Emmerdale spoilers follow.

Emmerdale fans were left distracted during Joe Tate's recent storyline as a key character was missing from the action.

Last night's episode saw Joe's dark secrets finally come to light when it was revealed that he had spiked Noah Dingle, ultimately causing the double limo crash.

The villain was questioned by the police, and was later found unconscious on the ground after being pushed out of a window.

The dramatic events took place at Home Farm during a lavish birthday party thrown for Lydia Dingle. Meanwhile, the guest of honour was noticeably missing from the celebrations.

Lydia's absence was explained by some car trouble - which seems feasible - however, fans were quick to point out the bizarre situation.

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emmerdale who pushed joe tate?
ITV

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"Can someone explain to me why Lydia isn't even at her own 50th?" one wrote on Twitter/X. "So it was Lydia’s party? Yet she wasn’t even there," another wondered.

"Where the bloody hell is Lydia and why does no one care?" one fan demanded, while a fourth added: "Is Lydia the Birthday girl going to appear?"

"The true winner of this party is Lydia [because] imagine being so iconic that your 50th was talked about and you weren't even there," noted another viewer.

lydia dingle, emmerdale
ITV

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Like all good soap parties, Lydia's birthday bash resulted in some questionable decisions, with Joe receiving his comeuppance from a mysterious attacker. But despite the drama, it seems fans were more intrigued about the missing character.

"I still think the biggest question shouldn't be who pushed Joe it should be why was Lydia not at her own birthday party," one posted, while a second echoed: "I don't care about who pushed Joe, I'm more concerned about where the f*ck Lydia was at her own birthday because that girl was nowhere to be seen tf."

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage

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