Marlon’s in jail and April runs away!
WITH HIS DAUGHTER MISSING, HOW LONG WILL INNOCENT MARLON BE BANGED UP FOR?
There’s fresh hell for jailed Marlon this week, when his daughter April flees the village.
Having been arrested for killing Graham, on the back of seemingly damning evidence, Marlon is already trapped in a living nightmare. But hearing that his daughter has run away pushes him over the edge – and he tries to break out of jail!
“Marlon is in a terrible place,” sighs star Mark Charnock, who plays him. “So when news reaches him that April has run away, he loses his mind. It’s the worst possible scenario, as he can’t control the situation – and he just goes nuts. He starts fighting with a prison guard and is dragged back to his cell, screaming…”
After being charged with Graham’s murder, Marlon is desperate to convince the police that they have the wrong man while he awaits trial. But with the evidence against him stacking up, the prospect of a lengthy stint behind bars looms horrifyingly large.
“The outlook is genuinely bleak,” admits Mark. “Marlon knows the evidence the police have, and it looks bad. He can see why they think what they think, although he just can’t disprove it. Each time someone visits him, they try to make him feel more confident about the situation – however, he knows in his heart that he could easily end up going down for this…”
In his fragile state of mind, Marlon makes the questionable decision that April mustn’t visit him, and insists that the Dingles – who are taking care of his daughter in his absence – keep her from doing so. So despite the fact that she is desperate to see her dad, they fib that only adults are allowed a visiting order. But it’s April’s despair about the scenario that prompts the youngster to run away.
“Marlon thinks April seeing him in this horrible place will damage her,” explains Mark. “She’s had so much heartache in her life – including losing her mum, Donna, in such a tragic way – and Marlon doesn’t want to devastate her any more. He’s misguided, in my opinion, but he’s trying to protect her.”
In the wake of April fleeing, and the prison showdown that follows, locked-up Marlon is at his wits’ end and can barely see a way forward.
“I’ve said it before, but parenthood is everything to Marlon, so to hear what’s happened to April drives him virtually insane,” shares Mark. “The guilt is awful, and he essentially thinks it’s all his fault. Metaphorically speaking, the walls are closing in on him, and Marlon’s ready to give up. Basically, he’s hanging on to his sanity by a thread…”
“Marlon is hanging on to his sanity by a thread…”