Time for CHANGE

JOE SWASH on highlighting the challenges faced by teenagers in the care system

- ELAINE REILLY

JOE SWASH: TEENS IN CARE
NEW TUESDAY, 9PM, BBC1 FACTUAL

He’s one of the nation’s favourite cheeky chappies, but Joe Swash is embarking on a serious mission this week as he explores a subject close to his and his family’s heart in a new BBC1 documentary, Teens in Care.

Joe’s mum, Kiffy, has been a foster carer for the past 15 years, a role which former EastEnders star Joe has always supported.

But with the number of children aged 16 and over in care increasing by 37% in the last decade, Joe’s keen to find out what growing up within the care system in Britain is really like – hearing about it from those who have experienced it first-hand, as well as frontline workers and policymakers.

Here, Joe, 41, who won I’m a Celebrity… back in 2008 and Dancing on Ice in 2020, tells TV Times why he hopes this programme can spark change…

What inspired you to make this documentary, Joe?