Assisted Suicide in Emmerdale

[Perdita]

Emmerdale star Marc Silcock has insisted that the soap does not want to promote assisted suicide with its current storyline.

The actor plays quadriplegic Jackson Walsh in the show, who this week chooses to die with the help of boyfriend Aaron (Danny Miller).

"We always knew what the end was going to be," he told the Boston Herald. "We didn't know how the characters would play out and how well-received they would be. To be brutally honest, the final two episodes are pretty horrific, and we tried to make them that way.

"We don't want one person for a minute to think that [Jackson's decision] is correct. I am an advocate for the idea for the right to die, but I believe the show has covered all the aspects of the storyline and covered all the bases. We're not saying that we believe that this is right; we are showing what these three people believe at the moment.

"We didn't want to glorify it and make it a beautiful thing. That's not reality. In reality, helping someone kill themselves would be a hideous thing, and we try to show that as best as possible."

Spinal injuries charity Aspire recently called the plot "negative, unrealistic and pretty inaccurate"

[Perdita]

Emmerdale screened Jackson Walsh's final episode this evening as his lover Aaron Livesy helped him to die, bringing the character's tragic journey to an end. Exact details of what to expect from the heartbreaking episode had been kept tightly under wraps until transmission, but show bosses have now released an in-depth Q&A with Marc Silcock, who played Jackson, focusing on his time at Emmerdale and final storyline. Here, Soap Scoop presents the full interview.

What has been the highlight of your time in Emmerdale?
"I think there are two highlights for me - firstly getting to work with people like Dominic Brunt, Mark Charnock and obviously Danny and Pauline. I have learned so much from them all. Also, a massive highlight for me was when Gavin [our late series producer] told me I was going to be doing this storyline. My contract was extended at the middle of last year and he sat me down in his office and told me this was what he wanted to do with the character. Gavin asked if I wanted to do it or not, and I asked him if he thought I could. He just said, 'I wouldn't be wasting my time otherwise'. I think that's the highlight of the year and a half at Emmerdale."

What was the biggest challenge about playing Jackson?
"I think when I was starting out on the tetraplegia storyline it was the practical side of it - keeping still and monitoring movement and trying to emote something on-screen when you can't use nine tenths of your body. It took time to figure out a way I could give a performance without moving and to give a performance trying to be true to someone in that situation. I was so aware that if I twitched or moved my shoulders or anything, then eight million people would have been saying I wasn't doing my job properly."

Have you enjoyed playing the character?
"It's been an unbelievable 16 months, the best 16 months I've ever had working. I came into Emmerdale and was welcomed in and got to work with some fantastic people. You learn so much working with them. It's been an absolutely unbelievable experience and a great environment because everyone supports each other so much. I've really loved it."


Did you ever imagine the character and his relationship with Aaron would be taken to the hearts of viewers so much?
"No, it never entered my mind. I thought I was there for two or three weeks to help Aaron along and that would be the end of the relationship. The great thing was that the two characters were never stereotyped - they were two characters who just happened to be gay. I think that's why people took to them because they're just two ordinary lads."

What has been the secret behind Jackson and Aaron's popularity as a couple?
"Gavin explained in so much detail what he wanted from the characters and the relationship, so it was laid out for us what we needed to do. Danny and I also talked about how we were going to play it and decided we'd mess about and make fun of each other on-screen. We spent a lot of time talking about how we could play a scene or make something funny, so hopefully that makes Aaron and Jackson feel real as a couple. I think everyone can relate to the two mates they see on-screen, it just so happens that those two mates give each other a kiss at the end of the night."

How did you feel when you were first told about Jackson's accident and how the storyline would end?
"I heard I was going to get hit by a train and I thought, 'Well what a great way to go at the end of my six month contract'. But then Danny, Pauline and I were told what was going to happen afterwards, which was a big shock. I thought I was just being Aaron's boyfriend, I never expected to be given this story, I didn't think I was doing a good enough job to be given it. Thankfully I was given a massive amount of support throughout filming. I realised it was a huge storyline and I took it very seriously."


What research did you do personally for the storyline?
"It was so important for me to speak to someone. There are lots of ways to deal with anger, love and hate but unless you're in Jackson's situation you could never know what it is like. So we went to Pinderfields hospital and I met a guy by the name of Lee, who had just had an accident. He had no reason to come and talk to me, but I'm so grateful he did. I asked him everything and got so much from that one meeting.

"I read a few books too, including some written for carers because you don't realise how much goes into being a carer, what has to be done and checked. Emmerdale put together a pack of information for me with letters from people in that situation, explaining their story too. I spent a lot of time with Andy Walker [who plays Steve] on set too and he was great, explaining details to me."

