Professor Green's 'Suicide and Me' explores the ‘silent epidemic’ in heartfelt BBC3 documentary

Rapper Stephen Manderson investigates a family history of suicide and attempts to break the taboo
Open and honest: Professor Green's new documentary attempts to break down stigmas around suicide
BBC/Antidote Productions/Duncan Stingemore
Ben Travis27 October 2015

Rapper Professor Green’s new documentary opens with a startling fact: suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK.

Over 6,000 people commit suicide a year in Britain, and approximately 80% of those cases are male.

His one-hour film, titled Suicide and Me, asks two important questions: why are the proportions of male suicides so high? And why is nobody talking about it?

It’s a topic with a tragic relevance to Professor Green, aka Stephen Manderson. When he was 24, his estranged father committed suicide, just two years after his uncle (on his dad’s side of the family) did the same. Manderson has also spoken out previously about his own experiences with depression and anxiety.

Looking into possible reasons why his father might have chosen to end his life, Manderson’s aim with the documentary is clear – to get people talking and start acknowledging this problem.

“It’s not a topic that anyone really wants to talk about, you know. You want to empty a room, then you bring up suicide,” he says in the film. “I would like to highlight the severity of the situation and bit by bit remove the taboo that surrounds it.”

Even within his own family, it’s a case of breaking down barriers – in an emotional exchange, Manderson speaks to his Nanny Pat, who helped raise him, about what his father was like for the first time since he passed away. It’s a discussion that brings back painful and poignant memories, but one that seems to have an immediate effect of lifting some of the weight that Manderson feels.

“Me and my nan are not that great at talking,” he admits. “We discussed things that we hadn’t really, I got to ask her loads of questions that I’ve wanted to and haven’t before, and hopefully it’s the start of a much more open dialogue.”

That’s the central idea at play here: talking, removing the stigma of fear and judgement around getting help, and rallying voices to help break that taboo.

Meeting with amateur rugby coach Ben, who has attempted suicide twice and whose father also committed suicide, the pair talk about the positive effects of opening up.

“If you can’t talk about how you’re feeling, eventually it just grinds you down,” Ben says. “I managed to last nine years [after my father’s suicide] and I have no idea how, looking back.”

It’s a brave and honest film – and most importantly, one that adds to a conversation in desperate need of some airtime.

Professor Green goes pro

1/6

BBC Three, 9pm

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