ITV Pridecast
ITV
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For anyone who’s been watching Coronation Street of late, it would be hard not to be moved by the motor neurone disease storyline which has affected the lives of Paul Foreman and Billy Mahew. Seeing Paul suffer with the illness that has made his body and speech gradually deteriorate, has brought home the harsh reality of those with MND. The climax of this tragic story is to hit our screens on Monday 9th September when Paul passes away after his 18 month heartbreaking ordeal.
There’s no doubt that Peter Ash, who plays Paul in the soap, has done superbly at performing the stages of decline from this illness with such authenticity. And the same can be said of Daniel Brocklebank who plays his husband Billy. He has to watch the man he loves suffer as this cruel disease plays out. Daniel and Pete join Liam McConkey on the latest ITV Pridecast to discuss the story and how they hope to make more people aware of the disease.
The storyline has had a particular poignancy for Daniel because his grandfather had MND. He has spent years raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association which works to improve access to care, research and campaigning for those affected by the disease.
Awareness of MND has also increased over the last few years, due especially to the story of the rugby league player Rob Burrow who was diagnosed with it in 2019. Along with his family and best friend Kevin Sinfield, Rob raised millions of pounds for MND charities. Sadly he died in June this year but through his work and also the likes of the Coronation Street storyline, efforts can continue to tackle the disease.
Joining Liam to co-host this episode is AJ Dean who is a Publicity and Engagement Manager for ITV in the North and she works closely with the teams at Coronation Street and Emmerdale. AJ has done huge amounts in supporting the ITV Pride network and earlier this year she was one of Liam’s guests on the podcast where she discussed the part she played in helping to set up the network.
If you need any help or support about MND then head over to itv.com/advice. You can also access more information about the disease and find out about the work of the Motor Neurone Disease Association by going to mndassociation.org. Tune in to watch Peter Ash’s final episode on Coronation Street on Monday 9th September at 8pm on ITV 1. Or you can catch up on ITVX.
Previous episodes
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42 - A story of enduring love despite the cruelness of MND (with Coronation Street’s Paul and Billy) Mon, 09 Sep 2024
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41 - Being a Muslim and gay (with Mohsin Zaidi) Wed, 28 Aug 2024
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40 - Being the UK's most visible trans couple (with Hannah and Jake Graf) Wed, 31 Jul 2024
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39 - Being the Executive Producer on the Netflix hit show, Heartstopper (with Patrick Walters) Fri, 28 Jun 2024
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38 - The history of ITV Pride Tue, 27 Feb 2024
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37 - What does it mean to be non-binary? (with Ali Hannon) Wed, 17 Jan 2024
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36 - Why we should all get regularly tested for HIV Thu, 14 Dec 2023
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35 - Being gay and a professional footballer (with Zander Murray) Wed, 11 Oct 2023
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34 - From the Coronation Street cobbles to championing bisexual awareness (with Dolly-Rose Campbell) Fri, 22 Sep 2023
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33 - Bringing a lighter side to TV news and interviewing the world’s most famous celebrities (with Richard Arnold) Thu, 31 Aug 2023
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32 - The gay Evangelical campaigning to end so-called “conversion therapy” (with Jayne Ozanne) Sun, 30 Jul 2023
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31 - ITV Pride Day: Celebrating Pride in 2023 Thu, 29 Jun 2023
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30 - Becoming an icon: Writing music to help me embrace my identity as a trans man (with Dylan And The Moon) Wed, 17 May 2023
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29 - Providing spaces for lesbians and queer women to be their authentic selves (with Polly Shute and Peach Bond) Tue, 25 Apr 2023
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28 - I want everyone to know what intersectionality means and why it's so important to understand it (with Issah Nalzaro) Tue, 28 Mar 2023
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27 - What it means to be asexual and aromantic (with Yasmin Benoit) Tue, 28 Feb 2023
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26 - Nolly: Giving a voice back to the Queen of the Midlands (with Russell T Davies and Nicola Shindler) Thu, 02 Feb 2023
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25 - Challenging the stigma and being a champion for those with HIV (with Chris Sandford) Thu, 01 Dec 2022
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24 - The social event helping trans people live freely (with Sophie Scott and Ash Palmisciano) Fri, 25 Nov 2022
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23 - Letting the world in and finally being me (with Dame Kelly Holmes) Mon, 31 Oct 2022
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22 - How to be an LGBTQ+ ally (with Sam Tatlow MBE) Fri, 30 Sep 2022
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21 - LGBTQ+ in a farming world (with Jeremy Miles and Steffan Evans) Thu, 28 Jul 2022
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20 - We all have a Heartstopper. Mine was Beautiful Thing (James Penfold) Wed, 29 Jun 2022
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19 - Feeling at one with who I am (Paul Brand) Tue, 31 May 2022
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18 - Being seen and heard this Lesbian Visibility Week (Linda Riley) Thu, 28 Apr 2022
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17 - Seeing transgender people's lives through TV soaps (Annie Wallace and Ash Palmisciano) Wed, 30 Mar 2022
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16 - A lifetime of campaigning for LGBT+ rights (Peter Tatchell) Wed, 23 Feb 2022
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15 - Recording your own LGBTQ+ History (Lisa Power) Sat, 15 Jan 2022
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14 - Focus on being yourself (with Munroe Bergdorf) Thu, 09 Dec 2021
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13 - The importance of being visible (with Jen Yockney) Wed, 22 Sep 2021
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12 - Finding your people (with Jo Lewis) Thu, 26 Aug 2021
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11 - June 2021 - Welcome back to the Pridecast! (with Matt Scarff on ITV Pride Day) Wed, 30 Jun 2021
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10 - December 2020 (with the ITV Pride LGBT+ Network Co Chairs) Wed, 23 Dec 2020
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9 - August 2020 (with Group Director of Diversity & Inclusion at ITV, Ade Rawcliffe) Mon, 31 Aug 2020
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8 - July 2020 (with Dr Ranj Singh, Ash Palmisciano and Ali Hannon) Mon, 20 Jul 2020
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7 - June 2020 (with ITV Pride, ITV Embrace and Coronation Street) Mon, 15 Jun 2020
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6 - May 2020 (with Coach Nikki Hinksman and The Off Duty Doctor) Mon, 11 May 2020
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5 - April 2020 (with Artist, Facilitator and Mentor Wanda Canton) Mon, 27 Apr 2020
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4 - March 2020 (with ITV's Lorraine Kelly) Mon, 23 Mar 2020
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3 - February 2020 (with ITV Pride's new co-chairs & Dr Ranj at National Student Pride) Tue, 25 Feb 2020
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2 - January 2020 (with Dancing on Ice's H from Steps & Matt Evers) Mon, 27 Jan 2020
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1 - Welcome to ITV Pridecast! Thu, 16 Jan 2020
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