Which scenes or episodes stand out to you from your time in the show?
"There are two scenes that stand out for me. The scene where Aaron tells Jackson that he's paralysed and will never walk again, and a more recent one that was at the end of the Whitby week, a scene with Jackson and Hazel at the train station. They were both very simple scenes, not much happening really, no-one moves anywhere or argues. In the scene with Hazel, the word suicide is never mentioned. Jackson just says 'you've got to help me'. They were both so beautifully written. The subtlety meant that those words weren't needed, we could show the horror and desperation without them."

Were your last episodes difficult to film? How did you prepare for them?
"We were so busy beforehand filming that I didn't look at the final scenes until we did a read-through at the beginning of the block and it was really the night before filming that I looked at the scene properly. It was three pages long and we had five hours to film it, which is unheard of. It meant we had time to through it in so much detail, so that by the end of the rehearsals we knew exactly what we were going to do. Everyone took it incredibly seriously.


"We usually mess about and have a laugh on set but it was the quietest I've ever heard those studios in the entire time I've been there, because we knew what it meant. We ensured it wasn't beautiful - it is horrific, because it's a horrific thing. Some people might have liked to have seen soft music in the background and for Jackson to slowly drift off to sleep. But that's not reality and not what happens. We didn't want to glorify it for one second. You see the love between the three of them in those scenes, which is beautiful, but what happens is not beautiful in any way.

"Of course some people will like it and some people won't and that's fine. I just hope people will see what's gone into those episodes and I hope people don't break that connection with Aaron, Hazel and Jackson. I hope they feel it and put themselves in that moment. We want people to ask themselves what they would do in Hazel and Aaron's situation."

Did you find it difficult switching off from such an emotional storyline?
"You don't have time to take it home with you because when you get home you've got nine scenes to learn for the following day and two monologue video diaries to film. You have to be able to switch off otherwise you wouldn't last very long. Now that I've finished filming I do watch and think, 'I could've done that scene better'. Of course it's been difficult to film emotionally, but at the end of the day I get to stand up and get in my car and drive home and that's a lot easier than being in that situation for real. I'm very, very lucky."

Will you be watching and following the aftermath for Hazel and Aaron?
"Definitely. I really want to see what's going on, especially to see what Danny and Pauline will be doing. It will be great to see the aftermath and watch it as a viewer without being involved and self-critical."


What's next for you?
"I'd just like to carry on working. I've had a great experience at Emmerdale and I've learnt a lot, I've learnt that the job of acting is not just turning up and getting paid to be on telly. I've learnt that you have to put the work in to get it right. I really do love being in soaps, I love the speed of it, the variation of storylines and the different characters you get to work with. But any job that stretches me or feels like a challenge would be great. I'm open to anything that's interesting and needs work - a character that gets people thinking. I'm waiting to see what comes up. I'm an actor and I'm resting, just like all the other millions of unemployed actors out there!"

How do you feel about being nominated as Best Actor at the TV Choice Awards?
"It's a great thing to be nominated and put forward for. It's great to think people are recognising your work. Obviously it would be lovely to make the shortlist and great to win, but I'm up against loads of people who have had such a great year. Of course it's nice though, to know that the effort that I'm putting in has been recognised."

What do you feel has been your biggest achievement at Emmerdale and what are you proudest of?
"Gavin said to me, people are going to remember this for a very long time. I really hope so. When you're there and doing it you don't really get the time to take a step back and realise how many people are watching. My 16 months have gone really quickly and the studios have become my second home. But I've learnt so much about so many different elements of the job and I'm very thankful."

[Perdita]

Very well done, in my humble opinion, can't see anyone complaining although I guess there will be

[tammyy2j]

Very well done, in my humble opinion, can't see anyone complaining although I guess there will be

Yes it was heartbreaking to watch but excellent acting from Jackson, Aaron and Hazel

[Perdita]

HIT soap Emmerdale sparked outrage last night after showing a character's shocking assisted suicide TWO HOURS before the watershed.
Viewers saw paralysed Jackson Walsh (Marc Silcock) being fed a potion of lethal drugs by his gay lover - then die in his mother's arms.

The episode, which went out at 7pm on ITV, provoked furious protests from viewers on Twitter.

One said: "You shouldn't have done that at this time of the day. Kids are watching."

The plot-line has also been blasted for being hurtful to people with paralysis.



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz1OenYVUKl

[Perdita]

EMMERDALE star Marc Silcock has revealed that his character's death scene was deliberately "horrific" to hammer home the reality of assisted suicide.
Shocked viewers last night watched as paralysed Jackson Walsh was fed a cocktail of drugs by distraught gay lover Aaron Livesy.

The lad was then seen sobbing as he died in the arms of his mum Hazel.

But Marc, 22, said producers of the ITV soap wanted to make the scenes as harrowing as possible.

