Emmerdale bosses reveal Ashley dementia ending will have ‘joyful’ conclusion after emotional two- year battle
Producer Iain McLeod reveals it will "warm the cockles" after the emotional rollercoaster
EMMERDALE will have a "joyful" ending to Ashley's two year battle with dementia, bosses have revealed.
Over the last few months viewers have seen some powerful scenes involving Ashley, including when he forgot who his wife Laurel was.
Producer Iain McLeod has teased that he was working with writers to come up with an ending that could "warm the cockles" after the emotional rollercoaster fans have been on so far.
Speaking on the soap's social media, Iain said: "There's an interesting episode in Ashley's story that you'll get to see before the summer."
He added: "One of the things we're trying to do between now and the summer is find ways to make this a joyful story.
"Something that really warms the cockles as well as breaking your heart."
In a special episode, before Christmas, fans saw what it was like through Ashley's eyes.
The episode received wide-spread praise from fans, who commended it and its actors for providing a "huge insight into dementia".
Actor John Middleton admitted that the episode was a "significant chapter" in Ashley's deterioration.
Charlotte Bellamy, who plays wife Laurel, revealed that her character is "losing control completely" and that "things are going to happen that she's never seen before".
She added: "She's completely out of her depth."
He also spoke to The Sun about the traumatic reality of playing the dementia sufferer.
John, 63, who joined the Yorkshire-based soap in 1996, said: “It’s watching someone diminish.
“Every aspect of this story is true and has come directly from someone we’ve spoken to who has experienced it.
“We had to do this accurately and the way you do that is from the research because we’ve always maintained that this story will come from real stories.
“Just before the story was pitched to me I did find a woman walking in Harrogate and she was obviously confused. So I said, ‘Can I just check with you where you are wanting to go?’
“I knew there was a care home at the top of the hill and I said to her, ‘I think I know where you need to go’ and that line is actually in the script that I’ve just done.”
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