Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) has made his feelings about his son Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches) perfectly clear in a gutting twist on Emmerdale. The chaotic criminal returned to the ITV soap in tonight's episode after Ross Barton (Michael Parr) learned that Lewis was in trouble.
Lewis kidnapped after holiday plans go awry
Days earlier, Lewis decided to join Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) on holiday in Madeira. Vinny had surprised Lewis with the trip, but didn't consider how the spontaneity would impact his anxiety. Lewis chose to stay in the village but encouraged Vinny to go anyway. After some advice from Ross, Lewis felt better about the holiday and decided to go after all. He left Dale View, but disaster struck when he was thrown into the back of a van, which sped away.
Tonight's episode revealed that Lewis is being held hostage in the house of a woman named Kylie. He is in a terrible state, panicking about his whereabouts and refusing to eat the meals Kylie provides.
Ross receives ransom demand
Ross only learned about Lewis being in trouble due to a text on his phone. It read: 'If you want to see Lewis again, his dad needs to return Penny. Don't call the police, or Lewis gets it.' Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) got involved when he arrived at Ross's house with a delivery from Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley).
Initially, Ross thought he needed to contact Lewis's adoptive father Jeffrey, but the man was impossible to find on social media. Liam suggested they were looking for the wrong dad. When Liam confessed that Kev is Lewis's biological father, Ross immediately knew they needed to find him.
Lemon drizzle cake leads to Kev
Locating Kev didn't take Liam long, thanks to some lemon drizzle cake that Claudette Anderson (Flo Wilson) brought into the café. He deduced the cake was made by Kev, meaning Claudette knew where he was. In a layby at the side of a road, Kev was busy working in his bakery van, called 'A Slice of Kev-en' – a clever move from the man who held three blokes hostage with a sword last year.
Kev wasn't interested in what Liam had to say, but changed his mind when he learned Lewis was in trouble. Back in the village, Kev confidently told Ross and Liam he was ready to save the day. When Ross shared the news about missing Penny, Kev confirmed that Penny isn't a woman – it's a diamond.
Kev's selfish betrayal
Kev claimed he took the diamond and gave it to a pawnbroker. Ross gave Kev a firm talking to, saying he cannot return until he's located the jewel. Outside, however, Kev unzipped his jacket to reveal the diamond resting on a chain around his neck. If Kev genuinely cared for Lewis, he wouldn't have an issue with giving the diamond back to Kylie to free his son. It's a pretty gutting twist, confirming that Kev cares more about a materialistic item than his own flesh and blood.
With Kev showing no signs of wanting to hand the diamond back, viewers are left wondering how Lewis will escape.
