Channel 4 'Straitjackets' Winston Churchill

19 July 2012

Channel 4 'straitjacketed' the statues of some of the most respected and admired Britons of all time including Winston Churchill's in Parliament Square, Westminster. The other statues include Florence Nightingale in Waterloo Place, London, Charles Darwin in Shrewsbury and Samuel Johnson in Lichfield.

Each of them were 'restrained' in a bespoke straightjacket which had the mental illness they are reputed to have had stamped across it. The ‘straitjacketing' was carried out to promote Channel 4's bold season of prime-time programming challenging mental health stigma and discrimination, 4 Goes Mad which starts on Monday 23 July.

The stunt was also captured as part of a short film to air in Channel 4's Arts strand Random Acts next week.

Commissioning Editor for the season, Lina Prestwood says: "Despite the fact one in four of us are likely to experience a mental health condition in our lifetime, misunderstanding and stigma persists. We wanted to demonstrate how outmoded attitudes towards mental illness can be - by using the archaic image of the straightjacket in conjunction with individuals whose achievements have made them some of the most celebrated Britons of all time - they also happened to have mental health conditions.

"In 2012, it is no longer straitjackets holding people back - it is discrimination that is preventing people from fulfilling their potential."

 

 

The Famous Britons

Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill suffered from severe bouts of depression which he nicknamed his ‘black dog'. Pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale has been described by psychiatrists of today as a classic case of Bipolar Disorder and legendary scientist Charles Darwin, author of The Origin of Species, experienced crippling anxiety.

Samuel Johnson made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, biographer and editor - his dictionary is still recognised as one of the most influential in the history of the English language. Johnson was concerned about his sanity throughout his lifetime and is believed to have suffered, but attempted to disguise, symptoms of depression.

Rethink Mental Illness, a leading mental health charity commissioned a bronze statue of Winston Churchill in a straightjacket in 2006. Jane Harris, Associate Director of Rethink says: "We're pleased to see Channel 4 putting mental health on the agenda with this bold stunt. Churchill in a straightjacket is a provocative but powerful image which highlights the message that mental illness can affect anyone, no matter how able or successful. Our campaign six years ago caused some controversy, but the response we had from the public was overwhelmingly positive. Most importantly, it opened up a national conversation around the taboo subject of mental illness."

 

 

Notes to Editors

Statue locations:

Winston Churchill, Parliament Square, Westminster, London

Florence Nightingale, Waterloo Place, London

Charles Darwin, outside Shrewsbury Library (Darwin's former school building), Shropshire

Samuel Johnson, Market Square, Lichfield (his birthplace)

 

 

4 Goes Mad Season
4 Goes Mad is a bold season of prime-time programming challenging mental health stigma and discrimination - particularly in the workplace. With one in four of us likely to experience a mental health condition in our lifetime, the season explores what happens when other people know - how does it change their views and what impact does it have on work prospects?

The season includes:

Ruby Wax's Mad Confessions (23 July) Building on the success of her current mental health stage show, as part of which audience members often reveal their mental health stories for the first time, Ruby Wax, who herself has depression, will be following a number of successful businesspeople as they disclose a mental health condition to their employers - and, in some cases, even family and friends.

Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD (24 July) Jon will be exploring a subject very close to the subject of his own stand-up shows and book, ‘It's Not Me, It's You' as he delves into the world of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. He'll be meeting people across the OCD spectrum and find out once and for all if he's a simply a demanding perfectionist or has OCD.

World's Maddest Job Interview (25 July) - a major TV event. Eight volunteers have appeared on some of Channel 4's most popular prime-time strands including Come Dine With Me, Location, Location Location, Countdown and Superscrimpers. Some of them have had serious mental health issues, some not. In this programme they are brought together to undertake a demanding five-day-long job appraisal, all the time observed by a panel of employers whose task is to decide who they think is the most employable. At the same time, the eight will also be subjected to scrutiny by an expert psychiatric team who will try to identify those who have a background of mental health issues - and those who have not.