Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners - Season Two

[BristolChris]

Just to show what this programme has done someone on another forum said they wished they had a friend with ocd after watching the programme

[Ashley]

I wasn't going to say anything about this, but I actually met the people who were recruiting for this programme, in my city (Norwich). It was about six weeks ago. They were standing in the street, with a big sign asking if you have OCD! Interested, I approached them, only to see that they were literally recruiting passers by who had OCD symptoms for the programme. I was stunned. I took a deep breath and spoke with the two very polite young people who were doing the recruiting. I didn't say I was a sufferer, because I didn't want them to discount what I was saying. I approached it from the point of view of someone who works with young people who have mental health issues - this is part of my job. Luckily I was wearing my work lanyard so looked official! I kept super calm, but asked them politely how they felt about exposing people with OCD to ridicule for the purposes of entertainment. They did actually look and sound quite ashamed and a bit embarrassed. They mumbled something about how they got a psychologist to sign off on everyone who appears, and when I asked them who this psychologist was, they said 'umph well er you know...'.

I did raise the issue also of what this charity has said about the programme and they said to me 'Oh yeah, that charity OCD UK were well furious' or something of that ilk.

I kept my cool throughout and did distinctly get the feeling that the young man was aware that there are two sides to the story. I asked him politely to pass on to his colleagues (he was not a media temp, he told me proudly that he was the company's recruiter) that many people with OCD were not happy about the effects of his programme. He said he 'oh er yeah um' would!!

There, got that off my chest, didn't watch the programme as I can't afford to break my TV by throwing things at it. Sorry to hear it's worse than the last one, which I did watch.

honey

Wow, I am astonished, I knew they were desperate to recruit, but that is astonishing. Do you mind if I quote this on our website Honey?

[felix4]

They mumbled something about how they got a psychologist to sign off on everyone who appears, and when I asked them who this psychologist was, they said 'umph well er you know...'.

honey

Hi Honey,

Any idea what they meant exactly by "got a psychologist to sign off on everyone who appears"?

I can't quite put my finger on it, but having watched it, I thought there were elements of pride coming across in having devastating OCD? Much of the stuff featured would make me retch, & I don't class myself as having OCD over this type of thing by way of comparison to my other types of OCD.

Edited November 4, 2013 by felix4

[Ashley]

Daily Mail review of Channel 4's week of the last week, from the tacky to the brilliant. How can Channel 4 not see what they are doing?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2483132/Nasty-AND-nice-Channel-4-suffer-split-personality-CHRISTOPHER-STEVENS-reviews-nights-TV.html

[Ashley]

Independent review - http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/grace-dent-on-tv-bedlam-channel-4--ocd-ward-itv--ocd-cleaners-channel-4-8915460.html

[Ashley]

Just so that people are aware, we are again in discussion with Channel 4 behind the scenes, as are another larger MH organisation who we are liaising with. No guarantee they will listen to any of us course, but we are continuing to engage.

Tonight I will be doing something positive and facilitating an OCD Support Group, rather than watch this programme. I encourage all with OCD to spend the hour instead of watching, do something positive like spend that hour supporting others with OCD on here perhaps.

[Guest LauraMac]

Absolutely Ash, I will be spending my hour helping on the forums and doing some exposure.

[SaraJane]

Ashely and team - thank you so much for your continued work in challenging this show and for all you do in raising awareness about the reality of living with ocd as well as supporting sufferers. Thank you too to those forum users that also challenge and support themselves and others with ocd.

Sara

[whitebeam]

I have caught a few minutes of this - what it does show - but not comment on is the serious problems which people with hoarding problems have. It is not funny or something for quirky people to fix - it is a serious and debilitating condition.

[daisy]

It certainly is whitebeam,i have hoarding/checking and contamination ocd,and as you say it is so debilitating,does anyone know if the people who are on the show have hoarding ocd,i personally don't think they do but i may be wrong.

[Ashley]

Ashely and team - thank you so much for your continued work in challenging this show and for all you do in raising awareness about the reality of living with ocd as well as supporting sufferers. Thank you too to those forum users that also challenge and support themselves and others with ocd.

Sara

Thank you for saying that Sara, always nice to hear that our members feel our work is valid. I spent that 8-9pm period yesterday engaging others with OCD at my Derby Support Group, tears flowed, but I think they were good tears in that the person felt they had a place where they could talk to others. A much better way to spend a hour.

I did email Channel 4's disability advisor twice in the last week, and I will continue to work behind the scenes to ensure Channel 4 are made aware at the feelings of the OCD Community, but I will do so in the right way, in a positive action way.

We wrote on Twitter last week that OC Cleaners makes our job much harder, but despite that, we will not be swayed and we will continue to work hard to support and help the OCD Community.

