He hasn’t really ever had a male friend and no male role models, because his dad is not around and Nick has moved away. He is surrounded by women and apart from Shona he hasn’t even got anyone to go for a pint with in the rovers. He didn’t like Josh at first as he had a bit of swagger and he was flirting with all the ladies. But then David got to know him and he’s been trying to impress him with his training for the fight, he wants Josh to like him and he is enjoying having some male company. He has no reason to think Josh is anything other than a mate. They get on very well.
How did David feel when he was told he can’t do the boxing?
That is a massive blow to David, he was really enjoying the training and getting fit but Josh agrees with Sarah and Shona, David’s epilepsy rules him out. Josh seems on the face of it to be a totally decent guy. The way he dealt with Billy’s brother also means that David trusts him as a mate. David also got a bit of a buzz from them doing that together.
What happens on the night out?
David had a half day off work. David says to Josh to get a few mates to come out and they will make a night of it. Josh agrees but you see him pretending to get messages and saying people have cancelled but he has clearly not invited anyone else. How long he has had this plan to assault David is not clear but certainly by the time they get to the night out it is clearly his intention. They are having a few beers and David gets some shots and tries to give a shot to Josh but he refuses. David sneaks a shot into Josh’s drink but Josh realises and swaps the drinks over. He is making sure David is having far more to drink than him.
Is David aware of any of this?
No, as David drinks more he starts to open up about his past, about Richard Hillman, about his dad leaving and his brother leaving, speaking about things that he has never told anyone about, he has never had a counselling session despite everything he has gone through but for some reason he feels he can open up to this guy he has really not known for very long. Josh has been very clever is getting him to this point. David really trusts him, he has never had a friendship like this. The only other person he has been this close to is nick but there are some things you don’t talk about to your brother as it is too personal and too close to home.
Does Josh give him drugs?
Yes when David goes to the gents Josh puts the GHB in his drink and then from there it is a downward spiral.
What happens back at the flat?
Josh suggests they go back there and David is really out of it. Once they are back at the flat Josh can’t get any sense out of him, he is just out of it and mumbling incoherently. Josh suggests David should go to bed and takes him through to his bedroom and shuts the door behind them both. That’s the last thing we see till the next morning.
What happens when David wakes up the next morning?
David is a bit confused at first as to where he is, but then as he comes to he sees a photo of Josh and then sees his own clothes neatly folded and a note from Josh saying he has gone for a run and he will catch him later. You can see from David’s reaction that the truth of what has happened is dawning on him. He leaves the flat and goes straight home.
Why doesn’t he say anything to anyone?
This is the crucial part of the storyline really, he doesn’t want anyone to know what happened. He is ashamed and just wants to try and pretend it didn’t happen. He feels there is no way he can tell Shona or his mum or sister what has happened, he is disgusted and embarrassed. And this is the point of the storyline, he should tell someone, he should open up and tell someone and not keep it all bottled up inside him.
When does he next see Josh?
Josh comes round the next day and has no shame at all. He even brings David a protein shake and David throws him out and says he knows what Josh did to him.
How does Josh react?
David says it very quietly, he knows Gail is upstairs and he doesn’t want her to hear. Josh picks up on this and realises David hasn’t told anyone which of course gives him the power. Josh is a little bit rattled but brazens it out and tells David that it was consensual. He starts implying that David is gay and because David can’t remember the exact details of what happened it is really difficult for him to deal with and he starts to doubt himself a little bit.
Does he not think he can confide in Shona?
Absolutely not, he can’t talk about it at all. In fact it really affects his relationship with Shona as when they start to get intimate all he can think about is what happened with Josh and he gets angry and lashes out. Shona has no idea what is wrong with him. He is not angry with her, he is angry with himself and that is when his relationship starts to fall apart.
What did you think when you were first told about the storyline?
I have never wanted to know what was going to happen to David in the past, I prefer to let things unfold in scripts and not know. But on this occasion Kate was very insistent that she wanted to discuss it with me as it was very serious and once she did I realised why. I thought it was an important story to tell and she told me it was less about the actual assault and more about how David deals with the aftermath, it is a men’s mental health story and about encouraging men to talk about things that happen to the rather than bottling them up.
Did you do any research?
Yes Kate and I went to meet Duncan from Survivors Manchester who have helped with all the research. I know David well after playing him for all these years but if you are going to tackle an issue like this it is important to hear the real human side to do it justice. This is David’s story and how he reacts and I trust the scriptwriters to take him on this journey as they have done with everything else he has been through but I did feel it was helpful to hear from someone who had gone through what David was going to go through.
How hard has it been getting into David’s headspace following the rape?
This is potentially one of the darkest places David has been in, he was obviously massively affected by Kylie’s death but everyone knew about that and were looking out for him and even though he didn’t really want to talk about it in depth it wasn’t a secret. This time it is just all in his head, he has no outlet, he doesn’t speak to anyone and the only other person who knows is his attacker and he is enjoying winding David up and having power over him. David is tormented and the viewer needs to see that, so for David to break down it needs to feel real and not forced, it is very emotional and after one scene I couldn’t stop crying.
How do you shake it off?
For those particular type of scenes it can take a while, I just need to take myself off somewhere on my own get rid of David.
Why do you feel it is an important story to tell?
In showing how David struggles to cope with what happened to him and doesn’t speak to anyone, and the effect that then has on him, hopefully people will start talking about the storyline and it could help someone who has gone through something similar to realise the need to open up and speak to somebody.
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