u/Spiritual_Salary_997

I'm trying to find an answer to this question. The BBC walked out of Birmingham in the early 2000s and was only making Doctors here in a car park set until 2024. Now all that is made here are regional programmes. There is a new building being constructed in Birmingham but the investment here remains very low. This has had an impact on public perception of the BBC for a generation as everyone knows someone who was affected. My auntie lost her job as a housekeeper. My friends school lost access to an internship for radio 4. People switched off and found alternatives. Cancelled licence fees when they realised where the money was being redistributed to. I even remember children's shows being made here, and the excitement that created when you saw your road or someone's friend had a drama school audition. My dad says there was a lunchtime show like the One Show but it was before my time.

There is very little excitement or warmth for the new building or the BBC amongst Brummies. The real unanswered question is why, and I wondered if anyone here had any insight? Manchester I understand as a northern base, but moving jobs to Bristol needlessly was unbelievably cruel. The rent in Pebble Mill was free, and the building could be redeveloped

Most people don't know that Peaky Blinders couldn't actually be filmed in Birmingham because there was no studio, equipment, camera crew etc. It was mainly filmed in Yorkshire, with a Manchester crew travelling down to film exterior shots. There is no television media in Birmingham.

Does anyone know why the BBC became so anti Birmingham? Did we piss them off? Was it prejudice? Did the Director General have a Brummie ex who spited him? Were there bribes involved for Manchester and Bristol? I don't know and I can't find an answer as to why. Especially as the rent was free. The building needed renovation and Media City was much more expensive than refurbishment of Pebble Mill. So it can't be a cost saving measure

Edited to add

Rent on Pebble mill was free

Media City was much more expensive than refurbishment of Pebble Mill

The answer isn't ££££

Does anyone know?

I can see some down votes and honestly don't mind as long as you don't delete my post. This is the perception of the BBC for a 5 million people. Your perception may not be mine, that's fine too. Some of the remarks are condescending and insult the intelligence of Brummies and the apathy towards the BBC here.

Hello, it's my first post here, I'm in the UK.

I have this week officially been diagnosed with complex PTSD and autism. I was diagnosed with autism as a teenager but at the time also had severe social anxiety. The diagnosis was thrown out because I was articulate socially, if young for my age. Over time, I went to university and I was quirky, but entertaining and made a small circle of friends who were also sorts of outcasts. As an adult, I found it harder to make these connections and felt immature and like a baby when it comes to intimate and sexual relationships. I avoided them but really wanted the connection. This turned into alcoholism all the time and I became a hermit and reclusive, very lonely. I had a nice childhood but my parents are both immigrants and had very difficult childhood's themselves and could be emotionally unreliable. My dad lost his temper a lot, worked away a lot, but then was really loving and is still my best friend. He tried his best and has struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia, depression and ADHD his whole life. My mom was and is still quite emotionally distant and this meant some bad things happened and I wasn't protected from harm or others take advantage of me. I'm very literal, very trusting but would struggle to understand if someone was befriending me and subtly making fun of me. So I got humiliated and taken advantage of a lot.

Things came to a head when I lost by job 3 years ago. Id been on the ropes for a while for difficulties with emotional regulation and severe hypervigilence which would be the CPTSD side. I was working in human sciences in an area I have advanced qualifications in. I gave up drinking because I was too depressed to drink. I spent 18 months on a NHS waiting list and really went downhill in that time, but didn't want to cause a fuss.

I got placed in art therapy when my referral got passed all around the shop. This was actually a blessing and I have just come up to the end of 30 sessions. The therapist asked me "when I was diagnosed with autism", which was a given, like she could just see it. I said 16, but never mentioned again. She asked me how I felt about autism and I said that I have always found it so difficult to read others emotions and understand their motivations. But I can take a real interest in someone's interest until it becomes my own. My special interests are politics, and I find myself getting on with the pro Palestine bunch because to me, genocide is a red line. I like rules and that is a clear one. My other interest is Arabic perfumery and many people are happy to talk to me about that. I also enjoy watching things dubbed into a different language and studying the changes in how it is translated. I never know why with that one. I could talk about tiktok for hours and I think that's a bit rare for a 43 year old.

I get carried away and I don't know when to stop. I annoy people by sending them 20 videos a day when only sending one is inappropriate. I remember lots of factual details about people, their likes and dislikes and am vigilant for rejection. I have a good memory for detail and that means people get really thoughtful gifts which is my way of showing I care. But I'm ending therapy soon and bought the therapist a perfume she said smelt nice on me from the tiktok shop at a bargain price. I mentioned it to her and she said she wasn't sure. So then I emailed the NHS service and they've asked the manager. I wanted to give her a gift to remember us together which is the attachment side. It was £7 and a bargain and would make a lovely gift for someone.

Then it dawned on me. What if she was just being polite all these weeks and humouring me about perfume? What if she gives it away in a raffle or bins it but accepts it on the day? I will never know. Then I felt incredibly ashamed and stupid. I came on too strong, I reek of rejection, probably made the therapist uncomfortable and embarrassed myself because my mind reading is crap.

Can anyone relate? And can anyone recommend any books from a trauma autism perspective?

Thank you for reading

I've had 28 sessions with an art therapist on the NHS and it's been both incredible and heart breaking. I've been really vulnerable and cried a lot and not let my defences get in the way. I have experienced a lot of loss in my life and I don't feel strong enough to go to the final session, I'm also worried about how the ending will affect the therapist more than me. I'm devastated but I know he will have good supervision and colleagues to check in on him.

There are 2 sessions left. I have a gift for him that while inexpensive has been meticulously chosen. It means a lot for me that he has this gift more as a transitional object for me because I want him know how special he is.

What would happen if I left the gift but terminated therapy now? My feelings about this aren't important. I know it's me trying to avoid the pain of ending and protect him from that too. I'm going to write to pals and let them know how fantastic he has been so there is no ambiguity that this is something he did

Thank you for reading

I'm 43 tomorrow, F, and am coming to the end of 30 sessions of art therapy on the NHS. I never realised how sad parts of my childhood were and I've sobbed some weeks. I'm going to be referred onto compassion focused therapy but it's a long wait (art therapy was 2 years).

My CMHT file used to say 'harmful use of alcohol'. Now it says recurring depression. I think this is true but isn't the whole story. I'm convinced I have complex trauma just from having undiagnosed autism at the time, severe anxiety, being a nerdy kid and having parents who were unavailable. Sometimes. And sometimes they were absolutely amazing. I had a really nice childhood in some respects but other times when I tried to fit in and got laughed at which have left me with chronic feelings of shame.

If I mention this to the therapist I don't want to seem like I'm chasing a diagnosis for the sake of it, but I worry about having a diagnosis of depression only incase I need universal credit in the future (I'm always hearing depression and anxiety mentioned). I experience severe hyperarousal every day and even got a blue badge for this despite not qualifying for PIP. I'm on meds too. All the usual suspects, fluoxetine and a few others. I responded really well to quetiapine only it's caused weight gain and problems with my heart. But because there's no diagnosis, no one is monitoring me

The final thing is that I want to start dating and I'd want that person why I can't sit in certain positions or visit certain places. Why you should never approach me from behind. Why I find praise or big loving gestures really overwhelming. Being able to talk about that confidently would help me and them

What do people think?

Is it time to introduce Nigel Farage? Will Keir Starmer continue with his plan to lead the country into chaos? Do we talk about *those* drawings of Zack Polanski, or is it a bit too soon? Will Weekend Update go there? So many questions

What do you think will feature (politically) in SNL UK?

So many directions and possibilities this week. And so much British political current affairs for the uninitiated?