1. It’s a show about a very specific form of OCD

The new six-part Channel 4 series is about 24-year-old Marnie (Charly Clive), who is bombarded by intrusive thoughts of an extremely sexual nature. Usually these are completely outrageous; think the most X rated scenarios starring the likes of Marnie’s dentist, a bus load of OAPs, and even her mum. The show, bravely, puts all these thoughts on screen so we see exactly what Marnie is going through.

It is worth noting that experiencing unwanted sexual thoughts or images is one of the less spoken-about forms of OCD. These thoughts can be anything from fears that you are a paedophile to worrying that you’re actually a different sexuality than the one you identify as.

Some sufferers may even worry that they’ve done something terrible like sexually assault someone when they haven’t. All their intrusive thoughts are unwanted and they are at no risk of acting on them, however much they fear they might.

2. It’s based on Rose Cartwright’s real life experience

The show is inspired by Rose Cartwright’s own story, which she touched upon in a 2013 article describing how she lived with the disorder, which sufferers refer to as ‘Pure O’.

“I have pure O, or pure OCD, a little-known type of obsessive-compulsive disorder,” she explained in Guardian Weekend.

“People with pure O experience repetitive thoughts, doubts and mental images about things such as sex, blasphemy and murder. Needless to say, I don’t feel too ‘pure’ when I’ve woken every morning for a fortnight to the crystalline thought of assholes.”

Cartwright went on to successfully crowdfund and write a memoir, which she then pitched to C4. She also created Made of Millions, a grassroots platform for mental health sufferers. You can read about her journey here.

3. Pure is written by stand up and screenwriter Kirstie Swain

C4 picked up the rights to the book and handed writing duties over to Kirstie Swain, who has written for BBC Three’s college thriller Clique. She’s also a comedian, responsible for Pure’s brilliant one liners.

You can catch some in the trailer, which includes an explanation of the mental illness issue in terms of The Sixth Sense, here:

Channel 4’s Pure will completely transform the way you view OCD