Looking After Mum
Duration: 1 x 59'
Play Trailer Play Screener Contact SalesThis sensitively produced film follows unsung child heroes as they navigate the formative moments of their life alongside the emotional strain and anxiety of caring.
Following four young carers, we are given a rare chance to see into their world – a world that can lurch between joy and heartache in an instant.
Every day across the country an army of unsung child heroes faces extraordinary challenges that most adults would struggle to cope with. They are Britain’s 700,000 young carers. While many feel stigmatised, overlooked and even bullied by a society that doesn’t understand the difficulties they face, others are fiercely proud and protective of their role. In this film we get to know four young carers, giving us a rare chance to see into their world – a world that can lurch between joy and heartache in an instant.
Over the course of several months these young carers allowed our cameras to follow them and their families as they deal with situations most adults would struggle to cope with. All four look after mothers who need continual care – from a life-threatening condition to mental health problems and blindness. What unites them is their deeply engrained sense of responsibility and an unbreakable bond with their mother. They all have to find a way to balance their caring roles with the need to still have and enjoy a childhood.
Brothers Tom (10) and Joe (14) look after their mum Vicky who has a rare liver condition that has become critical over the last two years. Without a liver transplant she only has months to live. Antonia-Rae (11) lives alone with her mum Lesley who has had a stroke leaving her paralysed down her right side and battling with depression. Kashanna (18) has cared for her blind mother Bernadette since she was four and she’s recently quit college so she can work and support her mum.
This powerful film captures the extraordinary strength and resilience of a group that often remains in the shadows.
What the Press Say:
“A heartrending film.” – The Observer
“This emotive film follows four extraordinary young carers who all look after mothers who need continual care.” Joe Clay – The Times
“It is the sort of television territory than can all too easily be exploitatively heavy on the heart strings, but this is a respectful and genuinely affecting film.” – The Sunday Times
For BBC1
Also in this genre
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Mums Selling Their Kids For Sex
Paul O'Grady's Little Heroes
School of Hard Tricks - Format
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Spy Cam Sex Criminals
Stacey and the Lockdown Babies
Michael Palin In North Korea
Kashmir's Torture Trail
25 Siblings & Me
Stacey Dooley: Face to Face with The Bounty Hunters
The Knowledge: The World’s Toughest Taxi Test
Stacey Dooley: The Young And Homeless
Prison, My Parents And Me
Ross Kemp: On the NHS Frontline
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Gypsy Kids In Crisis
Bring Back the Bush: Where Did Our Pubic Hair Go?
Fake Homeless: Who's Begging On The Streets?
Poundland: How Do They Really Do It?
Our Soldiers: Return To Civvy Street
Living With My Supersized Pets
Growing up Poor: Britain's Hidden Homeless Kids
Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum
How To Be A Young Billionaire
The World’s Worst Place To Be Disabled?
Hannah Spearritt: Me & Breast Implants
Living with the Boss - Format
Face The Consequences - Format
Growing Up Poor: Britain's Breadline Kids
National Trust: My Historic Home
Heal Me In The Name Of Jesus
Meghan & Harry: The New Revelations
Stacey Dooley: On The Psych Ward
Britain's America's Cup Challenge 4K
Deliveroo: How Do They Really Do It?
Britain’s Refugee Children
Prisoners' Wives: Visiting Hours
Stutter School - Format
School of Hard Tricks
Stacey's Lockdown Heroes
The Titan Sub Disaster: Minute by Minute
Britain's Child Drug Runners
Inside the Bruderhof
Coronavirus: A Day in the Life
Farther And Sun, A Dyslexic Road Trip
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Sex In Strange Places
Retreat: Meditations From A Monastery
Born On The Breadline
Life On The Psych Ward
Stacey Dooley Investigates: Kids Selling Drugs Online
Dr Xand's Con or Cure - Format
of
Format Info
Looking After Mum
The film follows unsung child heroes as they navigate the formative moments of their life alongside the emotional strain and anxiety of caring.
Series Duration: 1 x 59'
Resolution: HD
Genres: Human Interest