Everything you need to know about the Sky-exclusive documentary, Tell Them You Love Me
Tell Them You Love Me explores the extraordinary story of Anna Stubblefield, an esteemed university professor who becomes embroiled in a controversial affair with Derrick Johnson, a non-verbal man with cerebral palsy. The relationship, and the criminal trial that followed, would challenge our perceptions of disability and the nature of consent.
Anna Stubblefield was a respected academic and a disability rights advocate; passionate in her belief that the most essential part of the human experience is the ability to communicate.
Derrick Johnson was a 30-year-old man with cerebral palsy and had never spoken a word in his life. As a child it was also determined that he had severely limited intellectual capacity.
But Anna disagreed with this diagnosis, and when she first told Derrick’s family that she could help him communicate they were thrilled. His mother and brother had always sensed there was more going on inside Derrick, and they were eager to know what he thought about all day long, when he might be in pain, what his hopes and dreams were.
Anna began working with him using a highly controversial technique that involved training him to overcome his physical impairments so that he could type on a keyboard. After two years she was delighted to report that not only could Derrick communicate, but he had learned to express complex thoughts, attend college classes, and write thoughtful essays. Derrick, she said, was a highly intelligent man.
But there was more. Despite tremendous risks to her career and her personal life, she had become intimate with Derrick. They were in love, she said. But when the relationship was disclosed to Derrick’s family Anna was arrested and charged with sexual assault.
The trial that followed would be one of the most complex and divisive criminal cases in recent times. It would raise questions about Anna’s motivations and the validity of the relationship itself.
Through exclusive footage and interviews with those on both sides of the case, this feature documentary weaves a riveting and endlessly nuanced story about communication, race, and sex.
Who’s in it?
While the documentary is intercut with some dramatised scenes, the focus is on the people involved in this compelling case, with Anna Stubblefield, Derrick’s mother Daisy Johnson, his brother John, and the experts involved with the trial all telling the story in their own words.
Why is the case so controversial?
A big part of the controversy revolves around the legitimacy of facilitated communication. This is a technique whereby non-verbal subjects are helped to communicate by means of a keyboard, with an assistant present to help support the typing. The technique’s supporters maintain that it can allow the subject to express themselves in a way otherwise not possible. However, many critics are adamant that the assistance from the second party may have, be it consciously or unconsciously, an undue influence over what is typed.
In the court case against Anna Stubblefield, the prosecution argued that as Derrick’s consent was only made via facilitated communication while assisted by Anna, it could not prove that he was truly capable of consenting to any sexual relationship. Derrick’s family also maintained that Derrick was not capable of this level of consent – or any adult communication – and that Anna’s actions were strongly motivated by racial prejudice.
Who makes the documentary?
Tell Them You Love Me is made by Mindhouse, a London-based independent television production company founded in 2019 by celebrated documentary maker and television personality Louis Theroux, along with the film’s fellow executive producer Arron Fellows. It is produced and directed by Nick August-Perna, who previously helmed the documentaries The Oxy Kingpins, No Passport Required and The Swell Season.
Mindhouse’s previous titles include the Sky Original documentaries Lockerbie and The Bambers: Murder at the Farm, Channel 4’s Sex Actually with Alice Levine and David Baddiel: Jews Don’t Count, and several titles fronted by Louis Theroux himself including Louis Theroux Interviews, Louis Theroux’s Forbidden America and the Louis Theroux Podcast.
Regarding Tell Them You Love Me, Louis Theroux said: “When I started Mindhouse four years ago, this was exactly the kind of morally complex film I’d hoped we might be involved in making. It deals with some of the most sensitive and difficult themes in the culture but does so in a way that is intelligent and forensic and never sensationalist. Tell Them You Love Me is also just a powerful story which millions of people will enjoy watching and be totally engaged by. Nick is a terrific filmmaker and it’s a privilege to have been able to work with him and his team.”
What has Louis Theroux said about the documentary since it launched?
In an interview after its release, Louis said: "I’m thrilled that our documentary has done so well. It was nearly ten years ago that I first came across this story. Now, thanks to the brilliance of director Nick August Perna and years of work by him and his team, we’ve been able to deliver a hit film that’s been watched in huge numbers, on Sky Documentaries over here [in the UK], and in the US where it was the number one movie on Netflix.
“I think its success speaks to Nick’s talent as a director and also to how powerful and emotionally complex the story is. You never quite know where it will go next. And at its heart is a mystery - whether two people were involved in a Romeo and Juliet love story or whether what happened was a horrific crime or possibly something else again….
“It was a struggle to get the film commissioned. Massive credit to Sky for agreeing to make it and backing us 100 percent and also to Netflix in the US who bought it and brought it to an even wider audience.
“What’s been especially encouraging is seeing how it’s driven a conversation about race, disability, and power on social media…. It shows that films that you might think are risky or troubling or “difficult” can also be compelling and reach a big audience, not in spite of those qualities but because of them.
“Hopefully it will give commissioners and programmers more confidence about backing films that are emotionally raw and morally complex, that tell knotty and inconvenient narratives, because those are the sorts of film I like to make and also the films I like to watch…
“One of the most surprising reactions came from Elon Musk. It wasn’t even a one-word review. It was a one-character review. Simply an exclamation mark, on X, in response to a comment about the film. I guess it’s not definite that he saw the film, but in a small way he is participating in the conversation the film has started. "
How long is the documentary?
The feature-length documentary is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes long.
When’s the release date?
Tell Them You Love Me premiered on Sky Documentaries on Saturday 3 February 2024.
Where can I watch it?
Tell Them You Love Me is a Sky Original documentary and is exclusive to Sky Documentaries. It cannot be watched on Netflix or Disney+ in the UK.
Tell Them You Love Me available now exclusively on Sky Documentaries
Tell Them You Love Me reviews
“This chilling documentary is vital, challenging TV”
The Guardian 
“Shocking case will have you arguing for hours”
The Telegraph “This knotty exploration of disability and consent is fascinating”
Evening Standard