Emmerdale actor Bradley Riches has wrapped up his current stint on the ITV soap as Lewis Barton, ahead of taking on the role of Peter Pan in a pantomime at the Sunderland Empire this December.
Riches joined the Leeds-filmed soap last year as Lewis Barton, described as the programme's first neurodivergent character. He has previously spoken about his experiences as an autistic actor and the importance of representation on screen.
Break from the Dales for Neverland
It was announced earlier this year that Riches would take a short break from Emmerdale to appear in The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook at the Sunderland Empire. The production runs from December 11, 2026, through to January 3, 2027.
Last week, Riches confirmed on TikTok that his Emmerdale break had begun, posting a video of himself dancing to the Jamie Miller track Babydoll with the caption: "That's me wrapped on @Emmerdale for a bit. I love my job so much! wonder what's in store for Lewis… Thanks for all support love you all!!" He added: "@Jamie Miller come and sing at emmerdale plsssss."
ITV relaxes panto rules
Riches' panto role follows a change in ITV rules that previously prevented soap stars from taking on temporary outside projects. The broadcaster has now agreed to release "a few" actors from Emmerdale and Coronation Street for pantomime appearances over the festive period.
A spokesperson for ITV told Radio Times: "We've agreed to release a few of the actors from Emmerdale and Coronation Street to appear in pantomime this year. We've been looking at this for a while and with plenty of notice, we've been able to release the actors for a limited time."
