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PROFESSOR GREEN: Diagnosed With Autism At 40 & Why Working Class Men Are Lost

Great Company with Jamie Laing

219,835 views

Stephen Manderson aka Professor Green, in today’s episode really reminded me to listen. The most successful people are the ones who listen rather than talk, they learn rather than pretending to know it all. Although we come from totally different backgrounds, we’ve always connected in such a genuine way. We first met when life was very different; Stephen was dating my friend Millie Mackintosh. A lot has happened since then, a lot of growing up and self reflection...

When people come into the studio, sometimes they might ask to not discuss certain topics but Stephen was a complete open book, so no stone was left unturned…

We cover:
•⁠ ⁠His relationship with Millie Mackintosh
•⁠ ⁠Getting an autism diagnosis later in life, and how that has changed the way he looks at his past
•⁠ ⁠Surviving getting stabbed in the neck and how knife crime will remain high until we tackle poverty
•⁠ ⁠How he’s turned negative life experiences into learning opportunities
•⁠ ⁠The self reflection that comes with becoming a father
•⁠ ⁠Losing his father & Uncle to suicide and how he handles the grief
•⁠ ⁠Why we shouldn’t blame our elders for getting stuff wrong as they didn’t have access to therapy

Stephen is such a breath of fresh air. Our conversation reminded me how important it is to keep learning, keep being interesting and interested - keep growing as a person.

Professor Green is Great Company.

00:00 Trailer
02:02 Introducing Professor Green
03:58 What is toxic masculinity
05:37 Sometimes we do have to man up
08:10 The boy from Hackney and the girl from Chelsea
09:10 The breakdown of my marriage with Millie Mackintosh
11:37 The difficulties of divorce
12:23 The power of trauma bonding
14:00 Choosing familiar hell
14:36 Being stabbed in the neck with a bottle
16:27 Tackling poverty will stop knife crime
16:53 What would you do to stop knife crime
18:13 Men are becoming more lost
19:27 How to stop the “them versus us” mentality
20:20 British flags going up and being patriotic
22:15 What is the most important thing you’ve learned
24:28 Mistaken miscarriage
26:14 Having a connection with your kid
27:42 Having a boy and discovering myself
28:01 The birth of my son triggered feelings about my dad
28:24 Grief changes shape it never goes away
29:14 The absence of my father
29:30 One question you would ask your father
31:54 Lack of attention to self
32:30 Men having a lack of purpose
33:45 Identifying my father’s body
36:48 Finding it hard to hide my feelings
38:49 Being assessed at the age of forty
40:36 What was your grandma like
44:20 Haven’t had a drink in fifteen months
46:17 Fear of abandonment
47:31 What is level one autism
50:49 What is methylphenidate
55:06 Nature or nurture
58:39 How good at battle rapping were you
01:03:38 Final eight questions
01:13:27 Jamie’s rundown

And I've got a new book coming out, Boys Don't Cry which you can pre-order here: : boysdontcry.co.uk

Go stream and listen to Professor Green's new music
https://drop.cobrand.com/d/ProfessorG...

If you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us:
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TikTok - TikTok: greatcompanypodcast

And if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: greatcompany@jampotproductions.co.uk

THE CREDITS
Exec Producer: Jemima Rathbone
Producer: Helen Burke
Assistant Producer: Rhoda Abrokwa
Video: Jake Ji & Josh Bennett
Audio: Rafi Amsili
Social Media: Laura Coughlan

Great Company is an original podcast from JamPot

20 Comments

@leeheasley3879 11 months ago

Could write an essay about how much this moved me but on the absolutely minute chance that either of you ever see this: Thank you.

@Miss-Nhussain 11 months ago

Pro Greens Emotional intelligence is REFRESHING ❤

@lizzylou2184 11 months ago

When Autistic and ADHD people let themselves be themselves their beautiful personalities really shine. What a lovely fella.

@danielrevell-wiseman3647 11 months ago

Such a poignant, thoughtful interview, Pro Green is so special, and you can so tell the work he has done on himself and on his documentaries, but you can almost sense how much pain he has experienced. Jamie’s empathy too, just shines, his non-verbal cues, and almost flinching at the painful discussions.

