Professor Green: Suicide and Me, TV review: an emotional documentary on male suicide

Following the death of his dad, the rapper investigates why so many men opt to kill themselves

Daisy Wyatt
Wednesday 28 October 2015 00:07 GMT
Comments
(BBC)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Emotions ran high in Professor Green: Suicide and Me on BBC3. Fans of the rapper, aka Stephen Manderson, will know him as a Hackney boy done good, tattooed to the nines and married to Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh. But behind the doors of their aspirational home stocked full of almond milk there is a much sadder tale.

Manderson’s father, Peter, killed himself in 2008 when the rapper was 24. It is a topic he has returned to in songs such as “Read All About It”, but the 31-year-old has never delved much deeper into why his dad chose to take his life until now.

The documentary followed his personal journey and quest to highlight the high rate of male suicide, which is the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK.

On the way, Manderson, met friends of his father, men who had overcome suicidal thoughts and a grieving family who had lost their young son and brother to suicide.

The overwhelming conclusion, that men are under too much pressure to appear macho, is one many will already be familiar with. Nevertheless, Manderson’s repeated crying throughout the programme had an impact all of its own.

It may be that the rapper’s tears will usher in a watershed moment. Young men must know that expressing emotion is normal.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in