A First Look at Robert Newman as Ashland on Y&R

The sudden recast of Ashland Locke on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS rattled soap fans as Richard Burgi revealed why he had been let go from the CBS sudser and Robert Newman was quickly named as his replacement. Because daytime dramas shoot about a month in advance, Burgi has continued to appear on Y&R even after the news of his departure broke. And now CBS has announced that Newman’s first episode as Ashland will air on Wednesday, Feb. 9.

“What a wonderful first week of shooting,” Newman shared on Facebook on Jan. 23. “Five episodes in three days right out of the box. Couldn’t ask for a nicer bunch. And this character… what a wild ride. In the old days, we would have called it an E-Ticket. Cheers!”

Y&R Ashland Victoria — Ashland and Victoria may be all smiles now, but that could soon change!Monty Brinton/CBS

Newman is best known for playing Josh Lewis for almost three decades on the much-missed GUIDING LIGHT, a role that earned him two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor. During his daytime career, the actor also played Prescott Harrell on GENERAL HOSPITAL and Kirk Cranston on SANTA BARBARA. After GL was canceled, Newman took to the stage, appearing in productions of shows like Peter Pan, Nine, Death Trap, Gypsy, and Annie.

Soap fans are excited to see Newman back in daytime, though, and starting on Wednesday, Feb. 9, they’ll be able to see him step into the designer shoes of Ashland Locke just in time for some major drama! His marriage to Victoria seems to be going well, but they’re already butting heads over business. And it looks like Victor is about to discover the truth about Ashland’s cancer treatments. So make sure you tune in!