Newcomer Kev Townsend has burst into Emmerdale village, with an complex connection to one of the soap’s most iconic characters. The man of mystery’s casting was announced earlier this year,

with actor Chris Coghill stepping into the Dales for the role. On the new addition to the village, Emmerdale boss Laura Shaw said: ‘We are delighted that someone of Chris’ calibre has joined our cast.

‘I think the viewers will be intrigued to see how the character of Kev will cause shockwaves this autumn.

Kev Townsend has caused quite a stir so far

‘Kev has a strong connection to one of our characters and it’s safe to say his arrival is going to be a massive surprise that will have major repercussions for some of our villagers.’

Who plays Kev and what’s he been in?

Soap fans will undoubtedly remember Chris from his previous role as evil paedophile Tony King in EastEnders.

While dating Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), Tony groomed and abused Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty).

He later turned his attentions to Lauren Branning (then Madeline Duggan) before his abuse was finally exposed.

Tony was arrested after Bianca called the police, later visiting their home on bail in an attempt to convince Whitney not to give a statement to the police – leading to Ricky (Sid Owen) attacking him and him being re-arrested for breaching his bail conditions.

Chris’ first TV role was in soapy drama Cold Feet in 1999, before going on to appear in Heartbeat, Doctors, Holby City and Waterloo Road.

He also had a recurring role in Channel 4 drama Shameless.

Fans will have also seen him in Hollyoaks Later and Casualty.

Who is Kev in Emmerdale?

Kev’s arrival to the village saw us discover that he is Robert Sugden’s (Ryan Hawley) secret husband.

After being invited into Robert’s house, we learnt that the fellas met while in prison. Sexual tension was bubbling beneath the surface, and when they kissed, it was revealed that they were actually married.

It was also confirmed that Kev has a large sum of money to his name, and is terminally ill.

Robert was hoping to stay with Kev until he dies, so he could inherit the cash.

However, in a recent episode of the ITV soap, local GP Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) learnt that Kev isn’t as ill as he’s making out.

When did Kev marry Robert in Emmerdale?

A special episode that aired on Wednesday, November 12, allowed us to learn more about Kev and Robert’s relationship.

During the pandemic, Robert was sent to Hotten prison and became Kev’s new cellmate. At first, they didn’t get on, but they then became mates and eventually secret lovers.

When new evidence came to light regarding Lee Posner’s death, it ultimately gave Robert the opportunity to begin an appeal, and he was overjoyed at the thought of potentially being released.

While Robert was happy, Kev wasn’t. His possessive streak was highlighted as Kev stabbed himself in the stomach. After this, Robert was focused on Kev getting better, and didn’t really think much about the appeal.

His priorities changed again after a visit from Faith Dingle (Sally Dexter), who urged Robert to go through with the case and get back with Aaron.

At the time, Aaron was struggling to process a number of traumatic events that had occurred in his life. Faith knew that he needed Robert, and begged him to go ahead with it.

Robert was still in love with Aaron, and decided to listen to Faith. His appeal was a success but as word got round that he was being released, he failed to tell Kev the exact reason why.

Robert told Kev that Vic has a brain tumour and he needed to go and see her. His paranoia about Robert leaving him subsided and he gave his partner a hug, being totally understanding.