Emmerdale star Bradley Riches is taking a temporary break from the Yorkshire Dales to play Peter Pan in a pantomime this year. The actor, who plays Lewis Barton, will step into the role after ITV bosses relaxed their rules on allowing actors to take on outside projects.
ITV confirms panto appearances
An ITV spokesperson said: '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.'
Riches shared a Facebook post featuring a picture of himself alongside Charlotte Bellamy and Nicola Wheeler, who play Laurel Thomas and Nicola King respectively. In the caption, he wrote: 'Who's gonna miss Lewis for a bit? That's a wrap on filming at Emmerdale for a bit, before some time off and then straight into Pantoland! I'm so excited to see what's ahead for Lewis in 2027 and to see where his story takes him next. I feel incredibly lucky to do a job I love, surrounded by such brilliant people. Feeling very grateful, as always. For now, a little break before being back on your screens soon. Bradley x'
Fans react with support
The comments section was filled with supportive messages. Linda Abbiss wrote: 'You'll definitely be missed but you'll smash panto. It's behind you!', and Teddie Cork added: 'Good luck in panto! You will be fab'. Anne Murray said: 'Be smashing, so full [of] energy, not shy, kids love you, Bradley going be missed in Emmerdale' and Christine Dickinson added: 'You will be missed you will be great in whatever you do always a smile your an amazing young man'.
Julie R Robinson wrote: 'Of course we're going to miss you sweetheart, but hey, Panto? Fantastic another string for your bow. Enjoy every minute. We will be here when you get back.' Dawn Clifford said: 'I wish I could come and see you in panto. I hope you have a lovely time doing it. Will miss on Emmerdale. x' and Chloe Slater wrote: 'Make sure you come back after panto season. You will be fab, you're an excellent performer'.
Return already confirmed
Riches has already confirmed his return in a tweet earlier in the year. In March 2026, he posted: 'AHHAHHAA! Unlucky for you I'm just off for 4 weeks' alongside a laughing emoji.
Riches recently teased what Lewis's Christmas will look like, saying: 'Christmas is coming up and things are going to be very dysfunctional – you may have Kev [Barton (Chris Coghill)], Nicola, Ross [Barton (Michael Parr)], all those amazing characters who are different and weird in their own way coming together at Christmas. It's a recipe for weirdness which I'm buzzing about.'
Speaking on how it feels to have been embraced by viewers, he said: 'When I first joined, there was a reaction of, who the hell is this person? There was a lot of that reaction but now people have seen Lewis being vulnerable, reconnect with his dad, there's a lot to process, but I think people are really loving him. As neurodivergent or autistic people, a lot of the time, we do get misjudged, and I feel like it is such a beautiful representation of the autism community in real life. So much of my life I was misjudged. People have taken to Lewis and I'm very excited for him to go on more journeys and have more storylines, it's going to be very special.'
Viewers have recently seen Lewis deal with the loss of his boyfriend Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson), who went to prison after accidentally causing the deaths of several villagers in an apocalyptic car collision, and continue to strengthen his relationship with his unconventional dad.
