Coronation Street's Paul Foreman will be diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease next month.
Paul has been struggling since being hit by a car, but as his symptoms refuse to improve, he heads to the doctor to find out if anything else is wrong. It is then he is given the news he may have MND and is sent for more tests.
Ahead of the huge storyline, actor Peter Ash - who plays Paul on the soap - has opened up about the physical challenges of his new storyline, as he shared how important it is to him to raise awareness.
Peter said: "Paul is completely blindsided by the diagnosis and he decides to keep it from his family and friends as he tries to come to terms with the news. I knew very little about MND before embarking on the storyline and I am hugely grateful to the MND Association for all their help and support. For any actor playing a role which examines a real life issue or condition there comes a huge sense of responsibility and we are aware that some people watching this storyline are experiencing it in reality, it is their life."
The actor also opened up about the physical challenges of the role.
Speaking to The Mirror and other press, he said: "So I've been eased into it with Paul's hand, but I'm very aware as time goes on and the symptoms progress, it'll get a lot more technical so I'm sure at the symptoms pile up, I'm going to be talking a lot more to the Motor Neurone Disease Association to check we're getting it right. It's quite a journey that he'll be going on."
He explained how important it is to get the storyline right, given that the disease affects so many people and their families.
"It's very important to get it right and be spot on with it. We spoke to a man who was a labourer, so similar to Paul, but Paul's story is completely different. There are little bits we might have taken from other stories but this is Paul's story," he explained.
"And again, getting the scripts in advance, we know what his progression will be with the illness, whereas people living with it, they don't know what's going to come next."
In one scene, Paul will be accused of being drunk as he struggles to pick up a glass.
"Paul is in the pub and because he can't pick up the glass properly, he gets accused of being drunk. Little things like that that people who live with MND have to deal with," Peter shared.
The team at Coronation Street are working alongside the Motor Neurone Disease association for the storyline, with Chris James, Director of External Affairs MND Association, explaining of their working relationship: "We were really pleased to be approached by the production team at Coronation Street and since then, they've been exploring with us about the introduction of a character with MND. We had weekly, sometimes daily conversations with the production team about the disease."
We will also see how Billy copes with Paul being diagnosed with the life-limiting condition, as actor Dan Brocklebank - who lost his own grandfather to MND - added: "This is Billy's journey and not mine, so the only pressure for me will be to see how triggering I think it's going to be. I won't have any trouble accessing emotion to play it."
