Christopher Eccleston urges nation to #sharetheorange to challenge attitudes towards dementia

Award winning actor, Christopher Eccleston is urging people to share a new thought-provoking animation from Alzheimer’s Research UK which has been created to confront common misconceptions surrounding dementia using only an orange.

Christopher Eccleston in the #sharetheorange animation

The animation, created by Wallace and Gromit creators, Aardman and creative agency ais London features an emotional plea by Mr Ecclestone whose own father died after 14 years of living with vascular dementia.

Chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, Hilary Evans, said: “At the heart of the #sharetheorange campaign is a challenge for the public to share this thought-provoking video to address misunderstanding around dementia.

“Major breakthroughs have been made in the battle against AIDS and cancer, and research will bring these same life-changing advancements in the field of dementia. To get there, we must stop fearing dementia as something that just happens as we age, and focus on fighting the diseases, most commonly Alzheimer’s, that are the root cause of it.

“There are still no treatments that can slow or stop the disease processes in the brain, but with the support of a nation, Alzheimer’s Research UK will win the fight against dementia.”

The short animation shows an orange being peeled and dissected. The orange acts as a metaphor for how physically damaging dementia can be the brain, sometimes causing the brain to weigh 140g less than a healthy brain, this is the same weight as an orange.

Christopher Eccleston commented: “We have to think differently about dementia. We have to stop believing dementia is an inevitability; something that simply happens to us all as we grow older. If we don’t, we’re never going to truly fight it.

“Dementia is caused by diseases and diseases can be beaten. We’ve tamed diseases like cancer and heart disease and a diagnosis of either is no longer a certain death sentence. People with dementia deserve this same hope. This film aims to show that dementia is caused by physical processes that scientists can put a stop to.

“While scientists fight dementia in the lab, by sharing the film anyone can fight the misunderstanding and fatalism that surrounds dementia in our society.”

In a recent YouGov commissioned by Alzheimer’s Research UK, it was revealed that, when asked what they thought dementia was and who it affects, 23 per cent of British adults mentioned brain disease or degeneration.

Both Alzheimer’s Research UK and ais London hope that by urging people to share the film and raise awareness across social media platforms, it will educate people and encourage discussion that dementia is not just a by-product of the ageing process.

The digital campaign will coincide with a two week national television campaign on major broadcasting channels, following on from last year’s campaign that feature the voices of Sir Terry Pratchett, Katie Derham, Arlene Philips and Seth Rogen.

Campaign viewers are urged to #sharetheorange to encourage people to think differently about dementia and misconception that the condition is a result of ageing.

Geoff Gower, executive creative director at ais London, said: "We understand one of the biggest challenges Alzheimer's Research UK faces is to dispel misconceptions about dementia. The condition is caused by very complex diseases that are difficult to communicate, so our task was to produce an ad that illustrates how diseases like Alzheimer’s affect the brain. In making the condition easier to understand, we hope the public will #sharetheorange and help spread the need to defeat dementia during our lifetime.”

Executive producer and head of partner content at Aardman, Heather Wright, added: “Animation is a great way of communicating difficult messages, delivering them in an easily understandable and memorable way. Using the orange as a metaphor for the brain makes this film very strong because the idea and the execution work perfectly together.”

The video was created to engage members of the public in the same way cancer, heart disease and AIDS charities have in the past.

It is hoped that a better understanding of dementia, will lead to increased awareness, action and conversation, encouraging people to donate and help researchers find a cure quicker.