The Stranger

Everything fell apart for 17-year-old Ben West on the night his brother took his own life. In the years since, Ben has become a remarkable mental health campaigner. From fleeting online encounters to acts of unexpected kindness, he credits strangers with helping him navigate grief and driving forward a campaign that has gone on to influence national policy. In this episode, Matthew Syed considers the power in all of us to help people we have never met.

With contributions from mental health campaigner Ben West; Dr Gillian Sandstrom, associate professor of psychology at the University of Sussex and author of Once Upon a Stranger: The Science of How Small Talk Can Add Up to a Big Life; and Professor Adam Joinson, director of the Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour at the University of Bath.

Featuring archive from the 10 Downing Street social media video PM meets Ben West on World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2019.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Vishva Samani
Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Production Manager: Joe Savage
Sound Design and Engineering: Daniel Kempson
Theme tune by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4