Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners - Another series

[Ashley]

Starts on Tuesday evening.

Another series of a programme that trivialises the suffering of OCD, that adds to the false misconceptions of OCD. That Channel 4 and Betty TV are using the suffering of OCD to make a profit.

Those that took part in series one can be forgiven for not realising how the programme would be put together, however every single person that's taken part since then can not have failed to recognise the negativity around the programme, but they have ignored that for their 15-minutes of fame in my opinion.

I will watch Tuesday in the hope something changed and it is made clear from the outset that people with OCD a) do not like cleaning and b) cleaning is not a problem or a feature of OCD for the majority of sufferers.

If anyone has any ideas how we can challenge Channel 4 to 'do the right thing' I am all in hears. We are now in series 4 I believe and so far only our charity as been pushy and vocal in condemnation of the programme and channel 4.

[Torsa]

If things still haven't improved this series, it might be worth starting a petition?

Am really surprised that Channel 4 still commissions this... their coverage of mental health issues over the last couple years has generally been pretty good.

[Ashley]

Petitions do nothing not unless you get hundreds of thousands, even then Channel 4 will view it as publicity.

[Guest Megfox]

What programme are you talking about? I don't really watch TV. I have no idea as to what you refer, then.

[Tez]

Yes, a difficult dilemma Ashley. I do not know what the solution is. Actions which generate publicity can sometimes backfire, as you point out. In the 1990's, groups like ACT-UP in the States working in the field of HIV were not averse to taking civil disobedience against newspapers and broadcasters that they felt promoted misunderstanding, although they were operating in a climate that was terribly hostile and negative: with OCD we are facing more of a wall of misapprehension and a certain amount of condescention. Disabled activists have also in recent years sometimes taken to chaining themselves up and making their point that way - most recently, at the House of Commons on Thursday last week. The Mental Health Resistance Network - a group rooted in the radical left movement - participated in this action. I am sympathetic to their cause, but I am not sure it is a strategy that would serve OCD sufferers well.

What is particularly sad is that Channel Four has mostly abandoned its commitment to serving minorities like the disabled and people with MH issues. When it started (I watched the launch on 2nd November 1982), the station surprised everyone, including the Conservative government that had granted its license, by its progressive approach and its commitment to high standards of broadcasting. This was largely because the original Chief Executive board were people steeped in quality broadcasting. The first Chief Executive was Jeremy Isaacs, who had commissioned the award winning "World at War" series for ITV in the seventies, and who, as a Jewish man, understood that broadcasters had a role to play in promoting understanding and social cohesion. Over the last ten years, the station has really abandoned such values and has aired some very tabloid programmes.

On the other hand, there is a slogan that my activist friends tend to use, which is "Don't Hate the Media - Become the Media". The great thing about the contemporary media landscape is that there are lots of choices in TV and radio in Europe, as new platforms have allowed new projects to start. Britain now boasts around 300 community radio stations on AM and FM, 50 or so student radio stations, local TV services in municipal areas and thousands of internet TV and radio projects. Perhaps the charity can invite some of these new media to cover its conference, or provide speakers to programmes locally to give a more balanced approach.

Those are my first thoughts anyway, sorry for rambling.

Tez :original:

[Gemma7]

I can't understand why other charities haven't got on board with condemning this programme. If all the charities aren't united how are we going to get channel 4 to listen?

I complained to ofcom and channel 4 when the first series came out but unfortunately rita ora wearing a revealing top gets more complaints than a programme insulting and laughing at ill people.

Does no newspaper want to take up the opportunity to write up the charities feelings on the programme? Or is it possible to use social media in some way?

[Ashley]

I can't understand why other charities haven't got on board with condemning this programme. If all the charities aren't united how are we going to get channel 4 to listen?

I complained to ofcom and channel 4 when the first series came out but unfortunately rita ora wearing a revealing top gets more complaints than a programme insulting and laughing at ill people.

Does no newspaper want to take up the opportunity to write up the charities feelings on the programme? Or is it possible to use social media in some way?

If this next series is just as bad I will again try Ofcom and write my annual yearly letter to the Ch4 CEO (which normally gets ignored and passed to Alison Walsh). To be fair, a few TV reviewers (with no MH interest I assume) have correctly reviewed the programme to be offensive, in fact they have done more than the charities. I think the main reason the other charities won't be more vocal (they have made murmurings of dissatisfaction, but stopped short of vocally condemnation) is because they don't want to upset the cosy relationship with Channel 4 in some cases or with one of those taking part who encourages donations to their charity in another case (at a guess).

