In September, Coronation Street’s Tyrone, played by Alan Halsall, sustained a spinal cord injury after a hit and run that threatened to leave him paralysed from the waist down. In tonight’s episode (24 Nov), Cassie films him at a physio session at which he is almost able to walk, the first time since the hit and run car accident.
National charity Spinal Injuries Association, whose expertise was called on by the Coronation Street producers, says you cannot underestimate the importance of representing those with spinal cord injuries on a show like Coronation Street.
Actor Alan Halsall said, “The show’s brilliant at doing the research. The thing is with a spinal injury, though, is that they’re different for every single person.”
A specialist nurse from the charity provided insight from a clinical perspective, informing the writers from the moment of Tyrone’s diagnosis.
Carol Adcock from Liverpool said, “Spinal cord injuries affect thousands of people in the UK alone. It is indiscriminate and can happen to anyone. Disabled people were historically often portrayed in the media as inspirational heroes or victims. Not everyone is aware of how spinal cord injury can impact a person physically, psychologically, and in their relationships and everyday life. As one of the UK’s longest-running and most-watched soaps, Coronation Street has a unique platform to influence public attitudes and policy conversations.”
While those with complete spinal cord injuries will become full-time wheelchair users, Tyrone’s storyline represents those who often fall off the radar. People who go on to walk again with no visible signs of their disability often report feeling “not disabled enough” to receive support and understanding from friends, family, healthcare professionals, or the wider public. One Spinal Injuries Association member said of her own experience, “There’s a lot of animosity regarding those who don’t look disabled enough.”
Tyrone’s journey will showcase the experiences of an under-represented group. Carol said, “Just because someone recovers motor function in their legs does not been that they have full recovery of the nerves that control their bladder, bowel and sexual functioning. This group of individuals may look like they are not disabled but still experience urinary and faecal incontinence as well as sexual dysfunction. Topics that society often shies away from talking about. This is often described as having a hidden disability.”
As well as portraying the impact on Tyrone, the writers of Coronation Street were keen to show the effects on his family, particularly his wife Fiz, played by Jenny McAlpine. As part of their efforts to be as accurate as possible, Alan and Jenny met Manchester arena bomb survivor and Spinal Injuries Association’s vice president Martin Hibbert, along with his wife Gabby, who were able to give their perspective as a married couple.
Alan said, “We might be telling this story on screen but at the end of the day we go home to our family and friends and leave behind what the characters are going through. Even just trying to negotiate getting round the set in the wheelchair has been a real eyeopener for me, so to hear Martin’s own stories about how his life has changed has been really helpful and also humbling.”
Jenny added, “For Fiz trying to juggle family life and caring for Tyrone is really difficult. It was invaluable for us to meet them both and hear Gabby’s side of their story, for them their lives changed in an instant in so many ways and that is what Fiz is having to deal with whilst looking after Tyrone.”
For Alan, the extensive research and collaboration with Spinal Injuries Association has helped inform his performance to raise awareness of spinal cord injury. He said, “Speaking to the medical professionals who are on set, I’m wanting to know ‘how much can I turn my shoulders? How much can I turn my head?’ But everybody has a different reaction to their surgery, and therefore there is no real timeline. It means that we don’t have to be so specific, because that could also bring its challenges. But it’s being aware that there are people at home who this has happened to for real.”
Reflecting on the importance of representation, Carol said, “Often healthcare professionals, let alone the general public, don’t understand the full complexities of a spinal injury. Raising awareness often results in increased understanding and empathy, which is greatly needed.”
