Daniel Brocklebank interview: Billy discovers Paul's devastating secret

Over recent weeks, Paul has been keeping his motor neurone disease diagnosis a secret from his family and friends. However, viewers saw tonight the devastating moment where Billy found out Paul's secret after turning up at Paul's court hearing.

We chatted with Daniel Brocklebank about how Billy copes with finding out the truth and hinting at what viewers can expect over the coming months.

Prior to finding out about Paul’s illness, Billy was getting a bit frustrated with his behaviour. What did he think was going on?

His behaviour was very abnormal, and I don’t think Billy was as astute as he could’ve been. But by the end of it, he thought he was going off him. He thought he made a mistake getting back into the relationship, and he genuinely thought it was him rather than something going on with Paul because he was always out with Dee-Dee, he was constantly never at home. And I think Billy thought in the end that Paul was going off the idea of being in a relationship and had made a mistake in terms of getting back with Billy. 

Is that what made Billy go to the court case?

Well, his behaviour was so shifty, so Billy goes through his belongings, which again is a very un-Billy like thing to do. And he finds a letter from the court with the date and the time of the court case. So Billy turns up thinking, “What have you done?” And then of course is hit with the news that not only has he been stealing cars, but that his sentence is being reduced due to his medical diagnosis of the MND. It’s a massive shock. 

Billy’s hearing it as a bit of car crash revelation from the judge. She played it brilliantly. And there’s no dialogue in that scene either, so the reaction is just him trying to take it in and get his head around it. The scenes afterwards are the scenes we were able to actually show that emotion between the two of us. 

There was one scene in the court afterwards, and we discussed it with the director, Peter and I… Sometimes, when you get these scenes, you’ve got the writer’s stage directions, but then sometimes, when you’re rehearsing a scene, you don’t necessarily want to play it the way that they’ve decided you should. They decide what we’re going to say, but personally, it’s my job to decide how I say that line. As long as it’s sticking to the narrative and telling the story truthfully. And the stage directions we’d been given for this particular scene, Pete and I both felt that they weren’t helpful in terms of the way… Because we’ve got such a long way to go with this storyline, and it’s such an emotional journey, we don’t want to burn all of that out too soon. 

The tears, the anger, the frustration, of course there’s going to be those moments, but sometimes, we don’t want to be crying all the time in scenes. We want to be giving it variation and colour. And also, the audiences don’t want to just be seeing us sitting and crying all the time either. So there’s choices in how we choose to play these things, and that was one of those moments where all three of us felt, actually, this scene should be played not necessarily as the stage directions were suggesting. 

The scenes back at the flat were highly emotional. What was it like filming those scenes?

They were brutal, actually. I came home exhausted after that day. And Pete and I had done some filming that day with Rob Burrows as well, which I think added to the intensity of filming them. Obviously, having spent the afternoon with somebody with advanced MND and such a hero like Rob as well, who’s made such a huge impact on the MND community and the MND Association. I think it added to filming that day.

They’re heart-breaking scenes, absolutely heart-breaking. Even during the read-through, Pete and I were welling up. Sometimes you make a choice about how you’re going to play things. Sometimes, it just gets you, and you literally can’t choose anything else because that’s how it’s making you feel in that moment.

How is Billy feeling during all of this?

He does have an awareness, obviously, and I think Billy being Billy, he would’ve gone and researched what the potential sort of outcome is for Paul. Especially as he’s not been there for the initial diagnosis.

Of course, he’s devastated. He’s going to be stuck between being a pastoral role, but also, this is a personal journey, so it’s not the same as a parishioner that’s ill. He’s very, very aware that their time together is coming to an end, and their time as it stands is coming to an end because the longer it goes on, the less Paul will be able to do.

I think he’s trying to live every moment as we all should, really. I think we all forget that our time is finite for all of us anyway. I think for Billy, it’s utterly heart-breaking. He feels he’s just got this guy back, and they’re getting things on track, and he thought that everything was going well, then all of a sudden, bang, this thing comes in and literally smashes everything out of the park and completely dismantles the future he thought they were building on. 

