The pandemic has continued to have a huge impact on people’s mental health and to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week (10-17 May), the BBC is curating a range of programming across TV, radio and digital to encourage conversations and provide support.

This year, the theme of Mental Health Awareness week is ‘Nature’ and BBC programmes will be encouraging people to get outside, showing how connecting with nature can boost our mental health: a special episode of Countryfile on BBC One will focus on community gardens and wildflowers; BBC Radio 3’s Breakfast programme will bring the re-energising and healing sounds of nature and the great outdoors to audiences each weekday morning; and young people will be encouraged to get in touch with nature on the Own It app.

Over on EastEnders, the soap airs a continuation of a storyline aiming to encourage vital conversations about the realities of living with a mental health problem, with character Isaac’s schizophrenia. The continuing drama is working with leading mental health charity Mind to accurately and sensitively depict Isaac’s diagnosis on screen.

Other content includes a week of programming with a focus on wellbeing - One for the Heads - on 6 Music; specially-curated episodes of the In Tune Mixtape by Radio 3 presenters to soothe the mind, and moments of calm throughout the week in Essential Classics with a daily Slow Moment on BBC Radio 3; interviews and films across the week on BBC One’s The One Show; an adult literacy drive on Radio 5 Live; and breathing exercises for little ones with Book Cub from CBeebies' Love Monster; as well as special guests and discussion across BBC radio networks and curated podcasts on BBC Sounds, an interactive quiz on BBC News, short films on social media from Dr Julie Smith, a new interactive film on Bitesize Support to help 13-16 year-olds and online resources for teachers on BBC Teach.

Also in May, new BBC Two film The Psychedelic Drug Trial has exclusive access to a ground-breaking trial of a new treatment for depression at Imperial College London. There will also be another chance to see some of our powerful mental health films from the last few years.

The programming will supplement the BBC’s dedicated online resource, BBC Headroom, which launched earlier this year in response to the huge mental health challenges faced by many during lockdown and which has already had over 1m page views. Recent films with a mental health focus have also resonated strongly with viewers: Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency helped kickstart an important conversation about men’s mental health, consolidating at 2.1m viewers on BBC One and has been streamed over 1.1m times on BBC iPlayer to date; and Stacey Dooley: Back on the Psych Ward was the most requested factual title on BBC Three for 16-34s in the week of release.

Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer, says: “The BBC has a long commitment to tackling mental health issues in our programmes but with the huge challenges that everyone has faced over the past year, more than ever, we have wanted to provide help and support. The launch of BBC Headroom and the huge impact of documentaries such as Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency demonstrate how important this content is and the real difference it can make. This May we’re providing even more programming to raise awareness and encourage people to look after their wellbeing as we emerge from lockdown.”

Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, says: “We welcome the BBC’s long standing commitment to Mental Health, and its focus at this time. Mental Health Awareness Week It is an incredibly important moment across the UK when we can consider how we better support and protect our mental health.

“This year’s theme of Nature was chosen because it is so important for our mental health. It comes after a year when millions of people told us they turned to nature for support during the pandemic.

"The BBC also has an incredibly important role to play because of its role as a broadcaster and provider of digital content such as Headroom. According to research we carried out, even the simple act of watching a nature documentary or listening to a radio programme about wildlife, can have benefits for our mental health.”

Deirdre Kehoe, Director of Training and Services at YoungMinds, comments: “The BBC’s focus on creating content that supports young people’s mental health has come at a time when many have struggled as a result of the pandemic. The demand for the BBC’s Headroom initiative has shown just how this content was needed and we hope that many young people have benefitted from the practical advice, guidance and reassurance.”

Alex Bushill, Head of Media and PR at Mind, says: “The media has a huge role to play in public perceptions of mental health. That’s why we welcome the BBC’s ongoing commitment to cover these issues carefully, with sympathy and understanding.

“Through hard-hitting and informative documentaries such as Stacey Dooley: Back on the Psych Ward, Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency and the support made available through the launch of Headroom, the BBC has helped shine a light on mental health problems and prompted conversations about mental health in living rooms across the country and around the world.

