William Gallagher
The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, is working with Oprah Winfrey on a new series for Apple TV about mental health, set to air in 2020.
The series, as yet untitled, is one of two documentary projects that Winfrey is working on and comes after the Duke's many years of campaigning to break the stigmas around mental illness.
"I truly believe that good mental health — mental fitness — is the key to powerful leadership, productive communities and a purpose-driven self," said Prince Harry, who will also co-executive produce the show. "It is a huge responsibility to get this right as we bring you the facts, the science and the awareness of a subject that is so relevant during these times."
The new series was announced on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Instagram account where he explained that the show would be about mental health worldwide rather than solely featuring the UK.
"Our hope is that this series will be positive, enlightening and inclusive - sharing global stories of unparalleled human spirit fighting back from the darkest places, and the opportunity for us to understand ourselves and those around us better," he said. "I am incredibly proud to be working alongside Oprah on this vital series."
Oprah Winfrey had previously been revealed to be producing two documentary series with the other being "Toxic Labor," about workplace harassment. She's also moving her famous book club to the Apple TV service.
"We need to be open in order to contribute and harness our hopes and dreams to hear our divisions," she said during the press event. "That's why I have joined forces with Apple. Because they're the company that has reimagined how we communicate. I joined in order to serve this moment, because the Apple platform allows me to do what I do in a whole new way. Because they are in a billion pockets, y'all, a billion pockets. So I am honored and proud to be a part of this new platform to connect with people around the world to create positive change."
The new series on mental health joins an estimated $1 billion worth of programming that Apple has so far invested in. The programming also includes drama, comedy and children's shows.
Many of these series, including some details from Oprah about her projects, were unveiled at Apple's March event. The company officially launched its Apple TV+ and Apple TV Channels services, both due to start later this year.
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9 Comments
This is great news. The Prince and his brother/wife (Prince/Duchess) contribute to Mental Health awareness in the UK. The head of Mind (well known MH charity) said they did more to raise awareness in 2 minutes than Mind had achieved in 20 years.
Content like this is difficult but I welcome it.
I hope Megan is in it. Perhaps she can be the legal secretary? ;).
Interesting. This is the guy who wants Fortnight to be banned. "The game shouldn’t be allowed. It’s created to addict, an addiction to keep you in front of a computer for as long as possible. It’s so irresponsible.” The Duke also emphasized the dangers of reliance on social media to form connections. “It’s more dangerous because it’s normalized and there are no restrictions to it, We are in a mind-altering time.”
We'll see where this goes, but I'm guessing it will be the typical blame-game of societal woes that will be used to justify government intervention rather than identifying individual issues that require treatment based on the specific person's needs.
Prince Harry should know all about poor mental health. Only an idiot would do this.
There's perhaps nothing I dislike more than Oprah and English royalty (for that matter, any royalty). Apple is moving in a direction that I just don't care about.