ITV's Emmerdale to feature vascular dementia storyline

Emmerdale and Alzheimer's Society are set to deliver an emotional storyline to British screens, in which the resident vicar, Ashley Thomas is diagnosed with early onset vascular dementia.

The popular ITV soap, which is viewed by more than five million people in the UK, hope the storyline will encourage more people to talk about the second most common cause of dementia and its impact on those affected.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We’re delighted Emmerdale are featuring a dementia storyline. There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK – many of whom still face a huge amount of stigma and misunderstanding which programmes like Emmerdale can help to address.

“We’ve been privileged to work closely with the producers and script writers to ensure the representation of Ashley’s diagnosis is accurate and we hope the show’s audience will identify with his journey.

“Properly scripted storylines like these can be a useful way to help many more people understand the impact of dementia.”

On Thursday 19 November Emmerdale’s vicar, Ashley Thomas (played by John Middleton), will be diagnosed with vascular dementia, a disorder which currently affects 150,000 people in the UK and is caused by an impaired supply of blood to the brain.

Research suggests that vascular dementia often causes problems with memory, thinking and reasoning, affecting a person’s ability to: organise, make decisions, concentrate, speak fluently and recall recent events.

Alzheimer’s Society has advised on the scripts to ensure Ashley’s symptoms and diagnosis portray a realistic representation of someone living with dementia.

A dementia support worker has also visited the Emmerdale set to advise John Middleton on how best to portray some of the scenes in Ashley’s dementia journey.

In the coming months the storyline will explore how Ashley and his loved ones will come to terms with the diagnosis and how it will impact his future.

Commenting on the poignancy of the storyline, series producer at Emmerdale, Kate Oates, added: “Dementia is one of the biggest health issues we face today, whether being diagnosed ourselves, or through a member of the family or a friend being affected.

“John Middleton is a fantastic actor and in Ashley he has created a rounded, multi-faceted character, so although giving him this story was a difficult decision, as there is as yet no cure for dementia, we knew we were giving it to a safe pair of hands and know John's portrayal will be realistic and deeply affecting.”

Welcoming Alzheimer Society’s support , John Middleton, concluded: “The help Emmerdale are getting from Alzheimer’s Society is invaluable as I believe very strongly that for the sake of the people with this condition, their families, friends and carers we need to get this story right.”

For those affected by the storyline, Alzheimer’s Society provides a National Dementia Helpline: 0300 222 11 22.

For more information visit: www.alzheimers.org.uk.