Mental Health

Over the past year, Joe Wicks has had a meteoric rise from an Instagram famous health and fitness guru, to a beloved national treasure. 

During the pandemic, Wicks kept millions fit with his online PE classes and won over the country with his positive attitude, enthusiasm and charm. 

However, Wicks did not have an easy start in his life, he grew up with parents who struggled with their mental health. 

His mother experienced acute OCD and his father suffered from heroin addiction.

Too Close

Monday

ITV, 9pm

Emily Watson (Chernobyl) stars in this new psychological thriller as the forensic psychologist Emma Robertson, who has been assigned a new patient, Connie Mortensen (Denise Gough), a wife and mother who has been accused of a horrific crime.

John, who uses gender neutral pronouns, had previously phoned the station to share how they had been struggling during the lockdown of 2020, to the point where they had planned to end their life. Then they happened to sit down and watch an episode of Hollyoaks, coincidentally the traumatic conclusion of a depression storyline featuring two characters Kyle and Darren.

The coronavirus outbreak has left much of the television workforce idle, with most TV production suspended since March. Freelancers, who account for 100,000 of the total TV and film workforce of 180,000, have been dealt the rawest of deals. They have been hit hardest by the lockdown – 93% are out of work, according to The Film and TV Charity.

Nearly nine in every 10 people working in the sector have experienced mental health problems, according to research from The Film and TV Charity, which co-hosted the online event in early June.

“That is significantly higher than the UK population as a whole, where the figure is 65%,” said Alex Pumfrey, CEO of the charity. “There is a much higher prevalence of mental health problems for people working within film and television.”

She added: “More than half of people working in the industry have considered taking their own life.”

Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins

Channel 4

Monday 25^th May, 9:00pm

Freddie Flintoff On Bulimia will see Flintoff try to understand the causes and impact of his personal struggles with bulimia and explore why eating disorders are so hidden in men.

The famous cricketer will talk to experts and men suffering from the illness to learn about the reality of being a man with an eating disorder.

Flintoff has gone from being one of Britain’s best loved sporting heroes to having a successful screen career, which includes the coveted role as a Top Gear presenter.

Actor David Harewood spoke about his bumpy road to success – including the tough life lessons he learned from Spike Lee and from Erik Estrada of CHiPs – in a candid and entertaining homecoming evening in Birmingham.

During the RTS Midlands’ “In conversation with…” event, the Homeland star enthralled the audience in the prestigious surroundings of the Council House’s Banqueting Suite.

The charity has launched the first ever industry-wide study, The Looking Glass, to get an insight into the wellbeing and mental health of those working in the TV and film industry and how could they be supported better.

The launch is accompanied by a short film titled Smashed? starring Alex Reece, which has been created by music video director Tim Pope and voiced by actor Adrian Lester.