Professor Green : suicide and me.

Rapper Stephen Manderson, whose onstage pseudonym is Professor Green, attempts to confront his feelings surrounding the suicide of his father, whilst exploring the causes and effects of male suicide in the UK. He begins by recounting being told that his father had committed suicide. He returns to the estate on which he grew up in Hackney, East London. He visits various people that were close to his father, including his grandmother and father’s best friend, to discuss his childhood and the possible reasons why his father may have developed suicidal thoughts. Manderson visits former rugby player, Ben, in an attempt to explore what he deems the classically male trait of suppressing mental health struggles. Ben recalls the first time he attempted suicide. Manderson then visits his aunt in North London to talk about his father’s childhood. He visits The Maytree, North London – a retreat for people who are feeling suicidal. He takes part in a training exercise for volunteers learning to befriend suicidal people at the retreat. Manderson talks with Psychologist Professor Rory O’Connor about the common factors that potentially contributed to his father’s suicide. Manderson undergoes one of O’Connor’s psychological tests that explores the link between negative moods and suicidal thoughts. He then talks about using music to manage the grief attached to losing his father. Manderson visits the family of Musician Lanfranco Gaglione, who took his own life at 26. He then talks to more family members, including his wife, about his father’s death. They discuss taking part in grief counselling. Finally, Manderson visits Psychologist Dr Aaron Balick. They discuss Manderson's fear that he will pass his grief onto his future children.