‘It was actually beautiful’: the wild rise in people turning their therapy sessions into devastating TV

For many of us, the idea of being broadcast while in therapy is nauseating. Sitting opposite a complete stranger – who is seeking access to your inner world – can be scary. It can involve revisiting the difficult histories of our lives and doing the uncomfortable work of building self-awareness, exploring how certain experiences may inform our thoughts and behaviours. It’s not easy – especially if it’s your first time.

In a new BBC Three documentary Tough Talking, however, actor and musician Kema Kay invites viewers to be a fly-on-the-wall at his first therapy experience. The star of I, Daniel Blake moved to Newcastle with his family from Zambia at the age of three. As a boy, racial abuse in the city’s west end made him feel