BBC Two has commissioned Glasgow-based Storyboard Studios to produce a 1×60 Horizon Special entitled How To Sleep Well with Michael Mosley (w/t).
Fronted by award-winning science journalist Michael Mosley, the programme will reveal how scientists are unlocking the ways in which sleep impacts almost every system in the human body, from our memory and moods to the ways in which sleep can make us more or less resistant to weight gain, as well alter our risk of illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, or our ability to fight infection. The documentary will explore this latest research to find out how we can learn to sleep better and reap the rewards for our health.
The documentary’s findings will be informed by a pioneering sleep study, by Oxford University’s Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute, to investigate how we sleep now and the link between sleep and physical and mental health.
Michael Mosley said: “We spend around a third of our lives sleeping but most of us have no idea what actually goes on when we fall asleep. As an occasional insomniac myself I am really excited to learn about new and extraordinary ways in which the sleeping brain is behind the body’s response to disease, obesity and ageing.”
Natalie Humphreys, executive producer for Storyboard Studios, said: “We’re setting out to uncover new science, never featured on television before, which is getting us closer than ever to cracking how sleep works and what we can all do to make sure we’re getting the sleep we need. This film bears all the hallmarks of what we aim to achieve with our output — shows that are authentically ground-breaking and genuinely useful.”
Tom Coveney, BBC Commissioning Editor, said: “Getting a good night’s sleep has never felt more important, but with insomnia rocketing during lockdown, more and more of us are looking for sleep solutions. As one of the nation’s most trusted medical journalists, it will be fascinating to see what Michaels uncovers from the latest research, and to learn how we can all sleep better.”
How To Sleep Well with Michael Mosley is directed by Dani Carpanen, produced by Jon Willers and executive produced by Natalie Humphreys. The documentary was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning Science and Natural History and Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Tom Coveney.
Jon Creamer
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