This Review is from August 2025

From the press release to Poppy Radcliffe’s show, Sectioned – Schrödinger’s Mental Health

“A mental health service that works should be measured in its ability to make itself redundant, yet year on year waiting lists increase, the number of admissions to mental wards increase, the number of suicides in hospitals increase and the victims are getting younger and younger.

“One suicide in a place that is meant to be a place of refuge is too many.  We say it is unfortunate; that people have complex needs and there is nothing to be done.  But what if there is?  What if just a few tweaks could turn an ailing system into one that truly promotes recovery?”

In, Sectioned – Schrödinger’s Mental health, Poppy Radcliffe delivers a multimedia investigation into acute inpatient mental health care drawing on her own experiences of being sectioned eight times in nine years.

This is not a comedy show. It’s a powerful real-life story and a manifesto for change. It’s also the best show that I’ve seen at the Edinburgh Fringe  this year so far.

A version of this review appears on Episode 5 of the On the Mic: Five a Day podcast.