Nicky Campbell reveals he suffers from bipolar disorder type 2 and spent two days in bed with depression after being vilified by the “satirist” Charlie Brooker.

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I’ve always been a bit of fan of Nicky Campbell. Not just for his talent but for his work ethic. For the best part of two decades he has presented the BBC Radio 5 Live breakfast show. For some unknown reason he decided he wasn’t working hard enough so he decided in 2007 to fill his Sunday with The Big Question on BBC One and then in 2011 he topped the lot with Long Lost Family for ITV.

Always friendly, a middle of the road character you could not take exception to unless you were a nasty piece of work. Enter Charlie Brooker, a satirist (it means unfunny).

For some inexplicable reason Brooker took exception to Campbell, now aged 60, and twenty years ago started lampooning him.
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Brooker, 50, is known for dark humour and in one newspaper column thought Campbell might be the “most evil man in the universe”. Brooker also said about Campbell that “according to the Guinness Book of records Campbell is the world’s biggest arsehole.”

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Some can just shrug their shoulders at such ridiculous taunts. You have to have pity on anybody who makes their money from the Guardian.

But unknown to me there is a reason Campbell took these attacks so personally. Since his teenage years he has suffered from bipolar disorder type 2.

After one such attack Campbell took to his bed for two days suffering from depression.

Campbell says of such attacks; “ I think we have to very careful about that sort of thing.

“Nobody knows what anybody is going through. I will never be as talented and brainy as Charlie Brooker but on that occasion and a few others it was bad.”

Brooker could not be reached by The Times to comment on Campbell being laid low by his “satire”. Be interested to know his reaction.

He clearly can hand it out but seems to go quiet when somebody pushes back.

A Bit like Ally Ross, the Sun’s TV critic. He has been attacking Piers Morgan for years but when I gave Ross a whack recently he squealed like a stuffed pig. Its seems if you can’t do it you criticise people who can.

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