MORE than a decade has passed since young TJ Woods last appeared in the eponymous village.
Portrayed by actor Connor Lee, the Emmerdale lad is one of many characters to have been forgotten. But who is he?
TJ Woods was at the centre of drama during his time in the Dales
Who was TJ Woods in Emmerdale?
Children in the Dales are often at the root of all the upheaval as their parents embark on a drama-packed life and intense custody battles.
Such was the case for TJ Woods, born on October 19, 2003, to the late Terry and Dawn Woods.
As regular viewers of the ITV soap will remember, the happy couple were met with strong opposition in the eponymous village when their romance was initially found out due to their 27 year age gap.
Dawn’s father Bob Hope (played by Tony Audenshaw) was most active in showing his disapproval of the relationship.
Despite the backlash, Dawn and Terry went through with the wedding and welcomed their son shortly afterwards.
The young boy was named Terry Woods Jr after his father and nicknamed “TJ” for short although Dawn had wanted to name him Harrison.
Upon his birth, both Dawn and Terry feared he may have been born deaf due to the young mother’s exposure to German Measles during her pregnancy.
But when he was a day old, it was confirmed to them that TJ was not deaf and was, in fact, a healthy baby.
The couple remained together and lived as a family with TJ.
What happened to TJ Woods in Emmerdale?
Dawn Woods had no other choice but to take care of both her very young son and her ailing husband.
Unfortunately, the young family woman was overwhelmed by the pressure of keeping her family together and she began an affair with her stepbrother Scott Windsor in an attempt to escape from her struggles.
This ultimately led to the breakdown of Dawn’s marriage with Terry and baby TJ was stuck between both of his parents as they viciously fought for his custody.
Unable to agree on joint custody with Terry, Dawn eventually won the battle by telling the court her fears for TJ if his health took another turn whilst he was looking after him.
In 2006, however, Dawn was sent to prison for benefit fraud and her mother Jean got closer with Terry during her time behind bars.
Dawn was horrified when she learned they were a couple following her release and TJ was taken to Cornwall.
While there, Dawn met a new man and decided to give love another chance by moving away to Cornwall with her son.
This almost triggered another custody battle as Terry desperately wanted his son to stay in the Dales but Dawn managed to convince him otherwise.
Sadly, TJ and Dawn never got their fresh start in Cornwall.
Terry was late returning TJ back to Dawn once she’d finished packing, leading to them missing their flight altogether.
Dawn decided to go to the King’s river show home opening but she was caught in the blast when it exploded due to a gas leak and she later died in hospital.
Devastated, Jean took her grandson with her to Morocco after Dawn’s passing but Terry was able to snatch him back and bring him to Emmerdale.
Five years went by with TJ finding his mark in the village and even contracting E.coli but tragedy struck again in early 2011.
TJ became an orphan when his father Terry was killed after Nick Henshall set fire to some rubbish outside Victoria Cottage.
Bob Hope took matters in his own hands following Terry’s death and decided the best thing for TJ would be to go and live with his ex-wife Jean in Morocco as he had also lost his wife Viv in the fire.
To top it all off, he had his twins Cathy and Heath to look after.
The seven-year-old, who was Bob’s only remaining link to his daughter Dawn, was taken to the airport by Bob and Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop) on January 21, 2011, and has remained in Morocco ever since.
Will TJ Woods return to Emmerdale?
Brenda was the last to hear about TJ when she visited him in Morocco in October, 2012.
Upon her return, she revealed she believed the young boy could be gay but his character was never heard from or seen again after her visit.
Life has since gone on in Emmerdale and Bob Hope has been focusing all of his attention on both of his children.
Earlier this year, Cathy Hope (Gabrielle Dowling) left the eponymous Dales after her harrowing PDD diagnosis.
She made the decision to go live with half-brother Scott Windsor in April, 2023, prompting fans to speculate the character could be set for a return to the Dales.
Anticipation is growing for Scott Windsor to return as recent spoilers have confirmed Cathy will be heading back to the village in upcoming scenes.
But could TJ Woods be set for his own comeback?
One Reddit user theorised death would have to knock on the lad’s door before he can think of settling in the Dales again.
“He still has plenty of family in the village, and it’s been well over a decade since he was last in the village, he was about 8 years old when he left so he now must be nearly 20”, they penned.
“He went to live with his grandmother; Jean Hope – Dawn’s mother, in Morocco, so it could be that she’s died and he’s returned to England to be with his remaining family.”
“He could become friends with Jacob, Noah, Samson, Amelia, Sarah and Gabby since they’re all around the same age.”
Could writers consider it?
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
TJ was the son of Dawn and Terry Woods
