BBC introduces Caring Matters, a week of special programming to help audiences navigate caring

Caring Matters is a week long spotlight on caring across the BBC, bringing together programming to reflect the realities of caring in the UK today. From Saturday 23 May until Saturday 30 May, the BBC will shine a light on the experiences of unpaid carers and the role they play in families and communities across the country.

Throughout the week, the BBC aims to help audiences navigate the often complex system of support around care, sharing essential advice from experts alongside lived experience from those with caring responsibilities. Through powerful stories, trusted information and practical guidance, Caring Matters will not only highlight the challenges that come with providing care, but also what we can all do to better recognise, understand and support the unpaid carers around us.

At the heart of the week is a new iPlayer and BBC One series, Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together, which follows Natalie Cassidy as she joins a cohort of trainees for a qualification in caring.

There will be supporting content across the BBC, including TV, Radio, iPlayer, BBC Sounds and online.

For help and guidance throughout the week, the BBC has worked with a number of organisations, including Carers UK, Carers Trust, Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK, The Children’s Society, Mencap, Mind, The Mental Health Foundation, The Open University and Citizen’s Advice.

For details of help and support available for carers, go to BBC Action Line.

Kate Phillips, BBC’s Chief Content Officer, says: “Carers provide such a vital contribution to society and that’s why we are dedicating a week of special programming on the BBC to help support the caring community. With millions of people across the UK providing unpaid care, we will equip audiences with valuable knowledge and tools to prepare them while encouraging a greater understanding of what’s involved which is more important than ever.”

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BBC TV and iPlayer

BBC One

Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together

Best known for playing Sonia Fowler on EastEnders, Natalie Cassidy will be taking on a new role, fulfilling her long standing ambition to train as a carer.

Natalie will be enrolling at one of the UK’s top Health & Social Care colleges where, across eight episodes, she’ll study, train, and work alongside health and social care students, care professionals, volunteers and home carers - facing the realities, the heartbreak, and the joy of caring. Together they’ll be putting the spotlight on a dilemma we’ll all face at some point in our lives - who will care for our parents, our partners, our children... and who will care for us?

Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together is a groundbreaking new series commissioned for BBC One and the iPlayer by Rob Unsworth, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning, with support from BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen. The Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime is Muslim Alim and Karen Kirby is Commissioning Executive for BBC Northern Ireland. The series is produced by Big Mountain Productions and made in partnership with The Open University. Jane Kelly is the Executive Producer, Paula Campion is the Consultant Executive Producer, Ally Thompson is the Senior Producer and Emma Jones is the Series Shooting Director 

Songs of Praise

Rev. Kate Bottley marks the launch of the BBC’s ‘Caring Matters’ season by exploring the joys and challenges of being a carer and how faith fits in.

Kate is in Whitby to catch the special ‘forget me not’ train that aims to give a fun day out for people living with dementia and their carers. As well as joining in the fun and singing, Kate learns how tough looking after loved ones can be and how for some, faith can be a huge help.

We also meet Kaddy Thomas, who not only provides round the clock care for her son Elijah, but talks about how she uses God’s love and strength to support hundreds of other carers too.

Bargain Hunt

Eric Knowles presents a special episode to celebrate the millions people who dedicate their lives to helping others. At a bustling antiques fair in Newark, Nottinghamshire, experts Nick Hall and Izzie Balmer are lending a helping hand to their teams of carers. In red are twin sisters Kayley and Sarah who both have children with autism and ADHD. Competing against them on the blue team are charity worker Mandy and her daughter Jo, whose son has a rare chromosome disorder, similar to cerebral palsy.

With three hundred pounds in their pockets and one hour on the clock, both teams search for items they hope will make a profit at auction. The reds are drawn to a cute and cuddly Steiff teddy bear, but they’re not sure if the bidders will love him as much as they do! Meanwhile the blue team are tempted by some unusual Exeter Art pottery with a caring connection. Expert Izzie explains that these pieces, known as motto ware, became popular in the Victorian era, when their inscriptions were used to convey sentimental messages.

