John's Not Mad
Encyclopedia
John's Not Mad is a QED
documentary made by the BBC
in 1989. It was ranked, in a British public poll, as one of the 50 Greatest Documentaries.
in Scotland
, who had severe Tourette syndrome
. John's life was explored in terms of his family and the close-knit community around him, and how they all coped with a misunderstood condition. Oliver Sacks
, a neurologist
, offers observations on aspects of John's behaviour. The documentary was narrated by the actress Eleanor Bron
.
A follow up documentary, The Boy Can't Help It, was aired by the BBC in 2002, catching up with Davidson – at 30 – to see how he continued to cope with the condition. It also visits an 8 year old named Greg Storey, from Yorkshire – who has Tourette's, and offers his experience of it at an early age.
The documentary achieved a cult status soon after it was first aired and, contrary to the "possible good intentions of the film crew, it has been seen as some sort of comedy classic."
John Davidson also featured with Keith Allen in a Channel 4
documentary entitled Tourette De France where he travelled with Keith and a group of Scottish people with Tourette's to Paris to visit the hospital where Georges Gilles de la Tourette
practised.
, a follow-up to the 1989 and 2002 documentaries, that caught up with both John (at 37) and a 15-year-old Greg, to see how their lives had changed in seven years.
Q.E.D. (BBC TV series)
Q.E.D. was the name of a strand of BBC popular science documentary films which aired in the United Kingdom from 1982 to 1999.-Format:...
documentary made by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1989. It was ranked, in a British public poll, as one of the 50 Greatest Documentaries.
Overview
The film shadows John Davidson, a 15-year-old from GalashielsGalashiels
Galashiels is a burgh in the Scottish Borders, on the Gala Water river. The name is often shortened to "Gala" .Galashiels is a major commercial centre for the Scottish Borders...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, who had severe Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane...
. John's life was explored in terms of his family and the close-knit community around him, and how they all coped with a misunderstood condition. Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE , is a British neurologist and psychologist residing in New York City. He is a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, where he also holds the position of Columbia Artist...
, a neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
, offers observations on aspects of John's behaviour. The documentary was narrated by the actress Eleanor Bron
Eleanor Bron
Eleanor Bron is an English stage, film and television actress and author.-Early life and family:Bron was born in 1938 in Stanmore, Middlesex, to a Jewish family of Eastern European origin...
.
A follow up documentary, The Boy Can't Help It, was aired by the BBC in 2002, catching up with Davidson – at 30 – to see how he continued to cope with the condition. It also visits an 8 year old named Greg Storey, from Yorkshire – who has Tourette's, and offers his experience of it at an early age.
DVD release
Both John's Not Mad and an edited version of The Boy Can't Help It omitting the scenes dealing with Greg Storey were released on DVD in 2006 with the proceeds going to the Tourette Scotland foundation.The documentary achieved a cult status soon after it was first aired and, contrary to the "possible good intentions of the film crew, it has been seen as some sort of comedy classic."
John Davidson also featured with Keith Allen in a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary entitled Tourette De France where he travelled with Keith and a group of Scottish people with Tourette's to Paris to visit the hospital where Georges Gilles de la Tourette
Georges Gilles de la Tourette
Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette was a French neurologist who is the eponym of Tourette syndrome, a neurological condition...
practised.
Twentieth anniversary
In May 2009, BBC television broadcast Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help ItTourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It
Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It is a QED documentary made by the BBC in 2005.-Overview:The film follows John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome , and the changes in his life since the 1989 QED documentary John's Not Mad. Another individual with TS, Greg, was filmed by his mother; his tics...
, a follow-up to the 1989 and 2002 documentaries, that caught up with both John (at 37) and a 15-year-old Greg, to see how their lives had changed in seven years.