Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale star Bradley Riches has opened up about the future of Lewis Barton and Kev Townsend's relationship after last week's big reveal. Following Kev's recent return to the village, Lewis finally found out that Kev is his biological father and the news was, to say the least, unwelcome.
Kev returned as Lewis was being held hostage by Kylie, a woman who demanded the return of 'Penny'. It was later revealed that Penny was a diamond that Kev had taken from Kylie, a former flame.
Ross eventually managed to rescue Lewis but lied to him, saying he had been the one who stole Penny. However Kev later turned up at the house and revealed to Lewis that he was his biological father.
Speaking about Lewis' reaction to Kev's return, Bradley said: "Initially, after all the drama and the way Lewis has seen Kev come back to the village after being kidnapped, it'll take him a little while to get to grips with why he's here. He's also quite confused about it.
"Back in December, Lewis had a nice little bond with Kev, then he just disappeared and Lewis was like, 'Oh yeah, he's dodgy. He's gone off to carry on being that dodgy person.' So when he comes back, Lewis is thinking, 'I thought you were in prison. Nicola told me you were in prison.'
What to Read Next
"There's definitely some confusion and, later down the line, it becomes a bit of a 'What the hell?' situation while Kev's back, which is quite fun to play."
While Lewis has said he doesn't want anything to do with Kev, Bradley does think there's hope for them in the future.
"I think it's going to be a learning curve for him. It's going to be a learning curve for both of them," Bradley shared.
"Lewis also battles with the fact that his adoptive parents have given him so much love and have always been his parents. So when there's a new father figure on the scene, he's going to think, 'Oh my God, am I cheating on my parents?'
"Lewis is going to struggle to balance that," he continued. "Kev has a lot to learn about being a good dad too, but you also find out more about his upbringing and why I think he has the potential to be a good father, because he doesn't want to be the father that he had.
"So he's got potential, but there'll be a lot of ups and downs and a lot of learning curves. In the long run, though, I think Kev will definitely get there."
Bradley went on to describe Lewis and Kev's personalities as "similar, but also complete opposites at the same time."
"Lewis being autistic, Kev really understands his emotions. Kev can be quite hot-headed himself, so he understands that side of Lewis," he explained.
"The biggest similarity is that they both feel like outsiders. They both feel different and sometimes like they don't really fit in anywhere. That's why they connect so well. It's like they've both spent so long feeling like the outsider, then suddenly they've found someone who understands them.
"Being different is actually the thing they have most in common."
Related: Emmerdale's Joe Tate issues final ultimatum after Graham's secrecy
Speaking about working alongside Chris Coghill, who plays Kev, Bradley described the actor as "one of the most bonkers but most beautiful people I've ever met."
Bradley continued: "Looking at all the work he's done, I'm learning a lot from him. He's very good at following his instincts and reacting in the moment. Even if you do 20 takes, they're all different because he just plays whatever feels real. I'm definitely learning a lot from him.
"He's such a lovely person to be around and we get on really well, which has been nice," he added.
"We've got some great scenes coming up and I'm excited to play them because our friendship off screen is getting stronger, and that's making our on-screen relationship feel even more positive and stronger too. It'll be really nice to play that."
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating the global phenomenon of BTS, is here! Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online.
