Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw reveals secrets of Paddy's big storyline
Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicidal thoughts.
Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale favourite Paddy Dingle hits rock bottom this week as he contemplates suicide following his recent return to the village.
Paddy's family and friends hope that he's settling back into his everyday life after spending several weeks away. However, as Paddy reconnects with each of them in turn, they're unaware that he's saying some veiled goodbyes.
It's only when Paddy disappears again and his father Bear finds a worrying note that everyone realises he's planning to take his own life. The villagers immediately rush into action, hoping to find him before it's too late.
Emmerdale bosses have been working on this storyline with support from Samaritans and suicide prevention charity Andy's Man Club.
Show producer Laura Shaw recently chatted to Digital Spy and other media about the plotline and its aftermath.
How did this storyline come about?
"The idea has been floating around for a few years, really. We knew at Emmerdale that we really wanted to shine a light on men's mental health. Middle-aged men are more likely to die by suicide than any other age group – there are some staggering facts on that.
"Sometimes you can have a brilliant idea for a story that you want to play, but it can be years before you do it – if at all. It's got to be character-led, so your characters have got to be in the right place at the right time.
"Following the loss of Paddy's daughter Grace and the breakdown of his marriage – and then having spoken to Andy's Man Club and Samaritans and looked at all the case studies – it felt like now was the right time to play this story with Paddy."
When did you tell Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy, about the idea?
"It was around August or September last year that I spoke to Dom to sound him out. At that point, if Dom had said that he didn't feel comfortable with playing the story, then we absolutely wouldn't have done it. We would never have played it with anyone else, either.
"With stories of this nature, you want to give actors as much notice as possible and ensure that they're happy with playing something so serious and important.
"As soon as we had a rough arc at story conference, but before we had anything written down or storylined, I spoke to Dom and talked him through the idea.
"Dom was immediately receptive and eager to find out more. He wanted to chat to Samaritans and Andy's Man Club to find out as much information as he could.
"Every single person at Emmerdale always puts their heart and soul into whatever story they're playing and Dominic is definitely no exception. He's gone out of his way to research this and has spoken to as many people as he could.
"Dominic trusted us implicitly with the scripts and he's put everything into making sure that Paddy's story is authentic."
Were the cast and crew given the option to not take part in the story?
"Yes – with any serious or triggering subject matter, we would always pre-warn anybody working on it about what we're doing and why. We said that people could talk to us if there was anything worrying them.
"With this subject matter, it can be – and has been – uncomfortable at times. We have to make sure that everybody's okay with that, and if anybody isn't, they don't have to work on it."
How was it to have Samaritans and Andy's Man Club on board from the outset?
"It was absolutely vital to have their support. This story would not exist without amazing people like Samaritans and Andy's Man Club guiding us through and making sure that we portray as authentic a version as possible.
"The overwhelming feedback that we took from both charities was how important it is to just talk. However isolated you may feel, there are people out there. Just talking about what you're thinking or feeling could make the world of difference."
What was their exact involvement? Did they consult on scripts?
"Both charities have been heavily involved with this story over the past few months. Right from the initial talks and fact-finding from our research team, then to meeting with producers, storyliners, writers and cast. They spoke to us about what it was important to show and what we absolutely shouldn't be showing.
"They also read all the scripts at every draft, giving us feedback, and were around during filming to give us support there. They've just been absolutely phenomenal."
Do you think soap is the ideal medium for a story like this?
"I think soaps have such a wide audience. Our primary focus is always to connect with our audience and tell real and relatable stories.
"Yes, sometimes we like to throw in a huge stunt, a serial killer or bring a character back from the dead, but on the whole we have to tell stories that reflect what people might be going through and do that in an honest and realistic way.
"Approaching a topic such as male mental health in a soap can be an extremely powerful way of raising awareness and empowering people to seek support."
Can you tell us how the storyline feeds into the special male-only episode next week?
"The all-male episode was inspired by Andy's Man Club. We heard about their peer-to-peer support groups where they sit every Monday night for a couple of hours, have a cuppa and a biscuit and just talk. When we learned how much help that is giving people, it just really inspired us to do our own version of Man Club.
"At that 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 has a lock-in at The Woolpack with a few of the other men in the village, with the aim to get the men all talking.
"The episode has an all-male cast, it's filmed entirely in one set and it's basically a whole episode where men just talk. There's no stunts, there's no affairs, there's no huge explosive reveals.
"It's just men talking about whatever they're thinking or feeling. It's as simple as that, 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 on-screen portrayals increase people's understanding of their own experiences, and help them to speak out without fear of judgement. If we help just one person who's struggling to reach out and start talking, we've done our job."
Emmerdale continues on Thursday, March 2 and Friday, March 3 with hour-long episodes at 7pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
We encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Emmerdale has been working on Paddy's storyline with support from Samaritans and Andy's Man Club.
Further information about how to access support is available via the NHS, and organisations who 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.
You Might Also Like
