The Man

I'm not a fan of ITV at all and almost gave this a miss.

I thought it was very well written, extremely well acted and thought provoking.

I'm a mental health crisis nurse and I see victims of this often, sadly.

I cried at various points at the sheer lack of empathy or feeling for a fellow human being. I'm a male and not ashamed to say that.

I class the bullies as having a psychopathic disorder or are just plain bad. There is no excuse however.

Unfortunately many of these people with these traits make it to the top of business and government.

As I say to my patients, NO job is worth that.

If anyone is reading this who is enduring that type of situation, TALK to someone about it, not a friend or family member necessarily but a professional.

With the lack of service provision many churches now have coffee shop drop ins and it's not about religion but sensible people who will listen and signpost.

Due to all the cuts to services a GP counselling appointment is weeks in the waiting but at least get the ball rolling.

Do not suffer alone.

The CAB are very good, as are ACAS. This highlighted to me the absolute importance of being kind, for example when he went to the GP reception, we just never know how much stress any one is under at any given time.

We'll done to all involved in this.

The first two episodes are incredibly gripping, really highlighting the subtleties of bullying and how it isn't a problem that is left behind with school. The acting is brilliant, you really, really hate the antagonists and feel so frustrated when Thomas keeps succumbing to their taunts. It actually makes me anxious to watch because you're so worried about what they're gonna do to him next, can't wait for the finale. Really hope Thomas comes out on top.

A shy introvert is bullied at his work by his colleagues when he tried to secure to a contract with a major company. He is a line manager with a great future ahead of him but not if his jelly co-workers have anything to do it. The first episode is great and we are left just waiting for him to snap which is what the next episode will be about for sure. Can't wait!!

I cant say i enjoyed this first episode, but it was entertaining, i found his angst and bewilderment excruciating, and felt really sorry for him. I can see where the next episode is heading, and am sure many viewers can identify with this kind of behaviour in the workplace. Fair enough this is extreme for drama purposes but not -so far unbelievable.

"Sticks and Stones" is a three-part British (ITV) so-called 'psychological drama' focused on the competitive world of middle management and workplace bullying. It's had an interesting premise but, soon after the start, the tone lurched so recklessly from melodrama to farce, left you feeling a bit dazed. Me personally, still have no idea if I was meant to be taking this TV mini-series seriously. Is it a comedy or a psychological drama? At the end, it was not doing either very well. A let down.

Rating: 5+ (Average script, acting, and execution)