As new characters come and others leave the Dales, Emmerdale star Bradley Riches has once again shared his hopes to bring back baddie Kev Townsend after his dramatic exit in January this year.

After first leaving the village in November, Kev, played by Chris Coghill, returned in December when John Sugden involved him in his plan to win back Aaron Dingle and kill Robert Sugden.

John intended to frame Kev for Robert’s death, but Kev managed to escape and warned Aaron that John was back, before leaving the Dales once again.

Kev may have closed his chapter with prison husband Robert, but there’s another bond that he hasn’t fully explored just yet — that with his biological son Lewis Barton, played by Riches.

Pressured by Nicola King, Kev chose to leave without telling Lewis the truth about being his father, meaning there’s still some room for the two of them to reunite further down the line, and Riches has said that a Kev comeback is “destined to happen”.

kev townsend, emmerdale

ITV

Related: Best streaming services

“I think it’s destined to happen – everyone loved Kevin,” he told Radio Times.

“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!”

Meanwhile, Lewis has his mind otherwise occupied, as his flirty relationship with Vinny Dingle is becoming more central to the show.

lewis barton emmerdale

ITV

Starting off as a friendship, the bond between the two men has been growing and viewers have been loving their romantic dynamic.

“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,” Riches said about what lies ahead for the budding couple. “But once they get to a good place, I feel like it’s going to be good.”

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage

For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – featuring steamy affairs, shocking deaths, flash-forwards and major moral dilemmas.