Emmerdale shock: Kev is BACK to drop a devastating bombshell on the King family!
14:10, 27 May 2026
Emmerdale confirms Kev Towsend return will come with an unlikely friendship with fan favourite Nicola King amid another return bombshell later this year. Chris Coghill is set to reprise the role of the charismatic Kev Townsend in Emmerdale later this year and Kev’s new business venture is sure to stir up trouble for the locals.
The acclaimed actor joined the cast of the ITV soap last year Robert Sugden’s prison husband. It was clear he’d stop at nothing to keep Robert to himself, but he didn’t feel the same and was instead ready to move on with Aaron Dingle.
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Kev was viewed as “unpredictable and intimidating”, but quickly became a fan favourite amongst viewers. Robert had married Kev in prison, believing he was dying – a lie Kev told to save their relationship. Then a shock twist revealed that Kev was also the biological father of Lewis Barton, played by Bradley Riches.
While fans worried that Kev’s return will impose upon Robert and Aaron’s happiness once more, Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw assured fans that wouldn’t be the case.
She confirmed: “When he comes back, he’s very much back for Lewis and it’s going to be about building a father and son relationship between them and building on the Barton family as well.
“Robert and Aaron are happy, and Kev will kind of leave that alone. The door is closed between Robert and Kev, certainly for the foreseeable future.”
Now, however, speaking exclusively to Inside Soap Emmerdale have revealed that Kev is due to develop an unlikely friendship with fan favourite Nicola King.
Laura explained: “As we know, Nicola has taken on a motherly role with Lewis, so we will be seeing more of her and Kev. Later on in the year, Nicola’s going to have a few troubles of her own that Kev is going to be supportive with…”
As viewers will recall, Nicola will be set to deal with some drama in the upcoming future as Sadie King is set to return unexpectedly to the Dales.
She was Jimmy King’s glamorous and scheming wife, before he moved on with Nicola, of course. She had many dramatic storylines, including a house explosion and high-stakes affairs with a young Robert Sugden and Cain Dingle.
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Actress Patsy Kensit shared: “I am really excited to return to Emmerdale. I treasure the years I was here before. Sadie King is a character that I really loved playing. The cast and crew are absolutely brilliant and I am so grateful for the chance to return to the show, it’s absolutely amazing.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX and YouTube from 7am.
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