[Ashley]

Yes, a difficult dilemma Ashley. I do not know what the solution is. Actions which generate publicity can sometimes backfire, as you point out. In the 1990's, groups like ACT-UP in the States working in the field of HIV were not averse to taking civil disobedience against newspapers and broadcasters that they felt promoted misunderstanding, although they were operating in a climate that was terribly hostile and negative: with OCD we are facing more of a wall of misapprehension and a certain amount of condescention. Disabled activists have also in recent years sometimes taken to chaining themselves up and making their point that way - most recently, at the House of Commons on Thursday last week. The Mental Health Resistance Network - a group rooted in the radical left movement - participated in this action. I am sympathetic to their cause, but I am not sure it is a strategy that would serve OCD sufferers well.

What is particularly sad is that Channel Four has mostly abandoned its commitment to serving minorities like the disabled and people with MH issues. When it started (I watched the launch on 2nd November 1982), the station surprised everyone, including the Conservative government that had granted its license, by its progressive approach and its commitment to high standards of broadcasting. This was largely because the original Chief Executive board were people steeped in quality broadcasting. The first Chief Executive was Jeremy Isaacs, who had commissioned the award winning "World at War" series for ITV in the seventies, and who, as a Jewish man, understood that broadcasters had a role to play in promoting understanding and social cohesion. Over the last ten years, the station has really abandoned such values and has aired some very tabloid programmes.

On the other hand, there is a slogan that my activist friends tend to use, which is "Don't Hate the Media - Become the Media". The great thing about the contemporary media landscape is that there are lots of choices in TV and radio in Europe, as new platforms have allowed new projects to start. Britain now boasts around 300 community radio stations on AM and FM, 50 or so student radio stations, local TV services in municipal areas and thousands of internet TV and radio projects. Perhaps the charity can invite some of these new media to cover its conference, or provide speakers to programmes locally to give a more balanced approach.

As always some very interesting points Tez, you are right maybe we need to start getting out on community radio more, and maybe a ripple effect will flow the more we do smaller broadcasts the more we may attract larger coverage.

[Ashley]

Paul talking about it now on BBC Wiltshire - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02tcswr

[Ashley]

I had call today from ITV wanting us to go on This Morning tomorrow to talk about OCD. I asked the researcher what the focus of the discussion would be (I suspect to promote OCCleaners tomorrow) but amazingly the ITV researcher then said "I don't know, I will have to check and come back to you". How unprofessional would we have been to send someone on without knowing what they are going to be talking about? Still, if they come back to me tonight I will go on and tell it how it is.

[Ashley]

Paul talking about it now on BBC Wiltshire - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02tcswr

For those that wish to listen again, I think this is the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02tcswr#autoPaul was on for about 5 minutes from 6:45pm'ish.

[Tez]

Thanks Ashley. In my (limited) experience of dealing with journalists at major stations - like ITV - they sometimes really do work to a very tight deadline and have not really thought through what they want the guest to talk about. This sometimes gives you room to manouevre and talk about what you want to. When I did an interview (on the back of Ride4OCD 2013) on BBC Radio Bristol, they actually really allowed me to talk about the realities of the condition, so I was able to speak about how we misuse words like "obsession", "depressed" and "schizophrenic" all the time and then give the clinical meanings of our condition. I was congratulated on the interview by their news presenter, who had been listening to the feed from the main studio and said that he now understood how horrible OCD must be to live with (at times).

Good on BBC Radio Wiltshire for covering OCD UK's misgivings about the OCC programme and for interviewing Professor Paul. Sometimes the Beeb really shines through and shows the best side of public service media.

My friend Tony (whose civil partnership anniversary is today!) once saw Betty TV "recruiting" in Oxford City Centre for Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners. He gave them a piece of his mind for making what he called "porn" out of OCD sufferers.

Ashley, at work, we have a list of media contacts at all the local community broadcasting stations and a considerable number of local newspapers and magazines here in the West Country. I can send them over to you if you like for future press releases.

Tez :original:

[Gemma7]

For those that wish to listen again, I think this is the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02tcswr#autoPaul was on for about 5 minutes from 6:45pm'ish.

Just had a listen and as I expected he spoke so eloquently about ocd and the massive problems this ridiculous programme causes. Thanks for the link Ashley.

[Ashley]

ITV This Morning is covering #OCCleaners at the start of the show. It's a feature about Hayley's OCD, Hayley's now appeared in every series. A lady who called me about 8pm one Friday night before episode one because she was upset at how the show had been edited after reading our criticism. yet continues to appear in every series. I don't understand why if someone hates germs/dirt so much because of OCD, why keep appearing on a TV show every series to clean.. it's not exposure because she cleans (with gloves on), rather than lives within the dirty environment. 15MinTVFame maybe?

Amanda and Phillip did put it to her that the OCD Charities believe the programme trivilaises OCD.

