New Channel 4 series "Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners"

[Blue Water]

Unfortunately, I am not in a position to make a complaint about Obsessive-Compulsive Cleaners because I have never seen it. The reason for that is because I can no longer use my TV, or even watch TV online now, because of my OCD.

[LondonTown]

Just let you know I have had a reply from one of the Secretary of State for Health - Jeremy Hunt's team members and although he sent a very nice email about anti stigma and the Government's strategy 'No health without Mental Health', they were unable to comment on C4 as it is a Private Organisation.

I have started up a Petition and as part of the process I have let C4 and Alison Walsh know about the petition and this was her reply:

Thank you for letting us know about your petition. I hope my previous emails explained some of the thinking behind the series but I would like to assure you that I and my colleagues at Channel 4, at every level, give careful consideration to concerns raised by viewers, charities and other stakeholders about any of our programmes.

As you rightly say on the website, we have now commissioned a second series and again I assure you that we have taken the feedback on board and will in the coming months look at how we can incorporate it into the programme. It is too early to go into detail at this stage but I am more than happy to pick up with you again in a few months’ time.

Very best wishes

Alison

[Biccy]

2nd series unbelievable... I have may words I can use but all are swearing so ill leave it to @&£@€#¥$€

[Ashley]

The reply from Alison is a copy and paste, I also had the same paragraph, plus the obligatory one about meeting.

I can assure you that I and my colleagues at Channel 4, at every level, give careful consideration to concerns raised by viewers, charities and other stakeholders about any of our programmes.

This is the part that I feel is interesting, I don't see where Channel 4 have actually done this?

[LondonTown]

Yes unfortunately it had 'copy and paste' and 'obligatory' written all over it!

Yes, how can they say they have carefully considered our views when they have just commissioned another series!

Hey, Ho, Onwards..........

[Claire1704]

Is it worth those of us who have already complained to Ofcom making a second complaint?

I haven't had a response from David Abrahams, nor to the complaint I made via channel 4, apart from an acknowledgment that they've passed my comments on. I've just contacted channel 4 again asking when the programme makers will do me the courtesy of responding.

I can't believe they've commisioned a second series of this mindless rubbish. Seriously? I'm about to start my housework, do they want to come and watch me? It'll be just as fascinating.

Edited March 23, 2013 by Claire1704

[Ashley]

Thank you again for all your support in trying to get Channel 4 to see sense. Sadly viewing figures are what talks, and as you all know Channel 4 have now commissioned a second series, against our wishes. What we now need to do is ensure the second series is not as damaging as the first.

Today I met with Alison Walsh the disability advisor for Channel 4, along with representatives of Time to Change and Mind, who to be fair did reiterate most of our concerns during the meeting. I think I was perhaps very forthright in my views with Alison, and it is fair to say I don't think we are in agreement on much at all. However, I have set them the challenge of ensuring that the second series, if it does not do better to educate, to at very least not make life worse for people with OCD, which I think we all agree, the first series did! Both I and TTC asked that they ensure they correctly make it clear who has OCD and who does not, for example, the main protagonist in the programme whilst calling herself 'us OCD people' as since admitted she does not have OCD, and also be clear that have OCD is not something that is a positive personality trait which the first season seemed to suggest.

Some format changes are being made, and the big community cleaning projects will not feature in the second series, and they will be trying to explain more about the severity of OCD and involving an OCD specialist in some capacity. In fact Betty TV have already approached Paul Salkovskis (I wonder if the researcher approached in him error not realising he is so appalled at the programme).

My gut feeling is the name of the programme does not allow for a serious look at OCD, and I did tell Alison, either make a programme about OCD or make one about cleaning, I don't think it is appropriate to mix and muddle the two, it simply adds to existing misrepresentations of OCD.

Whilst both Paul and I feel some responsibility to talk to the production team (again, we spoke to them a year ago and they ignored our comments, which I also pointed out in the meeting today) to ensure they get the OCD aspect right, we are both concerned that involvement in this awful series might also be negative if they again produce a poor series of programmes. So the question we both want to ask you, our members, is do you feel we should be trying to ensure they get this programme right and offering them feedback through the production, or should we keep our distance and simply keep reminding channel 4 of their obligations to get it right?

[Claire1704]

Well done on this Ash - I'm glad you were forthright with her as she doesn't seem to realise what an important matter this is!

Your question is a difficult one.... My personal feeling is that if I were asked if I wanted to contribute (which obviously I haven't!) I'd tell them where to go. To me, they need to prove their worth. Their attitude so far to the feedback that has been offered by us has been indifferent at best and I don't trust that they care enough about their subject matter to get it right. I understand that other channels are going to look at OCD in a more useful way and I think if we can, we'd do better to contribute to them. We've made a statement about this and tried to get them to see what damage they've caused and I think we need to stand by this point.

Whilst we should continue to feedback to them as we have done, they've made a complete mess of this and they need to sort it out. If they don't realise that, then there's little hope of improvement. I agree with you completely, make a programme about OCD or make a programme about cleaning. It' not possible to do both without them getting confused.

[LondonTown]

Well, I'm even more annoyed at them for a) not providing decent responses to all of us who complained and b) probably filing our complaints under B for bin, never to be looked at again AND now c) why weren't any of the people who complained invited to the meeting you talk about Ashley - a lot of people have a lot to say about this and though it is great you were there of course, C4 should have followed up with others as well. That does annoy me, I have to be honest.

I don't know, I am inclined to agree with Clare - I need to think about a more decent response - too late - need sleep Zzzzzzz

[Ashley]

I am going to be running another feature on this in the May magazine, along with comments from other charities, and details of those who declined to comment. So far all but one have said they will send comment by the end of the week.

