Coronation Street star Daniel Brocklebank on final tragic Paul twist
Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street aired a final tragic twist for Billy Mayhew and Paul Foreman in Monday's episode (September 9).
The latest visit to the cobbles saw Billy miss his chance to say goodbye to his beloved husband, who'd been living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) over the past 18 months.
After a drunken night out with his friends, which had given him some much-needed respite, Billy realised that he'd lost his phone and went on a mission to retrieve it.
While Billy was out, Paul's health took a sudden turn for the worse and he was rushed off to hospital.
Unable to make it there on time, Billy said his final goodbyes to his husband over the phone, with Paul's mum Bernie deliberately keeping quiet about how he'd already passed away.
Here, Daniel Brocklebank – who plays Billy – reflects on the heartbreaking scenes.
How was it to film Paul's final episode?
"It was harrowing. As actors, we've been building up to this moment for 18 months. So when we got the scripts for those final episodes, it was like: 'We're here'. It had felt so far-ahead in the future when we were initially pitched the storyline.
"We shot everything pretty much chronologically. The scene where Billy arrives and holds onto Paul was Pete's [Peter Ash, who played Paul] last scene. So we knew that once that moment happened, he'd be leaving.
"Billy, Summer, Gemma and Bernie are grieving Paul, but we're grieving Pete because he's our friend and we all get on really well. To lose somebody that you adore working with every day is rubbish. So it's harrowing on both levels."
How does Billy feel about not being there in person to say his goodbyes?
"Horrific. He's been cheated out of those final goodbyes and those final moments.
"He also feels guilty, because it happened due to his own stupidity. Billy chose to go out, he got drunk and he lost his phone. So it's mixed emotions. He's angry with himself, but he's grateful that – as far as he knows – he got to speak to Paul in those final moments."
Will Billy take some comfort from the fact that they'd had a meaningful 'final day' together in their recent special episode?
"Yeah, because I think anybody with a terminal illness has that opportunity to be able to prepare for the end – for themselves and their loved ones.
"Billy and Paul have probably said everything that they needed to say, but it's never quite enough, is it? Despite the fact that they've had extra time beyond that night when Paul decided that he didn't want to take matters into his own hands, it's never enough."
How will Paul's death affect Billy and Bernie's relationship?
"Billy and Bernie are obviously quite different in their approach to life – and subsequently therefore death as well. They're both grieving for somebody they love, but both think they've got dibs on the 'grief stakes' – one's a mum, one's a husband.
"Billy is very traditional. The funeral's coming up and he wants hymns, but Bernie wants pop songs. Billy wants a hearse, Bernie wants something else. There is conflict over the next few weeks.
"A few months ago, Paul made his own decision to get christened. Bernie doesn't believe in God – she believes in a divine power, but not necessarily a God as Billy would describe.
"But what's brilliant with this story is you've got tragedy and comedy happening simultaneously. The conversations that Paul's loved ones have are recognisable in real life. Losing somebody can cause people to act in very outlandish ways sometimes."
How would Billy feel if he found out that Paul had already died when he was saying goodbye over the phone?
"Well, I think that goodbye is the only thing that's stopping Billy from tipping off the edge. He feels terribly guilty that he wasn't there, so it's the only thing holding him together at the moment…"
Billy decides to conduct Paul's funeral. Does he think he'll be able to get through it?
"Well, Billy is obviously nervous about it. But I was really pleased that the producers and writers decided to do this.
"I'd read about a couple of vicars whose husbands or wives died and they conducted their own service. I asked Iain [MacLeod, executive producer] about that about a year ago.
"Iain wasn't sure if they were going to do that, but I said that I would love it. Because if you had that capability, you would bury your loved one. So I was really pleased that they decided to go down that route.
"It means you're coming to the funeral from a two-pronged position. You're personally connected to it, because it's your husband that you're burying. But also you're a vicar, so you're doing your job.
"I think Billy is worried that he's not going to be able to get through the service without breaking down and that he might let Paul down."
How does it feel to have got to this point in the story?
"It has been a long time, and because I've lived through something very similar in my own life with my grandfather, it's been a really special story to be part of. I'm very intertwined in my own life with the MND community. I know a lot of people living with it, and I know a lot of people who have been carers for a family member living through it. So it's felt like a very personal story to tell, but I'm really glad that it's coming to an end, because it's been exhausting.
"I'm hugely proud of what we've been able to do. I know the MND community is really pleased with what we've been able to achieve. It's felt weirdly like I've been able to commemorate part of my grandfather's story – and many, many other people that I've known with MND, and their families, over the last two and a bit decades.
"To be able to tell their story very publicly and be able to educate people over what MND is – what it does and to show how evil and ugly this illness is – I'm really proud to have been part of telling it."
What has the response been like from everyone?
"It's not just my own family, but I've had many people contact me who have been affected by MND, who have said how pleased they were that we're doing it and how true to their own experiences it was.
"There were so many times over the last 18 months that I picked up a script and thought 'I remember us going through this'. Or 'I remember my grandfather going through that'.
"Because we've been very truthful in terms of how we've portrayed the MND, it's been mixed reactions as well. Some people have said it's too close to home and they can't watch it. Both groups have been supportive but some people have said they can't watch."
We've seen Billy struggle with a drug addiction in the past. Could he go off the rails again?
"Well hopefully not to the extent of doing heroin! Hopefully not to the extent of shooting up in the aisle of the church, like we saw before. Billy's good in a crisis if it's not his crisis.
"I think for me in real life, I've just missed Pete. I've not had Pete to have breakfast with each morning and giggle our way through the day. Pete and I used to spend a lot of time together. After we'd finished work, we'd sit for a couple of hours and go through everything for the next day. So it's all of those little parts of my day that I don't get to do anymore."
What are your hopes for Billy's storylines next year?
"I'd really like some comedy, that would be nice. Billy and old women, that would work well! A nice little knitting club, a book group, maybe a choir. But Billy with a load of old women.
"I think Billy and Sally Metcalfe would be quite an amusing couple sat in that hot tub, chewing the fat. A little bit of comedy next year would be nice."
It'd be too soon at the moment, but would you like Billy to have a romance again?
"Maybe yeah! If they decided to bring me in a 27-year-old Spanish window cleaner, it'd be a stretch but I'd do my very best!"
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Coronation Street has been working on Paul's storyline with support from the MND Association, which focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for people affected by motor neurone disease.
The charity's helpline MND Connect (0808 802 6262) is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, and 7pm to 10.30pm. Calls are free.
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