Does he support Paul’s wishes to keep the diagnosis a secret from his family at the moment?

I’m not sure he supports it, he understands why. There’s obviously Gemma’s wedding coming up, and I think Paul wants her day to be about the wedding, not to be about the fact that he’s ill. So I think Billy understands why he doesn’t want to share it at that moment, but also knows that’s not going to be able to keep it from them for that much longer if the symptoms continue to develop in the way that they are.

How hard is it for Billy going to this wedding now that he’s burdened with this secret?

I think it’s another one of those things where it’s about enjoying the moment, and I think for Billy, seeing Paul walk Gemma down the aisle is hugely emotional because it’s going to be one of those memories after Paul’s gone.

So it’s a big secret for Billy to keep, but Billy’s terrible at keeping secrets. For a vicar, he’s awful at keeping secrets. I’ve been playing him now for getting on nine years. I’m honestly astounded sometimes, I’m like, “Oh, my God, why can’t he keep his mouth shut? This is unreal, you’re an archdeacon.” But obviously in this situation, he only finds out just before the wedding, so he doesn’t really have much time to process it prior to the wedding. Billy is quite an emotional character, and he’s not very good at hiding anything at all, but he’s very aware that he has to try and hold it together for Gemma, and for Paul because realistically, it's not about Billy. It’s not Billy’s place to tell anyone, so he has to respect it. He doesn’t necessarily agree with it, but he understands why, and he has to respect that choice.

How have you found the reaction to this story?

I’ve been working with the MND Association for a very long time, and from the people who have contacted me personally through the MND Association and on Twitter and things like that, they’re thrilled that we are telling this story. Obviously, very sad to see Peter leaving, but thrilled that we are highlighting MND and showing someone’s journey through the illness. It has been very positive.

How are you family feeling now about the storyline?

I think it’s dredging up quite a bit of stuff. It’s 21 years since my grandfather died, so we’ve sort put all of that to bed in some respects. I have to say, there was a scene we filmed a couple of weeks ago, and obviously Paul’s physical debilitation is very visible. And it very much reminded me, telling the whole family what’s going on, and I very much remember that in our family, and in the scene, Paul gets up and walks out of the room, and I remember my grandfather doing the same thing, and all of us just sat together, not being able to comprehend what we were going to have to face as a family. And when Paul gets up and left the room, I just burst into tears. I mean, it totally worked in the scene for Billy, thank God. There are definitely going to be points where it’s triggering.

Can you give any hints about what we’ll be seeing in the coming months?

Well, I think it’s going to be a really lovely blend. I think there’s going to be some really nice moments. Billy and Paul really ticking things off, bucket lists of adventures together and sort of trying to find their happiness in every moment they can. 

Obviously, inevitably, there will be difficulties along the way, but I think there’s going to be some really fun moments as well. So it’s not going to all be doom and gloom and woe is us. It’s about balance. Even in the bleakest of moments, there is a huge amount of humour to be had, and I’m sure we’ll find it. I think we’re trying to find it even when it’s not in there, trying to stay positive, because it’s bloody exhausting having to cry for 12 hours a day. So if you can find moments where you can find little lightnesses within the dialogue, the scenes, the staging of it. We have such a giggle at work anyway. Like, it’s a joyous place to work.

Sophie Williams

Find me on Twitter @sophie_writer1

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Interview: Dan Brocklebank discusses Paul's MND diagnosis

Recently, viewers have seen Paul struggle to come to terms with a possible motor neurone disease diagnosis, which will be confirmed later this month. A short while ago, we chatted with Peter Ash (whose interview you can read here) and Dan Brocklebank about this storyline.

As well as discussing how he thinks Billy will react to Paul's devastating diagnosis, Dan shared with us his personal experience with MND.

You've worked with the MND Association for 20 years - can you tell us your story?

20 years ago, my grandfather was diagnosed with MND and subsequently died from it. So this is a subject that I have lived through in my own life as have the rest of my family. Because I’ve been working with the MND Association for so long, I’ve then met a lot of other people who have been living with MND. So it’s a subject that’s really close to my heart. I’ve been helping to fundraise for them for many years. 