Having been forwarded a flyer that Betty TV are sending out for season two today, it seems lessons have not been learned. So a rather challenging enmail as just been sent to Ch4 and Betty TV, which I am sure will receive the usual polite but generally ignored response.

I will keep post more over the next week, my priority is now more positive work that does help people.

[carolj]

I now have in my possession a copy of the reply from OFCOM to my MP, not sure if anyone else has the OFCOM response or whether you want me to forward a copy to you Ashley?

[Guest orange socks]

I think without a shadow of a doubt that the documentary that is being made for itv will right so many wrongs that this programme has possibly portrayed. The public will see what its really like to live with ocd.

I think that's the way forward. . .getting out there to correct the inaccuracies and misrepresentation.

[Ashley]

Just had an email from Betty TV wanting our help to recruit for series two of this. Copy of my reply below.

Dear Ciara,

You seriously need to do your research before contacting our charity to recruit patients for your awful, and dare I say irresponsible and certainly unhelpful TV programme. Feel free to view our public comments about your programme: http://www.ocduk.org/ObsessiveCompulsiveCleaners

But if your programme is about people 'obsessed with cleaning' (which you wrote), I again ask why your programme is called Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, which is a clear use of the OCD connotation, and if that is the objective, it simply adds to the false stereo-types about what OCD is, hence my irresponsible and unhelpful comment above.

You also mention 'Both parties sympathise with each other's problems and try to help each other emotionally as well as more physically in the hoarder's home.' This is in stark contrast to the first series, where the 'hoarders/so called dirty people' in my opinion where treated appallingly, I still can't forget a young man called Richard being moved to tears after a verbal tirade by the so called 'OCD' person.

As you can tell from my email, we have no respect for your programme and as I mentioned to your colleague Jenny, we will offer you background help to understand OCD if you want our help to minimise the damage of the first series, but we will not help you recruit for your programme.

Kind regards,

Ashley Fulwood
on behalf of OCD-UK

[Ashley]

A rather amusing little story... on the day we have a great OCD TV programme on screen, someone at Betty TV created a forum account (now deleted) and messaged us asking us to promote their recruitment for the new series! You would think they would have more brains than to contact us about this by now, given our very public stance on it.

[Guest orange socks (2)]

A rather amusing little story... on the day we have a great OCD TV programme on screen, someone at Betty TV created a forum account (now deleted) and messaged us asking us to promote their recruitment for the new series! You would think they would have more brains than to contact us about this by now, given our very public stance on it.

I think that they have so many members of staff and freelance workers within some of these little tv companies and a high turnover of workforce that the person asking for promotion probably hadn't got a clue about ocd uks opinion on the programme . Or they just thought they'd do it for a funny wind up

Very often tv companies do employ independent camera people and producers for each new tv programme they make ..... So I suppose there is always the chance that the person asking, genuinely didn't know ocd uk didn't approve of the programme

Edited August 1, 2013 by orange socks (2)

[Ashley]

I think that they have so many members of staff and freelance workers within some of these little tv companies and a high turnover of workforce that the person asking for promotion probably hadn't got a clue about ocd uks opinion on the programme . Or they just thought they'd do it for a funny wind up

Very often tv companies do employ independent camera people and producers for each new tv programme they make ..... So I suppose there is always the chance that the person asking, genuinely didn't know ocd uk didn't approve of the programme

Proof of how unprofessional they are then, they should take due dillgieance and care in their recruitment protocols. The fact they are advertising in newspapers and approaching us makes me suspect they are struggling to recruit.

[Guest orange socks (2)]

Proof of how unprofessional they are then, they should take due dillgieance and care in their recruitment protocols. The fact they are advertising in newspapers and approaching us makes me suspect they are struggling to recruit.

Probably true !

[gingerbreadgirl]

This programme made me angry on so many levels, and the responses of channel 4 are disgraceful. I have always had a lot of respect for Channel 4 but this outrageous behaviour has brought it down several notches.

I understand they want to make an entertaining programme with lots of viewers, etc. I get that. What I don't get is:

- Why it had to be related to OCD. They could have just has fussy cleaners paired with messy people, called it 'obsessive cleaners' or whatever, had the same format, no problems. Still a boring programme, but that's just my view.

- If they really have to drag people with OCD into it, could they not do something similar to supersize vs superskinny, which has the so called 'entertaining' part focusing on people with bad dietary habits, but then they have a more serious, sensitive section in the middle dealing with anorexia. This programme could do the same, and have a section in the middle about OCD, how appalling the illness is, how it can be treated, and so on. This would keep channel 4 happy, while also raising awareness of OCD and educating the public.

There desperately need to be some drastic stages as it is. I literally cannot understand how they can get away with such irresponsible programming and I can't think of any other condition which would be allowed this kind of treatment.

[Guest Elle Belle]

Wow, so Channel 4 now have a programme called 'I am Spazticus'. I didn't think it was possible but they have actually sunk even lower! For a Channel that worked with Mind I am horrified!

[Northern Star]

Wow, so Channel 4 now have a programme called 'I am Spazticus'. I didn't think it was possible but they have actually sunk even lower! For a Channel that worked with Mind I am horrified!

You're not serious?! I would like to swear here but instead will make do with :censored: :censored: morons.

[Guest Elle Belle]

I am serious... I was so shocked I had to Google to check it was true and I hadn't imagined it before I posted!

[Hal]

Wow, so Channel 4 now have a programme called 'I am Spazticus'. I didn't think it was possible but they have actually sunk even lower! For a Channel that worked with Mind I am horrified!

My first reaction when I saw the ads was too, but I think maybe it's all about people with disabilities reclaiming a derogatory term as a form of empowerment - after all the work Channel 4 did with changing attitudes last year with their positive campaign leading up to the Paralympics, I'm sure that's the intention.