Oprah Winfrey has announced a mental health TV series she has developed with Prince Harry will air this month after reports the project had faced several delays.
The series, which will focus on ‘mental illness and mental wellness’, has been in the works for a number of years and was mentioned by Oprah, 67, during her bombshell two-hour interview with Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan Markle, 39.
Oprah once again plugged the series during an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show this week alongside US psychiatrist Dr Bruce D. Perry, who is also involved in the series.
Oprah Winfrey has announced a mental health TV series she has developed with Prince Harry will air next month after reports the project had faced several delays. She made the announcement during an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show this week (pictured)
Harry is being compensated for his contribution as ‘co-partner, co-creator and executive producer’ on the as-yet-untitled mental health series, which was first announced in April 2019. Pictured, Prince Harry onstage during the Global Citizen VAX LIVE concert
She said: ‘I want to just say that Dr Perry and I have been also, for the past two years, along with Prince Harry and Apple, we’ve been working on this mental health series that’s coming out in May on Apple.’
Harry is being compensated for his contribution as ‘co-partner, co-creator and executive producer’ on the as-yet-untitled mental health series, which was first announced in April 2019.
A report by the Sun in January suggested the series was originally slated for broadcast in autumn 2020 but Covid-19 restrictions and Harry’s exit from the Royal Family and move to the US with Meghan Markle, 39, slowed down production.
In an interview with best friend Gayle King in 2019, Oprah revealed exactly how the project came about, explaining that she pitched the idea to Prince Harry during a discussion about global issues.
‘I asked [Prince Harry] the question, ‘What do you think are the most important issues facing the world right now?’ and he said there are two,’ the daytime TV queen said.
‘He said climate change and mental wellness, mental fitness and mental health.’
She went on: ‘As you know, he’s spoken about his own issues and what he went through after his mother died and how being able to talk about it has benefited him.
‘So it’s a passion of his and, at the end of the conversation, I said, ‘Oh, I’m going to be doing this thing with Apple. It’s a big concern of mine too and I want to try to erase the stigma,’ and he said at the end of the conversation, ‘If there’s anything I can do to help.”
The series, which will focus on ‘mental illness and mental wellness’, has been in the works for several years and was mentioned by Oprah, 67, during her bombshell two-hour interview with Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan Markle, 39 (pictured)
It was then that Oprah decided to pitch the idea of Harry partnering with her on the Apple project, with the TV titan revealing that, since signing on, the royal has been incredibly involved in building the series.
Oprah referenced the series during her sit-down with the Sussexes, saying on camera: ‘Harry and I are working on this mental health series for Apple.’
The ‘plug’ for the documentary came about an hour into the interview, moments after Meghan revealed she had contemplated suicide in the depths of her row with the Royals.
‘I just didn’t want to be alive any more,’ the Duchess said. ‘And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought.’
Meghan added that while publicly she was smiling, inside she was terrified – pointing out how the couple were clutching each other’s hands in one happy-seeming photo at a public event from the time.
Oprah had already been forging a close friendship with the royals ahead of her business partnership with Harry.
The partnership was a huge win for Apple, which had reportedly already signed up Oprah to a multi-year content deal including scripted and unscripted original TV material, podcasts, books and apps.
In a statement released when the Apple show was announced, Harry said: ‘I truly believe that good mental health – mental fitness – is the key to powerful leadership, productive communities and a purpose-driven self. It is a huge responsibility to get this right as we bring you the facts, the science and the awareness of a subject that is so relevant during these times.
‘Our hope is that this series will be positive, enlightening and inclusive – sharing global stories of unparalleled human spirit fighting back from the darkest places, and the opportunity for us to understand ourselves and those around us better. I am incredibly proud to be working alongside Oprah on this vital series.’