“With so many of us negatively impacted by isolation, grief and anxiety as a result of the pandemic, mental health is an issue we should all be able to talk about and have access to the right support for, if needed.”

Also released today to coincide with Mental Health Awareness week, a new BBC Children in Need survey reveals the impact of the pandemic on children and young people’s mental health, with 1 in 3 not feeling confident to seek help & support. With thanks to donations from the UK public, BBC Children in Need is currently funding 1,501 projects supporting children and young people across the UK with their emotional wellbeing and mental health to a value of £94.7m.

TV

EastEnders is continuing to work with leading mental health charity Mind to accurately and sensitively depict Isaac’s diagnosis of schizophrenia on screen. Mind have provided research, guidance and workshops to the writers, producers and actors to help give an insight into the emotional and social experience of living with schizophrenia, particularly looking at attitudes towards mental health in African Caribbean communities. With the start of mental health awareness week, the storyline aims to encourage vital conversations about the realities of living with a mental health problem. In the coming weeks the audience will see Isaac struggling to manage his symptoms following his decision to stop taking his medication, and we’ll see him dealing with stigmatising views from friends and family.

Two episodes of Countryfile will have a particular focus on mental health in May. On 16 May, Sean Fletcher meets ‘tyre runner’ Ben Robertson. In 2018, Ben tried to take his own life, struggling with mental health issues arising from money and family problems. He survived and now uses his lifelong passion for the outdoors and exercise as part of his recovery, running with a 15kg tyre strapped to his back at sporting events to represent the weight he had to carry in silence when he felt he couldn’t speak about his crumbling mental health. The following week, a Spring special of Countryfile’s Plant Britain initiative focuses on community gardens and wildflowers, helping not just wildlife and pollinators but also our own wellbeing.

BBC One’s The One Show will also feature interviews and films across the week.

On 19 May on BBC Two, The Psychedelic Drug Trial follows apioneering team of scientists and therapists at Imperial College London as for the first time ever, under controlled conditions, they test a psychedelic head to head against a standard antidepressant as a treatment for depression.

There will also be a chance to see other recent BBC programmes with a mental health focus including Horizon: Stopping Male Suicide, PTSD: The War in my Head and the film Manchester by the Sea. To coincide with the theme of nature, BBC Four is repeating Mindful Escapes and also The Pennine Way, presented by Paul Rose.

Additional programming with a mental health focus coming up later this year includes Joey Essex on bereavement for BBC Three; Fergal Keane on PTSD; and Daisy Maskell on Insomnia.

Radio

BBC radio will be joining commercial and community stations at 10.59am on Friday 14 May for the Mental Health Minute with a broadcast of a special message in support of mental health awareness. Taking place for a fourth year, the initiative sees famous voices from the world of sport, music and more take to the airwaves all over the UK exactly at the same time, utilising radio’s immense power to spark important conversation across the nation. This year’s treatment will be written by poet, writer and mental health activist, Hussain Manawer. Led by Radiocentre and supported by The Royal Foundation’s Heads Together, the simulcast will be produced by Somethin’ Else.

BBC Radio 2

Dr Rangan Chatterjee will host special content in his programme, speaking to Jess Phillips MP on Sunday 9 May (10pm-midnight) to mark Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, which is the week before Mental Health Awareness Week. Also in that show is Debbie Bright from The Only Way Is Essex who will be picking her tracks for the Positivity Playlist, the songs that remind her of significant moments as a daughter, and as a mother of her four children as well as a foster parent - she has fostered over 200 children. Dr Rangan will be speaking to boxing champion Lawrence Okolie on Sunday 16 May about the relationship between fitness and mental health. The show is also available on BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio 3

In a week of specially-curated episodes of In Tune Mixtape for Mental Health Awareness Week, five of Radio 3’s best-known presenters - Katie Derham, Georgia Mann, Tom McKinney, Sara Mohr-Pietsch and Petroc Trelawny - share their personal stories of mental health with a playlist of music which has soothed them through troubled times (Monday-Friday, 7pm).

