Roman Kemp has been praised by fans for his incredibly moving BBC Three documentary The Fight For Young Lives, which aired on Wednesday.
The radio presenter, 30, has been campaigning through his social media and documentaries following the death of his late friend Joe Lyons, who took his own life after struggling alone with his mental health.
In his documentary he is immersed in schools, youth centers and treatment facilities across the country, meeting experts and charities and visiting the Houses of Parliament.
In his first documentary Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency, Roman revealed that he had contemplated suicide in 2019 and was helped by his mother who rushed to his side.
And since then he has sought to understand the possible solutions for improving the mental health of young people in Britain today and has remained open about his own mental health, with his large social media following.
Help: Roman Kemp, 30, has been praised by fans for his incredibly moving BBC Three documentary The Fight For Young Lives, which aired on Wednesday
Incredibly, the radio host has been campaigning through his social media and documentaries following the death of his late friend Joe Lyons, who committed suicide after struggling with his mental health alone
In the documentary, there was a pivotal moment when Roman took on the government to ensure that 100% of schools had access to mental health teams – which at the time of filming the documentary was only 36%.
While reaching out to MPs through his social media, Roman received a huge response from his followers, but less from politicians.
During the documentary, Roman reported the government’s response to his letter.
It wrote: ‘We are rolling out mental health teams to schools and colleges across the country and more than a third of all pupils and students are now accessing these teams a year ahead of schedule.
‘We aim to extend coverage to at least 50% of pupils in England by the end of March 2025, but our ambition is to go further and we will continue to evaluate the impact of these teams and consider how more people can access get support.’
After watching the hour-long documentary, viewers flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to praise Roman’s work, with some urging him to continue the fight.
Some wrote: ‘Heartbreaking to see, but it makes you realize what needs to be done in this world. I didn’t even know where to start and as a parent it made me think and ask questions. Thanks and keep going Roman’.
‘Great documentary. Thank you for everything you’ve done. This shouldn’t all be on your shoulders, Roman. You started something great and now it’s up to all of us to put pressure on the inept government. I hope you and your family are doing well and I hope you give yourself a break.
Making a difference: his documentary sees him immersed in schools, youth centers and treatment facilities across the country, meeting experts and charities and visiting the Houses of Parliament
Opened: In his first documentary Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency, Roman revealed that he had contemplated suicide in 2019 and was helped by his mother who rushed to his side
Step by step: And since then he has tried to understand the possible solutions for improving the mental health of young people in Britain today and remained open about his own mental health, following on major social media
Incredible work: After watching the hour-long documentary, viewers flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to praise Roman’s work – with some urging him to continue the fight
Much loved: Roman’s best friend Joe, who was a beloved producer at Global radio for nine years, died by suicide in August 2020
‘Oh Roman. Great program! You’re doing such a fantastic job. Don’t forget to take care of you too. If you can, please continue. Young people need you’
“Legend keep doing what you’re doing, they need you!”
“This was such a sad watch, but very powerful. Keep knocking on those doors, but take care of yourself too x’
‘It broke me when I saw this, my son committed suicide two years ago at the age of 26 and it is still so raw. I’m here if anyone needs a shoulder and someone to talk to. xx Well done for highlighting this xx’
“Go on Roman… There’s a reason why you do this job. Everything will begin to make sense
‘As someone who works in education, this program hits home hard. It’s shocking but unfortunately not surprising. Big respect for Roman Kemp, we need more people fighting for young people’s mental health.’
Roman’s best friend Joe, who was a beloved producer at Global radio for nine years, died suddenly in August 2020.