![\"Emmerdale's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_284515627-84c9.jpg\")
\n\t\tBradley Riches has played Lewis Barton since May 2025 (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tBradley Riches has played Lewis Barton since May 2025 (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n
Emmerdale<\/a>\u2019s Bradley Riches<\/a> has responded to those who find some of Lewis Barton<\/a>\u2019s character traits annoying.<\/p>\n Bradley made his debut as Lewis in May 2025. Shortly after meeting his distant brother Ross Barton<\/a> (Michael Parr<\/a>), Lewis explained to him that he\u2019s autistic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lewis\u2019 autism was highlighted again not long after he bought Brenda Walker<\/a>\u2019s (Lesley Dunlop<\/a>) shares in the caf\u00e9. During a shift, Lewis became overwhelmed by how busy the establishment was, and chose to listen to music and sort items out in the back as a way of calming his mind down.<\/p>\n When Nicola King<\/a> (Nicola Wheeler<\/a>) learnt of Lewis\u2019 coping technique she was incredibly understanding.<\/p>\n Alongside working in the caf\u00e9, Lewis also likes to chat to a variety of villagers including Ruby Miligan (Beth Cordingly), Manpreet Sharma (Rebecca Sarker) and Vinny Dingle<\/a> (Bradley Johnson<\/a>). Occasionally when Lewis is having a conversation with someone, he fills gaps with laughter.<\/p>\n For those unaware that Lewis is masking in these particular moments, they have shared harsh comments that they are finding the character annoying. To educate, Bradley \u2013 who is autistic himself<\/a> \u2013 took to Instagram to explain what autistic masking is, and why Lewis does it.<\/p>\n \u2018Some people have said the little laughs or giggles my character Lewis does in scenes are \u201cannoying\u201d or they don\u2019t get it\u2026well wonder no more because the fact is: that\u2019s autistic masking\u2019, he began.<\/p>\n \u2018Masking means hiding or managing natural autistic traits to fit in or meet social expectations. In customer service or caf\u00e9 settings, autistic people often \u201cput on a show\u201d \u2013 smiling more, using friendly tones, or laughing after sentences (like I do in real life and Lewis does) because that\u2019s what the job expects and what feels safest socially.<\/p>\n Bradley added: \u2018That little laugh isn\u2019t random. It\u2019s a way to seem warm, to soften interactions, or to fill the gap when you\u2019re unsure what reaction is expected. It can also help manage anxiety in the moment \u2013 a learned habit to keep the social energy going.<\/p>\n \u2018Other types of masking can include copying people\u2019s gestures or phrases, forcing eye contacting, rehearsing lines before speaking, or hiding sensory discomfort. It\u2019s not fake \u2013 it\u2019s survival.<\/p>\n \u2018But it\u2019s also exhausting, which is why understanding and acceptance matter so much.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t The post from Bradley prompted many people to share what it means for them to see Lewis on screen.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDon’t miss a Soaps scoop! Add us as a Preferred Source\t\t\t<\/p>\n As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soaps news, spoilers, videos, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> and tick\u00a0Metro.co.uk\u00a0to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/p>\n \t\t This user said: \u2018You joining the show has coincided with my own late diagnosis at 38 yo. Really think it helps me as an adult to see representation so it must surely even better for kids to see. And your character is ace!\u2019<\/p>\n Another wrote in agreement: \u2018Well done for explaining. Not only does it explain why but you\u2019re also raising awareness for those who don\u2019t know these things. You could also be helping a person with autism who doesn\u2019t know why they do it.\u2019<\/p>\n Bradley also spoke about the importance in autistic representation in a soap during his chat with Metro recently.<\/p>\n \u2018I get a lot of comments and messages.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0been a\u00a0really positive\u00a0reaction as time\u2019s gone on, from parents, grandparents, autistic\u00a0people\u00a0and neurodiverse people themselves\u2019, he told me<\/a>, giving a small insight into the response he\u2019s had ever since Lewis arrived.