Kate Garraway documentary: When is Caring for Derek on TV?

Viewers are keen to tune into the new Kate Garraway documentary - the follow-up to the award-winning Finding Derek film that aired in Spring last year.

Many of us have been following the heartbreaking story of Kate Garraway's husband and how Derek Draper was so ill with Covid during the UK's first lockdown. It's safe to say the 54-year-old has been on a long - and at times - near-fatal experience over the past 23 months. And his wife, TV presenter Kate Garraway, has been sharing her new reality and regular updates with concerned fans every step of the way. Detailling both the good and bad with incredible honesty and bravery.

Derek's first 13 months in hospital were the subject of the BAFTA winning Finding Derek documentary in March 2021. And now, ITV have shared the trailer of a follow-up film that's set to air this month. Titled Caring for Derek, it promises to chart Derek's return to the family home and the family's new carer roles as he continues his recovery.

When is Caring for Derek on TV?

New Kate Garraway documentary Caring for Derek airs on ITV1 on Tuesday 22 February at 9pm. The behind-the-scenes special is an hour long in total and is a follow up to Kate's Finding Derek documentary which aired in March last year.

Caring for Derek will pick up from where the previous documentary finished. ITV have said that it documents Kate and the family from the first moments Derek arrived home in April 2021 to Christmas last year.

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"Caring for Derek is honest, unflinching and doesn’t sugar coat the reality of being a carer," the official synopsis reads. "The film follows Kate as she navigates the myriad challenges of the social care system and its complexities. This comes at a time when the debate about social care is at its loudest, and this film shows the reality of what day to day life is like becoming a carer."

Reiterating these intentions, Kate turns to the camera during the film and says: "We have to make this real, as this is the reality of life for people who are caring, and it’s not pretty."

Derek's sister Di - who is helping with her brother's care - also makes an appearance in the show. And Kate catches up with old friends Bobby and Julie, who have found themselves in a similar situation, with the latter "sharing the hardship of no longer being just a wife but also a carer".

"Above all, the film follows Kate as she embarks on a new chapter in her marriage and family life, attempting to find a new way of living and a new way of loving, like millions of families across the country in the very same boat."

The Good Morning Britain presenter's first documentary won a BAFTA and a National Television Award in 2021. It followed Kate, son Billy and daughter Darcy, as they coped with Derek's hospitalisation with Covid-19. Airing one year after Derek first contracted the virus, the film gave a frank look at Kate’s husband’s battle.

How to watch Finding Derek

You can catch up with the first Kate Garraway documentary Finding Derek on the ITV Hub now. The special runs for 60 minutes and it's a good introduction to Derek and the family's plight before settling down to watch new Caring for Derek.

Finding Derek filmed Kate and her children between July 2020-March 2021. It first premiered to viewers on ITV on 23 March 2021.

Viewers, celebrities and famous friends of Kate all praised the Smooth Radio presenter for making such a brave piece of television. Fellow breakfast TV host Holly Willoughby was brought to tears whilst discussing the documentary. Whilst Lorraine Kelly has previously praised Kate’s strength.

In an interview with the Telegraph, discussing the documentary Kate admitted she did "agonise" over how much to share.

"I didn’t want to show him at his most physically devastated and vulnerable – that was too private," she said. Despite this she knew Derek would want her to "be as honest as I could be". 

"Once Derek started to come out of his coma, I felt we had moved past the really desperate part," she added. 

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