@imrukshanalatif5620 11 months ago

Prof Green has always been an exceptional human. The way he speaks so eloquently shows his intelligence. We need these people are teachers for the younger generation. Well done Jamie for bringing such a brilliant guest. ❤

@MinYoongi-yo2mb 11 months ago

We need more guys like this in the world and shouting about these issues. Both sensitive, empathetic and intelligent - positivity masculinity right there

@jimbob2826 11 months ago

Steven, if you see this, we need you to start vlogging man

@glenbryan3706 11 months ago

Wow , what a wise young man Stephen is . I could listen to him all night . His son is lucky to have him

@loobzy-lou 11 months ago

Think this might just be the best conversation yet. On the face of it I have nothing in common with either Jamie or Stephen. And yet I relate to so much. A life of rumination and undiagnosed neurodiversity leading to associated anxiety and low self worth. Using substances to cope. Growing up without a father. Reaching 50 and getting an ADHD diagnosis and waiting for an autism assessment. Learning to sit with the discomfort and listen to what it's trying to teach me. Finding contentment rather than seeking the highs of fleeting happiness. Getting honest even when it's hard. Having compassion and empathy and simply trying is what the world needs. Jamie, you have such a natural way of bringing out the best conversations. This podcast gave me such comfort and confirmed again that we are all at our core, more alike than we are different, no matter where we come from. Thank you both for such a great conversation.

@IrishBlonde2 11 months ago (edited)

My husband is autistic. I never knew it when we married. He was different but we never had a name for it.
Our first son was born. Level 3 autistic. Our youngest was born. He is a carbon copy of my husband (our son has more visable empathy though). My youngest and hubby are level 1.

Ritalin was a disaster for our youngest. It literally sent him off the deep end. He needed a non stumulant instead, it worked for a time. He also had very bad rumination.

We are married 21 years. I would marry him all over again.
My husbands autism is what made him so special to me. Love him forever.

@BremoBrews 11 months ago

Got diagnosed as autistic at 37 - what Professor Green said here hit deep. For years I just thought I was broken, or socially off, or too intense about the things I loved. I struggled socially for my entire life. I thought it was linked to racism or that there was something wrong with my personality - i just felt like the odd one out everywhere i went. The diagnosis didn’t “fix” anything, but it finally gave all the confusion a name, which was huge.

I mask well, but it’s exhausting. I can speak to friends and family but small talk drains me. Noise fries my brain. I hyperfocus on things I care about (Bitcoin, brewing, design, geopolitics) and struggle to switch off.

Hearing him talk about late diagnosis made me think about family too. My dad is very similar to me in a lot of ways, and it makes me wonder (without presuming) if his dad might have faced his own unrecognised neurodivergent traits as well.

Finding out late in life doesn’t make it easier, but it makes it make sense. It’s been about unlearning shame, accepting how I’m wired, and setting boundaries that keep me sane. I want to go and get assessed for ADHD too. Unmasking my autism has actually supercharged what I think are ADHD symptoms. 30% of high functioning autistic people also have ADHD. The two together actually mask each other, which is why a lot of late diagnosed people have both.

Respect to him for speaking so openly - it makes a lot of us feel seen.

@landvisual 11 months ago

Prof Green has always stood out as a real one.

@samprosser 11 months ago

I can attest for his politeness. I once bumped into P.G in the street and he was very polite. We were both very English apologising profusely for bumping into each other.

@DebTheCpn1 11 months ago

Jamie please please get Ren on. He is incredibly.

@jazminebell-thetraumapapers 11 months ago

I am adoring this conversation so much. The intelligence in the room is shining so bright. This messed-up world needs intelligent discussions. Thank you for this.

@emmaevans2233 11 months ago

I have never listened to Prof. Green before. He comes across as a beautiful human

@lucus55 1 month ago

This is absolutely brilliant, amazing conversation from Jamie and Stephen, more men should be talking about our feelings, this is real strength ❤

@edgarphono1395 3 months ago (edited)

That was a sick episode. I was going to watch only 15 minutes and save for later, but I ended up finishing it in one shot. I couldn't stop listening. Probably my ADHD, but it was just simply a genuine and intriguing conversation. Dope work both of you guys

@Magickhour 3 months ago (edited)

Also diagnosed at 40 with ADHD and 44 with ASD, "You was normal" is exactly what my Mum said to those questions, but my Dad completely different!!!! Brillant interview...