Wakefield was inspired by my own experience as a patient in a psychiatric hospital.  

Once I’d had of some distance from that very humbling experience, I began to wonder why the world of the psychiatric hospital is so underexplored on television.  A psych ward is a hotbed of emotion.  There are so many characters and stories all trapped together in the same place. And sometimes it can be difficult to tell who’s a patient and who’s a member of staff!  

The few contemporary shows I’d seen that touched on the subject fell short of portraying psychiatric patients as people, rather than walking, talking illnesses.

Wakefield is a piece of entertainment.  It walks a line between pathos and humour.  I hope it helps to reduce the shame around mental illness. The message is that we are vulnerable.  

And we are all – first and foremost – human.