Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) is returning to Emmerdale with three things: chaos, a secret about who his son is, and an absolutely stunning lemon drizzle recipe. The unhinged character was introduced to us last year as Robert Sugden’s (Ryan Hawley) prison husband. Kev had told a lie about his health to grant himself early release, and then decided to move to the village so he could continue his relationship with Robert the other side of the prison bars.
The problem Kev faced was that Robert had already decided to reunite with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller). For a little while, Robert kept this from Kev as he wanted to inherit his money once he had died, but living a double life eventually became impossible. Unable to deal with Robert’s rejection, Kev proceeded to hold him, Aaron, and Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) hostage with a sword he had stolen from a pawn shop. The character came to accept that Robert wasn’t going to take him back, and left the village without facing any police-based consequences for keeping the three men against their will.
Kev did make a brief return towards the end of 2025 as part of John Sugden’s (Oliver Farnworth) grand revenge, but concluded it would be better to warn Aaron of the imminent danger as opposed to get involved. Smart move really, considering John’s plan to get rid of Robert eventually saw the Corriedale crash take place. Alongside the storyline with Robron, Kev also discovered that Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches) is his biological son. Lewis doesn’t know this, but the chances of him finding this secret out when Kev gets back to the village are very high.
Kev’s Fatherly Instincts
Discussing the prospect of Kev stepping into a more fatherly role if Lewis learns the truth, actor Chris Coghill said that his character would try his best to ‘right his wrongs’. ‘I think he’d care. One of the things we already knew about Kev from last time was that he didn’t have a brilliant upbringing himself. So, if he steps into a fatherly role, he will try to right some of the wrongs that he feels from his own past. But he’s not going to be brilliant at it. Look at him! It’s not going to become particularly naturally.’
Today’s episode of the ITV soap, now available on ITVX and YouTube, sees Lewis land in serious danger when he’s kidnapped by men in masks. As a new week begins, Kev gets word about Lewis being in jeopardy, and jumps at the chance to try and help him. ‘When Liam tells him, his first response is that he’s gone and “leave me alone”’, Chris explained. ‘But when he finds out that Lewis is in jeopardy, that his life is in danger, his paternal instincts kick in. And he does care. Of course, he cares.’
A Sweet Return with a Cake Van
Chris is absolutely ‘delighted’ to be back on the show, and is looking forward to viewers seeing the initial moment where Kev graces our screens again. ‘When we meet Kev, he’s running his own mobile patisserie experience. He’s got a cake van. It’s called a slice of Kev-en’, Kev revealed. ‘So, that’s what he’s up to. That’s what he was doing, and that’s what he might well bring to the village.’
But what else could he get up to? Chris has got the answers: ‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, at some point, I’d quite like Kev to take down the Tates.’ Bring it on.
