Radio Times: Review by:; Emma Sturgess

The hairy man of comedy is, famously, also the hairy man of addiction and recovery. In the grip of a horribly destructive 11-year heroin habit, Russell Brand was dispatched by his agent to a charitable rehab centre. Having cracked abstinence-based recovery himself, he’s convinced that this - rather than reliance on methadone - is the best way to help those with the “greedy disease” of addiction.

As he retraces his steps through recovery (“This is the arse end of the mollycoddling!” he declares, throwing open the door to an art therapy room), he tackles the big issues in the field in a unique fashion that’s possibly quite alarming for some of his interviewees.

About this programme

The comedian recounts his own battle with heroin as he goes on a personal journey to challenge established views on drugs, meeting scientists researching the psychological aspects of addiction. He also talks to people involved in alternative therapies and addicts taking the first steps toward rehabilitation as he tries to gain new insights that could influence the policy-makers who deal with the treatment of drug abuse.