Sir Jonathan Pryce has revealed he picked up on “small changes” in Jon Snow before the former Channel 4 News presenter was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The actor, 79, has been friends with Snow, 78, for nearly 40 years, since their children attended the same playgroup. However, a few years ago, Sir Jonathan was attending a memorial service for a mutual friend when he noticed Snow could not remember who he was.
Speaking to the Press Association, Sir Jonathan said: “We had children around about the same time, so that was quite a bonding experience, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. I’ve become aware of small changes in Jon the last few years, especially when he arrived at a memorial for a mutual friend, and we were all sitting there together, and it took him a while to realise who we all were. It was just little things you noticed, as you do with other friends and family members, just little things like their attention maybe is wandering, and they’re repeating things a bit, and it’s just that divergence from what they are normally like, rather than some major difference, or anything that would cause anxiety.”
Sir Jonathan said his job has made him “hyperaware of how people behave”, which left him picking up on the changes in his long-term friend. Alzheimer’s is the ongoing decline of brain functioning and can affect memory, thinking skills and other mental abilities, according to the NHS.
Snow is now the focus of the new documentary Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, which follows the broadcaster as he tackles a final scoop against the backdrop of his Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. After attending a screening of the film, Sir Jonathan said he initially found it “quite difficult to watch”.
“I felt quite emotional when the film started, when you see Jon having his diagnosis, but pretty soon into the film I was laughing, because he said something that made me laugh, and it made me recognise the Jon I know. It’d be wrong for me to say the Jon he’s become because he’s still the same person. He’s just a bit different, so it was emotional, and then very moving, and then inspirational and I also realised the value of the film being made.”
He added: “I’m so glad people can see this version of Jon, because he is exactly the same person he’s always been, but just has a slightly different way of expressing his personality. But it’s a very positive view of Alzheimer’s, and a very positive view of Jon, who is such a lovely, lovely man.”
The film was supported by Alzheimer’s Society, of which Sir Jonathan is also an ambassador. He said the documentary would help highlight that people with a dementia diagnosis “should not be locked away” or think “that’s the end of their life”. “They still have a life still to live, and a contribution still to make, and I think this film will give people confidence to have that point of view,” he said.
Both Sir Jonathan and Snow are also backing an open letter to the Government that calls for ensuring everyone can access an early and accurate diagnosis, and the delivery of high-quality dementia training for the social care workforce. “It’s just asking Government to get a move on, because the Government does have this intention to make things better for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and it does need to happen soon,” Sir Jonathan said.
“Until it’s diagnosed, there’s nothing you can do for that individual, and the diagnosis takes too long, and even when you’ve had the diagnosis, there isn’t the backup. Then you wait for support, but the sooner you’re diagnosed, the sooner you can get on to any drugs or trials that are available.”
Throughout his career, Sir Jonathan has played characters with dementia three times – in the play The Height Of The Storm, in the TV series Slow Horses, and in the film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club. Reflecting on the 2018 play, he said: “I wanted to do that play because it was a great theatre piece, and I wasn’t taking it in order to campaign for Alzheimer’s, but I then realised the value of what we were doing. People I met at the stage door would tell me their stories of a family member who had dementia, and once a young man told me seeing the character on stage was the first time he’d been able to cry about his father who he’d lost a year earlier. It made people aware that they weren’t alone.”
Alzheimer’s Society is available for information and support on 0333 150 3456 or at alzheimers.org.uk. The open letter calls on the Government to make sure the new plan for dementia is bold and ambitious. Jon Snow: A Last Big Story airs at 8pm on Saturday, June 20 on Channel 4. It is also streaming on Channel 4.