In Shropshire, Charlie Ross meets Einion Davies, the owner of a traditional family carpentry firm which for the last fifty years has been a lifeline for people who’ve lost mobility due to an accident or illness. Einion’s father Theo, a wheelwright and furniture maker, was asked by the local hospital to design a wooden standing frame to help rehabilitate people with spinal and brain injuries, strokes and conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Using traditional woodworking methods, he invented a unique piece of furniture which has gone on to help more than twenty thousand people across the UK.

Bargain Hunt: Carers Special is a BBC Studios production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It was commissioned by Rob Unsworth.

The Executive Producer for BBC Studios is Paul Tucker, the Series Producer is Joanne Dunscombe and the Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Lindsay Bradbury.

Eastenders

EastEnders will feature a storyline that sees Will Mitchell attempting to juggle caring for his sister Janet whilst supporting his family at home as Honey is recovering from a recent injury.

The One Show

On Thursday 21 May, Natalie Cassidy will be stopping by the famous green sofa to get One Show viewers ready for BBC Caring Matters Week, with a first look at her new series Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together.

The One Show will also be exploring the lives of those caring for family members and the pressures they’re under, with presenter Yinka Bokinni visiting a support group dedicated to helping people facing similar issues, by showing them they’re not alone. Yinka also shares her story of caring for both of her parents, and the lessons she learned along the way. 

Morning Live

In Support of BBC Caring Matters, Morning Live will shine a light on unpaid carers and the vital role they play. Across the week, they will be offering practical take home advice while highlighting the importance of carers’ wellbeing and how and where help and support can be accessed. 

Saturday Kitchen

On Saturday 23 May, Natalie Cassidy will be a guest on Saturday Kitchen Live to kick off BBC Caring Matters Week and speak about her new series Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together. Tom Parker Bowles and Tony Singh are the chefs, a full circle moment for Natalie who won Cooking with The Stars with Tony. Matt Tebbutt is hosting with Helen McGinn picking the wines for the studio dishes.

BBC Radio and Sounds

Asian Network

In British South Asian families, caring for elderly relatives at home is a deep-rooted practice, but one that can also carry shame, pressure, and conflict. On BBC Asian Network, a special episode of Asian Network Trending will explore the hidden cost for younger generations, including grandchildren, adult children and teenagers, who may be expected to help care for grandparents, parents, or siblings. The programme will also explore whether family duty can sometimes leave too little room for choice, and whether elderly South Asians are always getting the care they need. As some families look to care options on the Indian subcontinent, the programme examines why this can still be seen as disloyal, and where care turns into burden.

BBC Radio 2

Breakfast

Natalie Cassidy will be joining the Breakfast Show (weekdays, 6.30am – 9.30am) to talk about her own personal journey of learning what it means to be a carer.

Jeremy Vine

Jeremy Vine (weekdays, noon – 2pm) will speak to Tiggy Walker, patron of Carers UK and the widow of legendary Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker, about the pressures of caring for a loved one.

BBC Radio 4

The Archers

The Archers will feature two stories running in parallel which will explore the dilemmas, complexities and unexpected pleasures that accompany the very real challenges carers face in their everyday lives.

The programme follows the journeys of two older age Ambridge residents as they each navigate coming to terms with losing some of their independence in their own particular style. During the week of 24 May we hear the different perspectives of those who are caring for them, not as professionals but as their offspring, finding themselves in the delicate position of dealing with a gradual role reversal as their parents begin to need increasing amounts of support.

Family dynamics come under the microscope as the pressures of juggling unpaid care with the demands of busy lives begin to tell. We hear how feelings of guilt and rising resentment on both sides can upset carefully built living arrangements which have up to now worked well, putting relationships under strain. The programme explores the consequences for both cared for and the carers of facing the need to adapt to changing routines, and how the ripples outwards affect the wider family and friends of those involved. We hear the positives too, as moments of humour and the prospect of new possibilities such changes might offer shine through.

Illuminated: My Sister’s Daughter (w/t)
Laura had 24 hours to decide whether to take in her sister’s daughter. If she said no her niece would go into care. If she said yes, she would become a parent to another child. She already has three of her own. Her sister is struggling with addiction and is in and out of an abusive relationship. Laura, who lives in Blackpool and works as a cleaner, had no time to plan for this new arrangement. Her terraced home, already overcrowded, became more so overnight. And with a new child to care for, Laura was back to work the next morning, as there is no statutory paid leave for kinship carers. Laura’s love for her niece is instinctive but she’s exhausted.

