Coronation Street Blog

Tuesday, 2 February 2021

Richard Hawley interview: Johnny's health scare in prison

Johnny was determined to pay for his crimes, was he pleased when he was sent down?

It was the only way for him to be able to move on. It was the fact that it was someone’s son and the pain he had caused them. All the way through this story it has been connected to the loss of Aidan and knowing how he felt about losing his son and then releasing that he had taken someone else’s son away by his actions, that just went too deep for him to want to swerve that.

We have seen his condition deteriorate quite rapidly, the physical symptoms must be quite hard to portray, how are you finding doing that? Was it your decision to bring that physical sign of his condition into the scenes?

Partly yes, its roots were in the previous story where the stress of Scott and the armed robbery brought on an attack. There was enormous stress going on, it is hard to maintain the credibility of that without keeping some of that and continuing to show it. I knew that I was heading towards something that would fundamentally be going on inside his mind so I felt we had to have some elements of physicality leading up to that. I wanted to make sure it was an honest portrayal of MS, it comes and goes anyway and I felt it was the right time to bring it in before we started portraying another condition, which although related to the MS is not necessarily a part of it.

Johnny is in a terrible physical and medical state, I found it quite difficult, it's not easy remembering your lines at the same time as remembering to keep your arm shaking, and bump into something occasionally and at the end of the day I would find myself still shaking my arm subconsciously. It was a useful signifier for the audience, it felt like there needed to be some sort of external expression. What is happening is that the whole messaging system is breaking down and I wanted to show some elements of that.

How has he been finding life in prison, is he frightened? Has Gary been a help?

Yes he is frightened and Gary has been a bit of a knight in shining armour for Johnny, concerned about him and more than happy to slip him some good prison wisdom. Gary is a pretty tough cookie and he is definitely happy to help Johnny. But Gary is worried about Johnny too. This is not the Johnny he knows, it seems as though he has very serious mental health problems.

How badly is he affected by Joe’s suicide?

Yes he is really shocked by it and he uses that as an explanation to Jenny as to why he is feeling and looking so rough. It brings up Aidan which then feeds into the hallucinations. The suicide brings up Aidan and that then projects itself onto what he is seeing, when he sees the image in his mind of an anonymous person he very much projects Aidan because he wants to see Aidan. Rather than ‘seeing’ Aidan it is more his need and desire to see Aidan.

What happens when he first starts seeing things?

He starts seeing cockroaches and mice and he is disgusted that the prison is in such a state that they are overrun by cockroaches and mice. He sees a rainbow and musical notes flying around in the air. When other people hear him saying this and obviously they can’t see any of it they start thinking he is having mental health issues.

Why is he not willing to discuss the situation with Jenny yet he will confide in Carla?

It is a desire to protect Jenny and he feels he can be more open with Carla. He knows Jenny has enough on her plate. Carla always tells him to be straight, it is a natural thing to do to open up to her. Particularly in this instance where they believe it to be a mental health issue Carla has experience of that.

Johnny is diagnosed with Charles Bonnet syndrome can you tell us a little bit about what that is?

Once you have a diagnosis of Charles Bonnet syndrome things can get a little better simply because you know what it is. What happens is your brain makes up images because it is not getting enough information because of reduced eyesight. There is no attendant feeling of anything else. It is just simply hallucination, it can be an unpleasant one or it could be a pleasant one or both. When it is an unpleasant one it is a bit like sitting there and having to watch a horror movie that you don't really want to watch. But before you get a diagnosis people can look at it and can worry themselves that this is a mental health problem, which is what I tried to do with the performance with Johnny, to look like he was having mental health problems.

Was this something you were aware of and what research have you done?

It wasn’t something I had heard of before this storyline. In fact, weirdly just after the producer told me about the story I was listening to the World Service and there was actually a programme about it. We have been working very closely with a charity called Esme’s Umbrella. It is incredibly important to do the research and find out as much as you can, for me it is one of the most interesting parts of the job that you get the opportunity to speak to these people and learn about things you were either unaware of or knew very little about. You have a responsibility to the people who are going through it for real. They always bring something surprising to the table. I spoke to a remarkable lady called Nina Chesworth who has it , she has a family and is also a visual artist. The brain is a very extraordinary thing. Even though there is a commonality of some types of hallucinations it manifests itself differently for different people and everyone has a different experience with both MS and Charles Bonnet syndrome so this is still very much Johnny’s story.

