{"id":33281,"date":"2023-05-26T22:00:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T20:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1834559"},"modified":"2023-05-27T01:02:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T23:02:38","slug":"coronation-streets-daniel-brocklebank-reacts-to-billys-heartbreaking-paul-discovery","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/coronation-streets-daniel-brocklebank-reacts-to-billys-heartbreaking-paul-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Coronation Street\u2019s Daniel Brocklebank reacts to Billy\u2019s heartbreaking Paul discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

The actor also discusses the road ahead. <\/p>

By Laura Denby\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 26 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

This article includes discussion of terminal illness that some readers may find upsetting.<\/em><\/p>\n

Billy Mayhew finally learned the devastating truth about his partner Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) in tonight\u2019s emotional episode of Coronation Street<\/a> (26th May).<\/p>\n

After finding out that Paul was due to appear in court over car theft<\/a>, Billy walked in just as the magistrate (played by Susie Riddell) gave Paul a suspended sentence, referencing his diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease<\/a> as she did so.<\/p>\n

Paul has been keeping his terminal illness a secret from his loved ones, but was forced to open up to a stunned Billy when the latter refused to let Paul push him away.<\/p>\n

Later, Paul revealed just how scared he was as he broke down in Billy\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

Speaking to RadioTimes.com<\/a> and other media, actor Daniel Brocklebank<\/a> reveals what is going through Billy\u2019s mind as he comes to terms with his partner\u2019s prognosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really comes out of left field for Billy, it\u2019s a massive shock. I think being given [the news] that your partner\u2019s diagnosed with something like that is hard at the best of times, but to hear it from [a judge].<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was brilliantly written, it was very sort of curt and cold, delivered from a judge. So, of course, there was no compassion or anything, so Billy\u2019s hearing a bit of a car crash revelation there from the judge, and she played it brilliantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd there\u2019s no dialogue [from Billy] in that scene either, so the reaction is purely just him trying to take it in and get his head around it.<\/p>\n

\""Daniel\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Daniel Brocklebank plays Billy Mayhew in Coronation Street.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cFor Billy, it\u2019s utterly heartbreaking, he feels like he\u2019s just got this guy back and they\u2019ve got things on track, and he thought that everything was going well, and then all of a sudden \u2018bang\u2019. This thing comes in and literally smashes everything out of the park and completely dismantles the future that he thought they were building on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about filming the harrowing scenes, he explains that some last minute changes were made to the courtroom scene featuring Paul and Billy. \u201cThe scenes afterwards are the scenes where we were actually able to show that emotion between the two of us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was one scene in the court afterwards, and we discussed it with the director \u2013 Peter and I discussed it with Jason Wingard, who was directing the ep. And there were a few ways \u2013 sometimes when you get these scenes you\u2019ve got the writer\u2019s stage directions. But then sometimes when you\u2019re rehearsing a scene, you don\u2019t necessarily want to play it in the way that they\u2019ve decided you should.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey decide what we\u2019re going to say, but it\u2019s my job to decide how I say that line \u2013 as long as it\u2019s sticking to the narrative and telling the story truthfully.<\/p>\n

\""Paul\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Paul Foreman\u2019s Peter Ash learns some heartbreaking news.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cThe stage directions that we\u2019d been given for this particular scene, Pete and I both felt that they weren\u2019t quite, they weren\u2019t helpful in terms of the way \u2014 and Jason was in agreement. So I\u2019m hoping the writers won\u2019t be too p*****d off when they see it!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the director\u2019s call, and it\u2019s also our call as well. You chuck your half pence in, it\u2019s a collaborative process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re heartbreaking scenes, they\u2019re absolutely heartbreaking; and even during the read-through, Pete and I were welling up. So sometimes, like I say, you make a choice about how you\u2019re going to play things. Sometimes you don\u2019t get a choice, sometimes it just gets you, you literally can\u2019t choose anything else because that\u2019s how it\u2019s making you feel in that moment. So they were very emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, Brocklebank adds that they are mindful of not using up all of the emotion at this stage in the storyline, instead hoping to find more of a balance: \u201cI think because we\u2019ve got such a long way to go with this storyline, and it\u2019s such an emotional journey, we don\u2019t want to burn all of that out too soon: the tears, the anger, the frustration.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, there\u2019s going to be those moments, but sometimes\u2026 we don\u2019t want to be crying all the time in scenes, we want to be giving it variation and colour. And, also, the audiences don\u2019t want to just see us sitting, crying all the time either.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo there\u2019s choices in how we choose to play these things, and that was one of those moments where all three of us felt that, actually, this scene should be played not necessarily as the stage directions were suggesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Filming for this episode took its toll, but the actor adds that he and co-star Ash had a very special meeting on the same day: \u201cThey were brutal [to film], actually. I came home exhausted after that day. And Pete and I had done some filming that day with Rob Burrow as well, which I think added to the intensity of filming them.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, having spent the afternoon with somebody with advanced MND, and such a hero like Rob as well who\u2019s made such a huge impact on the MND community and the MND Association, I think it added to filming [the scenes] that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond tonight\u2019s bombshell, how will Billy cope in the coming weeks and months?<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does have an awareness [of what they\u2019re facing], obviously, and I think Billy being Billy, he will have gone and researched what the potential outcome is for Paul \u2013 especially as he\u2019s not been there for the initial diagnosis and journey with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, of course, he\u2019s devastated. He\u2019s going be stuck in between being a pastoral role, but also this is a personal journey so it\u2019s not the same as a parishioner that\u2019s ill. He\u2019s very, very aware that their time together is coming to an end and their time as it stands is coming to an end because, of course, the longer it goes on, the less Paul will be able to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I think he\u2019s trying to live every moment as we all should, really, through general life, because I think we all forget that our time is finite for all of us anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discussing the eventual exit of Ash, he reveals how this has been built into playing out the storyline: \u201cPete and I get on like a house on fire anyway, we enjoy working with each other very much. Of course, we know it\u2019s not real, but also knowing that Pete\u2019s time on the show is now coming to an end, there is a deep sadness in that.<\/p>\n

\u201cJane Hazlegrove, who obviously plays Bernie \u2013 Jane can\u2019t can\u2019t keep her eyes dry at all! She sees Pete limping onto the set and she\u2019s welling up. We\u2019re grieving Peter leaving, rather than Peter thankfully not dying, but the emotions are genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n

For information and support on all aspects of motor neurone disease, visit the\u00a0MND Association\u2019s website<\/a>\u00a0or call the charity on 0808 802 6262.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n