Peter Ash has revealed that his Coronation Street character Paul will give his estranged dad Denny Foreman (Danny Cunningham) "a chance" to make things right when he unexpectedly shows up in Weatherfield.
In episodes airing this week, Paul gives a radio interview where he discusses his terminal MND diagnosis - and soon afterwards, Denny arrives on the street, much to the shock of Paul, Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell) and Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove).
"I think had it been a couple years ago, without the MND diagnosis, [Paul] probably would have told his dad to do one, basically," said Ash. "Because he wasn't a nice person at all.
"But I think Paul has a different outlook now because obviously he's dying, and I think he's just got a different way of looking at that. So he gives him a chance and he goes out for a drink with his dad. They kind of get on all right, because Denny's just treats him like a normal person."
The next day, Denny accepts Paul's invite to watch a film round the flat, but when he nips out, Paul is left alone and suddenly finds it difficult to breathe.
"Paul has a bit of a coughing fit, which really kind of shakes up Denny when he does eventually come back to the flat," Ash explained. "He's having a real problem breathing. From the day before, when he goes to the pub with Denny, he drinks a bit too much and he's a little bit sick that day, I think it's still on his lungs, and that's what causes the coughing fit the next day."
Knowing about Denny's abusive past towards his kids, Paul's husband Billy (Daniel Brocklebank) is skeptical when he shows up out of the blue and is even less impressed after Paul's medical emergency.
"Well, at first, to be fair, he's not too bad. Because obviously he's all about forgiveness," Ash continued. "And that's kind of where Paul's head is at the moment with his new kind of outlook on the short life he's got left.
"But Billy is really, really not impressed after he finds out that he's took me to the pub, he's got me pissed, he's taken my neck collar off, which helps support the weight of my head. And obviously Paul's sick when we come back to the flat, so Billy's really not happy with him."
Coronation Street continues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Neil Wilkes
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