Natalie Cassidy Trains as Carer for BBC Series After Father’s 2021 Death
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 24
Natalie Cassidy Trains as Carer for BBC Series After Father’s 2021 Death
5 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 24
BBC One will air Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together on May 25, following the EastEnders actor as she retrains in social care after caring for her father before his death in April 2021.
A year-long Level 3 BTEC course took Cassidy back into education for the first time since 16, with placements in a childhood diabetes unit, St John Ambulance and a care home.
The series aims to spotlight a care system under pressure from funding strains, staff shortages, closures and tighter immigration rules that have hit a sector long reliant on overseas workers.
UK census data counted about 5.8 million unpaid carers, with nearly a third providing 50 or more hours a week; BBC outreach also found many households had someone give up work to care.
The programme launches as part of the BBC’s Caring Matters week, broadening the focus from Cassidy’s personal grief to the wider role unpaid carers and volunteers play in propping up social care.
Can celebrity training fix a care sector named one of the UK's riskiest jobs this year?
With a TV show exposing the UK's care crisis, why are vital reforms for disabled children still delayed?
As dementia care costs spiral towards £90 billion, is neglecting social care the UK's biggest economic blunder?
"Caring Matters Week" Premieres: Natalie Cassidy’s Documentary Sheds Light on UK Social Care Realities
Overview
The BBC is launching 'Caring Matters Week' on May 23, 2026, with the premiere of the documentary series 'Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together.' This series follows actress Natalie Cassidy as she spends a year training to become a care professional, showing her journey through exams, placements, and balancing work and home life. The documentary aims to give viewers an authentic look at the challenges and rewards of social care, helping to improve public understanding and appreciation for care workers. By sharing real experiences, the initiative hopes to change perceptions and highlight the vital role of carers in the UK.