Emotional TV has struck a chord with the unsettled British public

While the perils of celebrity aren’t often relatable to many of us, fear and sadness are, writes Charlotte Cripps

Kate Garraway’s new documentary follows her husband’s illness, after he was hospitalised with Covid in 2020 (ITV)

Kate Garraway’s moving fly-on-the-wall documentary Finding Derek was on ITV this week. It was deeply personal.  

The Good Morning Britain presenter documented her husband illness since he was hospitalised with Covid in March last year and its devastating impact on her family.

Meanwhile, Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death on Channel 4 last week was also heartbreaking. The ex-Love Island and X-Factor host took her own life while facing trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend.

It featured emotional interviews and home videos with Flack’s mother Christine and sister Jody. It also explored the destructive roles the media and social media played in her death.

Harry and Meghan’s interview on ITV earlier this month with Oprah attracted 11.3 million UK viewers. It also felt shockingly personal, as Meghan spoke about mental illness and racism within the royal family. The 90-minute Framing Britney Spears last month on NOW TV, about her father’s conservatorship and the media’s sexist treatment of her, also pulled at the heartstrings. The pop star didn’t take part in the documentary but her vulnerability was crystal clear.  

This recent spate of emotional TV might just be what we all need right now.

Read more:

• Piers Morgan praises Kate Garraway as ‘heartbreaking’ documentary airs

During the pandemic, we are feeling anxious, upset, worried, unsettled – and grieving our old life – so these TV shows hit a chord.

While the perils of celebrity might not be relatable to many of us, depression, fear, and sadness are. There is something healing about people opening up about their feelings and struggles.

As a working mum juggling two kids in a pandemic, my life can often feel like a military operation with little time to gauge my emotions. But over the last few weeks, we’ve been inundated with emotional TV that made me pause and feel again. 

It’s not always about relating to what happened but identifying with the shared feelings. As we are told to prepare for a possible third wave, it’s a bonus not to feel alone.

Yours,

Charlotte Cripps

Culture writer