Bradley Riches

Bradley Stephen Riches (born 11 December 2001) is an English actor and writer. After appearing in various stage productions, he was cast as James McEwan on the Netflix series Heartstopper in 2022. Riches then appeared as a housemate on the twenty-third series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2024 and has since joined the cast of the ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale as Lewis Barton. Riches is also a Sunday times bestselling author with his book Autistically Me and has also released another book about his experience growing up with autism.

Early life and education Bradley Stephen Riches was born on 11 December 2001 in Surrey, England. He was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 9 and was also nonverbal until he was 10. Shortly after, he began attending a drama group after which he said he "found [he] had this voice" and became more confident in communicating with people. He wrote his dissertation on the challenges for neurodivergent performers. In April 2022, Riches portrayed a student at Truham Grammar School in the Netflix teen series Heartstopper. His character was later established in the second series as James McEwan, who has a crush on Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan).

In November 2023, Riches released his debut book, "A" Different Kind Of Superpower. It is a semi-autobiographical children's book that recalls Riches' autism diagnosis as a nine-year-[...] and reframes neurodivergence in all its forms as a superpower". Riches said he wanted to "expand on [his] story so that as many people as possible could find themselves in some part of the character's journey". In March 2024, Riches was a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother in its twenty-third series finishing 6th with 1.6% of the final vote after a surprise back door eviction Later in the year, he appeared in the BBC One comedy horror series Wreck as Freddie.

In December 2024, Riches made his pantomime debut at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre in Buckinghamshire in The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook. In March 2025, it was announced that Riches would be joining the cast of ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Lewis Barton, a regular character and addition to the established Barton family. In 2026, he released his second book, Autistically Me.

Personal life Riches is gay and said that "as a gay person with autism, he 'found it hard to navigate' a world that is 'fit for neurotypical people'". In April 2024, he became engaged to theatre director Scott Johnston. They got married on 8 April 2026.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2019 1917 Soldier Minor role

Stage Year Title Role Venue 2016 Disaster! Ben/Lisa Charing Cross Theatre 2018 Goodnight Mister Tom Sammy Southwark Playhouse 2018 Monstersongs Child/Dragon The Other Palace 2018 A Christmas Story: The Musical Farkus/Elf/Swing Waterloo East Theatre 2019 Footloose Willard Hewitt Southwark Playhouse 2022 Kin the Musical Ensemble/Cover The Other Palace 2024–2025 The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook Peter Pan Aylesbury Waterside Theatre