Stephen Fry wants to hear ‘two words’

• He voice-overs new film from Scope
• It goes for drama over traditional charity ‘sympathy’ style

Stephen Fry is calling on the British public to share ‘two words’ in a powerful new film launched today.

The actor, comedian and author provides the rousing voice-over for an online movie in support of the Britain Cares campaign from the disability charity Scope.

The film, which Stephen described as ‘beautiful’, shows how two words – like “Marry me” or “I’m pregnant” – can change everything.

Introducing the film, Stephen says: “At the end of this video I’m going to ask you to share two words to help change the world. Just two words. But before I do, I need you to understand the power two words can have.”

At the end, he asks viewers to tell the government: “I care”.

Instead of a tear-jerker case study of a vulnerable charity beneficiary; this film – a celebration of Britain’s history of social justice – uses a series of feature film-style dramatic moments to remind people that they have the power to change the world.

Stephen explains: “The words ‘social care’ mean a huge amount to disabled people throughout Britain. It’s essential support needed to wash, dress and leave the house. But too many disabled people are being denied their basic freedoms. Right now the Government is at crossroads and what they do depends on how much they think we care. So we need two words from you. “I Care.”

About the film

The film by award-winning producers Catsnake does away with the traditional charity film style.

Stephen Fry got involved after his team saw a rough cut and was really moved.

He gave his time for free and even went to the length of rearranging a meeting in order to make time for the film. He called the film "beautiful".

Though most people involved either worked for free or for very low rates, the film marks a step-change in terms of production values for a charity film.

The Director, Edward L Dark, worked on the last 3 Harry Potter movies. The director of photography flew over from Paris just to work on it.

The Visual Effects team have worked on films such as Casino Royale, Harry Potter, Prometheus and Skyfall. In fact part of the visual effects work involved painting out the International Space Station from the shot of the earth. It also involved slowing down the earth in the opening shot and adding the sun.

Matt Jackson, Head of Campaigns at Scope, commissioned the film. He said: 

“Charity films can spark heated debates. Catsnake have made a video that takes the charity film onto another level. We hope it will show what is possible when it comes to a campaigning film.

“We’ve ditched traditional styles. We don’t want do a traditional tear-jerking charity film designed to make you feel sorry for disabled people. It’s feature film quality drama.

“We want to remind people that they can change the world. And they can start do it with a couple of small words. I care.

“Britain Cares is about showing the Government that British people really do care about whether or not disabled people can live independently.
“We are convinced that the British public has an innate sense of fairness. Britain has a long and proud history of fighting for what’s right, whether that’s ending slavery, women’s votes, or equal rights for gay people. We know that most people want to see disabled people given the same chance as everyone else to get on with living their lives. We want this to be the next chapter in that story.

“Social care is the help disabled people receive to get out of bed, get washed, dressed and leave the house - the basics in life – yet too many disabled people are being denied this.

“The Government has a chance to stop this, and it makes a difference if they see people care enough to speak out. We aim to show them they do.”

About the campaign

The Britain Cares campaign aims to use a powerful demonstration of public backing to encourage the Government to put in place the funding to make sure disabled people get local support for basics like getting washed, dressed and out of the house.

Members of the public are being asked to take a photo of themselves with the words ‘I Care’ written either on them or something they can hold, and then send it to their MP.

As part of this, the MP will be asked to call on the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, to ensure disabled people have the essential support they need to live their lives.

Other famous faces have also supported the campaign, including Paralympic gold-medal winning equestrian Sophie Christiansen OBE, who has tweeted a picture of herself and her London 2012 horse Rio, and comedy actress Sally Phillips and writer & campaigner Sally Bercow who have both recorded video messages of support.

A Britain Cares website, where people and community groups can upload photos and find out more, is now live.

Social care crisis for disabled people

The backdrop to the campaign is increasing acceptance of the need to find a solution to the crisis in social care for disabled people.

On Saturday, the Independent reported that the Government is considering abandoning “its pledge to ring-fence NHS spending by diverting more than £1bn to cover the spiralling cost of social care”.

The Government is working on a draft Care and Support Bill. A Joint Committee of both Houses scrutinising the draft care and support bill, warned recently the Government’s plans will fail without a greater focus on prevention and integration. The bill is expected to be announced in the Queen’s Speech on 8 May.

At the same time two influential groups of MPs and Peers have been taking evidence from disabled people, the organisations that work with them, councils and experts on the crisis in support for disabled people. They are due to publish their report in May.

In the Budget, the Government announced that it will bring forward plans for a cap on social care costs and a new means testing threshold. Charities welcomed the budget announcements on social care, but called on the Government to address the funding crisis.

Councils, meanwhile, have said that the funding crisis will “bring local government to its knees”. On 26 June the Government will reveal details of its Spending Review.

In January, The Other Care Crisis revealed a £1.2 billion funding gap in care and support for disabled people. The research also found that setting eligibility at ‘substantial’ could risk 105,000 disabled people failing to get basic support for their day-to-day lives.