Fan-favourite Emmerdale character Lewis Barton is set to depart the village for a short while later this year – to accommodate actor Bradley Riches's stint in a Christmas pantomime.
Riches, who found fame in Netflix's Heartstopper and joined the ITV soap in May, will appear in the titular role during performances of The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook at the Sunderland Empire from December.
Due to the intensity of starring in the soap opera, he will be required to take a temporary break to appear in the stage role. However, fear not, Lewis fans – he will be back, and may not be alone in swapping the screen for the stage over the festive period.
An ITV spokesperson told Radio Times that soap bosses have re-evaluated rules that previously prevented its talent from pursuing other temporary projects away from the broadcaster.
"We've agreed to release a few of the actors from Emmerdale and Coronation Street to appear in pantomime this year," they explained. "We've been looking at this for a while and with plenty of notice, we've been able to release the actors for a limited time."
Speaking of his new venture, Riches said: "I’m absolutely delighted to be returning to panto and especially to be playing Peter Pan again. It’s such an iconic and magical role.
"There’s nothing quite like the energy of a live audience at Christmas, and I can’t wait to be at the Sunderland Empire. It’s going to be a brilliant festive season – I’m so excited to get flying!"
The show's producer said audiences are in for a "swashbuckling treat", which is "packed with thrills, laughter and a sprinkle of fairy dust".
Quite the far cry from Emmerdale's drama!
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Last month, Riches told RT at the Attitude 101 event that he hoped his on-screen father Kev Townsend, played by Chris Coghill, would return to the serial.
“I think it’s destined to happen – everyone loved Kevin," he revealed. "He was tricky, he was funny, but I feel like Lewis and Kev have a really weird unspoken bond and it would be silly not to dive into that more deeply.
“The short answer is yes, we want Kev back. Bring Kev back!”
He also teased what lies ahead for Lewis and partner Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson): “The relationship they start to experience and dive into stems from the friendship they build, so that’s why there’s a lot of not knowing where they stand with each other. But once they get to a good place, I feel like it’s going to be good.
“Also, being neurodivergent and autistic, I’m really interested to see how relationships manifest without the communication you might get in a typical relationship. There are maybe things you don’t always see or especially face in day-to-day life.”
Read more:
5 Emmerdale spoilers next week: Cain Dingle bravely opens up to Moira about his aggressive cancer diagnosisEmmerdale airs Paddy Dingle twist as incriminating new evidence found in early ITVX releaseEmmerdale's Cain Dingle gains an unlikely ally amid prostate cancer battle in early ITVX releaseEmmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.
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