Thursday, June 09, 2005

FIRST PERSON PLURAL



Channel 4 aired a landmark documentary -- Being Pamela -- last night about a woman with dissociative identity disorder.

It was a sensitively-handled, if unsettling, piece of work that's sure to do well on the awards circuit.

But the programme nearly didn't make it on air at all.

Pamela Edwards' local authority, St Helens Council, sought a High Court injunction to prevent the publication of any details about her life. Thankfully, they lost.

It's a bitter irony.

One of the central issues in the documentary was the way the social services utterly failed Pamela during her early life, leaving her to endure the years of horrendous abuse that probably triggered her disorder.

Three decades on St Helens Council went to court, claiming they wanted to look after her best interests.

It's a little bit late for that.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Agreed. One of the most powerful documentaries I've seen, shocking and moving in equal measure.

1:27 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home