My Mad Fat Diary Cast
image credit E4
This is the second in my series of posts about 2014 BAFTA nominated dramas and what I’ve learned from them. I have to say, I’ve been more entertained and touched by My Mad Fat Diary than the other nominees, perhaps because it is the only one categorized as a dramedy. The struggle and angst of human existence is punctuated with amusingly embarrassing, even joyful, moments and through teenage diarist Rae Earl we experience a bit of both, the painful and the sublime.
Sharon Rooney is a revelation as sixteen-year-old Rae who has just been released from a mental institution for attempting suicide (though her actions may have been a case of cutting gone too far). After four months she must leave the safety of the hospital and her best friend Tix (Sophie Wright) and return home to resume an often contentious relationship with her mother (played by BAFTA nominee Claire Rushbrook).
Rae haltingly re-enters the complicated world of blended family, new friends she may not be able to trust, and the whole quagmire that the opposite sex and the accompanying hormones present. Adolescence is an undeniable universal enterprise, but what did I learn about the UK from watching My Mad Fat Diary?
1. NHS Mental Health Services – Rae has been in a psychiatric ward or wing of a hospital where all the services she needs are at hand – a doctor to monitor her medications and other health issues, one-on-one sessions with a therapist, group therapy with other residents, etc. However, when she is released some of this assistance is still available and she is encouraged to take advantage of it.
According to the NHS website, “in many parts of the country, mental health services are organised by specialist mental health trusts. Mental health trusts provide inpatient care, community and rehabilitation services, residential care centres, day clinics, and drop-in centres.” I don’t know how well the NHS deals with complicated mental illness concerns, but in my personal experience in the States, it can take years to find comprehensive, coordinated mental health care.
My favorite scenes of the whole series were actually the funny, touching and often raw interactions between Rae and her therapist, Dr. Kester (Ian Hart).
2. Sixteen-Year-Olds are Treated Like Adults – And I’m not even talking about questionable behaviors like going to raves, taking Ecstasy and sleeping passed out in a field all night. That’s not advisable for anyone of any age really. I am reminded each time I see these shows about older teens that, in the UK ,they are practically considered to be adults. They can leave school at sixteen. It’s also the age of consent and if you want an abortion you don’t have to have your parents’ permission.
You will note Rae and her friends freely buying alcohol in the following scene although if I remember correctly from The Inbetweeners you can buy beer or cider with a meal and if an adult orders it for you…Otherwise you need to be eighteen to buy alcohol outright. Artistic license or lax pub landlords? You decide.
3. Lincolnshire accent – And finally, please indulge my accent fetish. Here’s what I assume to be a fair facsimile of a Lincolnshire dialect. It’s something to do with the “T’s” I think (or the lack thereof).
I have to say that even though My Mad Fat Diary‘s competition is serious and probably unbeatable, I’ll have my fingers crossed that this dramatic comedy with its talented young cast might upset the police mysteries and depressing period dramas. Its message is just as relevant and important as Broadchurch, The Village or The Top of the Lake…perhaps more so.
Everything I Know about the UK... I Learned from the BBC 