Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive

In 2006, Mind Ambassador Stephen Fry featured in a two-part documentary called The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive. The documentary explored what it’s like living with bipolar disorder. Stephen spoke about his own experience and interviewed celebrities and members of the public about their experiences.

Stephen’s documentary paved the way for other celebrities to share their mental health stories. His interviews find the positives of living with bipolar disorder, and he shines a light on a wide range of people’s experiences and how they manage their diagnoses. The documentary was one of the first of its kind. It received public acclaim, including winning an Emmy Award. In 2016, Stephen featured in a follow-up documentary titled The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: 10 Years On.

Andrea shares her thoughts

Andrea was the Commissioning Executive on Stephen’s documentary. We asked her what it was like to make the documentary at the time.

“Back then, bipolar disorder was a totally misunderstood condition: a condition that people really did not want to talk about. But Stephen opened up with humour and empathy about himself and his rollercoaster of a life.”

Charlotte shares her thoughts

Charlotte is the Chief Content Officer at the BBC. She was an Executive Producer on Stephen’s documentary. We asked her to share her experience of working on the documentary.