Big bad Kev Townsend makes his much-anticipated return to Emmerdale, with life-or-death consequences for his long-lost son, Lewis Barton. Diehard Dales fans fell in love with Kev from the start, a remarkable feat for a character whose sole purpose was to come between beloved couple Robert Sugden and Aaron Dingle.
Kev's Turbulent History
The man-bunned menace was first introduced last year in the most shocking way possible – as Robert's prison husband. Kev made it his mission to win back his cellmate by any means necessary, including pretending to be seriously ill and holding Aaron and Liam Cavanagh hostage with a sword. Kev is one of the most complex and enjoyable characters to join the Dales. He is clearly a raging psychopath, but beneath the anger and glowering lies a vulnerable, scared raging psychopath desperate for care and affection.
Kev genuinely loved Robert, and when it became clear that the object of his affections would always choose Aaron, he left the Dales with a broken heart. However, just before Christmas last year, the delightfully unhinged bad boy made a shock return after being captured by Robert's serial-killing brother John Sugden, who planned to be with Aaron, kill Robert, and pin the murder on Kev. Fortunately, Kev escaped and tipped off Aaron to the danger before fleeing the Dales once more.
A Slice of Kev-en
Fans of Emmerdale's answer to Begbie from Trainspotting need not despair, as Kev is about to rock up to the village once more to open his frankly outstandingly named cafe – A Slice of Kev-en. But Kev has another reason to stick around: his long-lost secret son, Lewis Barton. We have already seen Kev have innocent chats with Liam in the cafe, during which he revealed that he had a one-night stand with someone who then put the baby up for adoption – and the mother's name was Emma.
Only Nicola King knows the truth and previously gave Kev an ultimatum: either tell Lewis the truth or leave forever. Believing Lewis was safer without an unstable armed robber for a dad, Kev chose to leave instead. However, it is clear he has changed his mind, as Lewis's actor Bradley Riches has already teased his character's 'scary' reunion with the father he never knew.
The Scary Reunion
Now that scary reunion is finally upon us in upcoming episodes of Emmerdale. When Vinny Dingle surprises Lewis with a spontaneous trip to Madeira, Lewis's anxiety over the spontaneity takes hold and causes him to decide not to go. But Lewis insists that Vinny still goes on the holiday, leaving Lewis feeling bittersweet. After some encouraging words from his brother Ross Barton, Lewis decides he will go on the holiday after all and rushes to catch Vinny at the airport.
As Lewis rushes out with his suitcase to meet his taxi, a van screeches to a halt nearby. No prizes for guessing who the driver is. The father-son reunion is poised to end very badly for Lewis, as Kev's violent past and unstable nature threaten to turn this meeting into a life-or-death situation.
