Never miss a big story in Plymouth again with our daily newsletters Sign me up! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Talk radio star Iain Lee kept a Plymouth man talking on air for 30 minutes while his producer contacted emergency services after the caller revealed he had taken an overdose and was lying in the street, dying.

Iain, a comedian and one of the stars of last year's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here kept the man talking for half an hour last night, Wednesday, while also getting details to work out where he was and enable responders to identify him.

The man, identified as Chris, called TalkRadio where Iain is a host and revealed he was 'lying in the street, dying'. Iain kept the man talking while producer Kath worked with emergency services.

Iain, who hosts a show called Late Night Alternative, tweeted after the incident: "Tonight we took a call from a man who had taken an overdose. He was lying in a street in Plymouth, dying.

"We managed to keep him online, get a description of what he looked like and was wearing, work out where he was and send an ambulance and police to him. Kept him on the phone for 30 minutes while he got harder to understand.

"Long periods of silence where I thought he'd died. f**k, that was intense and upsetting. Thanks for your kind words. I really hope he makes it."

Devon and Cornwall Police's Inspector Kevin Morley tweeted to thank Iain for what he had done. He added: "My officers that attended and are now dealing with the caller. This is a very typical call for us sadly and December is a hard month for many. We will do our best to direct him to long term support."

Iain has been open about his own battles with mental health and depression, revealing he himself felt suicidal.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

People took to social media to praise the DJ for his actions.

Elena Wolfson said: "You are amazing. Please make sure you do some self care for yourself, that’s quite an emotional trauma for you x"

Val said: "You handled the situation brilliantly. Well done"

What to do if you see someone in distress in public. The Samaritans have issued the following advice on what to do if you do feel that you can approach a person who is clearly in need of help. A spokesperson for the Samaritans, said: "We know that when a person is suicidal having someone to talk to them and listen to them, and showing that they are not alone, can encourage them to seek support. "There is no evidence that talking to someone who could be at risk will ‘make things worse’. "A little small talk can be all it takes to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and help start them on a journey to recovery. "If you think that someone might need help, trust your instincts and strike up a conversation, with a comment about the weather for example. "So strike up a conversation if you feel comfortable and it’s safe to do so. "If you are not confident about that, you can call 999. Your involvement could help save someone’s life." Life-saving questions used to help people have included - · Do you need any help? · What’s your name? · It’s a warm evening isn’t it?

Goldie said: "Well done to you all in such a difficult situation . You probably saved his life . I hope he is ok and getting the help he needs now. Poor man ."

Writing about his own mental health he said: "Depression, for me anyway, isn’t always about what’s going on in the external world. Sometimes it is. My dad dying, my mum being ill, being hauled over the coals for something I said or did at work – they can all have an effect. But it tends to be either really small things or simply nothing that sends me over the edge. Jesus, I found an ink stain on my favourite coat today and I could feel the well of blackness starting to overflow within me. It was insane.

"I’m pretty confident that for me, the depression is primarily a chemical imbalance in my head. Just as there’s no logic to who gets cancer or asthma, the same goes here. Yeah, there are outside elements in all of these conditions or diseases that may have an impact, but, sometimes it’s just bad luck or bad genes or bad karma..."

The man's condition is not known. A police spokesman said: "Police received a call at 11pm last night following reports of concern for welfare of a man near Derrys Cross, Plymouth. Emergency services attended and the incident was handled by the ambulance crews."

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Iain Lee later tweeted: "Thanks everyone for your kind tweets. I'm a bit stunned after that call. Actually more than a bit. Don't be alone. The Samaritans can help 116 123."

Inspector Morley added: "We all have a role to play in supporting those that are struggling."

Iain said he was struggling to understand what Chris, who is in his 50s, was saying before it emerged he was slumped opposite Revolution on Derry's Cross in Plymouth city centre and 'wanted to die.'

Speaking to Plymouth Live about the 'horrible' experience, Iain said: "He phoned up, he was on the line for a while; we were dealing with someone else in a distressing situation at the time.

"The content of the show; we talk about mental health and then we go and talk about the Beach Boys; it goes from serious to light all the time.

"He (Chris) was on the phone, and I couldn't understand what he was saying.

"We get some calls from people with Parkinson's Disease, with MS, different things. So to get a call where you can't understand someone, it's not uncommon for us.

"Quite early on, I said; "I can't understand you mate. And he said, I have taken an overdose.

"I was able to establish, his speech wasn't because of Parkinson's, it was the induced thing.

Iain said he feared the man would die on air because there were prolonged periods of silence during the half hour call. But he managed to retrieve his name, age and location during that time - outside a nightclub in Plymouth which he said was Revolution.

"This was really serious, it was horrible," Iain said. "I have been suicidal in the past - I have never taken it as far as he did.

"He was in such a terrible state. The fact he phoned me, in that terrible state. I just kept him talking. Initially, he said he didn't know where he was, what was going on, he just said, he wanted to die.

"I managed to get enough (detail) from him...he kept talking about a nightclub and then we established he was right opposite the nightclub. It was Revolution, (though) he hadn't been there. It was very confusing.

"I kept him talking for probably half an hour. I thought he had died because he would go silent for five or 10 minutes. It was horrible."

Iain said the last he knew, police and ambulance had rushed to his aid, though he knows no more about his condition.

"I don't know if I helped to save a life; I'm just a gob on a stick for hours on end," he said. "But I do know there are a lot of lonely people out there, and what with Christmas coming up, the loneliness seems to worsen.

"It's really shook me, it was really distressing."

A spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service said: "SWASFT paramedics were called at 11pm, December 19 to Derry’s Cross, Barbican, by a radio station who were concerned for the welfare of a patient.

"The male patient was treated at the scene and taken onto Derriford Hospital ED for further treatment."

Iain Lee's conversation with distressed Plymouth man Chris

From theg start of the conversation Chris told Iain he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and felt like he 'didn't want to go on'

He told Iain he wanted to speak about his feeling.

Iain said: "Tell you what, Chris - I don't want you to die tonight. I need to know what street you're on. I want you to get through tonight and chat to me tomorrow, when you haven't got a load of drugs in you. I don't want you to die tonight because I love you. I love you, brother. I love you."

Iain added: "Someone's going to come and help you."

Want more news?

To keep up to date with Plymouth Live's latest news, follow us on Facebook here and Twitter here, or visit our homepage at www.plymouthlive.com

For Devon news, find Devon Live's Facebook page here, or their Twitter page here, or visit their homepage at www.devonlive.com

For Cornwall news, find Cornwall Live's Facebook page here, or their Twitter page here, or visit their homepage at www.cornwalllive.com