[Guest OCD-UK RSS]

This evening Channel 4 once again broadcast yet another series of their Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners. Despite numerous correspondence between ourselves including a face-to-face meeting at Channel 4, they continue to ignore the concerns raised by ourselves and those of people suffering with OCD who have contacted Channel 4.

We cannot express how disappointed we are that Channel 4 continue to commission further series by placing ratings and profit above the welfare of those with OCD for the sake of cheap entertainment, which is exactly what Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners is.

The damage Channel 4 and the programmes cause in terms of fuelling false misconceptions around the illness should not be underestimated and it remains counter-productive to the work that charityâs like OCD-UK are attempting to achieve. The programmes adds to the false misconception that all people with OCD like cleaning, which could not be further from the reality for those that suffer.

Channel 4 continue to trot out the response to the criticism that participants found taking part helpful for their OCD, yet last month Lesley and Tuesday Turner who appeared in series two told the Metro newspaper that they spend more time cleaning than ever before. âThey have traumatised us,â said Lesley, âIâm exhausted. I spend around 14 hours a day cleaning and only manage three hoursâ sleep a night.â

Sadly Channel 4 and Betty TV have chosen to ignore all the criticism and continue to profit from the distress and anguish that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can cause. Once again we urge Channel 4 to do the right thing for people affected by this illness and finally decommission the series.

After viewing the trailers for the programme, it appears to the a format worse than ever, so we wonât be tuning in. We hope you will all choose to boycott Channel 4 this evening also.

Tags:

OCD in the media

Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners

View the article on the OCD-UK website

[Gemma7]

I saw the trailer and interview on this morning. The programme looks truly awful and just like an episode of how clean is your house? I think the programme also misconstrues what exposure therapy is. I have contamination based ocd and cleaning a 17th century jacobian house might be a nice distraction from facing the very personalised problems I have that impact on my day to day life.

Also the lady in question mentions other problems she has with relation to her ocd like fearing her kids may be hurt or kidnapped. How is channel 4 and betty TV helping her through those problems?

[Ashley]

Also the lady in question mentions other problems she has with relation to her ocd like fearing her kids may be hurt or kidnapped. How is channel 4 and betty TV helping her through those problems?

How is she helping herself though Gemma?

[Gemma7]

How is she helping herself though Gemma?

I don't know only she knows that, all I meant was that other parts of this ladies ocd is ignored in the programme because it doesn't suit the agenda of the programme makers.

[Ashley]

I don't know only she knows that, all I meant was that other parts of this ladies ocd is ignored in the programme because it doesn't suit the agenda of the programme makers.

Possibly. If I was to be uncharitable I would be tempted to suggest it is the other way around. The individual is using this aspect of OCD to get herself TV screen time. She auditioned for another TV show before OCCleaners I believe.

[Gemma7]

Possibly. If I was to be uncharitable I would be tempted to suggest it is the other way around. The individual is using this aspect of OCD to get herself TV screen time. She auditioned for another TV show before OCCleaners I believe.

Yes that is probably a reasonable assumption. Its a shame that fame is more important than educating people.

[Ashley]

I only watched a few moments of it (I had been out for a bike ride, and came back throwing up (I swallowed a fly that did not agree with me!). So did anyone watch it all? What did you think?

[Guest IndigoRose]

Maybe a tweet storm would be a good way to inform people. During every episode twitter is filled with uneducated comments about ocd and generally ridiculing the people on this programme. Channel 4 are portraying this as ocd and people are too ignorant to question otherwise, they just watch the programme and assume channel 4 are telling the truth. Twitter storms can be excellent for creating mass awareness and images do brilliant within these. You could take what they are actually portraying and compare it to the reality of ocd. I think images speak volumes. This is just a suggestion as I have used twitter storms for animal activism and they have been very effective.

[Ashley]

I think the Twitter storm would have to be large numbers though wouldn't it Indigo? I am not sure we have enough supporters to make it effective? Worth reviewing though.

One of the big charities I have contacted are getting back to me next week. The person they need to speak to who had contact with the production company is away this week.

[Guest IndigoRose]

Twitter storms don't need large numbers of people to be effective. Once a pre made tweet sheet is created it is just a case of clicking send on each tweet. They generally last an hour and one account can send a maximum of 100 tweets in 1 hour which with a tweet sheet takes around 20 minutes to just send the tweets out. Trending isn't vital it is just about spreading the information and if it trends it's a bonus. 5000 tweets can trend and that could be done if 50 people sent their maximum 100. It is possible and I think getting other charities involved even to send one tweet or even the hashtag would be very effective.

[Guest megan]

can i ask its mentioned a lot here and im curious about people with ocd not liking cleaning? is this research based? please pm me so not to change topic.

Edited July 4, 2015 by megan