Death Becomes Him

For two years, Brian has refuted any questions about grief with his catchphrase “I’m fine, I’m fiiine.” Here in episode one, with the support of his husband Arthur, Brian finally admits that he’s not as composed as he has made out to be.

Arthur opens up about the loss of his own father and how that impacted him at 16. It’s an experience that instilled in him a desire to build a life in which he felt safe, supported and happy. Arthur talks through his own experience of grief and together he and Brian find comfort in shared similarities.

This week on Death Becomes Him I sit down with my good friend Nadia Forde. Nadia's story is a little different to those we've already heard. From the age of eight, Nadia was raised mainly by her grandmother and today opens up about the complexity of grieving an estranged parent. Reconnecting during her mother's illness, Nadia admits she began to view her mother differently - woman to woman. We begin our conversation today talking about how becoming a mother helped Nadia heal.

This week Brian meets Shannen Joyce. Shannen brings a new perspective to grief and one that is so important. Since the age of 19 Shannen has battled through three boughts of cancer and for each diagnosis, she has missed key milestones and rites of passage. She chats to Brian today about grieving the moments the disease has taken from her.

This week Brian sits down with TV’s Alan Hughes. Alan is a household name, he’s a staple of Irish telly and someone we all feel like we know. But as we hear today, Alan has experienced many tragedies in his life and for the first time he opens up about losing his parents, two of his siblings and a close friend.

This week I speak with Lottie Ryan. We all remember the day we got the news that Gerry Ryan had passed away. He was a national icon, part of all our lives. A state funeral was held in his honour and his death made the front pages. And while there is a solace in the knowledge that he was loved by so many, on the flipside, the public experience of grief is extremely difficult to navigate.

Lottie opens up to me about sharing her father with the nation, following in his footsteps and how she believes his legacy lives on.