When I first got the phone call, I was out walking my dogs, and like Peter said, it is always a heart-in-throat moment when the producers phone you, and you think “What on earth is this about?” Verity told me what the storyline was going to be, but they had no idea of my history with MND or with the Association, so it was a bit of a shock.

How did you feel when you were told about the storyline?

I’m not going to lie, my legs went a little bit weak because I suppose it just brings back memories of that time, and I thought this could potentially be quite triggering in a lot of ways. I mean, obviously, Billy’s knowledge of MND is very different to my knowledge of MND, but I’m hoping I might be able to bring some of my personal experience into the playing of this storyline, having been somebody who did, in real life, help to care for somebody with MND. 

You been raising awareness for MND for so long - were you pleased that those two worlds were colliding to bring the awareness on screen as Billy?

Yes, absolutely. I was well aware of how much publicity this will give MND and the MND Association. Obviously, extremely sad to know that eventually we’ll have to lose Peter because I love working with him. But for the illness and the MND Association and for my grandfather and for all the people I’ve met and known over the last 20 years who have suffered with the illness, in a strange way, it’s a really lovely way to be able to commemorate them and their stories and hopefully raise awareness and get us to a point where we can fund enough research that we find at least something to slow it down or, and hopefully, cure it. 

Is there added pressure to be involved in a storyline that is very personal to you, and how do your family feel about it?

It’s only been very recently that I spoke with them because we have to keep our mouths shut about what’s coming up. But I did speak with my mum, it was my mum’s dad that had MND, and my mum has a brother and sister, so I spoke to all three of them and asked how much about our family’s journey through living with somebody with MND that I disclose, and all three of them were very happy for me to talk about everything, really, because in the larger scheme of things, it will hopefully raise awareness, raise money, which will hopefully generate research that will mean people won’t have to go through what we went through.

Does it give you added pressure as an actor to play something that is personal to you?

Again, this is Billy’s journey and not mine, so I think the only pressure for me, really, is to see how triggering I think it’s going to be. I won’t have any trouble accessing emotion to play it. Billy’s quite an emotional character anyway. I mean, obviously, as Peter said, we want to portray it with as much sensitivity and realism as we can, and I don’t think that’s going to be any problem all because I’m stepping into something I don’t need to do research on. In some ways, it actually takes the pressure off because I know I’m portraying something that I have lived through and have experience in real life.

Do you feel that soaps are a good platform for this sort of thing to get a message to a wider audience?

Yes. I think, obviously, the point of our show is entertainment, but we have a huge opportunity, an ability to educate as well, and I think a show like ours, because we’re in people’s living rooms for three hours a week, whatever the subject matter is, I think it will invoke questions, conversations, within family members and family groups. When my grandfather was first diagnosed, we’d never heard of it, we didn’t know what it was. As Peter said, with things like the ice bucket challenge, awareness has become more over, certainly in the 20 years since my grandfather died. But again, this is going to reach a new audience. So, yes, hopefully it will increase awareness and discussion.

Paul keeps the diagnosis from Billy for some time. How do you think Billy is going to cope with that news?

Obviously, with him being an archdeacon, his job is very much about pastoral care, so I think on a personal level, he’s obviously going to be absolutely devastated that his partner has been given this diagnosis, but I think his job skills will also help him to be able to be a support for Paul. I did film a scene recently where Billy talks about having a parishioner in his community who is also suffering with MND, so this isn’t the first time that Billy will have come into contact with somebody with the illness. I think in the scene, he says he’s trying to find a support group for him. I think he will want to show a strength for Paul. I don’t know, I haven’t read any of this, but I think he will leave his own personal emotional bits on the quieter side because he won’t want to make it about him because, of course, it is all about Paul.

This story is as much about showing the emotional effects for Billy and Paul as well as the physical side of what Paul is going through. It is a love story as well, isn’t it, that has suddenly taken a path neither of them expected?