Families have always stepped in during crises. So why are many kinship carers now forced to give up work, claim benefits or fall into debt when they step up to care for a family member's child? With over 141,000 children in kinship care in England and Wales, and a government review of parental leave underway, Laura’s story comes at an important moment in the history of care.

BBC Radio 4 at 7.15pm on May 24.

BBC Radio 5

Across the week, Radio 5 Live will be highlighting some of the biggest issues for unpaid carers. Programmes including Nicky Campbell’s phone in will be hearing from audiences across the UK about their personal experiences of caring for loved ones BBC Sounds.

BBC Education

CBBC Dumping Ground

The Dumping Ground will spotlight a storyline with Maisie as a young carer. Throughout Caring Matters week, key moments will be shared across CBBC social channels to bring the theme to younger audiences in an accessible and engaging way.

Bitesize

There will be a collection of content relating to caring on BBC Bitesize Homepage, including careers articles. Such as, How to become a carer, what skills you need and information about becoming an adult care work apprentice. On top of that, we have advice on helping your care-experience friends at school and how to get involved in fostering.

CBeebies Parenting Online

On CBeebies Parenting, you can watch an emotional story of kinship care, as Paul, a vicar living in the Lake District, tells how he brought his young goddaughter Sidney into his family full-time. He talks through the challenges and how his own children have risen to the occasion.

CBeebies Parenting website has more stories and advice around caring for 0-4 year olds. 

BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need funds charities and projects across the UK which support young carers. Children and young people in caring roles often have a lot to do at home as they care for a loved one, so they can struggle with attending school, schoolwork, exams, friendships and may have worries and anxiety around their caring role. BBC Children in Need projects connect children with trusted adults, such as dedicated project workers, who understand their experiences and provide a compassionate listening ear. They also give children respite from their caring responsibilities, allowing them the time and space to have fun and simply enjoy being a child.

BBC Children in Need helps to fund around 60 projects supporting young carers in communities across the UK to the value of £3.8m. Last year they supported more than 12,000 young carers. During Caring Matters week, we’ll hear from some young carers about their experiences on BBC Children in Need’s social media channels.

BBC Local

BBC teams across England are covering issues around social care on 28 April, as part of the buildup to the local elections. There will be stories across the BBC News website and app, social media and on your BBC local radio station and your regional news on BBC One at 6:30. We’ll be sharing people’s experiences, highlighting the challenges, and hearing about good practice where people are finding innovative ways of delivering care. As part of the BBC’s Your Voice, there will be an opportunity to share your personal stories, which will be reflected in our post-election coverage in May.

BBC Northern Ireland

On BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle, Consumer Fight Back will be discussing carers and allowances. Sunday Sequence look into the ethics of relying on home carers, and Thought for the Day will also have a caring related theme.

BBC Radio Scotland

BBC Radio Scotland’s phone-in programme Mornings will feature the issue throughout the week. Coverage will include a phone-in on the ‘sandwich generation’ looking at duty v care, we’ll hear what it’s like when you become a ‘Medical Mum’ and, Inspired by Natalie Cassidy's Learning to Care, we find out what it's actually like training to become a carer in Scotland – do we value the care profession?

BBC Radio Scotland will also host a special programme with a live audience in the foyer of Pacific Quay on Tuesday 26th May. Across the programme, we’ll hear from a variety of carers who will share their experiences and we’ll host a special surgery with a panel of experts which will focus on the financial support that is available to carers.

We will also welcome in partners of BBC Caring Week and other Scottish care organisations to set up stalls live in the reception of PQ at BBC Scotland offering practical tips and advice to carers.

BBC Radio Wales

On BBC Radio Wales, The Phone In will be doing a special programme where listeners can share their experiences and tell their stories of caring, Behnaz Akhgar will be hosting an Afternoon Advice slot which will help listeners navigate the caring system – from where to access financial support to mental health services - and Bronwen Lewis will be doing an extra-special singalong with a young carer, celebrated as part of the Proud Parent feature during the morning show.

BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Ginio programme will hear from unpaid carers who are quietly balancing work, family life and the responsibility of looking after loved ones.

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