Emmerdale fans gobsmacked as huge Netflix star lands role of first autistic character

There’s a fresh face arriving in thevillage - and for fans of Heartstopper, it’s a very familiar one. Bradley Riches is officially stepping into the of soaps, and his character comes with a strong family tie.

’s beloved long-running drama is about to welcome a brand-new Barton to the fold. While the show teased Bradley’s involvement last month, the details of his role were kept tightly under wraps.

Now, it’s been revealed: Bradley will play Lewis Barton, the younger sibling of Ross, Pete, and the late Finn Barton. The actor confirmed the news himself in a playful post alongside Mike Parr, who plays Ross.

Captioning the photo with a wink to their on-screen connection, he wrote: "Hello brother… I guess good looks do run in the family."

Speaking to Attitude magazine, Riches elaborated: “I play Lewis Barton. He's studying at Leeds University and related to Ross [portrayed by Michael Parr].”

“Lewis has always known about Ross but only recently finds the confidence to reach out. He wants to understand where he came from and what kind of bond they might have.”

Interestingly, the road to wasn’t exactly straightforward for Riches. A chance encounter at the National Television Awards turned into something much more significant.

“I actually met one of the producers at the NTAs and we got chatting,” he shared. He originally auditioned for a different part - Dylan, a friend of April Windsor’s in a separate storyline - but when scheduling conflicts got in the way, he thought that opportunity had passed him by.

“I thought that was it,” he said. “But then this other role came up, and honestly, it feels like a better fit. It’s like it was meant to happen.”

In a groundbreaking moment for the show, it’s also been revealed that Lewis will be Emmerdale’s first openly neurodivergent character. Both Riches and the character he portrays are autistic - something the writers took seriously in shaping Lewis’s dialogue and personality.

“The team were really open to my perspective,” Bradley 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.’”

“I don’t mind either way, but it’s about acknowledging that it’s part of who we are - not something separate.”

With Lewis Barton’s arrival, Emmerdale is set to expand one of it's most iconic families, and also take a significant step toward deeper representation on the ITV soap.

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