Ep 11. Tony Schumacher and Chris Dowrick

**This episode contains explicit language (swearing) and discussion of suicide throughout which some listeners may find distressing.** 

In this episode we’ll hear from two events at Gravity and two different guests linked by their experiences of being on the frontline in responding to fellow humans in moments of crisis. 

Tony Schumacher grew up in Huyton in Liverpool, and was a police officer for over a decade before the pressure of the job caused his mental health to fray. He eventually left the force and began writing, which he credits with saving his life. After publishing several novels, Tony wrote a TV script drawing on his experiences in the police, which became ‘The Responder’, a unique, uncompromising major drama series which aired on BBC1 in January 2022. Tony came to Gravity and discussed ‘The Responder’ and his life and career with Greg Jenkins, Young Person’s Mentor at The Reader. 

Chris Dowrick is a professor of primary medical care at the University of Liverpool and a practising GP. Chris is the author of the well-known book Beyond Depression, and, more recently, of Reading to Stay Alive: Tolstoy, Hopkins and the Dilemma of Existence. This book draws on case histories of Chris’ patients, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins to speak powerfully about moments of crisis and desperation. Chris talked via video link at Gravity festival to Philip Davis, Emeritus Professor of English literature at the University of Liverpool. 

Tony Schumacher 

The Responder on BBC iPlayer 

Greg Jenkins on The Reader Podcast (Episode 8) 

Chris Dowrick 

Reading to Stay Alive: Tolstoy, Hopkins and the Dilemma of Existence, published by Anthem Press 

Reading for Life by Philip Davis 

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 

‘No worst, there is none’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins 

‘The Journey’ by Edward Field