That is it. The end of a (very short) era.
They say a good film needs a good soundtrack and that is
especially true for television too. And the soundtrack is just the beginning.
MY MAD FAT DIARY captured my attention, interest and heart
from the moment it started on screen back in January 2013. The 90’s BritPop
music, the band t-shirts and cassette tapes along with the lack of digital
presence are major pointers that the show is time-travelling back to
pre-millenium, yet so minor in the realisation that nothing of much importance
has actually changed.
Across three series, Rae Earl grew up. From an overweight
sixteen year old with mental health issues finding her feet in Lincolnshire,
Rae allowed us to follow her as she conquered what seems like the world, in
just three short years.
Not all teenagers have mental health issues, but all
teenagers have struggles.
Whether it be fitting in with friends or coping with family,
exploring her sexuality, relationships and studies, Rae resonated realness.
Whilst her mental health issues were portrayed as something
that created a wedge between her and society, in reality it was a strong
metaphor for the problems we all have. Some extreme and some minor. But
whatever it be, it is still a problem. It is something that we need to
overcome.
Teen shows such as ‘Skins’ and ‘Fresh Meat’ have previously
ventured into heroic territory, trying to highlight to the young viewers that
life has problems and we can cope in some way, shape or form. However, MMFD was
a little more… natural.
Perhaps the biggest reason for this was due to it being
based on a real life. The real Rae Earle published her diary for the world to
see back in 2007 and the collaboration between the people behind the scenes
definitely resonates on screen. The looks, the animated thoughts that are
hilarious yet so cringey because you know you once thought like that, the
detail and the exploration. Everything is a different person but yet so similar
because we can all relate.
“Finding yourself” is a mission for everybody. Basically,
what My Mad Fat Diary highlights, shows, explains and encaptures is that no
matter who you are, you will need to find yourself and the people around you
will be able to help you do that, but nobody is more important than yourself in
finding the true messages you have been searching for.
In the penultimate moments when Rae returns back to the
diary for the messages, it has the ability to inspire us all.
We haven’t all got a diary. We haven’t all got a mental
illness. But what we all have is our own thoughts, feelings, ideas, wants,
needs, and future. No television show has been able to capture that powerful
and important message and serve it up in the most dysfunctional slice of pie
that every viewer needs to eat. Like, no show. Like… ever.
I honestly believe (and judging by the fandoms across social
media I am not alone), that My Mad fat Diary has given viewers something back
and that is the reason a television show has truly chipped a little place into
my heart.
P.S. I <3 CLAIRE RUSHBROOK