And I think grief, you know, it affects people in different ways. And I think if someone is given a terminal diagnosis, people often start to grieve before they lose someone, and people deal with that in different ways. But Billy being a vicar, we’ve seen him deal with death many times during my years playing him - Sinead, Kylie, all these characters he’s either buried or given some kind of support to, so he will be able to offer that to Paul. But obviously, he is also dealing with his own grief as well. It is a love story but told from a very different perspective. 

Was it important to you to be able to offer advice to Peter during this storyline?

Just shed some light on my personal experience of MND. It not only affects people physically, but emotionally. And not just from the shock of having MND, but it can affect people’s emotions. People can become giggly in inappropriate moments or become very emotional or angry. We had a scene last week, obviously Billy still doesn’t know at this point, and we were discussing why Paul gets so emotional at this point, and I said to Peter, well, it might not be from the fact he’s still reeling from his diagnosis, it could be from the fact the MND is actually affecting his emotions.

 That was something I noticed with my grandfather. I had never seen him cry, I was very, very close to him, and even before he was diagnosed, he became much more emotional. He was only diagnosed a week before he died, so we’d had pretty much almost just under two years of his symptoms progressing and us being told it was asthma or this or that. But one thing we did notice was that he became a much more emotional person, would cry at things. Now, in retrospect, that was because of the MND. But as I said, we didn’t know it was MND at the time. So there were those little insights that we’ve been able to discuss on set where I’ve been able to throw little things in.

Sophie Williams

Find me on Twitter @sophie_writer1

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Coronation Street Episode Review, Wednesday 18th January, 8 pm

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Tonight's Corrie picked up where Fridays left off (as you'd expect) so that's where tonight's review will start! 

Summer’s still in a hospital bed, and she gets visited by Mike, who has told the police about the surrogacy fraud, who threatens her just as Todd and Paul walk in. Mike makes a speedy exit in his car, with Todd and Paul soon in pursuit in his work van. Paul (the macho one in the three Dad group) obviously wants physical revenge, and he ends up pushing Mike over, who is soon pavement planking, visibly unconscious. 

Todd calls an ambulance with the boys fleeing the scene. Billy arrives at the hospital to see Summer, who tells him about Mike's reappearance and Paul’s temper. Summer tells Billy she was wrong about the whole surrogacy idea. Billy promises to sort out Paul and Todd, who have left the crime scene, gone for a pint, and have a heart-to-heart about Paul’s past and his love for Billy. Later, the police track down Ed’s van, and Paul, who they suspect of assault. Todd carries the can and Billy then appears, just as Todd is being arrested.

Following the near drug bust, the Bistro is dead tonight, and part-owner Damon promises to start a promotion to get customers in the door. Nick is still worried about his dodgy background, so he asks Ryan to dig some Ibiza dirt. Ryan warns Nick to be careful as his suspicions are confirmed. Confronting Damon with the truth, Nick tells him he knows everything, only for the dodgy drug dealer to announce that he will continue to flood the place with drugs. Threatening to tell Leanne everything and unleash ultra-violence, Nick has no choice but to agree to the deal and tries to warn Damon off of charming Leanne. 

Daisy’s still full-steam ahead on wedding planning, and Daniel (although still looking doubtful) is disgruntled at her social-media-led guest list and decides to track down a few of her old-school friends for the party. Daisy's not best pleased by his surprise and explains that her upset was more to do with her little brother dying. Jenny is somewhat miffed at the top-table arrangements, but I’m far more interested in the Rovers landlady falling under Stephen's spell. At the Rovers tonight, Stephen and Teddy seem to be pals all of a sudden after he breezily blows off Elaine (who is correct about The Beatles, by the way) Jenny joins them, and the trio is soon in the backroom, trying to un-pick Teddy's pre-accident flashbacks. Decamped to the Bistro, Elaine appears to have still not got Stephen’s message, but Teddy certainly gets through to him when he decides to head back to Canada to track down Leo. 

