The Woman With Seven Personalities: Extraordinary People (five); Tunnel Of Love (ITV1): "THEY'RE all me, that's why I'm screwed up," declared Helen - and, having seen her and her multiple personalities, you'd have to agree with this deeply troubled woman.

We've seen fictional dramas about people with several personalities but documentary film-maker Ruth Selwyn captured the real thing on camera. There was something unnerving about witnessing Helen talk one minute as a 35-year-old woman - her real self - and suddenly assuming a child's voice as ten-year-old Adam.

We also met William, who's six, and Alex, five. Jamie and Elizabeth only make rare appearances. The most worrying of her personalities are Brenda, who's 13 or 14 and doesn't mince her words, and 16-year-old Karl. Both have harmed Helen in the past, something you picked up before being told because of the cuts on her arms.

"I don't go out as Helen to buy razor blades," she said. Her other personalities hid them and then used them on her, just as they bought alcohol and drank it.

Most of them made appearances on camera. Helen is unaware when she changes personality. After being played back film of her switching, she admitted it was "a bit bizarre" seeing it.

She and Selwyn were old school friends who'd met up again on a train by chance. On learning that Helen had "this strange disorder", Selwyn set out to make a film to find out about the condition. It made for extraordinary viewing, not least because opinion on the reasons for adopting multiple personalities is divided.

Most agree she's blocking out something painful from childhood, possibly abuse of some kind. She created different personas when she was being abused, so when she woke up as Helen she knew nothing about it.

One psychiatrist went further, suggesting Helen could have been the victim of ritual abuse at the hands of a satanic cult. Someone from the British False Memory Society branded this explanation as a "creature of the consulting room which patients and therapists manufacture".

None of this is particularly helpful to Helen, whose condition is controlled by taking large amounts of drugs. She has little contact with her family, only one good friend and is a recovering alcoholic. She can't hold down a full-time job because of her medication.

Selwyn found the whole thing confusing, admitting that "it's even more confusing for Helen". It's difficult to know if she could ever go back to being one person as the multiple personalities appear to be nature's way of helping her cope.

Helen is reluctant to let go of them, saying she'd like to keep hold of William, Alex and especially Adam. "He's seen me through some tough times," she added.

Talking of tough times, Tunnel Of Love was hard to watch to the end, it was so terrible. Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye's fairground-set piece was described as a comedy drama, although was noticeably lacking in both. Comedian Jack Dee and a disgracefully wasted Ann Mitchell were among those left floundering. Absolutely awful.

Published: 19/10/2004