Further details revealed as Coronation Street cast film funeral after heartbreaking death
The Coronation Street residents are getting ready to say goodbye to Paul Foreman (Peter Ash), as the cast were recently pictured filming funeral scenes.
Paul was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year. Last Friday (July 26), in an instalment dedicated entirely to their storyline, Paul and Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) left the flat one more time before Paul finds himself confined to their home.
Having been told it is no longer safe for Paul to use the stair lift to leave the flat, Billy takes Paul out one last time, and the pair visit places that mean a lot to them, including the church they were married in.
Before they head out, Paul wakes up to find that his speech has drastically deteriorated.
Throughout the episode, viewers will hear Paul’s innermost thoughts through a voiceover by actor Peter Ash, as he comes to terms with the fact that he has limited time left.
Characters including Aadi (Adam Hussain), Paul’s sister Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell) were are also in attendance, as well as their mum Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove).
Reflecting on the latest episode which was told from Paul’s point of view, actor Dan Brocklebank told us: ‘The whole day is amazing and I really don’t want to spoil it by giving too much away. It was the most incredible and emotional episode to film. Not all of the day is big surprises or gestures. I think what Billy is realising, as I think most people should, in life, generally anyway, is that actually the small things are the biggest. You don’t need grand gestures or expensive gifts, it is in the detail, the little things that matter the most.’
Amid all of this, Billy is waiting for the moment where Paul will tell him he’s ready to end his life. Earlier in the year, Paul asked for Billy’s help with this and said he doesn’t want to reach a point where his motor neurone disease makes him feel like a ‘hostage inside his own body’.
‘I think Billy has made peace with it’, Dan revealed.
‘Initially, obviously, it went against his entire moral and religious code, against everything he stands for, because in Billy’s mind life is life is given to us by God, and therefore is sacred and precious. But then obviously, he also understands Paul’s wishes. Billy’s a very compassionate person, and despite it being the most brutal moment of his life, I think he’s made peace with it. With Billy, it’s more about when that time comes, if that time comes, he has to make sure that it really is the moment and Paul is making the right decision.
‘Billy will then be left with the consequences afterwards, and could potentially be left wondering, should I have tried harder to stop him or convince him that maybe next week is a better day, or the week after that, or the week after that, but I do think ultimately, has now made peace with Paul’s decision.’