Big Boys Don’t Cry will debut at 4pm, 12 May, on Sky Sports Arena.
Sky Sports has revealed a new documentary on the subject of mental health, Big Boys Don’t Cry, featuring England rugby star Joe Marler.
Big Boys Don’t Cry will debut on Sky Sports Arena at 4pm on 12 May, during Mental Health Awareness Week. The hour-long programme will feature Marler travelling the UK to open up conversation around mental health challenges and to learn about how people manage with their mental wellbeing, which will include freshwater swimming and singing in a choir along the way.
After the original broadcast, Big Boys Don’t Cry will be available on various Sky Sports channels and through NOW. It is made in partnership with life insurance, pensions, and investment company, Royal London, which is donating £20,000 to its national poverty charity partner, Turn2us in support of its helpline and contact centre.
Produced by Ridley Scott Associates, from director Gray Hughes, the documentary is funded through Publicis Media’s APX Content Ventures in collaboration with Spark Foundry.
Marler’s role comes after the England and Harlequins player spoke of his mental health struggles in the game, and he said: “I wanted to meet people who, like me, had gone down their own mental health ‘rabbit holes’. I wanted to hear about how they found their own ways of getting out of them and gain a better understanding of how mental health issues affect us all.
“I hope that talking about my own mental health will get others talking about theirs and help to normalise it, especially in an alpha male-dominated sport like rugby. We are required to dominate and intimidate opposing players when we cross the white line on the pitch, we must show no weakness or vulnerability in order to win. But it doesn’t have to be like that off the pitch. I want to help spread the message that many others have done already that it’s okay not to be okay. And help people find the right tools to cope.”
Executive director, content, at Sky Sports, Steve Smith, added: “At Sky Sports we are always striving to tell interesting and powerful stories that our audience finds intriguing and can relate to. Joe Marler is one of the most recognisable rugby stars in the game and it is fantastic that we are able to tell such a personal storyof his to our viewers.”
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