A PROGRAMME about manic depression seems unlikely subject matter for one of the most compelling hour's viewing to be broadcast this year.

But in the hands of Stephen Fry, last night's The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive on BBC2 was memorable - and informative.

Fry is a natural broadcaster. His self-deprecating manner and genuine intelligence, makes him a marvellous communicator.

Given the wrong treatment, this programme could have become cringeworthy.

But we had no such worries with Mr Fry at the helm.

It's all too easy to dismiss people who are suffering from some kind of illness that you don't understand.

What last night's programme managed to achieve so successfully was to take manic depression and transform it from a label into personal suffering.

To me the most interesting aspect of the programme was the fact that although manic depression has turned people's lives upside down, given the chance to have lived their lives totally free of the illness, the bulk of them would turn down the opportunity.

The personal descriptions of suffering - including one woman who was so disturbed by her illness that she contemplated taking a drill to her head - hopefully did more to raise awareness of what is a very serious problem than any clever advertising campaign.

As a well-publicised sufferer of the illness himself, Stephen Fry was the perfect choice to make this highly personal, and highly moving programme.