[television] Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD
rhiannonhero asked me to link her to this, so I decided instead to share on here, as I know there are many Jon Richardson lovers on my f-list. And even if you don't know who I'm talking about, it's really good and genuinely interesting. Also, because it's me talking about a TV show, I'm going to include it as part of my 100 Things Blogging Challenge:
100 SHOWS I LOVE, OR HAVE LOVED BUT LOVE NO LONGER
#004 - Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD
So last night, Channel 4 aired a documentary as part of their mental health season called Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD. It was hosted, obviously, by Jon Richardson, who is my favourite comedian, biggest crush, and all-round favourite person. But even if this is your first exposure to him, what an exposure. I've been following Jon's career since the start of his radio show with Russell Howard back in 2006, and in all that time he's been quite frank in discussing all his compulsions, but has never actually been diagnosed with OCD and doesn't describe himself as such. So in this documentary, he set off to discover the truth about the condition from sufferers and experts, as well as talking to the people in his life about his own behaviour and, finally, seeing a doctor. The people in Jon's life, by the way, include Russell Howard. This is important to fans of theirs.
There are many things to love about the documentary, but one of the best is Jon's presenting style. It doesn't really show him very well as a comedian, as this is anything but a funny subject, but as a presenter, he is excellent. As the Guardian said in their review:
"The conventional format - interviews with experts and with people at the extreme end of the condition's spectrum, each followed by a little chat to camera by the celeb immediately afterwards - were given a novel spin by the gentleness of Richardson's presence and the thoughtfulness of his questioning and later reflections. These are not common qualities in celebrities or standup comedians, even when a certain degree of empathy with the subject may be expected. You could only hope that on seeing what a difference a sensitive, intelligent presenter could make to these things, documentary commissioners could stop compulsively reaching for the nearest, easiest or cheapest celeb-option to front their wares."
My mother knows three things about Jon. One: he is a comedian. Two: what he looks like. Three: I love him. She planned to leave it on in the background while she was falling asleep, but was absolutely hooked and stayed up for the whole thing. I haven't watched any of the other shows from the mental health season, but if they're all as well-presented and respectful as this one, it looks like a great success for Channel 4.
So there's my relatively objective discussion. I'll share the documentary now, and then afterwards, I'll give you MY FEELS.
JON RICHARDSON: A LITTLE BIT OCD
4OD Link for watching inside the UK
LINKS FOR WATCHING OUTSIDE THE UK (blocked within UK): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
HAPPY FEELS
1. I didn't know Jon lived with Fordy now! Fordy, jsyk, was a regular guest on Russell and Jon's radio show, and took over as the sidekick when Russell left and Jon became the main host. He's a big, hilarious Nottingham man with one of the most infectious laughs ever and I love him.
2. Russell and Jon reunited! Surely this will now end all the "they now hate each other and here's why" rumours, as they seemed quite comfortable with each other despite talking about an uncomfortable subject. They may not be best friends anymore, but it's nice to see that they ARE friends. And I like that John Robins and Mark Olver were there too. AHH, COMEDIANS I LOVE.
3. Jon's mum's hair is awesome.
4. People realising, at last, that OCD isn't all about cleanliness. It's about compulsions. There are plenty of messy people out there who have compulsions (I, for example, like things tidy but am not the tidiest. I don't have OCD, but I do have some compulsions. Mine mostly regard touch, and replicating specific touches on both sides of the body. As well as alphabetising, but that's because people who don't alphabetise or have some sort of book/DVD/CD system are scum.)
SAD FEELS ABOUT JON
1. Combined with his book It's Not Me, It's You! (which I recommend to anyone), Jon's been more open and honest about his own issues than probably any other celebrity I truly admire, and I love that. But at the same time, I can't help but feel heartbroken at some of the things he's said. There's one particularly haunting section in his book where he trashes his entire flat just to escape the order he puts his life in that destroyed me, and there were a few moments like that in the documentary too.
