Note: The following article contains discussion of topics that include suicidal thoughts.
Emmerdale spoilers to follow.
Emmerdale Favorite Paddy Dingle hits rock bottom this week as he contemplates suicide following his recent return to the village.
Paddy’s family and friends hope he is getting back to his everyday life after being away for several weeks. However, as Paddy reconnects with each of them, they are unaware that he is quietly saying goodbye.
It’s only when Paddy disappears again and his father Bear finds a disturbing note that everyone realizes he’s planning to take his own life. The villagers immediately jump into action, hoping to find him before it’s too late.
Emmerdale the chiefs have been working on this storyline with the support of the samaritans and suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club.
The show’s producer Laura Shaw recently spoke with Digital Spy and other media about the plot and its aftermath.
How did this plot come about?
“The idea has been floating around for a few years, actually. Emmerdale that we really wanted to shed light on men’s mental health. Middle-aged men are more likely to die by suicide than any other age group – there are some surprising facts about this.
“Sometimes you might have a brilliant idea for a story you want to play, but it could be years before you make it – if you ever do it at all. It has to be character driven, so your characters have to be in the right place. right time.
“Following the loss of Paddy’s daughter Grace and the end of his marriage – and after speaking with Andy’s Man Club and Samaritans and reviewing all the case studies – it felt like now was the right time to play out this story with Paddy .”
When did you tell Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy, about the idea?
“It was around August or September of last year that I reached out to Dom to sound him out. At that point, if Dom had said that he wasn’t comfortable playing the story, then we absolutely wouldn’t have done it. he would never have played with anyone else either.
“With stories of this nature, you want to give the actors as much lead time as possible and make sure they’re happy to be playing something that serious and important.
“As soon as we had a difficult arc at the story conference, but before we had anything written or plotted, I reached out to Dom and talked to him about the idea.
“Dom was immediately receptive and eager to find out more. He wanted to talk to the Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club to get as much information as possible.
“Each person in Emmerdale always puts his heart and soul into whatever story he’s playing and Dominic is definitely no exception. He went out of his way to research this and spoke to as many people as he could.
“Dominic trusted us implicitly with the scripts and went out of his way to make sure Paddy’s story was authentic.”
Did the cast and crew have the option to opt out of the story?
“Yes – with any serious or triggering issue, we always let anyone working on it know what we’re doing and why. We said people could talk to us if there was something they were concerned about.
“With this subject matter, it can be — and has been — uncomfortable at times. We have to make sure everyone is okay with it, and if someone isn’t, they don’t have to work on it.”
What was it like having Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club on board from the beginning?
“It was absolutely vital to have their support. This story would not exist without incredible people like Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club guiding us and ensuring we portray as authentic a version as possible.
“The overwhelming feedback we received from both charities was how important it is to just talk. As isolated as you might feel, there are people out there. Just talking about what you’re thinking or feeling can make a world of difference.”
What was their exact involvement? Did they consult the scripts?
“Both charities have been heavily involved with this story over the last few months. From our research team’s initial conversations and fact-finding, to meeting with producers, storylines, writers and cast. They spoke to us about what was important show and what we absolutely should not show.
“They also read all the scripts in every draft, giving us feedback, and they were around during filming to support us there. They were absolutely phenomenal.”
ITV
Do you think soap is the ideal medium for a story like this?
“I think telenovelas have such a wide audience. Our main focus is always connecting with our audience and telling real, relatable stories.
“Yes, sometimes we like to do a big hit, a serial killer or bring a character back from the dead, but overall we have to tell stories that reflect what people might be going through and do that in an honest and realistic way. path.
“Taking a topic like men’s mental health on a soap opera can be an extremely powerful way to raise awareness and empower people to seek support.”
Can you tell us how the plot feeds into the men’s special next week?
“The all-male episode was inspired by Andy’s Man Club. We hear about their peer-to-peer support groups where they sit down every Monday night for a few hours, have a cup of tea and a biscuit and just talk. When we learned how much help it is giving people, it really inspired us to make our own version of the Man Club.
“At this point in the story, Paddy isn’t really opening up to people after what happened and the story explores Marlon’s desperation to get his best friend to talk.
“Marlon is trapped in The Woolpack with some of the other men in the village, aiming to get everyone talking.
“The episode has an all-male cast, is filmed entirely on a set, and is basically an entire episode where the men just talk. There are no stunts, there are no cases, there are no big explosive reveals.
“It’s just men talking about what they’re thinking or feeling. It’s that simple, but when you watch it, it’s probably one of the most powerful episodes we’ve ever done.”
What kind of impact would you like Paddy’s story to have?
“We know from experience that accurate portrayals on screen increase people’s understanding of their own experiences and help them speak without fear of judgment. If we help just one person who is struggling to reach out and start talking, we’ve done our job.”
Emmerdale continues on Thursday 2 March and Friday 3 March with hour-long episodes at 7pm on ITV1 and broadcasts on ITVX.
See more information Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated home page
We encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to get in touch. Emmerdale has been working on Paddy’s story with the support of Samaritans It is Andy’s Man Club.
More information on how to access support is available at NHSand organizations that can offer help include Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393.
Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.