This article was originally published in The Courier on 4 November 2017.
BLUE PLANET II: Sunday, BBC One
LOUIS THEROUX: TALKING
TO ANOREXIA: Sunday,
BBC Two
Immense
awe and tremendous wonder were the order of the day in BLUE PLANET II, the long-awaited sequel to David Attenborough’s
multi-award-winning natural history milestone.
Filmed
over four years and 125 global expeditions, this undersea epic began by
introducing us to “creatures beyond our imagination”.
That
was no idle boast – Attenborough isn’t one for hyperbole – as highlights
included: surprisingly intelligent fish who can use tools and who’ve worked out
how to calculate the trajectory of doomed seabirds; a vast army of nocturnal
mobula rays feasting on glowing plankton; bizarre sea cucumbers stuffing
themselves senseless; and a female fish changing sex to challenge a male for
control of his subaquatic harem.
Inevitably,
it wasn’t all mind-boggling fun and games. Ever since we became aware of global
warming, Attenborough’s programmes have struck an increasingly sombre note. A
female walrus desperately searching for some melting shore space to protect her
infant was the programme’s most lasting, tragic image.
Festooned with typically stunning, innovative footage and a sensitive soundtrack from Hans
Zimmer – not to mention Sir Dave’s comfortingly authoritative tones – this was another
glistening example of why the BBC, for all its faults, should be cherished and
preserved.
As
if to cement that point, on the very same evening they broadcast LOUIS THEROUX: TALKING TO ANOREXIA, in
which the nation’s favourite gentle interlocutor visited a London hospital specialising
in care for inpatients with eating disorders.
He
met vulnerable young women who are forced to adhere to strictly supervised meal
schedules. For obvious reasons, toilets are locked during mealtimes and for
half an hour afterwards. They also receive therapy and lessons preparing them
for living healthily in the outside world. One of them likened it to prison. The
recovery process is long, difficult and prone to failure.
Anorexia
is a mental illness with the highest fatality rate of any psychological
disorder. Its causes are complex and vary from patient to patient, although all
of the women featured in the programme spoke of a debilitating lack of
self-worth. For most of them, Anorexia is an extreme way of coping with anxiety
and stress via obsessive-compulsive self-control.
The
potentially long-lasting toll of this illness was encapsulated by a single woman
in her sixties who’s been wrestling with Anorexia for most of her life. She
told Theroux that she was scared of adult responsibilities and didn’t want to
grow up. If she eats she feels like a failure. “I don’t feel I deserve,” she
admitted.
Theroux
doesn’t like to leave us feeling totally bereft, hence his visit to a young
woman who, with support from her tired parents, seemed to be improving.
But
as is so often the case with his programmes, one came away with a greater
understanding of a complicated issue while at the same time wondering if the
people he met will ever escape from their nightmarish condition. Life rarely
provides neat, happy resolutions.
Cynics
may carp about Theroux’s tried and tested “sad face” formula, but that says
more about them than the programmes he makes. He always treats his contributors
- the most important component of every Theroux report – with sensitivity and
respect. His documentaries are about troubled people, never the man himself. He
asks sensible questions, listens without judgement and gives voice to those who
are rarely heard within mainstream society.
This
film, which successfully raised awareness of a devastating mental illness, was
a particularly valuable example of his craft. He’ll be as feted as Attenborough
one day.
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