Charlotte Bellamy
Emmerdale stars Charlotte Bellamy and John Middleton on the storyline that has moved the nation
While TV drama has explored the subject of dementia before, it has never been done with as much realism and sensitivity as Emmerdale’s portrayal of Ashley Thomas as he lives with early onset vascular dementia. Ashley first started displaying some of the symptoms – which can include memory loss,epilepsy and behavioural changes – two years ago. Now, having shown what it’s like to live with dementia, Ashley’s journey is over. He contracts pneumonia so his wife Laurel brings him back from the care
home where he’s been living in order to spend his last days at Mulberry Cottage. “Without giving too much away, it is a beautiful ending,” says actress Charlotte Bellamy who plays Laurel. “It is, as they say, a tearjerker,” adds John Middleton who plays Ashley. “And not just for the viewers at home. While we filmed those scenes, everyone was crying. Our make-up girl’s tears actually splashed onto my cheeks as she was checking my face. The atmosphere was extraordinary. “Both Charlotte and I were very aware of the importance of portraying everything accurately, and our medical advisor, who was also crying, was terrific. After each take, she’d nod and say, ‘Oh yes – that would happen’. “That was wonderfully reassuring, as is the help and support that’s been shown to us from the beginning by the Alzheimer’s Society and Methodist Homes charities. Both say that Emmerdale’s portrayal of dementia is the best there has ever been on British TV and, in fact, an episode screened last December showing life from Ashley’s point of view is now used by the Alzheimer’s Society as a training video.” The storyline has been something of a rollercoaster for John, who says: “At times it has been heartbreaking and very challenging, but it has also been deeply satisfying. “When the idea was first pitched to me, I just thought it was a great story. It’s only as you get into it that you begin to realise the different aspects to it, how many different forms of dementia there are and how it affects people in different ways. I didn’t know much about dementia before but as a result of this storyline I’ve become thoroughly involved with some of the charities and the research.” For both John and Charlotte, the most rewarding aspect of the storyline has been the reaction of the public. “It has resonated with many people,” reveals Charlotte (43). “A woman with tears in her eyes came up to me in Sainsbury’s the other Saturday and said, ‘Thank you so much, you’ve just told the story of my husband and it’s really helping’. That’s why we do it. It’s about telling the story.” John (63) smiles in agreement. “It’s really quite astonishing how many people have shared their own experiences. As an actor, you can’t ask for anything better. With any drama you want to make a connection – it’s holding out a hand to people and saying, ‘You’re not alone’. And if we can do that with this, then that’s fantastic. “We’re a popular drama, more than six million people watch us six times a week and if you can make a connection with that number of people, then that’s extraordinary. Our ambitions when we work here are incredibly high in terms of what we want to achieve. “We don’t often get recognition for that because we’re a popular show, therefore we’re expected to be populist. Or to sensationalise our stories and therefore cheapen them. But we’ve been absolutely adamant – we are with all our stories, but particularly with this one. We never wanted to do that because it would be a massive insult to people with this condition. What we want to do is celebrate and honour the people who have lived or are living with this and their carers. I hope we have achieved that.” Saying goodbye to Ashley has a deeper resonance for John as he’s played the character for more than 20 years. “Half of my career has been in this show and it’s a very odd feeling to think I won’t be working here any more,” he reveals. “My mother said something interesting to me a while ago. She said, ‘You’re going to experience something akin to grief ’ and she’s right. “Samantha Giles who plays Bernice in Emmerdale said that I’d need to do something life-affirming after this and I agree wholeheartedly with that. One of the very life-affirming things I’ll do regularly is walk my dog in the Yorkshire Dales, close to my home in Harrogate. “Charlotte lives there, too, so hopefully we’ll be meeting up in one of the many life-affirming places where you can go for coffee in the town!”
Emmerdale is on weekdays on Itv For more details about methodist Homes visit www. mha.org.uk and for the Alzheimer’s Society visit www. alzheimers.org.uk
‘Since we’ve started doing this story, it’s really quite astonishing how many people have shared their own experiences’