Lewis Cope | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 March 1995 Hartlepool, County Durham, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Television | Emmerdale Strictly Come Dancing |
Lewis Cope (born 19 March 1995) is an English actor. After beginning his career as a child actor appearing in a West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical , he went on to appear in series including Hetty Feather , Doctors and Vera . Then, in 2022, he was cast as Nicky Miligan in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale . After the leaving the series in 2024, he is set to appear as a contestant on the twenty-third series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2025.
Cope was born on 19 March 1995 in Hartlepool, County Durham, and has 13 siblings. [1] [2] [3] He attended both English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College and Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. [2]
In 2008, aged 13, Cope was cast in the role of Michael in a West End theatre production of Billy Elliot the Musical . [4] In 2010, he appeared in the BBC sketch show The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson . [5] He subsequently joined the hip-hop dance troupe Ruff Diamond, who finished as runner-up on the Sky One dance competition Got to Dance in 2013. [6] Cope went on to appear in the short films A Six and Two Threes and Waterbabies, as well as television series including Hetty Feather (2019), Doctors (2019) and Vera (2021). [7] His stage credits include Richard III (2017), Punk Rock (2017), Macbeth (2017), The Night Watch (2018), Spilt (2018), Candide (2018), F$%k Magical Michael (2019), Witness for the Prosecution (2019) and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (2022). [8]
In 2022, Cope joined the cast of the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Nicky Miligan. [9] He was initially introduced as a male nanny who attends an interview for a job caring for Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) and Dawn Fletcher's (Olivia Bromley) children at Home Farm, before being established as the son of Caleb Miligan (William Ash), and the grandson of Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) and Faith Dingle (Sally Dexter). [10] He departed the soap in July 2024, with the character leaving alongside boyfriend Suni Sharma (Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana). [11] [12]
In 2023, Cope appeared in an episode of the mystery crime series Mrs Sidhu Investigates . [13] In August 2025, Cope was announced as a contestant on the twenty-third series of Strictly Come Dancing , as a replacement for Kristian Nairn, who withdrew from the competition due to health issues. [7] [14]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson | Various | 1 episode | [8] |
| 2013 | Got to Dance | Himself | Runner-up; series 4 | [15] |
| 2015 | A Six and Two Threes | Bully | Short film | [8] |
| 2018 | Waterbabies | Owen | Short film | [8] |
| 2019 | Hetty Feather | Wilfred | Episode: "The Return" | [16] |
| 2019 | Doctors | Tom Griffiths | Episode: "Trapped" | [17] |
| 2021 | Vera | Marcus Hynde | Episode: "Witness" | [18] |
| 2022–2024 | Emmerdale | Nicky Miligan | Regular role | [19] |
| 2023 | Mrs Sidhu Investigates | Lenny Lowe | Episode: "On the Ropes" | [20] |
| 2025 | Strictly Come Dancing | Himself | Contestant; series 23 | [21] |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Billy Elliot the Musical | Michael | [22] |
| 2017 | Richard III | Henry VI / Richmond | [8] |
| 2017 | Punk Rock | Nicholas | [8] |
| 2017 | Macbeth | Banquo | [8] |
| 2018 | The Night Watch | Duncan | [8] |
| 2018 | Spilt | Chase | [8] |
| 2018 | Candide | Ben | [8] |
| 2019 | F$%k Magical Michael | D | [8] |
| 2019 | Witness for the Prosecution | Leonard Vole | [8] |
| 2022 | The Legend of Sleepy Hollow | Brom "Bones" Van Brunt | [8] |