Carl Thomas King is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Tom Lister. The character and casting were announced in January 2004 when it was announced that producers were bringing "four new single 'hunks'" into the show, one of them being Carl. Lister made his first appearance on the show on 6 February 2004. Throughout the course of his story arc, Carl establishes a relationship with Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) – which contributes to his storylines that include the pair having an ill-fated wedding after Chas exposes Carl's affair with her best friend Eve Jenson (Suzanne Shaw). During his time on the show, Carl has caused the death of local postman Paul Marsden (Matthew Booth); killed his own father Tom (Ken Farrington) in the events surrounding the Who Killed Tom King? storyline, which he ultimately confessed to his brothers Jimmy (Nick Miles) and Matthew (Matt Healy) on the show's 500th village anniversary episode – after the trio were acquitted for their father's murder; formed a romance with DCI Grace Barraclough (Glynis Barber), the policewoman investigating his father's murder, that culminated with her being killed in a hit and run – just as she prepared to take Carl into custody after he admitted to killing his father; sparked a business conflict with Matthew that concluded with the latter's death, after Carl ruined Matthew's ill-fated wedding to his business partner Anna De Souza (Emma Davies) by exposing his involvement behind the death of her father Donald (Michael Jayston); developed a feud with Chas' niece Debbie (Charley Webb) upon clashing with her parents, Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Charity (Emma Atkins), respectively; embarked on a failed marriage with Lexi Nicholls (Sally Oliver); and became archenemies with Debbie's ex-boyfriend Cameron Murray (Dominic Power) after discovering his affair with Chas and subsequently blackmailing the pair in repaying him the £30,000 that Chas previously swindled from his bank account.
After getting jilted by Chas on their ill-fated wedding day at Christmas 2010, Carl became the show's main antagonist upon alienating himself from his family and friends – which ultimately led to the character being killed-off in the show's 40th anniversary episode. This involved Carl fighting with Jimmy over their problematic brotherhood; spoiling Chas' wedding to her fiance Dan Spencer (Liam Fox); 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 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 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 (Lucy Pargeter). 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 (Danny Miller) is around due to his ultimatum. Chas begins a relationship with Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt). 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). 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). 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 is 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) 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 (Mark Flanagan) and Anya (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 (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 (Nick Miles) and Matthew (Matt Healy), move his body to the back garden of the cottage Paul shared with his wife, Siobhan (Abigail Fisher). She finds him and assumes he fell from their roof after fixing the television aerial.