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Outlook: Why I stopped talking for 17 years

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John Francis

07/07/2022 GMT

Why I stopped talking for 17 years

BBC World Service - Outlook, Why I stopped talking for 17 years

It started out as an experiment for a day but John Francis didn’t speak for 17 years

John Francis got so sick of arguing that he decided to stop talking. He didn't speak again for 17 years.

After witnessing the devastation caused by the 1971 San Francisco Bay oil spill, John Francis made the decision to walk everywhere, so as not to be reliant on fossil fuels. People he met would argue with him about whether one person's stand could make a difference. Eventually, John got so sick of arguing that he decided to stop talking. He was silent for 17 years. He tells Jo Fidgen what he learned in that time, and the discovery that made him break his silence.


Austrian director Adrian Goiginger made a film about a boy growing up with a heroin-addicted mother who used fantasy stories to protect him from the frightening world around him. The film won best director and best feature film at the Austrian Film Awards in 2018. The story is actually that of Adrian's own mother who made sure he grew up in a world full of love, in spite of her addiction. This interview was first broadcast in 2018.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Laura Thomas

(Photo: John Francis. Credit: (R) Courtesy of John Francis. (L) Gabriella Urda. )

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