Rae Earl

It's a strange state of affairs where one of the few dramas to tackle issues of mental health without resorting to open-mouthed gawping is on teen channel E4. But My Mad Fat Diary, which airs its final ever episode on Monday, had some unerringly accurate source material to fall back on in the real-life diaries of Rae Earl, and a hugely believable performance from Sharon Rooney at its centre. It will be missed, though you can revisit the series in full on All4.

Rae Earl's superior tale of teenage angst continues with Chloe lying in a hospital bed after a car crash while her parents look for answers from her friends. Rae takes the blame and finds herself banned from Chloe's bedside as a result. Even the promise of the best mixtape ever ("from the Divine Comedy to DJ Shadow") can't rectify the situation. Can things get any worse? Yes, they can - her exams are about to begin, and her dad (Keith Allen) appears in the record shop looking for a bit of Elton John.

Radio Times review

Rae Earl (a brilliant Sharon Rooney) is desperate to fit in. It's the only thing that makes college vaguely bearable.

However she's dating Finn, the "fittest boy" in sixth form, and everyone has an opinion on it. Why? Because chubby, troubled girls like Rae aren't supposed to ride off into the sunset with the school heart-throb. Most painful of all is that Rae believes this spiteful chatter, allowing it to chip away at her already brittle self-esteem.

Despite cartoon scrawls and angsty voiceovers, this superbly acted drama never feels self-indulgent. Instead, its heartbreaking account of teenage growing pains will resonate with anyone who has ever navigated those precarious years.

Radio Times review

Troubled, imperfect yet wholly relatable, protagonist Rae Earl is a graduate of the Lena Dunham school of comedy. A lot has changed since we saw her last.

It's the summer of 1996 and, no longer crippled by anxiety issues, Rae is finally dating doting One Direction lookalike Finn. Her mum is still eccentric, her insecurities still niggle but life has never been better for the Lincolnshire teen. Can it last? As September looms, it looks unlikely.

College is about to start, bringing with it the return of social hierarchy and all-too-painful memories of days spent in locked toilets avoiding Big G and the classroom bullies.

"I've been in denial," confides Rae in a trembling voiceover. "In denial about being better, about being thin, about everything." The show's debut run thoughtfully examined the complex world of teenage mental health. This second series looks set to be equally poignant.

The star of My Mad Fat Diary meets its writer

My Mad Fat Diary is based on Rae Earl's darkly funny self-harm memoir. So what happened when she met her screen self? Some fighting talk about diets, death threats and Sydney Youngblood

There's no let-up in the emotional roller-coaster ride as Rae Earl's scything teen-angst comedy reaches its closing chapter. There's a bleak irony in the fact that Earl's diary - designed to help support her psychological recovery - plays a crucial role in bringing her closer to the edge than she's ever been.

Facing crises with all those she cares about - Tix, Chloe, Finn, her mum - will Earl (Sharon Rooney) be able to stay strong, or cave under the pressure?

Rae Earl on My Mad Fat Diary

A secret diary in the 1980s, a bestselling book and now a TV show... Why are the musings of an overweight, obsessive-compulsive teen so enduring? Diarist Rae Earl talks to Sophie Davies.

Rae Earl describes her childhood mental health issues

As a child, Rae Earl suffered from anxiety, delusions and OCD. After a short spell on an adult psychiatric ward, she decided to find her own way to deal with her demons.

The second dip into this adaptation of a teenage Rae Earl's real-life diary. With BFF Chloe boasting of her tryst with a mystery man, Rae worries that she'll never attract a boyfriend as long as she considers herself little more than a "blob with a gob". Her fears briefly make way for delight when crush Archie asks her out on a date, only to return in a frenzied campaign to disguise her sexual inexperience. Sharon Rooney impresses once more as Rae in what is rapidly becoming a must-see series.

Anyone who's ever been an angst-ridden adolescent (ie everyone) will be torn between wanting to chortle and hug the heroine of this new teen drama. It's based on the published diaries of the real Rae Earl but has transplanted her trials and tribulations from the 80s to 1996 - hence the stonking Brit-pop soundtrack.

We meet 16-year-old Rae on the day she's discharged from psychiatric hospital and returns home to an unsympathetic mum, who'd rather canoodle with her illegal immigrant boyfriend than spend time with her stroppy daughter. All the latter wants in life is to be as popular as her effortlessly cool mate Chloe and to snog a boy.

At times Rae (Glaswegian comic Sharon Rooney) rivals the Inbetweeners boys for lewdness, crudeness and wince-inducing hilarity. Keep a cushion handy for the swimming pool scene.