The Stranger on the Bridge

The Stranger on the Bridge is a 2015 documentary film, produced and directed by Sam Forsdike and Richard Bentley of Postcard Productions. It was shown on Channel 4 on 4 May 2014.

It is an adaptation of a promotional film made in 2014 for the charity Rethink Mental Illness called Finding Mike.

## Synopsis[edit]

The documentary follows the then 26-year-old Jonny Benjamin as he tries to find the man who dissuaded him from taking his own life by jumping from Waterloo Bridge in London in 2008. Benjamin had nicknamed the man 'Mike', since he was not able to remember his actual name.

## Reception[edit]

The reception for Stranger on the Bridge was largely positive receiving reviews in The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent.[1][2][3]

The Radio Times called it a “remarkable, joyous, painful and ultimately life-affirming film[4]”.

The combination of the documentary and preceding campaign is estimated to have reached 319 million[5] people worldwide.

## Adaptations[edit]

The story of Benjamin's search was rumoured to be considered for a Hollywood film.[6] The rights have also been acquired by Pan Macmillan's wellness and lifestyle imprint Bluebird as part of a two-book deal.[7]

## Awards[edit]

* Win - Best Single Documentary - Televisual Bulldog Awards[8]
* Nominated - Best Newcomer Award Sam Forsdike - The Grierson Trust British Documentary Award[9]
* Nominated - Documentary Awards - The Grierson Trust British Documentary Award[10]
* Nominated - Breakthrough Award - Behind the Screen - Royal Televisual Society[11]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Ferguson, Euan (10 May 2015). "The week in TV: The C Word, The Stranger on the Bridge, No Offence, Shark, BBC4 Goes Slow". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 Nov 2016.
2. ^ "The Stranger on the Bridge, review: a moving reunion and tale of mental health". Telegraph.co.uk.
3. ^ "The Stranger on the Bridge, Channel 4 - TV review: Jonny Benjamin". The Independent. 4 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18.
4. ^ Graham, Alison. "The Stranger on the Bridge - what time is it on TV? Episode 0 Series 0 cast list and preview". RadioTimes. Retrieved 25 Nov 2016.
5. ^ Howse, Christopher. "The Stranger on the Bridge, review: a moving reunion and tale of mental health". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
6. ^ Sherwin, Adam (15 April 2015). "Finding Mike might be made into a Hollywood film". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 25 Nov 2016.
7. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine. "Bluebird acquires Benjamin's memoir The Stranger on the Bridge | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 25 Nov 2016.
8. ^ "Televisual". www.televisual.com.
9. ^ "The Grierson Trust - Nominations". www.griersontrust.org.
10. ^ "The Grierson Trust - Nominations". www.griersontrust.org.
11. ^ "RTS Programme Awards 2016 | Royal Television Society". rts.org.uk.

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