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It’s hard to think of Emmerdale’s Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) being anyone’s ‘dream come true.’A cheese-induced nightmare, maybe.
But that’s exactly what actor Bradley Riches, who portrays Kev’s long-lost son Lewis Barton thinks.
The Dales actor spilled the beans to Metro about sharing the screen with the two hardest men in the Dales who aren’t called Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley).
That’s right. I’m talking about the Kevster and Lewis’ half-brother, Ross Barton (Michael Parr). Because since the whole ‘Lewis being kidnapped’ ordeal, they’ve been clashing like chalk and… even more chalk.
‘Working with those two is an absolute joy and a dream come true.’ Bradley waxes lyrical.
‘It obviously makes the dynamic really fun. Us three together, we’re all so different which makes the dynamic really fun. All the characters have different approaches to life, which makes it more fun. Kev is the hot head, Ross can be a bit hot-headed but also a bit sly. Then you’ve got Lewis on the other end. We are all different characters with different characteristics.’
‘That is going to be something for Ross to get used to. Ross is just a brother and a dad to me, especially in the past year and a bit. That will be a lot for Ross to deal with. Now there’s a new guy on the block who thinks he knows what is best for Lewis. When in reality, Lewis knows what’s best for him.’
Try telling Kev and Ross that.
The unlikely lads have had something of a forced alliance in June 2026, when Ross hunted Kev down to help rescue Lewis, who had been kidnapped by Kev’s vengeful ex-girlfriend, Kylie (Pippa Fulton).
Why, you ask? Because Kylie accused Kev of stealing her diamond necklace… which was made out of her dead cat. Because of course it was.
After Lewis was freed safe and sound, Ross was furious when Kev chose to stay in the village and reveal his paternity – with a truly incomparable cover of Father and Son by Cat Stevens, by the way.
Ross instantly despised Kev. He believed the ex-con would inevitably return to a life of crime and break Lewis’s heart. Which is kinda hypocritical coming from a man who plotted to kill his own brother Pete Barton (Anthony Quinlan).
Their mutual hatred quickly developed into fisticuffs, when Ross knocked Kev completely unconscious during an early argument…and Kev later retaliated by punching Ross during a confrontation in a field.
The good news for anyone who enjoys seeing two bearded men getting all hot and sweaty with one another (me), is that we’ve not seen the half of Ross and Kev’s enmity. At least, according to Bradley Riches.
‘They’re not going to see eye to eye for a while. They both want to protect me. They both think they are right. Sometimes they are both wrong. Sometimes they are both right. It will take a whole for them to both get each other.’
But will that mean we can look forward to an eventual peace between the warring father figures? Bradley is hopeful.
‘I hope in the future we can go for a drink together, all three characters, and have fun together and enjoy. You will start to see Ross warming to Kev and seeing he is not actually a bad guy. He’s here to be with Lewis and to support him.’
But for now, Bradley is happy to film scenes with Chris Coghill. The pair just had a touching dad and lad moment during a bike ride gone wrong, where they both lay on the grass and traded back stories.
More of this please, Emmerdale. And according to Bradley, the best with Chris Coghill is yet to come.
‘He is bonkers and brilliant. I am learning so much. He is a really instinctive actor. I love going with the words and working out how I am going to say it, but with him, each time he does it is different. You can bounce things off the walls and go with your instincts. ‘
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