Emmerdale’s Bradley Riches reveals how long he’ll be in ITV soap as he opens up on ‘tough audition’ process
EMMERDALE star Bradley Riches has revealed he’s set to be part of the ITV soap for the “long haul”.
The Heartstoppers actor, 23, revealed last month he had bagged the role of a lifetime as a Dales resident.
Bradley admitted he went through a gruelling six auditions before he finally landed the role.
And he is determined to hang onto it for as long as he can, as he revealed he’s a permanent character.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Bradley said: “It’s definitely been on my bucket list for a while, when I got the audition, I was like ‘lets do it’, and round after round, I was like ‘oh my god’, I fell in love with the character.
“I was like ‘I need this, I want this’.
“I did a good six auditions. It was a long process. Most of them was meetings on how to develop the character.
“It was a long process, it wasn’t easy.
“I’ve always wanted to try everything and it’s something I definitely want to put my stamp on.
“It’s my granddad’s favourite soap, I’ve always loved it, I’ve always loved all the soaps.”
Bradley has already completed his first few weeks of filming and will be joining the Dales as a mystery character with a secret past.
“My first two weeks are already done, I’m getting used to it slowly. It is nerve-wracking, you just don’t want to forget the lines, you don’t want to make yourself look like an idiot in front of all these amazing people,” Bradley told us at Nikita Kuzmin‘s Midnight Dancer tour in London.
“It’s so quick, you do two scenes like bang bang bang and then it’s the next one, it’s a completely different experience.
“My character is Lewis. I’m really excited. I love the production team, they’re very open to your thoughts, opinions and ideas behind the character – it’s a very collaborative process.”
The star he’s been written in for a long storyline that viewers will see play out and hoping to keep having his contract renewed – saying he’s “not going anywhere”.
“I like all of the cast, I can’t give anything away, but everyone I’ve shared screen time with.
“It hasn’t been announced who I’m related to yet, it’s all hush hush.
“I hope people like the character as much as I do.”
Bradley said he’s not just passing through like some characters, and instead hopes to remain on the soap for the foreseeable – especially with this being a “bucket list” moment for him.
He confirmed he’ll be sticking around for a while, adding: “I’m there, I ain’t moving,”
The actor – who is best known for playing James McEwan in the Netflix hit Heartstoppers – will arrive in the village this summer as a mysterious relation to an existing villager.
The Sun revealed last month how Emmerdale have made special changes to make sure Bradley is as comfortable as possible.
The actor has been open about living with autism, which he was diagnosed with when he was nine years old.
A show insider said: “ITV bosses are really delighted they’ve been able to sign Bradley up.
“His character has serious potential and they’re doing everything to make his transition into soap as smooth as possible.
“One adjust they have made is changing the format of Bradley’s call sheets and scripts so they’re easier to read.
“There’s also chill out rooms on set for Bradley to utilise in between filming takes.”
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