Glenda Young

Author of gritty, family saga novels with Headline

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Monday, 1 February 2021

Coronation Street Episode Review Monday 1st February

It's Paul's case back in the Media City meeting room a.k.a the magistrate's court. It doesn't look good for Paul - the crew have built that prison set and (like the hospital) they're going to get use out of it, but instead he gets a community order, an anger management course and 120 hours community service. So it's all back to normal in the Mayhew-Foreman-Spellman household. Except...

Todd calls Will to instruct him to do something shady. It looks like Todd's evil plans are bearing fruit - it did seem like he was going to be the Hooded Claw to Paul's Penelope Pitstop, carrying out his bad deeds, but being foiled every time. This one backfires somewhat as Summer interrupts Will smashing up the flat, runs down the stairs and smack into a car. They really should pedestrianise that street. Paul tells Billy and Craig that it was Will wot did it and Billy gets more angry than a vicar should do, really. Todd gives Will £50 and tells him he never wants to hear from him again.

(On a side note, I've just realised that the under-used Ajay was also the lovely Jas in Two Doors Down. If you haven't seen that, you'd probably like it).

Tyrone and Fiz do the full Jack and Vera re: Tyrone's snoring and Fiz's elbowing, much to Alina's amusement. Tyrone moans about being outnumbered by the women in his household. Can't he count Cerberus as being on his gender side? Alina appears in a towel and Tyrone gets embarrassed. I very very very very much hope TPTB aren't going to force Ty and Alina Pop! into an affair, not least because I want her and Michael to get together (once Grace has slung her hook).

Nina continues Asha's education by showing her some Aubrey Beardley nudes before the watershed. I guess now that Sophie and Kate have left to go travelling (I have decided that they got to New Zealand before lockdown rather than they are wandering across Asia spreading Coronavirus in their wake) that there needs to be some new lesbians, but what about two middle aged ladies discovering their love for each other - for instance Yasmeen and Elaine - rather than the traditional attractive young women? Anyway, they share a socially distanced snog.

Meanwhile, Aadi goes a few points down in everyone's estimation by quoting from The Art Of The Deal by failed president Donald Trump, although he does suggest doing grocery deliveries (Ocaadi?) from the shop.

We need to talk about Peter. Corrie has recently portrayed coercive control with the major storyline of Geoff and Yasmeen and the minor one of Corey and Asha, but Peter 'n' Carla is always portrayed as true love with some bumps, rather than a toxic controller and his victim. He forced her out of her dad's pub and into the arms of badger boy Adam, then blamed her for his own alcoholism, told her he never wanted to see her again and then persuaded her back when she had an escape route via that Northern Irish charmer of last week. Isn't he a bad'un as well? Anyway, they go for a historical building day out and then to the pub where Peter finds it hard to deal with the beer, the prattling and the fruit machine and rushes off. He admits to Carla that he's been throwing away his medicinal whisky as he is worried it's going to kill him and that he's being set up to fail. He insists Carla take him to the hospital to see the alcohol nurse.

Meanwhile in Money Worries Street, Leanne can't pay the leccy bill and refuses to ask Nick for help. Why doesn't she go back to work? Simon has a scally friend in the chippie who offers to lend him some money. Is this Jacob a nephew of Rotten Rick the money-lender? Or is he selling drugs along with the saveloys? Simon tells Leanne he's sorted out a pre-paid electricity meter for which Leanne thanks him. You pay more per kwh with those things, Leanne! No wonder she's in financial straits.

Rachel Stevenson - on twitter

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Dan Brocklebank interview: Billy and Paul split as Summer's life is put in danger?

Billy Mayhew has been wary of Todd Grimshaw since his return, and with very good reason. However, it looks as though Todd's warped attempts to split Billy from Paul Foreman might succeed in upcoming episodes. After Summer Spellman catches teen Will trashing the flat on Todd's instruction, she panics and runs into the path of an oncoming car. With Summer's life in danger, actor Dan Brocklebank told us how Billy feels about Paul after Summer's accident, and if their relationship is in serious trouble.

