TV screenwriter and producer Paul Abbott has agreed to become one of the patrons of a national bipolar charity.

Burnley-born Abbott has spoken before about living with the condition, once known as manic depression.

Now the creative mind behind hits such as Shameless and State of Play has agreed to become a spokesman for Bipolar UK.

He said: “While people keep asking me not to talk about this illness in public (and that remains shockingly plenty) I will continue shooting my loud little mouth off about it for totally obvious reasons.”

In interviews Abbott has spoken of his ongoing battle with mood swings and suicidal thoughts Suzanne Hudson, the charity’s chief executive, said it was ‘fantastic’ to have the writer as a patron, at a time of great change for mental health services. Abbott will give a keynote speech at the charity’s annual conference in June.