Ever wondered how soap storylines are written? Or how script writers try to make the mental health problems of their characters realistic?

In our brand new magazine, Speak Out, we go behind the scenes on two of Britain’s best loved soaps, Eastenders and Emmerdale, to discover how people with lived experience of mental health problems helped shape two recent storylines.

Speak Out is a new tool developed by Time to Change, to offer our supporters advice, facts and inspiration for challenging discrimination in different areas of life. This first edition focuses on the media, and features interviews with Time to Change script advisors Lol and Kevin about their roles developing storylines for well-known characters Ian Beale and Zak Dingle.

We also talk to a researcher from the Emmerdale team to get her perspective on the process. Other content in the magazine includes a look at how Channel 4 put their recent 4 Goes Mad storyline together, and a review of how press coverage of mental health has changed since Time to Change began.

Read the latest edition