Britain is in the midst of what charity Mind has described as a ‘mental health emergency’. With anxiety and depression soaring, and rates of depression almost doubling during lockdown, calls to mental health helplines have sharply increased - charities are taking more calls, and the calls are lasting longer.

In the lead up to World Mental Health Day, ITV’s landmark mental wellness campaign Britain Get Talking moved into fundraising with a new appeal ‘Help Our Helplines’, to support the vital work of leading mental health charities Mind, YoungMinds, CALM and SAMH at a time where mental health has never needed more attention.

Following a week of features across the channel, the appeal marked World Mental Health Day by culminating in an epic and evocative moment in the final of Britain’s Got Talent, with the sound of a phone ringing out in the middle of the show. The show dedicated its airtime, providing Ant and Dec a moment to share an important message, asking the nation to ‘Help Our Helplines’ by donating to the appeal.

Earlier in the week, the ringing of an unanswered call interrupted some of the channel’s most popular shows, including Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women.

A new ad campaign, voiced by Ant & Dec, Lorraine Kelly and Iain Stirling and created in collaboration with Uncommon Creative Studio, ran across the channel and encouraged viewers to think about the life-changing impact a single call could have. Alongside, bespoke content ran across ITV’s daytime programming, ITV News and Regional News and call outs were made during the England vs Wales football match on Thursday 8th October.

In response to the appeal, the Government has pledged to donate an additional £1 million to support mental health charity helplines, as part of the Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund.

ITV is very proud of Britain Get Talking, our campaign to encourage us all to look after our mental health. In this national emergency, when the nation is under such pressure, talking and connecting with others is vital. Sadly not everyone has someone to talk to or somewhere to turn for help. Our mental health helplines have never been more important, so we’re raising money to help make sure no call goes unanswered.

Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive at ITV

We are delighted to be one of the charities benefitting from ITV’s campaign and to have the opportunity to raise funds and reach millions of people with a message that it’s ok to ask for help if you need it.

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive at Mind

We have been proud to partner with ITV on their Britain Get Talking campaign over the past year. Raising awareness of young people’s mental health and urging those to reach out for support when they are struggling is such a vital message. This year has been so hard for so many, and we have heard first hand from parents who are desperately worried about the long-term impact of the pandemic on young people’s mental health. Being part of this campaign will ensure that we can continue to support parents through our Helpline, so that they have the tools to help children and young people navigate their mental health.

Emma Thomas, Chief Executive at YoungMinds

We’re hugely grateful to ITV for their continued support in raising awareness around mental health issues. Right now, CALM’s helpline services are needed more than ever. Since lockdown the CALM helpline has answered over 73,000 calls and prevented 259 suicides, with conversations about topics such as isolation, anxiety, relationship concerns, health worries, financial stress and suicidal thoughts.The Britain Gets Talking campaign not only provides a national platform to raise awareness, but also share stories of hope, and crucially, raise vital funds that will contribute towards the operation of our life-saving services which are open every single day from 5pm-midnight.

Simon Gunning, Chief Executive at CALM

It’s never been more important to do everything we can for mental health, and at SAMH we’ve been working as hard as possible to support our communities through this unprecedented year. We want to answer every call for help that we receive, and this year has seen a real increase in the need for our services, so the Britain Get Talking appeal couldn’t come at a better time. We will use every penny raised to help Scotland’s mental health. We’re grateful to ITV and STV for recognising this urgent need, and we’d like to thank everyone who donates to this vital appeal.

Billy Watson, Chief Executive at SAMH

Britain Get Talking originally launched in October 2019 by pausing the live show of Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions to encourage audiences to connect with each other. In 2020, Britain Get Talking has focused on encouraging us to stay connected during lockdown, with 6.4 million people starting a conversation as a result of the campaign, making 15 million calls and sending 27 million text messages. The initiative has also given rise to a new podcast, with frank interviews about mental wellness with talent including Lorraine Kelly, Tom Bradby and Jason Watkins.

Promoting Britain Get Talking is part of our wider Better Health priorities to encourage 10 million people to take action in supporting their physical or mental health by 2023. Find out more about our Social Purpose goals.