TV Samaritans
Sir: Who is this that darkeneth counsel by wisdom with knowledge? Will Waspe? (February 12) The Befrienders television series is not sponsored by the Samaritans, it is entirely under the control of the writer, Harry Junkin, and the BBC.
What does concern the Samaritans is your suggestion that the stories may be ' perhaps generally fictional; but not necessarily," No information about clients has been or will be given to any person or body outside The Samaritans.
Therefore there is no need for you to suggest that any person in distress might be "discouraged from calling because of the fear that their private lives, thinly fictionalised, will be used as story fodder for the television series." The " trial run" episode was not judged for screening by the Samaritans.
The Samaritans are not receiving undesirable publicity through their founder's "current preoccupation with sex." Sex difficulties are one of the major causes of depression and suicide.
As for the alleged " takeover " of the Albany Trust's work among troubled homosexuals — it was in fact a handover announced by the Albany Trust in the Guardian.
Basil Higginson General Secretary, The Samaritans, 17 Uxbridge Road, Slough Will Waspe writes: No suggestion was made that The Befrienders is sponsored" by the Samaritans. It is, however, produced with their full co-operation and purports to be about them and must thus raise fears (whether baseless or not) that real-life case-histories would, r rovide its story-fodder. The desirability of the one-note publicity at present accruing to the Samaritans is a matter of opinion; and there is no difference in result between a takeover and a handover.
Previous page
