Now it’s personal for Scarlett
It’s hard to believe it’s eight years since Scarlett Moffatt took to our screens as part of Gogglebox’s telly-watching cast.
Now, the 31-year-old Geordie star has, in her own words, “graduated from the university of TV” after making the full transition from watcher to presenter. And Scarlett’s latest project will see her shedding light on Tourette’s syndrome in a new Channel 4 documentary.
Britain’s Tourette’s Mystery: Scarlett Moffatt Investigates delves into the unexplained rise in the number of teenagers presenting with tic disorders since the pandemic. Is it purely a symptom of the crisis? Is social media playing a part? Or could it be mass hysteria?
As we catch up with Scarlett, she recalls her own personal experience of sudden onset tics after being diagnosed with Bell’s palsy as a child and she reveals the helpful advice documentary don Louis Theroux gave her prior to filming…
Hi Scarlett, what made you want to do this documentary?
When I was younger, I developed sudden onset tics. The only form of Tourette’s that my family knew about was swearing. I remember feeling not in control of my own body – and I had Bell’s palsy as well. At school, I’d try to suppress the facial tics so I didn’t stand out, which was like holding in a hiccup. And as soon as I’d get home, they’d all come out. So when I started seeing new articles about young girls getting sudden onset tics, I asked why no one was talking about it. Then this opportunity came up.
What was your experience like having Tourette’s in your childhood?
I remember going to the doctors – that was the scary thing. Normally, you’d expect to go to the doctors and they’d say, “Right, here’s a course of steroids and you can have a couple of sessions of speech therapy but it should get better”. But it wasn’t as simple as that. I’m lucky that I have got a really good support network but I’m aware that other kids haven’t got that.
Was it challenging making this documentary?
This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever filmed. Asking parents, “Do you think your daughter ever fakes tics?” – that’s really hard but it’s not about digging. It’s about making sure the viewer understands. How did you prepare for it? I watched so many Louis Theroux documentaries. He’s amazing, isn’t he? I did actually meet Louis once at a Halloween party. I asked how to be a good investigative journalist. He said no matter what, to be true to myself.