Q.E.D. (1982)
John's Not Mad
S10 • E7 Mar 15, 1989
7.5
John Davidson, calls his mother a slut, he swears at policemen, and he spits habitually. When 16-year-old John walks down the high street of his home town, Galashiels, local people turn away or cross the road to avoid him. John has Tourette syndrome, a rare nervous disorder whose symptoms are what 'normal' people regard as abusive and antisocial behaviour. As John turns from boy to man, how will he cope with a disease that isolates him so distinctively from the rest of society? This intimate portrait follows John and his family through their daily struggle with an illness that makes everyday social contact a battleground.
