Mental Health

How to do good duty of care for staff and crew: inside television’s mental health crisis

The six sit in front of a small brown table, talking

Belatedly, television seems to be waking up to the mental health crisis in the industry.

Progress is being made but there is still a huge amount of work to do. Even leading campaigners recognise that improving mental health is no easy task, not least in facing up to personal circumstances.

Marcus Ryder, CEO of the Film and TV Charity, arrived at the last possible moment for the RTS National Event on duty of care last month, apologising to the event organisers for oversleeping after leaving work feeling ill. This, he admitted to the audience, was a lie.

TV Diary: Marcus Ryder

A few weeks ago, the Film and TV Charity published its latest Looking Glass survey, the largest study of its kind, examining the mental health and wellbeing of people working in the UK’s film, television and cinema industries. The results were not unexpected, but they were still deeply troubling.

Dr Alex to front a new mental wellbeing digital series

The series will encourage young people aged 16-34 to embrace ways that help them get through life’s tough times.

How We Move will see the UK’s Youth Mental Health Ambassador Dr Alex George discover the different ways in which people handle dark points in their life.

Influencers, broadcasters and actors from different cultures and communities will discuss their quirky coping mechanisms.

In the first episode, Dr George will speak to actress Evanna Lynch about how she likes to do handstands and read mundane Amazon product reviews to cope with hard times.

How the mental health of news teams reporting from conflict are protected by broadcasters

There are different kinds of fear,” says Quentin Sommerville, the BBC’s Middle East correspondent. “There’s the risk of getting kidnapped, the threat of roadside bombs and, here in Ukraine, the danger from shelling.”

Mental health in the TV industry after covid

The Film and TV charity has just published Looking Glass ’21, a follow-up to its 2019 research that exposed a mental health crisis in the film, TV and cinema industry. The RTS invited the charity’s CEO, Alex Pumfrey, to discuss the latest findings with other industry professionals, including Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, Lucinda Hicks, CEO of independent production company Banijay, which includes more than 24 labels, and Alicia Dalrymple, junior production manager at Dragonfly and a Channel 4 Production Scheme alumna.

Mental Health in Film and Television After Covid

The Film and TV Charity recently published Looking Glass ’21, a follow-up to its 2019 research which uncovered a mental health crisis in the film, TV and cinema industry. At this special panel session, the charity’s CEO, Alex Pumfrey is joined by Head of Bectu, Philippa Childs, CEO of Banijay, Lucinda Hicks and Alicia Dalrymple, Junior Production Manager at Dragonfly to discuss how Looking Glass ’21 acts as a temperature check for the industry as it emerges from the pandemic.

BBC Three announces mental health documentary with James Arthur

The incredibly personal documentary, James Arthur: Out of Our Minds (working title), will take place in the Northeast where Arthur grew up and has returned to after many years living in London.

Middlesbrough born singer Arthur will be open up about his mental health problems and issues he has had with antidepressants as he prepares to go out on tour.

A government review discovered that 7.3 million, around 17% of the adult population are taking anti-depressants.

Mental Health in Film and Television after Covid

At this special panel session, the charity’s CEO, Alex Pumfrey, will be discussing how Looking Glass ’21 acts as a temperature check for the industry as it emerges from the pandemic.

TV told: care for your talent

Lucy Tallon, head of mental health and wellbeing at The Film and TV Charity, which organised the October event with RTS London, said one in seven people in the UK have some form of nuerodiversity. These are people, such as those with dyslexia and on the autism spectrum, whose “brains learn and function differently to a neurotypical person”.

BBC Children in Need announce new documentary Dr Alex: Our Mental Health Crisis

Credit: BBC/Dragonfly Film and Television Ltd/Ryan McNamara

Dr Alex George will follow the personal journeys of young people from all over the UK who are living with mental health issues.

Many children and young people are feeling the short, medium and long-term impacts of poor mental health and emotional wellbeing, effects which have been made worse by the pandemic.

Produced by Dragonfly North, George will uncover the range of mental health problems young people are facing and how BBC Children in Need funded projects and other charities are helping make a tangible change.

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Mental Health