Losing It - Griff Rhys Jones On Anger on BBC Two this autumn

Category: Factual & Arts TV;
BBC Two Date: 10.07.2008
Printable version

Losing it can, of course, be funny. It’s a loss of control and it’s particularly funny when it happens to other people. But anger can also be embarrassing and shameful. People in positions of responsibility are not supposed to lose their rag. But there are times when we just can’t help it. The pressure builds up, the tension mounts and we search for a means of release.” Griff Rhys Jones talks about anger in his new two-part series Losing It – Griff Rhys Jones On Anger on BBC Two this autumn.”

"About a year ago, I made a film for the BBC about a sailing race and, during the course of it, I got into a filthy temper," says Griff. "I started shouting at the blameless people who were racing with me. I flew into a rage about something which was completely beyond my control. It was actually nothing new for me. I do get… cross. This is a film about being angry; I’m going to talk to other people about their propensity to fly into a rage, to throw a wobbler, to… lose it." Griff wanted to make these programmes to explore his own anger and to work out where it comes from. He also wanted to examine how anger affects us all in every day life from road rage to anger in families, and looks at potential solutions. He tries to release his frustration by boxing, meditating and taking part in an anger management course in Los Angeles.

"In a survey by the Mental Health Foundation released in March 2008, more than 1 in 10 of those polled said they had trouble with their tempers," says Griff. "Thirty-two per cent said they were worried by anger in the family. In these programmes, I’m going to look at what makes people angry, whether there’s more of it about, and what, if anything, can be done about it." Griff says his workload makes him lose his temper: "I’m an actor, I’m a writer, I run a production company. I’m successful with a lot of work – perhaps a bit too much – which I insist on doing myself… and I have to admit, when it all builds up there are times when it gets too much."

Griff reveals that he comes from quite a cross family and, as he gets older, he finds himself becoming more like his dad. In the first programme, his family, friends and people who’ve worked for Griff talk about his anger and how it has affected them. But it is not just Griff who admits to losing his temper. Journalist Rosie Millard, chef Heston Blumenthal, writer Muriel Gray and comedian Rory McGrath also talk about their anger and give examples of instances when they have lost it and what the triggers have been.

"Losing It – Griff Rhys Jones On Anger" is a fascinating exploration of a subject which affects us all, yet is rarely explored as it is in these two programmes. The films are also a journey of self-discovery; an honest and revealing account of Griff’s experience with which many viewers will identify. They will be shown on BBC Two this autumn. Much of the filming for these documentaries were done in the Brentwood Office of Anderson & Anderson, as well as the home of George and Nancy Anderson. It is the Anderson & Anderson anger management model which is demonstrated in the assessment and intervention of Mr. Jones.