I agree. Whilst there is much in here that is important - police capacity, social structures; #mentoo, substance abuse and abuse of power in comedy and notwithstanding a good deal of life-like nuance and great narrative flow, there are a number of deeply problematic issues with this show, not least that the whole "bravery" thing feels like "oh, thankyou for monetising your trauma".

If a true story - and the James Frey type backlash is not evident at present -Richard Gadd appears to be quite sick/mentally ill/traumatised. This zeitgeisty fashion for stand up comedy as a psychological gladiatorial ring for those disinclined or unable to pay for much needed professional help is worrying and, well, self indulgent. Like the equivalent of all those boys at open mic singing their self penned woe-is-me ditties strumming along to their guitars, but with a much bigger audience and more dangerous subjective power - the accused can't step into the ring to offer their rebuttal and no-one is offering professional insight at the end of the session.

Also, I agree that all of these types of abuse happen to women so regularly as to be seen as pretty typical so it does stick a bit in the craw. Not least that it appears that this is a gay man who is so self hating he needs to fetishise trans women in order to be okay with his own sexuality and then glorify his own shame. That isn't brave. That is just sad.

Of course there are self truths to be found in introspection and creative expression but this story seems to scream "help me, help me, help me" with a large dose of "look at me"to boot, and there is so much here in that is *not* said. There is no real redemption ark and whilst I get that trauma is confusing and raw and we all go round in messy circles, it says it is a fictionalised account of the truth so why not have your character at least seek help rather than play passive?

The inter generational trauma of the father being a victim of child sexual abuse and apparent inability to show positive emotion/physical love is skipped over as if largely inconsequential when it is evidently a much larger part of the truth of the story.

As you imply, it feels as though this piece is just an extension of the ongoing cry for help at the centre of his self-set bin fire. As he says, if you can get everyone to look at the awfulness of it and admire it, it somehow makes the feelings better because it's got some kind of worth. But actually instead of dealing with what's happened he is rolling around in it and literally creating drama. Surely not a whole lot better than MD & GHB?

It feels fit for our fiddling-whilst-Rome-burns times that we are beard stroking and exclaming "how brave" whilst this mentally ill, vulnerable, needy, dramatist provides us with a bit of spice.

Ambulance chasing anyone?

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