Emmerdale icon Claire King, aka Kim Tate, will be taking centre stage in an upcoming ITV special.

For the first in a series of live Emmerdale ‘Audience with…’ events the 62-year-old will discuss what it’s like to be part of one of the country’s biggest soaps.

Claire King, who will be interviewed by This Morning’s Queen of Soaps Sharon Marshall, said: ‘Kim Tate has been and remains an incredible part of my life, the chance to play such a powerful (if not tricky!) character is a gift for any actor and I feel very lucky to do so.

‘I am rather fond of her to be honest and can’t wait to see what she gets up to next!’

She added: ‘To be given the chance to meet the programme’s fans face to face in our home county of Yorkshire for such a special event is fantastic, as Sharon says .. it might be a wild evening!’

Claire first joined the ITV soap as super b***h Kim back in 1989. At the time, the Tate family were introduced in a bid to modernise the show.

During her initial stint she embarked on a string of affairs, faked her own death and watched as husband Frank (Norman Bowler) died of a heart attack in front of her.

To ensure he was dead, she held a compact mirror in front of his face and then checked her makeup.

Claire returned to the series in 2018 after a 19 year absence.

Kim is currently dealing with the return of her husband Will Taylor’s (Dean Andrews) estranged ex-wife Rose Jackson (Christine Tremarco), who has moved into their family home.

It has since transpired to the viewer that she’s working with Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly) to split Kim and Will up, then allow Ruby to take control of Home Farm and allow Rose to emotionally support her daughter Dawn (Olivia Bromley) when everything falls apart.

Kim Tate watches as Frank dies in Home Farm in Emmerdale
Despite the plot, Claire joked in a recent interview that she doesn’t think anybody is a match for Kim: ‘I don’t think there are many people in the world who can match Kim!’ she told Inside Soap Magazine.

‘She’s like a lioness protecting her family if threatened – so I think I’d be rather afraid if I were Rose and I tried to force myself on Kim’s territory.’

She added: ‘It’s great playing nice Kim because it adds layers and another dimension to her character, although naughty Kim is always more fun and has great one-liners.

‘However, I think the audience is waiting for a reappearance of naughty Kim, and maybe they might have their chance soon…’