Emmerdale’s Paddy Kirk will seek help for his mental health outside the village in upcoming scenes.
Last month, the character, played by actor Dominic Brunt, attempted suicide after struggling with his mental health in the wake of his wife Chas’ affair.
In the weeks since, viewers have seen Paddy’s friends, family and other members of the community rally to support him in his hour of need, particularly his Man Club friends who stepped up to help.
However, in recent scenes, the vet has been forced to open up to those closest to him and struggles to fully talk about the issues he feels with his friends.
In light of this, Emmerdale will air a special episode in which Paddy will venture outside the village and seek help from a men’s aid group away from those closest to him.
Key scenes: Emmerdale’s Paddy Kirk will seek help for his mental health outside the village in upcoming scenes
Tough time: Last month the character, played by actor Dominic Brunt, attempted suicide after struggling with his mental health in the wake of his wife Chas’ affair
Filming for the episode, which will air on Thursday 11 May, took place at the Bradford City Football Club ground, in the same area that regularly hosts Andy’s Man Club meetings.
Andy’s Man Club is a charity that aims to tackle the stigma surrounding men’s mental health.
Using an authentic meeting point was a conscious move for show makers, as it was “vital” to make the scenes as realistic as possible to resonate with the people back home.
Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said of the episode: ‘We’ve already seen Paddy talk to his GP, get prescribed medication, go for counselling, and talk to his friends and family to help him with his struggling mental health.
‘Our research showed that in addition to these things, many people find it easier to talk to strangers about their problems and so we wanted to show that Paddy does just that: open up in a different environment and talk to strangers.
“It was vital to us that we rendered these scenes authentically, hence the scenes were shot on location in a real Andy’s Man Club location and AMC carefully and brilliantly guided us through the scripting and filming of the scenes so that they were as lifelike as possible.’
She added: ‘We hope that if anyone watching feels like Paddy, like they can’t talk to friends or family, these scenes can encourage them to contact their own local club for help and support. ‘
Meanwhile, Nell Wain from Andy’s Man Club shared his delight at the ITV soap opera scenes at the real location, noting the importance of being featured on screen.
Support: Paddy’s friends, family and other members of the community rallied to support him in his hour of need, especially his Man Club friends stepped forward to help
Struggle: In recent scenes, however, the vet has been forced to open up to those closest to him and struggles to fully talk about the issues he feels with his friends
Help: In light of this, Emmerdale will air a special episode in which Paddy ventures outside the village and will seek help from a men’s aid group away from those closest to him.
He said, “When Laura Shaw first asked me to do this episode I jumped at the chance to show men a little bit about how AndysManClub works and hopefully this will help us challenge the stigmas around talking men.
“In reality many men take the step of traveling outside their area to go to clubs so they can really be themselves and talk freely to strangers and to see Paddy do this is a real life snapshot of the thought process for many men .
“Bradford City FC, and in particular the Director of Operations, Paula Watson, have been fantastic in making this happen, not only for this Emmerdale episode, but also enabling us to use Valley Parade as the venue for AndysManClub in Bradford.
“They saw the need for this and even have a staff member, Sian, who stays behind every Monday of his own volition to make sure the club opens for us! Another great collaboration for us at AndysManClub.
“A huge thank you to Emmerdale for supporting us in highlighting the struggles men go through, but that through talking we all have hope for better days.”
Viewers were left in tears after Marlon Dingle made an emotional plea to best friend Paddy after stopping him from committing suicide in scenes that aired last month.
After reading his suicide note, Marlon (Mark Charnock) and Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) went hunting for him and eventually found him near a forest with Paddy sitting with a bolt gun in his hand.
A despairing Marlon broke down in tears and begged Paddy to reconsider, telling him to think of his daughter Eve, before saying ‘If you do this you’ll kill me too’.
Upcoming scenes: ‘Our research showed that in addition to these things, many people find it easier to talk to strangers about their problems and so we wanted to show Paddy doing just that’
The emotional scenes had a big effect on viewers at home, with one commenting that the moment had put them ‘in the good mood’.
Meanwhile, recent scenes show the character sharing a kiss with ex-wife Chas after she cheated on him.
The likeable character was heartbroken in December when his wife’s affair with Al Chapman finally came to light.
But it seems time heals all wounds as Paddy found himself eager to spend time with Chas to prove to their daughter Eve that despite the breakup they were still a family.
However, it remains to be seen if the formerly married couple will make it with their relationship.
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.