BBC Action Line contacts have risen in 2023 with more people seeking help and information on issues addressed in BBC programmes.

Following a peak in audiences using the Action Line during the pandemic, contacts are rising again year on year, driven by major programming across the BBC.

The total number of calls and online visits to BBC Action Line support information services is expected to surpass 875,000 by the end of the year, an increase from 2022 which saw just over 850,000.

In particular, the Action Line received the highest number of contacts about suicide, sexual abuse, mental health, self-harm, addiction and autism with people seeking support encouraged by powerful programming and storylines which touch upon and reflect this range of issues.

Programmes that prompted people to seek help for mental health issues included Emily Atack: Asking for It? (January 2023), Zara: Uncovering Rape Culture (March 2023), Louis Theroux Interviews (November – December 2023), Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism (March 2023), I Kissed a Boy (May & December 2023) and The Woman in the Wall (August – September 2023).

Nick Mason, BBC Head of Audience Services, says: "The BBC plays a significant role in highlighting issues that impact audiences in our programming. As a public service broadcaster it is part of our mission to serve everyone across the UK and we are proud to have provided support to almost one million people affected by the issues raised in our output this year.”

In February this year, the Action Line was restructured to improve usability and navigation of the website. The restructure allows for a more user friendly service of the main page with more focus on the issues raised, rather than the programmes raising them. The expansion of issues also aims to provide more support to audience members and there is information available across a broader range of topics including racism and racist hate crime, epilepsy, elderly care, cancer and homelessness.

Across social media, references to Action Line grew and received over a 60% increase in comparison to last year. In particular, November witnessed a peak prompted by programmes such as EastEnders, which featured storylines about sexual assault, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race, which dealt with issues about sexuality and gender.

Other programmes that led to significant requests for support to the Action Line included:

Planet Sex with Cara Delevingne (December 2022 & December 2023), Couples Therapy (February – July 2023), EastEnders (October – December 2023), The Detectives (October – November 2023) and Time (October – November 2023) raised awareness about addiction and resulted in over 51,600 visits.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (September 2023), Scotland's Biggest Families (February & June 2023), Saving Lives in Leeds (March 2023), Doctors (May 2023), and Doctor Who: Unleashed - The Star Beast (November 2023) raised issues around bullying and prompted over 20,000 visits to the Action Line.

Zara McDermott: Disordered Eating (January 2023), Waterloo Road (January, May & June 2023), Feed yourself fitter with Stephen Nolan (May – June 2023) and Glow Up (May – June 2023) covered eating disorders and prompted 19,500 visits.

Scam Land: Money, Mayhem and Maseratis (January – February 2023), Parole (February, March & June 2023), Panorama: Cops, Cash and Fraudsters (March 2023) and Scam Interceptors (March – November 2023) addressed issues of fraud and resulted in 16,850 visits.

The support page for bereavement and end of life care was covered in programmes including Songs of Praise (January 2023), Charlotte in Sunderland (February – March 2023), Best Interests (June 2023) and River City (June – November 2023) and there were over 36,760 related visits recorded.

Countryfile, Children in Need Rambles (September – November 2023), Kyle Falconer: Love & Chaos (August – September 2023), Lily: A Transgender Story (June 2023) and Olly Alexander: Growing Up Gay (June 2023) addressed issues experienced by the LGBT community and prompted over 17,510 visits.

Find out more about the range of services provided by BBC Action Line below.