The second season of ITV’s After the Flood aired on Sunday, 18 January, featuring a character with epilepsy at the centre of detective constable Jo Marshall’s investigation.
The drama, available in full now on ITVX, continues the storyline from season one, as Jo (Sophie Rundle) tries to get to the bottom of Sgt Phil Mackie (Nicholas Gleaves) and her own father’s corruption in the police, while also protecting her mum, Molly (Lorraine Ashbourne), from the truth.
When two bodies turn up on the Moors, Jo’s investigation unravels personal conflicts in Waterside, the truth behind the contamination of the river and the culprit behind it all.
Todd Drake (Jason Walsh) was one of the victims found on the Moors. We learn he is part of an activist group trying to uncover chemical plant Aexous’ part in the river contamination.
We find out he has epilepsy from his medical ID band when his body is discovered. It is later revealed he had a seizure while breaking into the chemical plant to look for evidence with his group.
Fellow activist Xav (Matthew McNulty) decides to drive him to the hospital after Todd has another seizure, but crashes the vehicle, accidentally killing Todd.
Todd’s epilepsy provides key clues for Jo to uncover the cause of death of the two bodies on the Moors and follow the trail to the villain behind the piece.
Seeing yourself on TV
The crime drama is one of a string of programmes on ITV in recent months highlighting epilepsy and its nuances.
Last year, Coronation Street introduced new character Brody Michaelis, who has epilepsy. The soap featured several seizures on screen, highlighting the condition and its effects.
Recently, ITV launched its new soap schedule with a crossover episode of Coronation Street and Emmerdale, Corriedale. At the end of the episode, longstanding character David Platt (Jack P Shephard) had a dramatic seizure, showing the effects of stress on the condition.
In the next episode of Coronation Street, he chooses to drive over to see his pregnant partner in the hospital, where she criticises his decision to get behind the wheel.
Alongside these programmes, the cast of ITV’s standout survival reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here last November included music icon Martin Kemp, who has openly spoken about his epilepsy.
Authentic portrayals
Chantal Spittles, PR & media manager at Epilepsy Action said: “It’s great to see epilepsy being represented on British television, with a condition that’s widely misunderstood being placed in front of millions on the sofa and getting the nation talking.
“We’re especially pleased to see the consistent efforts ITV have made this past year in improving their representation – After the Flood, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Corriedale all featured epilepsy storylines, with Epilepsy Action working closely with Coronation Street on Brody’s story.
“Whilst it is great to see an improvement in the visibility of epilepsy on-screen, there’s still a long way to go. We want to thank ITV for their hard work in helping us change the narrative of epilepsy, by creating authentic portrayals of characters living with the condition.
“However, this level of representation should be standard and we also need to see just how varied epilepsy is. Not everyone with epilepsy is affected by flashing lights or has tonic-clonic seizures – epilepsy is so much more than that.
“People with epilepsy deserve to be seen across all spaces, particularly given the widespread lack of public understanding. Exploring the real challenges that come with epilepsy in high-profile shows can make a powerful difference and help us to create a world without limits for people with epilepsy.”
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