Public Health England and the NHS have launched a celebrity-backed film that will broadcast simultaneously on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky to encourage the public to use its "Every mind matters" mental-health platform.
Coming ahead of World Mental Health Day on Thursday (10 October), the three-minute film was written by Richard Curtis and directed by Rankin. It will air at 8.45pm tonight (7 October).
A 60-second trailer for the spot has gone live ahead of its debut.
The film is voiced by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and stars celebrities including Gillian Anderson, Davina McCall, Glenn Close, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Andrew Flintoff, Professor Green and Nadiya Hussain.
It was created by 23red, APS, Freuds, M&C Saatchi, Manning Gottlieb OMD and Wavemaker. The drive is also backed by a number of major brands, charities and employers, which have pledged to promote the platform for staff, customers and followers. These include Santander, Greggs, Three, the England and Wales Cricket Board, Mind, Time to Change and the Samaritans.
"Every mind matters" is designed to encourage people to assess their own mental well-being and seek help should they display symptoms before they become more serious. It enables users to generate a personalised plan to aid their mental health.
The campaign is built on PHE research that found 83% of the UK population has experienced signs of poor mental health in the past 12 months and that 27% waited at least six months before taking action.
Sheila Mitchell, PHE's marketing director, said: "Tackling a huge challenge like changing the nation’s behaviour around mental health demands a big marketing solution and we are proud of the coalition of ambassadors, major brands, charities and employers we’ve secured to support us in addressing this critical issue.
"'Every mind matters' will make its debut in a co-branded roadblock broadcast moment, supported by Channel 4’s continuity announcements and innovative digital marketing activity. That’s just the start of targeted activity to capture the public’s attention and drive positive action on our mental health."
Curtis added: "The idea was to get people to talk about mental health and give them a simple and practical plan to help. It’s important not to be afraid to open up about mental health – and, most importantly, to say when we are feeling down, because there are simple things we can do about it.
"We all need help sometimes and we can all take action; we're not alone and there are things we can do."
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