<\/p>\n \u2018I think as neurodiverse people, we\u2019re always seeking that moment where we feel seen and to feel their identity is not something to be judged or debated. When they see an autistic neurodivergent character just living in the village, surrounded by people, having a job, creating relationship, all of these dynamics that autistic people seek, I think it\u2019s really positive and a cool representation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Everyone knows Lewis in the village. It\u2019s a really cool representation of autism in a community space.\u2019<\/p>\n When Ross discovered that Lewis existed, he seemed reluctant to meet up with the new face. He then decided to go for it, concluding he didn\u2019t really have anything to lose.<\/p>\n \t\t Ross enjoyed chatting to Lewis at first, but his constant questions about mum Emma and the rest of the Barton clan left him feeling overwhelmed. His priority was to protect Moira, which meant lying to Lewis about who their mum was and how she died.<\/p>\n His curiosity about his new brother grew when Ross learnt that Lewis was growing cannabis plants in his loft. At this point, Ross and\u00a0Mackenzie Boyd<\/a>\u00a0(Lawrence Robb<\/a>) decided to join forces to try and raise some money to give to Moira, who was struggling with farm fines.<\/p>\n The fact that Lewis carefully grew the plants primarily for medicinal use was completely ignored by Ross and Mack, as they decided to break into Lewis\u2019 house and steal some of the products.<\/p>\n \t\t Unfortunately for the pair, Lewis had cameras in the loft, which meant he caught Mack breaking in. He locked the door, and told Ross he wouldn\u2019t let Mackenzie out until he finds out what really happened to Emma.<\/p>\n It was at this point Lewis discovered that Moira Dingle murdered his mum. He thought about reporting her to the police, but Ross told his brother it would be pointless \u2013 the police probably wouldn\u2019t believe him but even if they did, Ross would\u00a0tell them about his sibling growing cannabis<\/a>.<\/p>\n In upcoming episodes, Lewis will explore the possibility of a new romance with Vinny.<\/p>\n \u2018I think Lewis\u00a0is oblivious to a lot of things.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0definitely oblivious\u00a0to there could be something more, but every so often\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a little,\u00a0\u2018Ooh. I don\u2019t know what this is.\u2019\u00a0Vinny\u2019s got a lot going on, working out his sexuality and his identity and\u00a0becoming really close friends with Lewis<\/a>\u2019, Bradley added as he discussed the dynamic between the two characters.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018They both have little romcom moments here and there, but it\u2019s unknown territory at the moment \u2013 what is this?\u00a0We\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0really know but we don\u2019t want to break this friend grouping.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0unspoken words, we\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0really know\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0happening.\u2019<\/p>\n He added: \u2018They\u2019re\u00a0very honest with each other, which I like. Lewis was there when he was talking about the court case and Vinny was there when Lewis was having his burnout, so\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0very honest with their feelings with each\u00a0other\u00a0but this is one thing\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0not honest about.<\/p>\n \u2018Maybe when they do become honest about\u00a0it\u00a0they might both feel the same way.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a weird\u00a0tug-of-war\u00a0at the moment, with their feelings towards each other.\u2019<\/p>\n This article was originally published in November 2025 and has been updated.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Vinny](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/07_10_emm_vinny_lewis_gabby_01-2796.jpg\")
\n\t\tLewis is often seen chatting to a variety of villagers (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n![\"Soaps](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771835115_25_SEI_278522320-46a3.jpg\")
\n\t\tNow you can ensure you never miss a story from the Soaps team<\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_256652992-5a39.jpg\")
\n\t\tLewis is Ross\u2019 brother (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n![\"Gabby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/07_10_emm_vinny_lewis_gabby_02-0524.jpg\")
\n\t\tLewis now lives with Ross and Vinny (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n![\"Bradley](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_264340714-7b6a.jpg\")
\n\t\tBradley\u2019s first scenes as Lewis aired in May last year (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n
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