Emmerdale Zak Dingle's long-lost son Nathan's true identity 'revealed' - and he's in Dales

Emmerdale fans believe they have figured out the identity of Zak Dingle's long-lost son, Nathan and he's reportedly a well-known face in the village.

After the untimely passing of Steve Halliwell, who played Zak, in December 2023 at the age of 77, the character was written out of the soap. Zak, a staple in the Dales since 1994, was the patriarch of the iconic Dingle clan, with a storied history of three marriages and seven children.

Among his notable descendants are Cain, Belle, Tina, Butch, Sam, and Ben. Zak is also father to the elusive Nathan, born to him and Nellie Dingle.

Although Nathan has been mentioned on several occasions since the 1990s, including at Butch's funeral, his character remains unseen and estranged from the Dingle family.

However, viewers are speculating about Nathan's 'true' identity, and many believe he may be a familiar face in the village. On a Reddit thread, fans discussed the possibility of Nathan returning to the show, reports Leeds Live.

One user mused: "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."

This theory has set tongues wagging, making fans wonder if Nathan's character may soon be unveiled, exposing a long-held secret and potentially upsetting the balance of power in the Dingle family. Over on the Emmerdale fan page on Facebook, devotees of the show are fervently discussing the potential return of Nathan Dingle.

One fan asserted: "They should reintroduce Nathan, there's definitely a story for him." Echoes of agreement came with another saying: "It would have a lot of potential!"

Further adding fuel to the fire, a third fan pondered whether Dr Liam Cavanagh (played by Jonny McPherson) could actually be Nathan in disguise, asking: "What if Dr Liam is really him all this time?" Another said: "That would be good," while a fifth chimed in, stating: "It could work, they would have to retcon a few things but good idea!"

In a related twist, October saw the soap opera shock its audience by reintroducing Zak's long-lost daughter Tina, now portrayed by Samantha Power, after almost thirty years away.

The plot thickened as, during a heated moment at Zak's funeral, she demanded her inheritance and stunned Mandy (portrayed by Lisa Riley) with the bombshell that she is the biological mother of Vinny Dingle, with Bradley Johnson in the role.

Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm