Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale's Kev Townsend pulls out all the stops to prove that he wants to be in Lewis Barton's life next week – but when the café is robbed, he finds himself the prime suspect.
Worried that his son wants nothing to do with him, Kev makes the bold move to prove his commitment by changing his surname to Barton.
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But with Ross Barton and Nicola King desperate to get rid of him, can he earn his son's trust and stick around?
"Becoming a Barton is Kev's show of commitment," reveals our Dales informant. "It's understandable that Lewis is wary, especially considering Kev's past.
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"With protective Ross and Nicola in Lewis's ear, he's torn – but deep down, he wants to give Kev a chance."
Kev's grand gesture comes after a heartfelt conversation with Charles Anderson, where the vicar assures him he'd be a great dad if given the chance. Determined to prove to Lewis that he wants a solid father-son relationship with him, Kev proudly announces the name change, but it doesn't land as he hopes…
"It'll take more than a name change to convince Lewis," points out our source. "Realising Lewis needs honesty from him, Kev opens up about his tragic past and the bad memories his old name carries. This openness changes Lewis's perspective."
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Lewis is ready for a fresh start with his birth father – and despite Ross trying to intervene and warn Kev away, Lewis takes his dad for a pint.
Nicola is fuming at this new dynamic, giving Kev daggers across the Woolpack, but Ross points out to Manpreet Sharma that it's only a matter of time until Kev screws up again…
The next day, Nicola and Lewis find the café ransacked and the cash box stolen. As suspicion falls on Kev, he's adamant he has nothing to do with it. But as the ex-con tries to plead his case, Lewis becomes convinced his newly-found dad was responsible…
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"This robbery seems very convenient," muses our spy. "Nicola and Ross are so desperate to get rid of Kev, but would they go this far to set him up?
"And is Kev fighting a losing battle to prove his innocence to Lewis?"
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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