Coronation Street actor Peter Ash says he feels a great responsibility to people living with motor neurone disease as the soap begins a storyline in which his character is diagnosed with the devastating condition.
In a first for the show, builder Paul Foreman (Ash) will be diagnosed with the terminal disease next month. He will be given a referral to a specialist in tonight's (Friday, March 24) episode, after weeks of speculation about what has been causing the much-loved character's clumsiness.
MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, attacking the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work and currently it has no cure. Experts from the MND Association have been advising the soap's researchers, scriptwriters and actors since last autumn to ensure an “accurate portrayal”.
The storyline will follow the challenges Paul faces as he loses his mobility, and his ability to eat and speak, “locked in a body that is failing”. Talking about portraying the physical effects of the illness, 38-year-old Ash said: “I’ve been eased into it.
“It started with Paul’s hand but I’m very aware as the time goes on and as the symptoms progress, it’ll get a lot more technical. So I’m sure as the symptoms pile up, I’m going to be speaking a lot more with the MND Association to make sure we get it all right. It’s quite a journey that he’ll be going on.”
He added: “Especially when you’re playing a character with an illness or a condition, there’s so much responsibility to get it right, not to cheapen it and to represent it properly. We act it but there are people watching who are living with it so it’s very important to get it right and be spot on with it, be sensitive.”
Ash said he was initially shocked to discover the future of his character because the nature of the disease will mean his exit from the show. “I’ll be sad to leave the show, it’s been an amazing job, I’ve met fantastic people. But also at the same time, happy to be involved in such a powerful storyline that hopefully will bring awareness,” he said.
Ash added that he originally knew about the disease only through Professor Stephen Hawking, but has since read former rugby player Rob Burrow’s book and watched his documentary to understand more about the illness.
The ITV storyline will follow the impact the diagnosis has on Paul's loved ones, including his boyfriend Billy Mayhew, played by Daniel Brocklebank. The 43-year-old actor, whose grandfather died of MND 20 years ago, said his own experiences of the disease will directly translate into his acting.
Brocklebank, who is an MND ambassador, said: “They told me what the storyline was going to be but they had no idea of my history with MND or with the association, so it was a bit of a shock. My legs went a little bit weak because I suppose it just brings back memories of that time. I did wonder if this could potentially be quite triggering in a lot of ways.
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“I’m hoping I might be able to bring some of my personal experience into the playing of this storyline, having been somebody who did in real life help to care for somebody with MND.” Brocklebank added he won’t have trouble accessing the emotion to play the part but said “the pressure will be trying not to burst into tears”.
Producer Iain MacLeod said: “A show like Coronation Street is uniquely placed to show the day-to-day reality of dealing with an illness that gradually and progressively erodes the physical attributes that you perhaps take for granted, changing forever the way you interact with the world around you.
“At first Paul – who as a builder relies entirely on his physicality for his livelihood – will massively go off the rails in a misplaced bid to ensure he isn’t a burden on his loved ones. But in the end, they will be the ones to put him back together emotionally.
"We are committed to portraying in a long-term, sensitive way the effects of this condition on Paul and his family and friends, not shying away from the sometimes painful reality of what his life will be like.”
Chris James, director of external affairs at the MND Association, said: “We are really grateful to the team at Coronation Street for choosing to tackle this subject. Putting MND in front of six million viewers every week will raise incredible awareness and help educate people who have never come across the disease, showing the day-to-day reality of those living with it and the impact on friends, family and the wider community.”
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