EMMERDALE’s newest cast member was BANNED from mentioning Netflix stardom by bosses as he raged ‘what is the point?’
Heartstopper and Celebrity Big Brother star Bradley Riches has signed up for a major new role.
Best known for playing James McEwan in the Netflix hit – the actor will arrive in the village this summer as a mysterious relation to an existing character.
Taking to X, the ITV soap posted a short video teasing the 23-year-old’s imminent arrival.
Bradley says in the clip: “Hello, my name is Bradley Riches and you may recognise me from Celebrity Big Brother and other shows that are not on ITV.
“But I’m so excited to announce that later this year, I will be in Emmerdale!
The star began: “So, I could tell you about my character that his name is Lewis…”.
As part of the humour, Bradley was soon cut off by someone off-camera saying “No!”
The actor then said: “Okay. But I can tell you he is actually related to the…”
However, the same off-screen person again stopped Bradley mid-sentence.
The lighthearted clip saw him try again, only to be cut off for a third time.
Bradley asked: “What is the point of this video? I thought I was meant to give an insider scoop?
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait and find out and watch my big entrance coming later this year on Emmerdale.”
Bradley has begun filming his scenes and will be appearing on-screen from May.
A source said: “Bosses are keeping Bradley’s character’s identity a closely-guarded secret.
“He’s got a family connection to a major character in the village and he’s definitely going to set the cat amongst the pigeons when he arrives.”
The actor said of his new role: ”I’m beyond excited to be joining Emmerdale!
“It’s a real bucket list moment for me, especially since it was my grandad’s favourite soap, I just know he’d be over the moon.
“Everyone has been so lovely and welcoming, and the village is even more amazing in real life.
“I absolutely love my character (though I can’t spill too much just yet!), and I’m just so grateful for this opportunity. I can’t wait for everyone to see what’s in store…”
Emmerdale producer, Laura Shaw, added: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Bradley to the Emmerdale family.
“Bradley brings a wealth of talent and his warmth, wit and charisma makes him perfect for this new Emmerdale role.
“We have some wonderful stories for him to play and we can’t wait for the audience to see Bradley bring his new character bursting into life on screen.“
In Heartstopper, the star’s character James McEwan has featured in all three seasons.
He had a starring role in the show’s second season, with supporting appearances in the first and third.
Bradley also competed in ITV‘s first edition of Celebrity Big Brother last year, placing sixth.
𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 “𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 & 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝒇𝙞𝒍𝙢𝒔𝙥𝒐𝙞𝒍𝙚𝒓𝙨.𝙞𝒏𝙛𝒐” 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬.