[Guest honey]

Hi Ashley and everyone, sorry but didn't check this thread this week. Yes of course Ashley please quote my experience, it's totally true. I could not believe it - they were standing in the street with a sign on a pole, trying to recruit passers-by with OCD. When I talked to them, they were not comfortable with what they were doing.

honey

[whitebeam]

Somehow I had missed the reviews from the newspapers.

Yay for the Daily Mail ( and I don't say that often). A sensitive review. That may help someone choose not to watch OCC or if they have already watched, question the veracity of the programme.

Both the newspapers showed James - I love it that they say you can tell he's not a bad person - he did seem lovely and sensitive. I found his illness particularly heartbreaking, though those of the librarian, the chap with all the gloves and the the one with the number issues really were equally so.

[Guest honey]

And Felix, sorry ... what they said was that everyone was 'signed off by a psychologist' which I took to mean that a psychologist interviewed them before they took part and said it was all OK. My question would be: what kind of psychologist would take part in the making of a programme like this?

honey

[Eddy]

Was just having a nosey on the channel four website and they are looking for people to take part in a third series of this programme . I guess thats if the channel four website is up to date.

You'd have thought the programme would have died a death by now wouldnt you. But no , its up and running again .

Quote from the website ...

"Betty are making a third series of the hit show Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners for Channel 4 and we are looking for people to take part."

Edited December 26, 2013 by Eddy

[Ashley]

Ultimate OCCleaners irony, Channel4 don't even add a stamp when responding to the charity complaint about it! The money is minor, but still, their programme is costing us loads when you add time too!

[Guest LauraMac]

Ultimate OCCleaners irony, Channel4 don't even add a stamp when responding to the charity complaint about it! The money is minor, but still, their programme is costing us loads when you add time too!

Oh my goodness! That's unbelievable! They must think Royal Mail do deliveries for free!! Lol.

I've always wondered if they lived in the real world because they thought OC cleaners was acceptable. I think this has just been answered for me!! I would definitely contact them about this one, why should you guys be out because of their crappy posting!! You already spend so much of your time sorting out the problems their stupid program causes! I think they should be making a donation to apologise to yourselves for this!

Laura x

[legalseagull]

Everyone should email channel 4 and complain. I have. Only just watched part of an episode on channel 4od. Too livid to watch the whole thing.

[Ashley]

I have had this email a few weeks now, without reply from Channel 4's disability advisor. An email I found patronising, and a response will be made next week. I wanted to share this part with you.

You clearly have strong views about how OCD (or mental distress in general) should be portrayed on television, and you cite Bedlam as your perfect model. I agree wholeheartedly that Bedlam is a superbly made series but, as I have said before, that does not mean that we should not explore other formats and programme ideas that will work in other genres and time slots, bringing a different audience to the important subject of mental health, for example the inclusion of the mental health strand in Embarrassing Bodies Live from the Clinic. It is Channel 4’s remit to innovate, experiment and challenge orthodoxy, and to represent alternative viewpoints.

Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners represents a whole spectrum of different obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours

So did I watch the wrong programme? Did OCC represent a whole spectrum of different obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours?

[Guest legend]

One feels that they are diverting the questions asked.

And come up with a load of tosh. OCC has/had nothing to do with portraying ocd correctly, what so ever

[gingerbreadgirl]

They like the ratings, and will say anything to try and justify their position.

They must understand the points being raised - they're not stupid - but Channel 4 won't sacrifice a high ratings show on the strength of what is basically a small amount of protest. I haven't seen the other mental health charities complaining about it, and petitions I've seen have only garnered a handful of signatures.

It would be much more effective if the big mental health charities would get on board - but as always, OCD seems to not be seen as 'important' the way other conditions are.

Makes me mad.

[Ashley]

Just to add, there may be a further development to this latest email and another charity, but until I speak to someone else at that charity who is away until Wednesday I won't know for sure.

[Ashley]

I see one of the 'stars' of this programme was in the Mail this week and This Morning this coming Monday. With the third series now being made, and Betty TV out in shopping centres recruiting I was writing a new article on the subject for our magazine, and one of the things I wrote about was trying to understand with such furious outcry from people with OCD about the programme, why would anyone with OCD associate themselves with it?

I was laying on my sofa with my laptop trying to write and work it out in my head when an advert for Big Brother appeared on my TV, and then it struck me, that is why they will always manage to recruit because whilst there are people wanting their '15-minutes of TV fame', TV will always attract people to participate, sadly in this case at the expense of the awareness cause.

[legalseagull]

Click on the picture above for a clear picture of the contact details for the programme. Now we can all email or phone and (politely) express our opinions. Can you put it on the main forum as well Ashley?