Advertiser'' for funding to allow he ...

).

Reception

At the 2007 ''Inside Soap'' Awards Lister was nominated for the "Sexiest Male" award for his portrayal of Carl. The same year, at the

British Soap Awards The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV (TV network), ITV. The trophies given to the winners are made from metal a ...

, the "Who killed Tom King?" storyline was nominated for "Best Storyline". At the 2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards Lister was nominated in the "Most Popular Actor" category. He was later nominated in the "Sexiest Male" category at the British Soap Awards in 2009. In 2012, Lister was nominated for the "Best Bad Boy" Award at the ''Inside Soap'' Awards and for "Villain of the Year" at the British Soap Awards. and the awards has praised Lister's character Carl, as one of the all-time great, completely horrific soap monsters. On Digital Spy's 2012 end of year reader poll, Lister was nominated for "Best Male Soap Actor" and came fifth with 7.0% of the vote. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

's''

Grace Dent Grace Georgina Dent (born 3 October 1973) is a British columnist, broadcaster and author. She is a restaurant critic for ''The Guardian'' and from 2011 to 2017 wrote a restaurant column for the ''Evening Standard''. She is a regular critic on t ...

commented that "Carl King is powerless when presented with sexy golddiggers like Eve. Carl absolutely cannot and will not stop marrying these awful women until he's living in the back of a Land Rover heating up Heinz London Grill with a lighter his wife's lawyer owns half of. A fool and his underpants are easily parted." Carl's death episode boosted the serial's viewing figures and helped secure the highest viewing figures of the year. Regarding Carl's exit, David Brown of Radio Times stated that the episode "Tom Lister, who's played Carl since 2004, gave a barnstorming valedictory performance: in a show once described by Les Dawson as "

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

with dung", he really was a bucolic

J. R. Ewing John Ross Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'' (1978–1991) and its spin-off (media), spin-offs, including the Dallas (2012 TV series), continuation series (2012–2014). The charac ...

..But as Carl lay lifeless on the floor in those dying seconds, it really did feel like the end of an era. New babies – even when they have prophetic names like Jack Sugden – are ten-a-penny on soaps. But decent villains are priceless: at the moment, it’s hard to see who deserves to inherit the mighty Carl King’s crown".

References

External links

Character profile
at

itv.com itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV1 brand. The website offers the ITVX streaming service, with sections for ITV News, ...

Character profile
at

What's on TV ''What's on TV'' is a weekly television listings magazine published by Future PLC. Overview ''What's on TV'' is a weekly UK television magazine. It publishes features, TV listings, news and gossip from soap operas, as well as puzzles and com ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Carl Emmerdale characters Fictional businesspeople in soap operas Fictional murderers Fictional patricides Fictional murdered people Fictional criminals in soap operas Television characters introduced in 2004 British male characters in soap operas Male villains

Casting and creation

Character development

Characterisation

Relationship with Chas Dingle

Departure and death

Storylines

Reception

See also

References

External links