2. Russell's reaction when Jon told him he slept in his car some nights because Russell/John/Mark's own lifestyles got to him so much. It didn't really show John and Mark's reactions, but Russell's genuine shock and upset at it was just so upsetting, as was Jon's reasoning. Jon never blamed the others for their mess, and thought it was entirely his own fault, and that his own best friends thought he was an arsehole, which they didn't. You can just see how much it hurts Russell that he inadvertantly made Jon feel that way, and that Jon couldn't tell him about it. BOYS.
3. The conversation with Jon's mum was pretty heartbreaking too, especially the way his entire face changes when his mum admits to how much anxiety she had when they were growing up. It's like a mix of "why didn't I know this?", "is this hereditary?" and "is she to blame for the way I am?"
SAD FEELS NOT CONCERNING JON
1. All of the stories from the other sufferers were distressing, but clearly the story of Joyce and her son Martin was the worst. I was in proper tears by then, and I really admire the way Jon handled himself with Joyce.
2. Likewise, Gemma. Which brought up some interesting points about OCD disrupting the lives of the people in the sufferers life too. Like how Gemma was willing to end her relationship with her partner, despite them loving each other, because her compulsions affected him too and it wasn't fair to him. It's just awful.
3. The hospital. I was terrified.
Reviews
Guardian | Independent
Further enjoyment
If you found this documentary interesting, buy Jon's book, It's Not Me, It's You!, because it is excellent.
If you enjoyed Jon, check out some of his stand-up on youtube and watch him on 8 Out Of 10 Cats. He has a DVD coming out later in the year too.
If you're intrigued by Russell and Jon's old radio show, I know I uploaded all the podcasts and such I have a while ago, but I think that was to MegaUpload. There are clips on youtube to try it out, and if you want full shows, let me know and I'll try to send them to you.
This is also something I'd love to discuss with people, so if you have any thoughts regarding the subject (or even just "OMG RUSSELL/JON!" thoughts), please comment!
PREVIOUS ENTRIES IN THE 100 THINGS BLOGGING CHALLENGE
#001 - Life on Mars | #002 - Glee | #003 - Grandma's House
100 SHOWS I LOVE, OR HAVE LOVED BUT LOVE NO LONGER
#004 - Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD
So last night, Channel 4 aired a documentary as part of their mental health season called Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD. It was hosted, obviously, by Jon Richardson, who is my favourite comedian, biggest crush, and all-round favourite person. But even if this is your first exposure to him, what an exposure. I've been following Jon's career since the start of his radio show with Russell Howard back in 2006, and in all that time he's been quite frank in discussing all his compulsions, but has never actually been diagnosed with OCD and doesn't describe himself as such. So in this documentary, he set off to discover the truth about the condition from sufferers and experts, as well as talking to the people in his life about his own behaviour and, finally, seeing a doctor. The people in Jon's life, by the way, include Russell Howard. This is important to fans of theirs.
There are many things to love about the documentary, but one of the best is Jon's presenting style. It doesn't really show him very well as a comedian, as this is anything but a funny subject, but as a presenter, he is excellent. As the Guardian said in their review:
"The conventional format - interviews with experts and with people at the extreme end of the condition's spectrum, each followed by a little chat to camera by the celeb immediately afterwards - were given a novel spin by the gentleness of Richardson's presence and the thoughtfulness of his questioning and later reflections. These are not common qualities in celebrities or standup comedians, even when a certain degree of empathy with the subject may be expected. You could only hope that on seeing what a difference a sensitive, intelligent presenter could make to these things, documentary commissioners could stop compulsively reaching for the nearest, easiest or cheapest celeb-option to front their wares."
My mother knows three things about Jon. One: he is a comedian. Two: what he looks like. Three: I love him. She planned to leave it on in the background while she was falling asleep, but was absolutely hooked and stayed up for the whole thing. I haven't watched any of the other shows from the mental health season, but if they're all as well-presented and respectful as this one, it looks like a great success for Channel 4.