Tom Service asks Is Music Good for You? in a special edition of The Listening Service in which he is joined by musician and music therapist Amina Hussain, whose work to dynamically engage with dementia sufferers has yielded extraordinary results, and music psychologist Victoria Williamson (Sunday 9 May, 5pm). Stephen Johnson and Horatio Claire are in conversation about the importance of music and art in the treatment of mental health for a special edition of Music Matters (Saturday 15 May, 11.45am), while singer Jess Dandy, who has spoken openly about her struggles with mental health, joins Jess Gillam for This Classical Life (Saturday 15 May, 12.30pm).

All week Penny Gore introduces performances by the BBC Symphony Orchestra featuring music from early 20th century Vienna where the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, developed psychotherapy in Afternoon Concert (Monday-Friday, 2pm) and Radio 3 revisits the powerful conversation about music and mental health between Clemency Burton-Hill and writer Bryony Gordon, where Bryony talks about mental health and music and finds solace in Clemency’s Classical Fix (Monday 10 May, midnight).

Radio 3 is also creating of moments of calm throughout the week in Essential Classics with a daily Slow Moment (Monday-Friday, 11.30am), while Breakfast will bring the re-energising and healing sounds of nature and the great outdoors to audiences at various times during each weekday morning.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4’s All In The Mind is hearing the stories from the finalists in this year’s All in the Mind Mental Health Awards - in which listeners’ experiences of brilliant mental health care aim to recognise the people who helped make the difference.

The Archers revisits the award-winning storyline following Elizabeth Pargetter’s experience of depression. She and her Ambridge neighbour Joy Horville bond when Joy reveals she too has struggled with mental health, and they share some of the strategies they’ve used to cope with challenges.

Radio 4 podcast Just One Thing with Michael Mosley continues to explore one simple thing you can start doing today to improve your health and life.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Radio 5 Live is launching an adult literacy initiative, exploring issues around the estimated nine million people in the UK who struggle to read and write.

As part of this, the network will be exploring whether reading is beneficial for mental health and whether reading can improve your wellbeing. Drivetime will launch a Reading Challenge asking listeners to share their stories about how reading has helped their mental health during Covid-19 and hearing about why they want to challenge themselves to read more.

Further content will explore the subject of male mental health and the benefits of gardening and being outside to our wellbeing whilst Dr Alex George will be a guest on Nihal Arthanayake’s show to discuss his role as a mental health campaigner. Dr Radha joins Drive for our final part of our Unlocking Wellbeing series, linked to the various stages of unlocking from the pandemic. The focus this week is on re-establishing connections with our families and friends, with some more ready to resume normality than others.

BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network is marking Mental Health Awareness Week with a range of content over seven days. Starting with BBC Asian Network Breakfast with Harpz Kaur, celebrated spoken word artist Hussain Manawer will perform a specially commissioned piece for the station, called Peace of Mind - all about finding hope and maintaining a positive outlook to life. And in the Happiness Half Hour, Harpz spins a mood boosting playlist, guaranteed to bring positive vibes to the start of your day.

Noreen Khan (1-4pm) will invite the likes Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom to share tips on how to keep a positive mindset, managing mental health during lockdown and the benefits of therapy, while Punjabi Sufi maestro Satinder Sartaaj chats about the importance of being ‘in’ the moment and how he finds meditation in his art and work. Yasser (4-7pm) will provide a minute of guided mindful meditation and on behalf of the listeners, he’ll even try an outdoor yoga class for the very first time!

During Weekend Breakfast with Jasmine Takhar (7-10am) she’ll share tips on how to fit regular exercise into your daily routine, whilst Big Debate (10am-1pm) discusses how Asian mothers can miss out on vital help when dealing with depression both during and after pregnancy, because of the stigma around it.

