Poor Kev Barton (Chris Coghill) can’t do right for doing wrong in Emmerdale.
The beloved ex-crim staged a return to the village last month amid a kidnapping ordeal for his estranged son Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches) – who, at the time, had no idea who his birth father was.
Lewis was held captive by Kev’s former girlfriend, until he returned a precious diamond that contained the ashes of her deceased cat. Fortunately, after days of being locked in her spare bedroom, he was freed by half-brother Ross (Michael Parr).
This incident then launched a vicious feud, as Ross instantly took a disliking to Kev upon realising the paternity secret. He believed that by welcoming him into Emmerdale village, it wouldn’t take long for him to return to a life of crime and Lewis would be left heartbroken.
With Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler), Kev was framed for a burglary on the café.
Chris Coghill as Kev Barton and Jason Done as Steve. ITV
Lewis felt that he had to get away from the area to recover from the stress, and upon his return, Kev boldly announced that he’d changed his surname from Townsend to Barton so that he could be closer to his son.
The two made amends upon realising that this decision stemmed from Kev’s troubled upbringing and desire to move away from his notorious surname. Ross even softened towards the situation and fabricated a story that removed the blame for the caff robbery.
Things seemed to be going swimmingly… that is, until, his old mate Steve (Jason Done) arrived last week.
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He made it clear that he wanted to get his hands on whatever fortunes lay behind Home Farm’s closed doors, something which Kev was firmly against.
In today’s episode, Lewis was presented with a thoughtful birthday cake from his father, that had been crafted to match his favourite jumper. It was a wonderful moment to see the two’s relationship beginning to blossom after years of estrangement, but matters were about to turn seriously sour.
Kev became aware that Steve was heading to Home Farm, and after noticing him with a crowbar, jumped into his car. A tense conversation ensued where Kev made him promise not to cause any trouble on his doorstep.
Bradley Johnson as Vinny Dingle. ITV
This was witnessed by Lewis’s boyfriend Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson), who instantly assumed that they were off to commit a crime.
When Kev finally returned, he protested his innocence and was devastated to see that he’d let Lewis down. He promised that nothing untoward that had happened, though Ross demanded that he leave.
While trying to goad Ross into a physical fight, Kev fell and accidentally smacked Lewis in the face.
Will Kev ever be able to make peace with Lewis?
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Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and from 7am on ITVX.
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