So there's my relatively objective discussion. I'll share the documentary now, and then afterwards, I'll give you MY FEELS.
JON RICHARDSON: A LITTLE BIT OCD
4OD Link for watching inside the UK
LINKS FOR WATCHING OUTSIDE THE UK (blocked within UK): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
HAPPY FEELS
1. I didn't know Jon lived with Fordy now! Fordy, jsyk, was a regular guest on Russell and Jon's radio show, and took over as the sidekick when Russell left and Jon became the main host. He's a big, hilarious Nottingham man with one of the most infectious laughs ever and I love him.
2. Russell and Jon reunited! Surely this will now end all the "they now hate each other and here's why" rumours, as they seemed quite comfortable with each other despite talking about an uncomfortable subject. They may not be best friends anymore, but it's nice to see that they ARE friends. And I like that John Robins and Mark Olver were there too. AHH, COMEDIANS I LOVE.
3. Jon's mum's hair is awesome.
4. People realising, at last, that OCD isn't all about cleanliness. It's about compulsions. There are plenty of messy people out there who have compulsions (I, for example, like things tidy but am not the tidiest. I don't have OCD, but I do have some compulsions. Mine mostly regard touch, and replicating specific touches on both sides of the body. As well as alphabetising, but that's because people who don't alphabetise or have some sort of book/DVD/CD system are scum.)
SAD FEELS ABOUT JON
1. Combined with his book It's Not Me, It's You! (which I recommend to anyone), Jon's been more open and honest about his own issues than probably any other celebrity I truly admire, and I love that. But at the same time, I can't help but feel heartbroken at some of the things he's said. There's one particularly haunting section in his book where he trashes his entire flat just to escape the order he puts his life in that destroyed me, and there were a few moments like that in the documentary too.
2. Russell's reaction when Jon told him he slept in his car some nights because Russell/John/Mark's own lifestyles got to him so much. It didn't really show John and Mark's reactions, but Russell's genuine shock and upset at it was just so upsetting, as was Jon's reasoning. Jon never blamed the others for their mess, and thought it was entirely his own fault, and that his own best friends thought he was an arsehole, which they didn't. You can just see how much it hurts Russell that he inadvertantly made Jon feel that way, and that Jon couldn't tell him about it. BOYS.
3. The conversation with Jon's mum was pretty heartbreaking too, especially the way his entire face changes when his mum admits to how much anxiety she had when they were growing up. It's like a mix of "why didn't I know this?", "is this hereditary?" and "is she to blame for the way I am?"
SAD FEELS NOT CONCERNING JON
1. All of the stories from the other sufferers were distressing, but clearly the story of Joyce and her son Martin was the worst. I was in proper tears by then, and I really admire the way Jon handled himself with Joyce.
2. Likewise, Gemma. Which brought up some interesting points about OCD disrupting the lives of the people in the sufferers life too. Like how Gemma was willing to end her relationship with her partner, despite them loving each other, because her compulsions affected him too and it wasn't fair to him. It's just awful.
3. The hospital. I was terrified.
Reviews
Guardian | Independent
Further enjoyment
If you found this documentary interesting, buy Jon's book, It's Not Me, It's You!, because it is excellent.
If you enjoyed Jon, check out some of his stand-up on youtube and watch him on 8 Out Of 10 Cats. He has a DVD coming out later in the year too.
If you're intrigued by Russell and Jon's old radio show, I know I uploaded all the podcasts and such I have a while ago, but I think that was to MegaUpload. There are clips on youtube to try it out, and if you want full shows, let me know and I'll try to send them to you.
This is also something I'd love to discuss with people, so if you have any thoughts regarding the subject (or even just "OMG RUSSELL/JON!" thoughts), please comment!
PREVIOUS ENTRIES IN THE 100 THINGS BLOGGING CHALLENGE
#001 - Life on Mars | #002 - Glee | #003 - Grandma's House