BBC Radio 6 Music

6 Music is running One For The Heads - a selection of programming on the theme of wellbeing, which will be broadcast between Monday 10 and Slow Sunday 16 May, where listeners can kick back for the day by listening to a day of chilled out music.

Programming includes three episodes of Journeys in Sound with 6 Music DJ and psychotherapist Nemone who will be exploring how music affects people. Each week, she welcomes a different guest to discuss their personal relationship to music and how it has sound-tracked the ups and downs of their lives. Guests will share their stories with Nemone, accompanied by tracks that are meaningful to them, and discuss how they have used music to express their own emotions. Nemone’s guests will be John Grant (9 May), Arlo Parks (16 May) and Roisin Murphy (23 May).

Other DJs will be introducing listeners to their tracks of choice when they are in need of positivity and inspiration throughout the week, whilst the Radcliffe & Maconie show will be built around an atmospheric walking soundscape, that weaves chilled tracks with audio of a guest going out for a walk wherever they chose.

BBC Radio 1Xtra

BBC Radio 1Xtra will be reflecting Mental Health Awareness Week throughout shows and features encouraging listeners to protect and sustain good mental health.

BBC Sounds

Across the week BBC Sounds will showcase a wide variety of podcasts, radio shows and music with a focus on mental health and wellbeing. There will be content as part of daily themes such as Monday Motivation, Self Care Sounds on Tuesday and on Thursday TikTok’s Mindfull Bobbie curates a selection of podcasts and shows with a focus on boosting confidence and self-esteem, including Life Hacks on Self-Esteem and Anxiety, The Happiness Half Hour, Beauty Fix and Dr Ranjan Chatterjee: Out of Hours.

In addition:

Radio 1 Relax

Radio 1 Relax provides the ultimate destination for listeners to unwind, bringing wellbeing and relaxation focussed shows into one easily discoverable place. Featuring everything from sleepscapes and ASMR, to tips and mixes from some of the biggest stars in music and entertainment, the new stream offers something distinctly different for those looking to find moments of calm in their day-to-day.

Music

Through the music tab on BBC Sounds, listeners can enjoy mixes to suit their moods including Mindful Soundscapes, helping to soothe minds with two hours of immersive sounds from bird song, lapping waves and rainforest sounds, and The Sleeping Forecast encouraging listeners to drift off to comforting instrumental music from BBC Music Introducing paired with BBC Radio 4’s Shipping Forecast. There are also new mixes from special guest hosts including Piano Flow with Lianne La Havas, a weekly dose of the world's most soothing piano music and Happy Harmonies, a mix of mood-boosting songs with vocal harmonies curated by New York based cellist, Laufey.

The Joe Wicks Podcast

The Joe Wicks Podcast returns for series two, exploring what keeps Joe and his guests mentally and physically strong. In series two for BBC Radio 4, Joe will continue to speak to inspirational people who put their personal success down to their tried and tested fitness, meditation or relaxation regime; the thing they do, on their own, to feel happy and motivated in their lives. In the same week that Joe interviews artist and author Charlie Macksey, an abridged reading of his bestselling book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse will be available on BBC Sounds. Read by Macksey himself the reading features music by Max Richter and Isobel Waller-Bridge.

BBC Children’s and Education

Relax and Breathe with Book Cub from CBeebies' Love Monster

Join Book Cub from Love Monster for some lovely breathing exercises to help your little ones feel calm and relaxed. There are eight exercises to choose from that use different methods and techniques focusing on the theme of nature as listeners accompany Book Cub in Fluffytown Forest, The Beach and even a Zen Garden.

The breathing exercises can be listened to via the CBeebies Radio Website and on BBC Sounds from 10 May

Mindfulness Collections

On BBC iPlayer, Mindfulness Collections will run for both CBeebies and CBBC where kids can find content to help them take the time to do things that make themselves feel good and connect with their own thoughts and feelings.

