“this is the one unmissable programme of the week” Times
“often heartbreaking, but also uplifting” Mail on Sunday
Each year in Britain, 135,000 people end up in hospital with a traumatic brain injury. Most at risk are young men and the effects, though often hidden, can be profound and life-changing for the people affected, as well as their families and friends.
In this powerful and moving documentary for Channel 4’s Cutting Edge strand, acclaimed filmmaker Zac Beattie follows 20-year-old Simon on a remarkable journey through rehab as he and his family struggle to come to terms with the challenges of life after brain injury.
A popular undergraduate at Newcastle University, Simon was on a night out when he and a friend tried to climb back into a nightclub they’d been thrown out of by mistake. In the dark Simon fell twenty feet and landed on his head, suffering a severe brain injury.
My New Brain follows the progress and the struggles Simon and his family face as he’s treated in a brain injury rehabilitation unit and begins his first visits home.
CHANNEL 4 (2010)
Camera/Director/Producer: Zac Beattie
Associate Producer: Clare Cameron
Editor: David G Hill
Executive Producer: Helen Littleboy