Mixing a highly personal and revealing documentary with scripted comedy moments, Channel 4 has commissioned a new genre-busting programme with Joe Tracini about living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Ten years ago, Joe Tracini, former Hollyoaks actor turned viral sensation, was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, a condition that around 2% of the country will live with at some point in their lives. BPD severely effects how a person thinks and feels about themselves and other people, leading to intense, unstable emotions, chronic insecurity and intrusive thoughts; and Joe has become known for his very honest sketches about the subject on social media.
Bravely allowing cameras into his life, Joe introduces us to Mick – the constant voice inside his head. The programme will show how Mick feeds Joe negative thoughts and often encourages him to hurt himself – through scenes in which Joe himself plays Mick, appearing on screen alongside his ‘real’ self.
In other parts of the documentary, Joe speaks to his family, loved ones and experts in BPD, in order to gain more understanding into his condition, and try to make his life more liveable – though Mick is never far away. The documentary offers insight into Joe’s battles with addiction and past traumas, and his dreams of pulling off a stand-up comedy show that will reignite his career on stage.
Tim Hancock, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 says: “I am hugely grateful to Joe for allowing us into his life and mind for this powerful, sensitive and at times very funny programme. It’s a unique mix of comedy and brutal authenticity, which all comes together to create a clear portrait of what it is to live with this tough condition.”
Joe Tracini says: “Most films about mental illness are, ironically, depressing. I’m a lot of things, but serious is rarely one of them. I think we can all agree that it’s not the easiest time to be alive, and with things getting worse faster than I can lower my standards, I’m very grateful to Channel 4 & Hungry Bear Media for letting me tell my story my way.”
Executive Producer Dan Baldwin says: “Making this documentary with the phenomenally talented Joe Tracini was a huge highlight for us all. It is a tough, heart-wrenching, enlightening, terrifying and brilliantly funny film. In my opinion, it deserves to win everything – hearts, minds and awards.”
Me and the Voice In My Head is a 1×60 commissioned by Tim Hancock, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4. The documentary is directed and produced by Tom Green and Tommy Forbes. Executive Producer is Dan Baldwin for Hungry Bear Media.
