'We've got to celebrate these young men'

British actor and TV presenter Joe Swash reflects on his journey into fatherhood as a young man

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When Joe Swash became a young dad to his first child, Harry, in 2007, he was just 25 and had many unanswered questions, a lack of support and zero positive male role models.

The 43-year-old EastEnd-ers star is now a father to three children with wife Stacey Solomon, and cares for two more of her children from a previous relationship, as well as son Harry, who he shares with Emma Sophocleous.

His experiences prompted him to think about how both young and old fathers are sometimes undermined and excused from the wider parenting experience.

In his new BBC Three documentary, Joe Swash: Forgotten Young Dads, the British television presenter hopes to celebrate young men who are “rewriting the young dad script”, highlight the importance of male role models, and help change the way these young men are seen and heard throughout society.

Whilst Swash finds out more about their stories and how the odds are stacked against them, he also reflects on his own path into fatherhood, and why young dads are more likely to drop out of school, which leads to some thought-provoking discussions about masculinity.

Ahead of the release of the programme, the I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! and Dancing On Ice winner talks about what inspired him to make the documentary, the impact of absent fathers and the support he wished he had as a young dad.

What inspired you to make this film now? Why was it the right time?