The past few months have seen Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) struggle with his mental health in Emmerdale, and things are about to get even worse as he considers suicide in an emotionally draining new story.
Paddy will abruptly leave the village tonight (February 9) without telling his friends or family. Although Paddy will soon be discovered staying nearby in a guest house, it will be obvious he is having mental health issues and does not have any immediate plans to contact his loved ones.
In scenes that will air the following month, Paddy will start to slyly bid his loved ones farewell before leaving the village with the intention of taking his own life.
This comes after feeling alone for months as a result of wife Chas’ (Lucy Pargeter) liaison with Al Chapman.
It has been difficult to co-parent Eve while living next to her because the two constantly argue. Paddy’s mental health is deteriorating as a result of constant reminders of his wife’s infidelity and their shared sorrow over Grace’s death.
Paddy feels further marginalized by Chas’ gradual reintegration into the Dingle family and finds it difficult to confide in his best friend Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock)
The situation at work hasn’t improved much either, as the vet has been acting uncharacteristically carelessly, such as by giving Chip a dose of anesthesia that was too high.
In addition to other things, all of these things have caused Paddy’s mental health to deteriorate, which has caused him to consider suicide.
Actor Dominic Brunt said, “It is a tremendous honor and a great responsibility to be portraying this storyline.” The fact that the majority of men don’t talk enough about their problems is a fundamental issue in today’s society.
We suppress them because we don’t want to bother people, we feel embarrassed, and we believe that we should be strong and not display weakness.
It will have been worthwhile if this story can shed light on the problem or even just slightly alter someone’s perspective.
It’s an honor to collaborate with The Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club in bringing this issue to light.
In order to tell Paddy’s story as truthfully as they could, the researchers and writers for the Emmerdale program sought advice from Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club and collaborated closely with them.
Producer Laura Shaw said, “We knew as soon as we started talking about this story that it was important for us to get it right and that we needed to open up the conversation about male depression and suicide.”
Paddy is typically very upbeat and always laughing, but it’s clear that recent events have really taken their toll on him.
Paddy begins to feel increasingly alone, isolated, and overwhelmed by his feelings despite being well-liked and surrounded by a large number of friends and family members, which causes him to have some very dark thoughts.
Every step of the way through this story, “We’ve worked really closely with Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club and their incredible support and insight has helped us to shape Paddy’s journey into a true reflection of what thousands of men sadly go through every year.”
A charity called The Samaritans helps those who are having a hard time coping. Every ten seconds, they respond to a call for assistance on their toll-free number.
According to Lorna Fraser, Executive Lead for Samaritans’ Media Advisory Service, “Paddy’s story creates an opportunity to show others, particularly middle-aged men, that no matter how challenging times can get, it’s always possible to get help, get through, and eventually recover.”
“Depression and suicide are very serious issues, so we’re glad the producers worked so hard to make sure they told this story correctly.
“Our amazing volunteers are always here to listen, day and night,” says the Samaritans, “so we encourage anyone touched by this story to reach out to us.”
“ANDYSMANCLUB is a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across well over 100 venues in the United Kingdom and online,” said Neil Waine from Andy’s Man Club.
We want to eliminate the stigma associated with men’s mental health and empower men through conversation, so we are overjoyed that ITV and Emmerdale are addressing this critically important issue and spreading the message that #ITSOKAYTOTALK.
