A raw, honest look at teenage mental health in 1990s Lincolnshire

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Set in the mid-1990s, My Mad Fat Diary follows sixteen-year-old Rae Earl as she navigates life after a four-month stint in a psychiatric hospital. While attempting to hide her struggles from her friends, Rae balances the typical pressures of adolescence with the daily management of her mental health.

Based on the novel by Rae Earl, the British comedy-drama debuted on E4 in January 2013. The series, which spanned sixteen episodes across three seasons, was celebrated for its authentic and unflinching portrayal of adolescent mental health. Critics praised the show for avoiding common television clichés, presenting Rae’s condition not as a singular defining trait, but as a manageable reality of her daily life.

Central to the show's success was Sharon Rooney, who played the lead role of Rae. Her performance was widely lauded as natural and effortless, earning her a BAFTA for Best Drama Actress in 2015. The series employed creative visual techniques, such as animated doodles and fantasy sequences, to provide an intimate look at Rae’s internal world. These stylistic choices, combined with a strong supporting cast, helped the show stand out as a unique exploration of teenage angst.

The show’s impact extended beyond entertainment, with the mental health charity Mind recognizing the series in their Media Awards in 2014 and 2016. Despite its critical acclaim, the show maintained a modest viewership, with the final series episodes drawing between 450,000 and 548,000 viewers on E4. While some critics felt it lacked the edge of other E4 teen dramas, many others found it to be a refreshing and moving account of the challenges faced by young people, noting that approximately one in ten young people in the UK live with mental health issues.

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