Emmerdale's Paddy takes important step to get help away from village
The character will find support from strangers at Andy's Man Club.
The long road to recovery walked by Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) in Emmerdale will continue next month, as he ventures outside of the village to speak to strangers about his experience.
In a hard-hitting storyline, the character attempted to take his own life two months ago, but has since found support from his family and the wider community.
However, in an episode due to air on Thursday 11th May on ITV1, he will seek help from complete strangers by attending a meeting of Andy's Man Club in a neighbouring town – reflecting the findings of research conducted by the Emmerdale team.
Producer Laura Shaw said: "We've already seen Paddy speaking to his GP, being prescribed medication, going for counselling and talking 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 Paddy doing just that – opening up in a different environment and talking to strangers.
"It was vitally important to us that we portrayed these scenes authentically, hence the scenes were shot on location at a real Andy's Man Club venue and AMC carefully and brilliantly guided us through scripting and filming the scenes so they were as true to life as possible."
She continued: "We hope if anyone watching is feeling like Paddy, like they can't talk to friends or family, they might be encouraged by these scenes to reach out to their own local club for help and support."
Read more:
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The upcoming scenes featuring Andy's Man Club, a suicide prevention charity offering peer-to-peer support groups, were filmed on the grounds of Bradford City Football Club.
Nell Wain, from Andy’s Man Club, said: "When Laura Shaw first asked me about doing this episode, I jumped at the opportunity to let men see a bit of how Andy's Man Club runs, and this will hopefully help us challenge the stigmas around men talking.
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"In reality, many men take the step to travel out of their area to attend clubs so they can really be themselves and talk freely with strangers, and to see Paddy doing this is a real-life snapshot of the thought process for many men.
"Bradford City FC, and in particular, Director of Operations, Paula Watson, have been fantastic in making this happen, not only for this Emmerdale episode, but in allowing us to use Valley Parade as a venue for Andy's Man Club in Bradford.
"They saw the need for this and even have a member of staff, Sian, who stays behind every Monday of her own accord to make sure the club opens for us! Another great partnership for us at Andy's Man Club."
He added: "A huge thank you to Emmerdale for their support in highlighting the struggles men go through, but that, through talking, we all have hope of brighter days ahead."
For more information on Andy's Man Club groups, which are free to attend, email info@andysmanclub.co.uk or check out their brand new website: www.AndysManClub.co.uk.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org for more info.
Emmerdale continues at 7.30PM, weeknights on ITV1. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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