Mark Charnock asked for an expert to accompany him on set when he was shooting the child choking scenes on 'Emmerdale'.
Mark Charnock
Fans were left gripped to the edge of their seats on Monday (20.03.17) night when Marlon Dingle's (Mark) daughter April got a hard-boiled sweet wedged in her throat and, in order to make the storyline as realistic and safe as possible, the cast member requested professional help with administering the life-saving technique so that viewers at home could learn something from the scenes.
Speaking about filming the scenes on ITV's 'Lorraine' show, on Tuesday (21.03.17) morning, Mark said: "It is every parent's worst nightmare, we wanted to get that right because we have a responsibility, the whole choking thing as well, we asked for a guy to be on set to show us how to do it properly if people were watching they would get an idea of what to do. They say don't panic but who wouldn't."
Mark admitted it was vital that they addressed the issue properly because sharing the technique on screen could potentially save a child's life in the future.
Mark explained: "The guy was brilliant because you've got to get between that thing of getting it right technically, bend the child forward slightly and put your hand on the chest and on the back and hit her hard, but he was saying you need to bend her further forward obviously Marlon wouldn't be an expert in this so you want it to look real as well, so it's tricky."
The scenes saw Marlon's girlfriend Carly Hope (Gemma Atkinson) witness the ordeal but her instincts fail to kick in because she's still tormented by the fact her son Billy died at two months old from sudden infant death syndrome.
Gemma said: "It's terrifying, even when we filmed it, it was horrible. Carly's already lost a baby early to cot death, so in her mind it's too much pressure for her and she doesn't want it to happen again and it's not because she doesn't care or love April, she just genuinely didn't know what to do."
Carly ran away - leaving viewers wondering whether she will return to the Dales.
Gemma, 32, explained: "She's just one of those people, if she's facing a problem she just runs away, she thinks it's better if she just starts a fresh somewhere else, she's lived all over the country and has had no stability in her life until now. So now she has that, we're dying for Marlon to say to her, 'listen, I do trust you, we can make it work' but it has to be dramatic."
Mark added: "From his point of view it's heart breaking because he is in love with her, and he's a character I think who is in love with the idea of being in love, and he wants to love somebody so it's a big thing for him, he wants to have a family and he's finally found someone who he really believes will be an amazing mum to his daughter but it doesn't take much to prick that bubble that they've got themselves into - especially with the situation she's got herself in to - she's not grieved for him [Billy] at all."
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