The Family Man comes to ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE in March
Trevor Eve plays Dr Patrick Stowe
When Trevor Eve was approached to play the role of Dr Patrick Stowe in The Family Man he jumped at the chance, especially when he discovered it was written by Bafta-winning Tony Marchant.
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"I really like Tony's work," says Trevor. "I was sent some scripts and think the subject is absolutely fascinating. It's at a particular stage now scientifically, but who knows where it could march on into some kind of designer future."
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Leaving the confines of the Cold Case Unit, the Waking
The Dead star enters the ever-changing world of IVF as he plays a charismatic
fertility expert.
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Patrick Stowe has helped hundreds of couples over
the years to have babies of their own and strongly believes that
each case should be judged individually, a belief which puts him at odds
with many of his colleagues.
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"Patrick is a man who I think wants to try and please everybody," explains Trevor.
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"He wants to use his knowledge to maximum effect to help people, and I think this pushes him into a dilemma, really, as to how far he should go and whether he crosses the boundaries and the ethical guidelines that are laid out.
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"I think he sometimes feels compelled to cross them so he can help people who are really struggling and have particular requirements.
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"It's probably because his personal life is really in
a state and he thinks he hasn't contributed much to that, so he wants to
contribute to other people's welfare."
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Very passionate and principled about what he does, Patrick
spends most of his time at work, which ends up affecting his family
life and his relationship with his children.
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"I met a very successful IVF commissioner who has never taken a holiday in eight
years, is on call seven days a week and starts every morning at 7am with egg
collections," says Trevor.
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"I think you can delegate, but I also think there
are a lot of consultants who believe that they should see the process through.
They're totally committed. That's a very realistic aspect of the story."
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One could argue that Patrick is playing God with people's
lives, but perhaps there's a small part of him that quite enjoys being
in control?
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"I speak for Patrick, and not for all the IVF commissioners,
but yes, I think so. He has this expertise, and I really think he enjoys
using it," agrees Trevor. "I
think the whole idea of being able to give the gift of life
to people who can't get it in nature's prescribed way does tend to seem
godlike... I don't think he
sees himself like that."
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As part of his research, Trevor met some couples currently
going through IVF treatment, and found it to be a "religious experience."
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"I
researched it and went through all the procedures," explains
Trevor. "People were kind enough to
let me attend their session, which was staggering and very
moving.
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"Also, what the woman's body has to go through in terms of
the hormone process... it's
very taxing for her. I think The Family Man does
show this – it's
extremely informative and enlightening."
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Trevor, who is married to Holby City actress Sharon Maughan
and has three children, hasn't changed his perception of IVF, but certainly
now appreciates the dilemma that science is in.
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"I'm very fortunate to have had three children quite easily,
and to experience, certainly in my research, people's agonies and
desperation over their inability to conceive naturally... I find that
extraordinary.
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"I knew that it existed, but I didn't know that it was
to such an extent."
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More and more people today expect to be able to have children
with no complications, and can be unprepared when things
don't go according to plan.
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In today's world, we expect there to be solutions
to everything, but IVF treatment isn't always straightforward.
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"I didn't realise that there were all these particular ethical guidelines that
you have to adhere to and that you
can only put so many embryos back, depending on the age of the woman," explains
Trevor.
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So, what are Trevor's thoughts on where the IVF industry
is heading?
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"It's fascinating and I don't have the answer, but it's certainly made me think
about it. I absolutely understand
how, when you have the science and when you have the ability, you might well
want to help people and break the guidelines."
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Trevor is currently filming the next series of the Emmy-winning
drama, Waking The Dead, in which he plays Detective
Superintendent Peter Boyd.
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"I'm going to be doing that for ever!" laughs Trevor. "As long as people enjoy
it, then I'm happy to do it. But
it can get quite gruesome sometimes!"
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His
other credits include playing the investigator Eddie
Shoestring, plus starring roles in The Politician's
Wife, A Sense Of Guilt and David Copperfield.
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He
has worked alongside Daniel Day Lewis in In
The Name Of The Father, and with Jude Law in the 2001 film
Enemy At The Gates.
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