Note: This article deals with sensitive topics such as euthanasia.
Silent Witness star Liz Carr has spoken about her latest television project, Better Off Dead?
In the documentary, the actor travels to Canada to address the issue of assisted suicide. The logline states: “In a society where disabled people are often told they would be ‘better off dead,’ Liz asks, ‘Should we really be giving this group of people more power to end their lives?'”
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Ahead of the show’s premiere, Carr spoke to RadioTimes about the topic and her travels, which included a trip to a country with “some of the most liberal assisted suicide laws in the world.”
“I’m not even sure it’s a passion project,” she said. “It always felt more urgent. That suggests pleasure. I wish I didn’t have to make the film. But the way we do it, and I think we needed that voice out there.”
“I think in 2011, after the Documentary about Terry Pratchett… It’s been like that ever since. Then I did a radio documentary for the (BBC) World Service in 2012 and then the musical about assisted suicide. I’ve tried to take that view out into the world on behalf of many of us.”
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Carr, who played Clarissa Mullery in Silent Witness, also spoke about the title of the series and the challenge it posed to audiences, explaining: “Better Off Dead? – that was obviously a provocation to think about.”
“I want you to open the show by saying, ‘When we view a group of people so negatively, it’s not safe to legalize assisted suicide because people already think we almost deserve it, like it’s a good thing, like it’s a compassionate thing.'”
Better dead? will air on BBC One on 14 May at 9pm.
We encourage anyone who identifies with the issues raised in this article to contact us. Information on how to access support is available via the NHSOrganisations that can offer help include Samaritan on 116 123 or Spirit on 0300 123 3393.
Readers in the United States are encouraged to mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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