Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street star Harriet Bibby has spoken to Digital Spy about Paul Foreman’s funeral, confirming that the big day won’t be drama-free.
Harriet’s character Summer Spellman is among the mourners as the Weatherfield community gathers to pay their last respects to Paul in Wednesday’s episode (October 2).
Summer was devastated last month as Paul – one of her three dads – sadly passed away following his 18-month journey living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
The show’s next episode sees Billy Mayhew lead the service as a final tribute to his late husband. However, Billy’s carefully-planned arrangements threaten to go awry when Paul’s troublesome father Denny turns up as a guest.
Related: Exclusive – Coronation Street star Peter Ash responds to Paul Foreman funeral rows
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy on the red carpet at the Inside Soap Awards last night, Harriet spoke about the big episode to come.
Harriet told us: “It was really emotional [to film]. I’ve said all along during this storyline that our characters were saying goodbye to Paul, but we were also saying goodbye to Pete [Ash, who played Paul].
“It is really emotional to watch. It’s going to be an emotional day.”
She continued: “I think Denny is known for causing a bit of trouble so you can expect it on the day, yeah!”
Related: Exclusive – Coronation Street star addresses surprise return for Paul’s funeral
Paul’s family have been divided over the past few weeks, with Billy favouring a traditional church service for the funeral and Bernie Winter pushing the idea of a street rave to celebrate her son’s life.
They’ve since reached a compromise by deciding to do both options on separate days, although there are more tensions to come this week over arrangements for Paul’s ashes.
Discussing Summer’s role in the story, Harriet explained: “Among all the bickering, she does kind of become the voice of reason. She wants to bang Bernie and Billy’s heads together and say: ‘Look, let’s actually think about the important thing here. We should actually be standing together for Paul. He wouldn’t have wanted us bickering’.
“So she does become a voice of reason. She does become a grounding place for everyone who’s arguing, which is quite nice.”
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Paul’s storyline was one of the big winners at last night’s Inside Soap Awards ceremony, which took place in London.
Peter triumphed in the Best Actor category, while he also won Best Partnership alongside Daniel Brocklebank, who plays Billy.
Paul’s journey living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) was also named Best Storyline.
Harriet added: “I am so pleased that it’s getting the recognition it deserves. Pete, Dan and everyone in our little Corrie family worked really, really hard to do this storyline well and give it the energy that it deserves.
“For Pete to get the recognition is amazing. For Pete and Dan to get the recognition as well for Partnership is fantastic. I’m really proud.”
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Coronation Street has been working on Paul’s storyline with support from the MND Association, which focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for people affected by motor neurone disease.
The charity’s helpline MND Connect (0808 802 6262) is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, and 7pm to 10.30pm. Calls are free.