AMAZON Prime has taken the timely decision to stream Tourette’s: I swear I can’t help it, a programme first shown in 2009 and documenting the struggles of John Davidson, a sufferer from this debilitating neurological condition. I Swear, a biographical film about John, recently received BAFTA awards. But this initiated a heated public debate about Tourette’s syndrome after John’s tics caused him involuntarily to shout out a racist slur during the ceremony, on 22 February, and this was included in the BBC coverage.
Narrated by Sue Johnston, the documentary also contains footage from the first programme made about John, John’s Not Mad, in 1989. When you watch John, as a distressed teenager, describing his daily reality of coping with violent and repetitive tics, it is impossible not to feel compassion. As a child, he was ostracised by his peers and forced to eat his lunch alone, misunderstood by the education system and by his own family. “Why does it have to be me?” he asks tearfully. John is now in his fifties, and there is still no cure for Tourette’s syndrome.
John describes the condition as a “wild madness”, something bizarre and violent, sometimes funny, but also a cause of embarrassment, shame, and guilt. He likens attempting to suppress tics to trying to hold in a sneeze: in other words, it’s impossible.
This is important viewing, with moments that are touchingly funny, such as John’s description of playing charades: “I’ll get up and yell, ‘Jaws!’ And that’s my turn over.” It is also sad and incredibly moving. “Sometimes, you just feel like everyone hates you,” he says.
At the start, Ms Johnston poses the question: “Has increased understanding and awareness made life easier for John?” Thinking of some of the cruel commentary that I have seen of the BAFTAs incident, I have to conclude that the answer is No.
Patricia Cornwell has written 29 books about the exploits of the forensic pathologist Dr Kay Scarpetta, and I have read every last one. I was very excited about finally seeing these crime thrillers brought to life in a TV adaptation. Scarpetta (Prime, 11 March) is co-produced by Nicole Kidman, and she stars — a choice that can be described only as the folly of hubris, because she is ridiculously miscast. I like Kidman: she’s a fabulous actress; but she’s all wrong for the part of the low-maintenance, unadorned, and down-to-earth Scarpetta.
Jamie Lee Curtis, also a co-producer and starring as Scarpetta’s sister, Dorothy, does far better, with an enjoyably sassy and bold turn. Mostly, though, the performances lack punch and depth, and there is a dearth of chemistry between all the leads. If you do watch, proceed with caution: this is not for the squeamish.
