The Chat was an engaging entertainment idea, created to connect with women age 40-50. As the UK’s first WhatsApp drama series, it was built on storytelling, with 1250+ relatable pieces of content. Bringing drama to their mobiles, where their most intimate conversations happen.

Using entertainment to tackle emotional isolation, it normalised talking openly about breast cancer. Shared by influencers and celebrities invited to the group, The Chat gained high-profile coverage on national broadcasters, including ITV and the BBC. Driving social change, it inspired countless women to share their own stories.

‘This phenomenal series shows the silence can be broken’ – BBC

In the UK, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 10 minutes. Despite this alarming fact, the emotional impact of a diagnosis isn’t spoken about enough and many women in their forties and fifties suffer in silence.

Breast Cancer Now wanted to drive change in the UK by normalising open conversation around breast cancer. The objective: to help prevent women with the disease from experiencing feelings of emotional isolation – whilst also positioning Breast Cancer Now as the place to turn to for support.

Building on the charity’s ongoing strategy, the brief was to create an idea that sparked more open conversations around breast cancer.

The Chat’s innovative and entertaining approach to storytelling delivered content straight to the audience’s mobile in a way they couldn’t ignore, captivating viewers by blurring the lines between drama and reality and making them feel part of the friendship group.

The Chat was created to connect with women aged 40-50. Leveraging the power of entertainment to ignite conversations and empower women to share their lived experiences.

This target audience spend over 2.5 hours per day watching entertainment, with drama series making up the majority of this viewing.

WhatsApp is their go-to messaging app for connecting with friends and loved ones.

This idea leveraged these insights - leading to the creation of the UK’s first WhatsApp drama series.

An audience of celebrities, influencers, the public and breast cancer survivors were invited to join a WhatApp to watch The Chat. Experiencing the drama first hand, they shared the series, bringing in more viewers and creating an online community discussing the topics covered in the drama.

The Chat is the UK’s first WhatsApp drama series. Designed to connect with 40-50 year old women in a place that’s central to their daily lives, on their phones.

The story unfolded in real-time over 6 weeks through voice notes, videos, photos and text messages sent between four best friends as they navigated an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis together. An audience of influencers, celebrities and real people joined a Whatsapp group to watch the series, sharing its content and sparking interactions on social.

The series covered the most sensitive and emotionally challenging issues surrounding breast cancer, with an incredible cast bringing the story to life, BAFTA-award-winning Rakie Ayola, Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead) and Claudie Blakley (Pride and Prejudice).

This groundbreaking approach to storytelling helped the audience feel like part of the friendship group, making the experience far more intimate than any TV drama.

The Chat was the UK’s first WhatsApp drama series, telling the story of four best friends as they navigated an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis.

The drama series played out in real time over 6 weeks, following a script / screenplay containing over 130 pages which detailed over 1250 pieces of relatable content.

The videos, messages, gifs, voice notes and pictures were created specifically for WhatsApp - feeling native to the platform to engage and immerse viewers.

Four acclaimed actors donated their time and talent to bring this series to life and a

dedicated agency team worked day and night for 6 weeks, broadcasting the content. Ensuring the characters messages played out at exactly the right time.

The campaign has reached over 24.5 million people so far. Earned media is £2.1 million & counting.

Conversation around Breast Cancer Now increased significantly & site traffic rose by 191% since The Chat launched.

To date, it has clocked up over 23 minutes of airtime on the BBC.

The drama series has been covered by the UK’s mainstream media, including the nation’s biggest morning show, Good Morning Britain, popular talk show Woman’s Hour & the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster ITV’s flagship news programme. Plus major newspaper titles, including Evening Standard, Daily Mirror, and Daily Express.

People moved by the series left a constant flow of positive tweets, likes & comments. Sharing experiences across social platforms - driving social change by normalising open conversation about breast cancer.

Viewer, Dee Watts wrote “I've realised it's ok to cry, laugh and be fucking angry. I am never holding in my emotions ever again."

In the UK, people are known for having a ‘stiff upper lip’, keeping themselves to themselves and not expressing how they really feel. This inherently British trait is ingrained in society and contributes to thousands of women suffering in silence as they go through breast cancer.

Given that 1 woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 10 minutes in the UK, this is a serious issue. Often, people in the UK are more comfortable talking about many personal matters through messaging, rather than in person. The Chat made use of entertainment to engage people more intimately and encourage conversation in an innovative way.