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A Nest of Cuckoos

A Nest of Cuckoos

By: Christopher Ford
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About this listen

Shockingly funny, yet true, stories from within the walls of the asylum, where the staff are as damaged as the patients. Unbelievable tales that will make you laugh out loud while wincing at the detail, recounted by the author of 'I flew into the Cuckoo's Nest'. 'Madhouse Memoirs' from a jaw-dropping 12-year career in psychiatric nursing.

This is definitely NOT a recruitment advert for mental health nursing!

This is a hard-hitting reality show. It's a 'warts and all' account, meaning not just the warts, but the halitosis and skid marks also.

The author didn't come out unscathed; it took its toll.

Enjoy the ride on this 10-15 episode rollercoaster.

© 2025 A Nest of Cuckoos
Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Legal Violence
    Jun 30 2025

    This episode covers chapters 8-11

    8. Becoming a mental nurse

    9. 'Snot fair

    10. Forensic Gump

    11. Control and a little restraint

    Parker from Thunderbirds, manual faecal evacuations, ridiculous management egos, smashing up toilets and weaponising yucca plants. A crazy way to earn your rent.

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    40 mins
  • The Thin Vessel
    Jun 26 2025

    Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, Chapters 4-7

    4. Why, though? Are you mad?

    5. Thin Vessel

    6. Pitch Battle

    7. Breakfast Baps.

    A Narrow Boat holiday from hell, a football match in hell, and plenty of debauchery.

    My mental health takes a battering - I guess I was getting paid!

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    24 mins
  • Welcome to the Cuckoo's Nest
    Jun 25 2025

    This is the first episode of 10-15 based on the book 'I Flew Into the Cuckoo's Nest'

    This covers the first three chapters of a personal account from within the walls of the asylum. Very funny, but also a hard-hitting reality show that's not sugar-coated; it's 'warts and all', meaning not only the warts, but also the halitosis and skid marks.

    A cynical, darkly comic memoir-turned-series about a misfit mental health nurse surviving (barely) the absurd horrors of 1980's psychiatric care, where the line between caregiver and patient blurs in a broken system.

    My name is Christopher Ford. I am that 'survivor'.

    This episode gives you insight into a psychiatric lock-up institution, an introduction to the 'Gorillic' Jeff James character, an unexpectedly embarrassing near-death experience and the legendary frozen corpse.

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    24 mins

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