Psychiatric nurse Paul Bascombe was a colleague of Martin Platt and worked alongside him at Weatherfield General.
In March 1995, after turning down an invitation for a lads' night out, Martin confided in Paul about how wife Gail had hardly stopped crying for two days and two nights. Paul hinted that she could be suffering from a nervous breakdown, and after further probing, Martin confessed to having a bit of a fling with "someone" at the Christmas party - although it didn't mean anything.
When Paul suggested that Gail came to the hospital to speak with the main psychiatric doctor, Martin shrugged off the idea and eventually went back home with a bottle of sleeping tablets for himself.