A new BBC One documentary talks to Felicity Baker about what it’s like to live with a stammer – but who is Felicity Baker? And what’s the difference between a stammer and a stutter?
I Can’t Say My Name: Stammering in the Spotlight airs on Wednesday March 10 2021 at 7.30pm on BBC One.
Here’s everything you need to know!
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I Can’t Say My Name: Who is Felicity Baker?
Felicity Baker is a BBC news broadcast journalist and producer in the BBC newsroom.
She has worked for the BBC for nearly 12 years and credits include The Andrew Marr Show.
The Londoner is usually behind the cameras, not in front of them.
Felicity has spent her life trying to hide her stammer, but sometimes struggles to say the ‘B’ sound in her own name.
She says: “It’s your identity. And it feels like you should be able to own that.”
I Can’t Say My Name: Stammering in the Spotlight on BBC One
Felicity Baker talks to colleague Sophie Raworth about living with a stammer.
She talks to others with similar difficulties to her, including a former Welsh rugby international who blames his stammer for his aggressive behaviour on the pitch.
Felicity also meets a rapper who found music stopped him stammering.
Meanwhile, Michael Palin reveals his father stammered but never spoke about it.
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Who is Felicity Baker? What’s the difference between stammer and stutter?
There is no difference between a stammer and a stutter.
Stammering, also sometimes referred to as stuttering, is a relatively common speech problem.
It can begin in childhood and also persist into adulthood.
Stammering is when a person repeats sounds or syllables – for example, saying “mu-mu-mu-mummy”.
Sometimes a word gets stuck or does not come out at all.
Someone who stammers will repeat, prolong or get stuck on sounds or words.
What causes stammering?
According to the NHS website, it is not possible to say for sure why a child starts stammering.
Stammering is a neurological condition that makes it physically hard to speak.
Developmental and inherited factors may play a part, along with small differences in how efficiently the speech areas of the brain are working.
Stammering is more common in boys than girls.
It’s estimated that stammering affects around 1 in 100 adults, with men being around 3 to 4 times more likely to stammer than women.
Can a stammer be cured?
There are different speech and language therapy approaches that can help people who stammer to speak more easily.
A speech and language therapist (SLT) can make a suitable treatment plan.
An SLT can find ways to improve the fluency of speech and reduce the impact stammering has on lives.
King George VI famously had a stammer that made it hard for him to give speeches to the British public.
The King ended up attending speech therapy before his iconic address in 1939.
Colin Firth famously bought his stammer to life in the award-winning 2010 film The King’s Speech.
Who is Felicity Baker? What famous people have stammers?
As well as King George VI, Joe Biden recently became the first US President to have suffered with a stammer.
Former Labour cabinet member Ed Balls also knows only too well what it’s like to have a stammer in a high profile role.
He has previously said: “I was worried about that. That it might be seen as weak, or a failure.”
Rowan Atkinson’s stammer is not widely known, but is said to be the reason he created silent comedy character Mr Bean.
He once said his stammer “comes and goes”.
He said: “I find when I play a character other than myself, the stammering disappears.
“That may have been some of the inspiration for pursuing the career I did.”
Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates famously struggled to get his words out while speaking to judges including Simon Cowell, and remains one of the most well known stammer sufferers.
Emily Blunt, Bruce Willis, Hugh Grant, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Samuel L Jackson are all said to have suffered from stammering at some point in their lives.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Australian singer Kylie Minogue are also celebrity stammerers.
I Can’t Say My Name: Stammering in the Spotlight airs on Wednesday March 10 2021 at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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