Put On A Happy Face

And the press releases keep on coming:

Man Up premieres Tuesday 11 October at 8:30pm (3×60’)

Gus Worland is on a mission to break the silence.

In Australia, men are traditionally seen as strong, stoic and tough as nails. They laugh in the face of fear. They excel at everything. And when life gets them down, they drink a cup of concrete and harden the f**k up. Or so the saying goes. But hardening up doesn’t seem to be working out too well for our blokes. Research shows Aussie men are lonelier and more disconnected than ever. Common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety go untreated. And suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 15 to 44 years. So why are men killing themselves? And why isn’t anyone talking about it?

Enter Gus Worland: professional talker. As the star of a Triple M’s radio team in Sydney, Gus has his finger on the pulse of real Aussie blokes. Deeply impacted by the suicide of a dear friend ten years ago, and with a teenage son of his own about to become a man, Gus sets out on a mission to save Aussie men from their biggest killer. Themselves.

THE SOCIAL CAMPAIGN:

ManUp.org.au

Following the airing of the series, the social awareness campaign will continue. We want to start the conversation but we want you to help keep it going. Jump onto the website to check all the facts, extra clips and to join the conversation. It could save a life. #ABCManUp

Man Up was principally financed by the Movember Foundation in association with the University of Melbourne. Produced in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. An Heiress Films Production.

So wait, this is basically an infomercial promoting mens’ mental health checks? Why are we even mentioning it? Oh right, our seemingly endless mission to point out just how reliant the ABC is on outside funding these days. What’s next – Dave Hughes fronting a show on the importance of avoiding stress sponsored by a mattress company?

We know this kind of thing does well for the ABC – remember that mental health week they did a while back? This looks roughly as funny, which is to say not very funny at all. In fact, we’re going to go out on a limb and say the biggest laugh across the three big nights is this line from the press release:

As the star of a Triple M’s radio team in Sydney, Gus has his finger on the pulse of real Aussie blokes

a): Triple M announcers and “real Aussie blokes” have about as much in common as every other form of highly-paid media professional and “real Aussie blokes”. Which is to say, with rare exceptions the only pulse your average Triple M announcer has got their finger on is the one in their dick.

b): “As the star of a Triple M’s radio team in Sydney”? Ooh, you can just see the PR team realising at the last minute that “As the star of Triple M’s radio team in Sydney” was just that little bit too specific to get away with.

Sorry Gus. We know you mean well.