Elsewhere, Ches and Gemma discuss Hope’s latest misadventure with Fiz and Ty, which gives Tyrone some food-for-thought, when Ches reminisces over his support from great Dane dog, Schmeichel. Taking the girls to the pet shop, they soon return with a chinchilla called Cilla! Cheered up by all this, Hope decides she now wants to become a Dobbs!

What did you think of tonight’s Corrie? Let us know in the comments box. 

I am @rybazoxo your Corrie connoisseur and cobbles superfan 

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Coronation Street Episode Review;Wednesday 2nd of November 8 pm

Number 1 Coronation Street has had that scaffolding up for months now! With Steve away at Andy’s, Tracy has taken charge of the repairs, leading to her trademark tirades, outbursts and unique style. Tonight, Arnie’s portaloo has remained outside the house, and Tracy reverts to using the Rovers toilet for a tinkle and a shiraz. I was expecting councillor Maria, to make a stand about the pavement obstruction, or at the very least Ken, but Ed and Aggie were there to keep this funny neighbourly feud going. Arnie is obviously a  cowboy builder, and tonight he persuades Daniel that the roof ‘flashing’ must be fixed. I think that was a technical term meant to confuse us all, but Ed (yes, roofer/builder Ed Bailey) tells Daniel and Tracy that they must get this sorted out rather than erm, Ed, for example. Anyway, I hope that the scaffolding stays up just that little bit longer. This is a corrie storyline with heart and harks back to the show's original conception. 

Which leads neatly to a Corrie conception of a different kind...

Tonight, Summer tells Billy she’s had the termination, and Billy confides in Todd about his concerns and worries. I’d much rather the archdeacon had taken more things more ecclesiastically, and maybe become more at odds with Summer over her abortion stance rather than this gay dad triage. Our friends in the USA have had this debate recently, and with the current Corrie Canada thread, I think it could have legs. Just my idea, if any Corrie writers are reading. As it stands, Summer goes to see Aaron and he tells her that his dad's rehab will cost £10K and they need some money, somehow. Arriving at the hospital to meet Esther and Mike, it's clear that Summer has not had the termination, after all, and she's willing to sell them her unborn spawn to raise that £10K! The god squad immediately make payment, and Summer tells Aaron the truth. Later, Aaron and Summer meet them again at Victoria Gardens and Billy spies the friendly group hug. Summer and Aaron vow to keep things secret, and she lies to Billy about the day's events. It's another sin from Summer, and I hope he gets his archdeacon moment soon!

Meanwhile, Tyrone’s taekwondo lesson from last week must have fringed towards boxing as he punches Nick Tilsley tonight over Hope’s latest misdemeanour. With the Weatherfield gazette spewing tabloid-style tripe about John Stape (I love this storyline) from Phil's book serialisation, Hope flees school in shame and hides out with Sam at Victoria Gardens. Fiz and Nick have a parental clash, and after hearing about Nick’s frank talk, Ty heads over to Victoria Court and punches Nick in the face. Adam gives the newspaper some legal advice, telling Fiz they need to mitigate the damage. Later, Leanne storms around and confronts Ty and Fiz, whilst Nick tells Sam his walkie-talkie friendship with Hope is off. 

Also tonight, Griff’s grooming of Max appears to have sped up the pace. The angry teen is still scathing at David, and Griff invites him to his flat for a get-together. Griff offers Max a look at his right-wing books collection, and he meets the pretty blonde daughter of one of his host's friends. Max is caught clean in his net.Hook.line.sinker. Later, the vulnerable youth tells David and Shona about the book but they both brush it off, glad that he is studying something. 

Elsewhere, Sean’s latest romance with dentist Laurence comes to an abrupt end. It turns out the picture that Todd saw, WAS Lawrence's wife but she died years ago, sadly from cancer, and he explains it all to Sean. Skilled at pulling teeth in his day job, Lawrence painlessly extracts Sean from his life, and the lovelorn barman is back on the single shelf. 

I am @rybazoxo over on twitter. A die-hard #Corrie fan who remains a viewer regardless - through thick, and thin, good and bad. 

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