The Sound of Silence will shout out the Baton of Hope message in Blackpool this August

Brian Daniels’ acclaimed play Sound of Silence will be performed at Blackpool Grand Theatre’s STUDIO space on Thursday 28^th August to help spark important conversations about suicide awareness and prevention as part of the Baton of Hope Blackpool event.

The Baton Of Hope was founded by two bereaved dads, Mike McCarthy and Steve Phillip, who lost their 31 and 34 year-old sons to suicide and are committed to changing the conversation around the often taboo subject, with the Baton first being carried through the streets of the UK in 2023 as a unifying symbol of remembrance, hope and the need for urgent action.

The 2025 national tour of the Baton of Hope will this year begin in Blackpool for the very first time, thanks to the hardworking team of Blackpool’s Empowerment Charity and Solace, with one hundred local people walking with courage and love for those lost and those left behind as they carry the famous Baton throughout the resort, as well as through Fylde and Wyre.

Brian Daniels powerful play Sound of Silence will form an important part of the Baton of Hope Blackpool tour and is based on the story of Mike’s son Ross McCarthy. Playwright Daniels formed Pluto Productions to produce plays inspired by true stories covering contemporary, complex issues such as this. He said: “Sound of Silence is a play about the impact on a family when a close and loved member of that family takes their own life.  I was inspired to write the play after watching a television interview with Mike McCarthy whose beloved son Ross took his own life. Ross seemingly had everything to live for - a close, loving and supportive family, a partner and a young son.  He had a full time job and lots of friends.  We know that depression is not always easy to spot and that we don’t always know how to speak about some of our darkest thoughts.

“After watching the interview I contacted Mike McCarthy and asked whether the family would be supportive of a play to celebrate the life of Ross and importantly to educate around the impact of suicidal ideation.  It was during Covid and I remember sitting socially isolated from Mike on a bench in the middle of Sheffield.  It was a bleak conversation on a bleak day.  Mike wanted to speak with his wife and family as to whether they might support the play.  They agreed and I spent time interviewing not only Mike but his wife, his daughter and Ross’ girlfriend. The result is Sound of Silence and this is the title because when I interviewed Ross’ mum, she said so poignantly that the only sound she heard now was ‘silence’.

“Mike went on to create the Baton of Hope initiative and the baton will be carried with pride through Blackpool this September to spread awareness across those who may be vulnerable to suicide or suicidal ideation. I hope the play will open the floodgates of hope that others can be saved through having the courage to speak, to listen and to share.”

Pluto Productions also spoke to Baton of Hope founder and former TV broadcaster Mike McCarthy about working with Brian to create Sound of Silence:

Do you remember your first meeting with Brian – and what was your motivation for wanting to work with him to create Sound of Silence?

“Brian got in touch with me after my son Ross took his life in February 2021. Brian had seen me do an interview on the local news programme and given his background in writing plays concerning quite profound social issues he wanted to write a play based on Ross’s story. We spoke about it as a family and there were a couple of reasons we decided to work with Brian. Firstly, Ross left a long farewell letter and one of the things that he said was please fight for mental health support. And when my son, in the last moments of his life, asked us to do something that’s all the motivation you need. Secondly, we knew we could trust Brian. When I met him, I could tell that he had a good heart, and I could tell he knew what he was talking about, and he was very experienced and capable as a playwright. Brian left me feeling very reassured that he would handle the story compassionately, sensitively and intelligently. And that’s exactly what he did.”

How did you and your family work with Brian to create Sound of Silence?

“Brian interviewed me and other members of my family, and he got all our perspectives because, for example, my daughter – who as well as being Ross’ sister was also his best mate – had a different perspective from mine. The process of working with Brian also reinforced to me that we all process grief in different ways and we have to respect each other’s way of grieving.”

How did you find that process of working with Brian? It must have been a very emotional process to go through.

“I’m always happy to talk about Ross, even though it’s an incredibly sad subject, I’m very proud of Ross and I remain very proud of him. I don’t think what he did was right, I don’t think suicide is the solution and there is always hope but I understand he felt that way. Brian guided us all through that process very gently and compassionately, I felt very safe. I want to thank Brian for giving me the platform to say all of this. I wanted to shout about Ross and his situation from the rooftops – and this is just our experience, there are hundreds of thousands of others. And he gave me that platform.”

Why did you want to tell Ross’s story?

“Suicide is the biggest killer of young people in this country, not cancer, not drugs, not road accidents, but suicide. And speaking to other families who have been through the same thing, it’s a very familiar, very common story. But it’s still a very taboo subject. I’ve lost count of the mums and dads, brothers and sisters who I’ve spoken to who have said there just isn’t the mental health support until you’re at crisis point, in terms of mental health. So, I really applaud Brian for having the bravery to tackle such a subject head-on and opening up the conversation around suicide because that’s precisely what we need as a society – the subject has been hiding in the shadows for far too long.”

Can you remember your reaction when you saw Sound of Silence for the first time?

“Yes, I was incredibly overwhelmed. I cried a lot because even though Ross isn’t here anymore, it helped to give him a voice as he’s not here to use his own. And although it was very hard to watch, it prompted a really good, open and healthy conversation and I was convinced to bring home the issues around suicide.”

Were there any powerful reactions from audience members that stayed with you?

“There’s been so many. But one that stands out was one student opened up about the way they were feeling in a way they never felt they’d been able to before. They had been feeling incredibly lonely and bottling up what they were feeling – and they were feeling much clearer about the direction of their life and the positive future they had. And that’s very rewarding to see the positive impact a play like this can have. Nothing I have witnessed since losing my son to suicide has captured the sense of regret and ‘what if’ more than this play. The work examines some of the key issues surrounding this huge taboo subject and asks many relevant questions about the way in which society continues to brush this largely preventable catastrophe under the carpet. Our family actually found the process of working with the playwright to be respectful, sensitive and therapeutic.  We remain grateful for the exposure Sound of Silence has given to a subject that should never again be shrouded by silence.”

Brian Daniels’ Sound of Silence can be seen at Blackpool Grand Theatre STUDIO on Thursday 28 August at 7.30pm. All tickets £7. To book please call Blackpool Grand Theatre Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/event/sound-of-silence

For further information on Blackpool’s opening leg of the Baton of Hope 2025 UK tour please visit www.empowermentcharity.org.uk/thebatonofhope

If you would like to offer your support or donate some time or resources, please email batonofhope@empowermentcharity.org.uk