On Friday's episode, Todd has yet again manipulated the situation so that Billy has no choice but to take in the piano that Ajay was giving away. Dan said: "I think maybe on some level Billy is kind of aware that Todd is trying to stir things a little bit and when Todd arrives and Billy's stood at the piano, Billy almost plays down how annoyed he is because he knows that's what Todd wanted out of the situation."

A major strain currently on Billy and Paul's relationship is Paul's upcoming court case. While they are relieved to find out that he has been given a suspended sentence, could the couple have survived an alternative outcome? "I've said this before about Billy and Paul. There is always a parental element to Billy and Paul's relationship, and again it's Billy being the stoic, sort of, 'Okay, it's alright, whatever the outcome we'll deal with it'," Dan said.

After the good news at court, Billy and Paul's good spirits soon turn to devastation. Dan said: "They come round the corner in a sort of celebratory mode to find Summer in the middle of the road, and I think with any parent really, your primary objective is to make sure there's an ambulance on its way and that she's being looked after."

Trying to take in the scene, Billy spots a teenager across the street, but is oblivious to the fact that it's Will, until Paul confesses what he knows. Speaking about Billy's reaction to Paul's revelation, Dan said: "He's angry and disappointed, the worst combination of all reactions. Billy blames Paul entirely because it's Paul, as far as Billy's concerned, that has brought this Will not only into their lives, but now into their home and has endangered the life of Billy's daughter who is his number one. She has to be put first above and beyond anyone else and I do think this is the final straw, I think Billy's had enough."

Billy and Paul's relationship is seemingly in tatters after Summer's accident, and viewers will know that the real culprit behind Will trashing the flat is Todd. However, it becomes apparent that Todd has an attack of conscience after surveying the damage he has caused. "I think Todd feels a huge amount of guilt, actually, for what has happened. He realises that he's gone too far because Summer is ultimately his daughter as well and therefore, he's endangered the life of her," said Dan. "I think he starts to see the ramifications of his actions. This isn't a celebration for Todd."

While it's clear that Todd is desperate to win the vicar back, Billy's feelings for his ex remain unclear. "As time's gone on, Billy's suspicions have lessened a little," said Dan. "I think he's very much trying to lay his past feelings to rest, to allow Summer and Todd to continue to have a decent sort of parental/child relationship."

"It's a difficult one," Dan added. "I don't think Billy's ever really dealt with those feelings because he didn't know where [Todd] had gone or why he'd gone, and therefore it's difficult to lay those feelings to rest, even though he's in a relationship with Paul, so I think he's struggled with that. I think Billy at this point is relatively confident that he's got those emotions under control."

Billy has some tough decisions to make, and Dan says he would advise Billy to think carefully about any future relationship with Todd. He said: "I'd be wary about going back to a relationship that was so explosively ending and so damaging at the other end. Having said that, when you look at their relationship on balance, actually their relationship was pretty brilliant when they were together. You can't eradicate all the good times but therefore you also must focus on the bad ones just to make sure you're not looking back on it with rose-tinted glasses."

After months of scheming, Todd finally manages to drive a wedge between Billy and Paul, but surprisingly, Todd now takes a back seat. "Because of the guilt Todd feels, I think he kind of backs off a little bit," said Dan. "Todd and Billy's relationship was always so genuine, and I think this manipulative side of Todd, which we've seen a lot of times before, we never saw it where Billy was concerned. I think Todd will need time to let that guilt settle a little bit before he makes a move on Billy."

As Todd tries to deal with his conscience, we could see his softer, more genuine side reappear. Could this be what wins Billy round? "[This] is what Billy fell in love with in the first place. I think Billy very much saw beyond the Machiavellian kind of villain and saw [Todd] for what he really is, but we just haven't seen much of that Todd since he's been back. We saw it in the first few episodes when they first met, but it would be nice to have genuine Todd back."

Billy's had a varied love-life during his time on the cobbles, but would Billy be prepared to walk down the aisle in the future? "It would be lovely as a gay man myself to be part of the first gay wedding on Corrie that actually happens, that would be amazing," said Dan. "From Billy's perspective, I think he would be torn by the fact that we still can't have a religious ceremony and I think that would be important to him."

