Former Celebrity Big Brother housemate and Heartstopper actor Bradley Riches has joined the cast of ITV’s Emmerdale, with his first appearance on the soap coming in May
Bradley Riches is joining Emmerdale.
The actor is famed for his role in Heartstopper, but he also appeared in the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2024. Last year, Bradley also announced he is engaged to partner Scott Johnston.
But now, he’s going to be stepping into the Dales – and his first appearance will air in May of this year. ITV bosses have revealed Bradley will begin filming this week, but not much is being revealed about Bradley’s character and who he’ll be linked to in the village.
Speaking about the new role, Bradley said: “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.”
Teasing his storylines, she shared: “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.”
Bradley rose to fame in Netflix hit Heartstopper, but before being offered a major role in the show he was an extra. The star must’ve made a good impression despite only having “like one line” in the first season.
“I had like one line in season one! And then I was studying and stuff like that. Then I got a random email one day saying, ‘Can you come in tomorrow to audition for a new character called James?’ I was like, okay. And it was kind of wild that they remembered me from that one line a year back,” he told Buzzfeed.
Offering advice to others, he shared: “Just get involved. I think that’s the big thing I learned. It’s like, you just want to get your name out there and like meet people.
“I nearly didn’t do the one line as well. Because I didn’t want to miss a day of college, but my mum was like ‘Just do it, we’ll pretend you’re ill; just go for it.’ And if I didn’t do it I wouldn’t be sat here.”
On Emmerdale, fans have seen some dramatic storylines unfold – including Joe Tate’s desperation to save his life, Manpreet’s blackmail story and Nate’s shock death. It’s unknown if Bradley’s character have a role to play in these ongoing stories or if he’ll bring new dramas to the village.
Bradley was the seventh celebrity to leave the Celebrity Big Brother house. He was evicted in a brutal twist, having been tricked into thinking he’d have a visit from a loved one.
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