BBC Bitesize

BBC Bitesize has a brand new interactive film on Bitesize Support to help 13-16 year-olds support friends and siblings struggling with their mental health. There is an article on Bitesize about writing letters to your younger self and the Parents Toolkit on has some great films from Dr Anna Colton, giving a series of practical tips for dealing with anxiety.

BBC Teach

On BBC Teach there is a collection of online teaching resources for teachers to use to promote the importance of mental wellbeing, including a series of Super Mood Movers films designed to get primary pupils moving in the classroom. The Teacher Support section of the website also offers a wellbeing space to help teachers through the stress and pressures of the school year.

BBC Tiny Happy People

On Tiny Happy People, parents share their stories of struggling with mental health issues around the birth of their children - and their tips for anyone who may be going through something similar. The website will also feature advice on how to soothe your child’s anxiety as lockdown eases.

BBC Own It

Young people will be encouraged to get in touch with nature on the Own It app, which aims to give 8-12 year olds a happier, healthier, more positive life online. Special content will enable young people to discover meditation and relaxation techniques. There will also be tips on how to create your own sounds of nature and children will be encouraged to get outside and take a break from their phone to appreciate the natural beauty around them.

News

BBC News will have a range of special reports and content including an online mental health quiz with tips and advice on how to support a friend or colleague with mental health problems.

Digital

The @bbc Instagram channel will be running a series of illustrations throughout the week from young and diverse artists sharing their experience of mental health and coping strategies.

While in May on IGTV, Facebook and TikTok, Dr Julie Smith will be following up on her involvement with Headroom in a series of tip-focused shorts. Inspired by what young people are talking about on social media these will help audiences with common mental health challenges at this time, such as rediscovering their social mojo, after months of lockdown.

BBC Wales

Join BBC Radio Wales for Prescribing Virtual Reality - Thursday 13 May at 6.30pm on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Sounds. The author and journalist Michelle Thomas discovers innovative ways that people with depression can be supported using technology, including a new virtual reality experience. And BBC Radio Wales joins BBC and commercial radio stations across the UK to use famous voices in order to spark an important conversation for The Mental Health Minute - Friday 14 May at 10.59am on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Sounds.

BBC Scotland

BBC Scotland is marking Mental Health Awareness Week with Breaking Point, a special multiplatform series of hard hitting monologues which will feature each day within The Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland and sit online and across all BBC Scotland’s social platforms. Based on real life testimony, each individual has recovered from their experiences and an actor will share their story to raise wider awareness of the issues affecting male mental health. The series explores the impact of a mental health crisis and examines what takes people to breaking point.

BBC Radio Scotland will also feature Our Lives with Michelle McManus, Radio 1 Newsbeat presenter Shona McCallum opens up about her mental health following the birth of her son during lockdown. On television, River City is shining a light on mental health through a powerful storyline featuring Stevie (Iain Robertson). Audiences have watched as Stevie’s life has slowly unravelled over the last few months and this storyline will culminate in a hard hitting episode which will address many of the issues surrounding male mental health. There is also a host of BBC Scotland content examining mental health issues available on BBC iPlayer and across social platforms.

Corporate

The BBC places the utmost importance on the mental health and wellbeing of all those who work for us. We have a range of programmes and support networks for staff focusing on three areas: prevention of ill health, building resilience and providing support where needed.

This includes online mental health and resilience sessions, access to over 1,000 staff mental health first aiders, well-being courses for staff and managers provided by the BBC Academy, the Employee Assistance Programme, which includes a confidential 24-hour helpline, and access to a remote GP. In addition, employees can also access the Occupational Health Service which provides advice to staff and managers on managing a range of health conditions in the workplace.

Recently, we have also given all BBC employees access to an online platform which provides a confidential service to help individuals track and understand their well-being and mental health over time. Recognising the impact the pandemic has had on the freelance community we have opened up our Employee Assistance Programme and remote GP service to BBC PAYE freelancers to help them with their mental health needs. In addition, as we previously announced, the BBC donated £700,000 to The Film & TV Charity to assist those affected by the hiatus in filming due to Covid-19