The church would certainly be an obstacle for Billy if he did wish to get married, and Billy has already made attempts to leave the church in the past. Dan said: "Once he quit the church for Sean, and then he did quit the church for Todd as well, and he's gone back both times, and now that he's Archdeacon, I think it would be even harder for him to walk out. It would have to be a pretty special man I think to make him get married at a registry office."

A big part of Dan's personal life are his two dogs, Colin and Jean. During our chat, Dan told us about working with the Dog's Trust, who are urging people to think long-term before adopting a dog during lockdown. Dan said: "It is a big responsibility and as I was dealing with the Dog's Trust just before Christmas, there was a massive influx of dogs that were given back to the Dog's Trust around Christmas time that had been adopted during the first lockdown, then of course once they get out of the cute puppy stage and they're in their adolescence and they start chewing stuff and they've got energy, people don't realise what they're getting into.

"People are going to get dogs during lockdown, they're great company and I wouldn't have been without them during this time... they've got to think beyond lockdown, and they might have to go back to work."

With Billy vowing to put Summer first, will he give Paul his marching orders, and will his eye be caught by Todd once more?

Sophie Williams

I'm on Twitter @soph_writer

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Preview of tonight's Coronation Street - Mon 1 Feb

Monday February 1st 2021

TODD PLAYS ALL THE WRONG NOTES As a nervous Paul readies himself for his day in court, Todd makes a furtive call to Will. Having been handed a community order, a relieved Paul and Billy accept Todd’s offer of a drink. Meanwhile, on Todd’s instructions, Will forces his way into their flat. Summer walks in and is horrified to find Will smashing up their things.

NINA AND ASHA SEND COREY PACKING Asha sets about her first trial shift in the cafe. When Corey arrives, asking her to hear him out, Asha spells it out to Corey that he’s dumped. Nina applauds whilst Corey shoots her daggers. Aadi runs some business ideas past Dev, suggesting they offer grocery deliveries to compliment their fast food service. Dev’s quietly impressed.

PETER TRIES TO MOVE FORWARD. Peter goes to the Rovers for a hotpot but the noise and smell of the pub soon become too much for him and he hurries out.

ELSEWHERE Tyrone confides in Dev that he wishes he hadn’t asked Alina to move in as he can’t relax with a stranger in the house. Overhearing Leanne on the phone, Simon realises they’re behind with the electricity payments. Simon suggests they ask Nick but Leanne won’t hear of it. Simon admits to his mate Jacob from the chippy that they’re struggling. He’s grateful as Jacob offers to lend him £60.

Monday February 1st 2021

BILLY LEARNS THE AWFUL TRUTH Terrified, Summer dashes out of the flat into the path of an oncoming van. As Billy, Paul and Todd return home, they’re horrified to find Summer lying in the road. Craig calls to investigate the burglary, Paul steels himself and reveals that the culprit was Will. A furious Billy reads the riot act to Paul for bringing Will into their lives. Paul feels terrible, meanwhile Todd meets Will in the ginnel and slipping him £50 makes him dispose of his incriminating phone and tells him he never wants to set eyes on him again.

PETER FEELS HE CAN FOCUS ON THE FUTURE Sweating profusely and on the brink of another seizure, Peter admits that he’s been tipping his medicinal whisky down the sink when Ken’s back is turned. The truth spelled out to him, Peter steels himself and knocks back the small measure of whisky in front of him.

NINA IS DRAWN TO ASHA LIKE A GOTH TO A FLAME As the girls tidy the cafe, Asha lists all the mistakes she’s made in her life, including Corey. Nina gazes tenderly at her friend Asha and Nina freeze when Roy enters the cafe, oblivious to the charged atmosphere, he confirms that Asha’s got the job. Nina and Asha are thrilled.

ELSEWHERE When Alina emerges from the bathroom wearing only a skimpy towel, a flustered Tyrone hurries out. When Simon enthuses about his new work mate Jacob, Kelly keeps her counsel. Simon nips home laden with shopping and tells Leanne that he’s spoken to the electricity company and sorted a pre-paid meter. Leanne’s thankful.