He said: "We ensured it wasn't beautiful - it is horrific, because it's a horrific thing.

"Some people might have liked to have seen soft music in the background and for Jackson to slowly drift off to sleep.

"But that's not reality and not what happens. We didn't want to glorify it for one second.

"You see the love between the three of them in those scenes, which is beautiful. But what happens is not beautiful in any way.

"In reality, helping someone kill themselves would be a hideous thing, and we try to show that as best as possible."

The death scenes have sparked outrage. Last night one furious viewer posted on Twitter: "Why did you put suicide on Emmerdale. It's giving people ideas y'know."

Another asked: "How does assisted suicide, pre-watershed get past the censors on Emmerdale."

Another tweeted: "Love Emmerdale but finding the assisted suicide storyline with Jackson heartbreaking."

But Marc said he was prepared for a backlash - and that the storyline about Jackson was the highlight of his 18 months on Emmerdale.

He said: "I just hope people will see what's gone into those episodes. We want people to ask themselves what they would do in Hazel and Aaron's situation."

The actors got extra time to shoot Jackson's exit from the soap.

Marc - who has also starred in Waterloo Road and Shameless - said: "We had five hours to film it, which is unheard of.

"It meant we had time to go through it in so much detail, so by the end of rehearsals we knew exactly what we were going to do. Everyone took it incredibly seriously.

l"We usually mess about and have a laugh on set but it was the quietest I've ever heard those studios in the entire time I've been there, because we knew what it meant.

"Thankfully I was given a massive amount of support throughout filming. I realised it was a huge storyline and I took it very seriously."

Jackson was left tetraplegic - without the use of his limbs - after his van was hit by a train last year. Since then he has begged Hazel, played by Pauline Quirke and Aaron (Danny Miller) to help him die.

The plot echoes the real-life case of 23-year-old Daniel James, who travelled to Switzerland to die in 2008 after being paralysed by a rugby injury.



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz1OenmutJM

[Chloe O'brien]

HIT soap Emmerdale sparked outrage last night after showing a character's shocking assisted suicide TWO HOURS before the watershed.
Viewers saw paralysed Jackson Walsh (Marc Silcock) being fed a potion of lethal drugs by his gay lover - then die in his mother's arms.

The episode, which went out at 7pm on ITV, provoked furious protests from viewers on Twitter.

One said: \"You shouldn't have done that at this time of the day. Kids are watching.\"

The plot-line has also been blasted for being hurtful to people with paralysis.



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz1OenYVUKl

There are always going to be some people who just argue about anything just for the sake of it. I watched Emmerdale last night and it wasn't glamourised in anyway. You seen Jackson struggle to swallow the medicine and Hazel and Aaron got their character's feelings just right. Everyone new what was going to happen for weeks now it wasn't a surprise. If veiwers feel they are going to be upset about a story then they shouldn't watch or let their kids watch.

[Perdita]

Ofcom is to assess complaints about Emmerdale's assisted suicide storyline after receiving overnight complaints.

Last night's episode of the ITV1 soap saw tetraplegic Jackson Walsh (Marc Silcock) take his own life after drinking a concoction of drugs, given to him by boyfriend Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller). A tetraplegic is somebody who has suffered a spinal cord injury and has then lost control of arms and legs.

The media regulator has received a handful of complaints about the controversial scenes, broadcast between 7pm and 7.30pm, reports PA. However, a decision on whether or not they breached rules will not be made until the plot and subsequent outcome have played out on screen.

Aspire - a group which works to help people in the UK who are living with a spinal cord injury - has voiced its criticism of the scenes.

"It is no secret that Aspire has been outspoken on this topic since we first had an inkling of where the storyline was heading. Peter Stanford, chairman of Aspire, voiced our concerns in The Daily Telegraph a couple of months back, which caught the attention of the producers of Emmerdale," a statement on the group's website read. "Subsequently we were invited to address our concerns with them at their offices in London.

"As is plain to see, our suggestions that they move away from the suicide storyline and to show his journey back to independence in a positive light fell on deaf ears. Perhaps ratings count for more than reality."

Expanding on its negative view of the plot, Aspire's director of services Alex Rankin continued: "This storyline had the potential to be ground-breaking in its approach to disability, and to challenge misguided opinions on spinal cord injury. Instead, too often, the script has opted for poor stereotypes or sensational misrepresentation.

"I sincerely hope that the 1,200 people who will be paralysed by spinal cord injuries this year, and their families, do not find themselves believing that Jackson's story represents their future."

Silcock had previously insisted that the scenes would be purposely "horrific" so that they did not "glorify" assisted suicide.

[tammyy2j]

This storyline proves one of the reasons why Emmerdale is best soap

[lizann]

Such an emotional and heartbreaking storyline but top class acting for all involved especially Hazel