The factory boss was on screen for the last time tonight, ahead of his tragic death from suicide
Coronation Street’s Aidan Connor appeared on screen for the final time tonight, when the factory boss broke down in tears at his Victoria Street flat.
But this wasn’t the original plan for Aidan’s last moment. Actor Shayne Ward, who plays Aidan, and Corrie producer Kate Oates have revealed that Aidan’s final moment on screen was originally intended to be an earlier scene at The Rover’s, where Aidan is disconnected from the celebrations ‘at Johnny and Jenny’s leaving party.
“The final scene of the episode was entirely Shayne’s creation,” reveals Kate. “We were going to end in the pub, on that moment when life’s going on around him and he’s completely disengaged. But Shayne just said instinctively, ‘That feels really wrong to me; I feel like I need another moment. I just feel I need it and he needs it.’ Now, when I watch that episode, it wouldn’t feel complete without it.”
Eva is devastated when she learns the news about Aidan
Adds Shayne: “You see the moments where Aidan closes his eyes in the pub and ends up back in his isolation, which is in his head, but he’s also in his home. It worked perfectly, and I thank everyone for allowing me to do that.
“He was back at his own place, where he feels so isolated, and that was the point where everything came out – everything that he’d been though in three years of upsetting his family. He just felt that nothing was ever going to go right for him; he would never get to the place that he thought he wanted to be, and that was his final moment.”
In Wednesday’s hour-long episode, Johnny will let himself into Aidan’s flat when he fails to turn up for work, and discover his son’s lifeless body in the bathroom – sparking shock and devastation amongst the Connor family and the wider Weatherfield community.
Coronation Street have worked closely with Samaritans and CALM on the sensitive storyline, which they hope will raise discussion about suicide and encourage people with feelings of desperation similar to Aidan’s to speak out and seek help.
Current figures show that in Great Britain, suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, with 84 men taking their own lives every week.
Suicide is preventable. For help and support, contact:
Samaritans (www.samaritans.org) on 116 123. Lines are lines open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
CALM (www.thecalmzone.net) on 0800 58 58 58 (nationwide) or 0808 802 58 58 (London). Lines are open from 5pm to midnight, 365 days a year.
Coronation Street continues on ITV.
