Line of Duty star Vicky McClure has spoken out about funding for dementia research after filming a documentary about the connection between the condition and music.
‘Our Dementia Choir’ with Vicky McClure brings together people suffering from some form of dementia to see if music can help them, as they train to perform as a choir in front of an audience of 1,000 people.
Ms McClure joins forces with specialists from the fields of medicine, music therapy and performance for the BBC One two-part series, which airs in May.
“The Government doesn’t put enough funding into research. I am passionate about looking into that,” McClure said. “We need the backing of councils and the Government”.
The documentary follows the journey of 20 people, each with a form of dementia, aged between 31 and 87, from McClure’s home town of Nottingham.
The 35-year-old, who also starred in the This is England film and spin-off series, experienced dementia first-hand through caring for her grandmother Iris, who died in 2015.
Asked if she’s concerned about getting dementia, McClure said: “Of course, there’s that fear that it could be me. But I can’t live my life between now and whenever worrying about it.
“You’ve just got to live your life and enjoy every day.”
The episodes see the group training with choral director Mark De-Lisser, singing well-known hits like Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations and Stand By Me by Ben E. King.
Although members of the choir see improvements during the documentary, McClure said “There have of course been changes in people since we filmed. Some are deteriorating rapidly. It’s frightening.”
Our Dementia Choir airs on BBC One at 8pm on Thursday 2nd May.
Excerpt from a report by Emma Bowden, published by Independent.ie on 22nd April 2019.
Image: BBC Pictures.