Emmerdale finally confirms Heartstopper star's mystery role – and it's connected to a major character
Bradley Riches's Lewis is joining an established family in the soap.
There's a new Barton coming to Emmerdale.
Heartstopper's Bradley Riches was announced to be joining the cast of Emmerdale last month, and now we know which character he'll be playing.
Riches confirmed on his Instagram that he will be starring as Lewis Barton, Ross Barton's younger brother.
Riches joked: "I guess good looks do run in the family," posing next to his on-screen brother, Michael Parr, in an Instagram photo.
It appears the pair were filming in the Barton family farm, based on the hay seen in the background of the photo.
In an interview with Attitude, Riches revealed that he had originally met with producers to play the role of April Windsor's friend, Dylan, but this fell through due to scheduling conflicts, meaning that the role of Lewis was "meant to be".
His plot will see Lewis, who is studying at Leeds University, build up "the courage to reach out to [Ross], see if they get along and ask questions about his family".
It was also revealed that he will be playing Emmerdale's first openly neurodivergent character, and spoke positively about working with the writers to make sure Lewis's representation is accurate for autistic people.
"The team were really open to my perspective," Riches said. "For example, in the autism community, many of us prefer identity-first language. I don’t say, 'I have autism.' I say, 'I'm autistic.'"
Riches went on to describe how Lewis being autistic isn't a central part of his plot, and that his character's story will focus on other parts of his life.
"He's just him. And [his autism] is not really a topic," he said. "He tells Ross, 'This is me. It's part of who I am,' then it doesn't get spoken about again."
Fans of Emmerdale may recognise Bradley Riches from his past role in Heartstopper, where he played James McEwan, an anxious but sweet supporting character in the LGBTQ+ Netflix drama.
Riches also featured in last year's Celebrity Big Brother, finishing sixth after a shock 'backdoor eviction' where he left the show during a pre-recorded episode.
There's no doubt Lewis's arrival in the Dales will shake things up and cause a bit of drama for the Barton family.
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Emmerdale airs Mondays to Fridays at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.
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