Carmel suicide bid?
In the wake of Shakil’s murder, Carmel can’t go on...
Carmel is a mum on the edge in the wake of the murder of her youngest son, Shakil. His attempt at keeping the peace following Keegan’s theft of a gang member’s bike last week ended in anything but.
As the locals struggle to get their heads round the shock tragedy, Carmel is crumbling. The arrival of her ex, Umar, who wants someone to blame for their son’s death, only makes matters worse. Carmel doesn’t want to believe her beloved boy has died, and the sight of a shrine devoted to Shakil sends her into a grief-stricken rage.
Dark place
Concern for Carmel’s state of mind spreads as the mum becomes obsessed with finding Shakil’s watch, which has gone missing. Most worried of all is Kush, who is stunned when his father expects him to move to Dubai with him and his brother, Darius. He knows his mum is not coping and Kush abandoning her could push her over the edge.
Kush’s fears are well-founded. When Umar lets slip to Carmel that their son may be leaving the UK with him, she’s sent to a very dark place.
‘Carmel is completely lost,’ says Bonnie Langford, who plays her. ‘She loved Shaki so much, he was her baby.’
She decides suicide is the only answer, but as Carmel takes steps to end her own life, she finds Shakil’s watch. The discovery changes everything. Carmel wants to live, but is it too late? As Kush realises what his mum has done, can he save her life?