Michael Fogg: Funeral director films emotional visit to family of Sheffield murder victim

In the emotional recording, he describes how hard he finds it visiting families whose loved ones have been so cruelly taken away and says he believes those responsible should be thrown to the lions. “Every time I meet a family who’s lost a loved one due to being murdered I can’t tell you how sickening it is because there’s nothing you can say to them…and it absolutely drains me,” he says in a piece to camera while driving to meet the family, who cannot be named.

In the YouTube post, titled Feed the Scum to the Lions, he continues: “If you take a life I believe we should put them in one of (those vehicles) that carry s*** around on farms and take them up to Knowsley, where there’s a safari park and in that safari park there are some lions. And I think if you take a life that’s what should happen. They should take you up to Knowsley Safari Park and throw you into the lion cage.” He adds: “You can feel grief in a house. It sounds mad but it’s true. Any undertaker that’s following me on YouTube will tell you the same….it hits you, it hits me like a f****** brick, and what can you say?”

Sheffield funeral director Michael Fogg on a mission to dispel myths surrounding death

In the moving 10-minute video, he promises to give the family ‘the best send-off’, before opening up about his troubled childhood, saying he was raised by his uncle as his parents didn’t have time for him but telling how he still has many fond memories of growing up.

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The emotionally raw video is one of the latest to be uploaded to Mr Fogg’s YouTube channel, a relatively new venture which is part of his life’s mission to banish the taboos surrounding death and get people talking more openly about what happens when they and their loved ones die. His Facebook page Michael Fogg Family Funeral Directors has nearly 50,000 followers and shines a rare light on the industry, the efforts which go into supporting grieving families and the emotional toll it takes. Some posts prove more controversial than others, like a recent one in which Mr Fogg shared a photo of 55 coffins which had just been delivered, but he feels it is important to show people all sides of the profession.

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“For 36 years, I’ve believed we should dispel some of the myths surrounding death and that’s what I’m trying to do with the Facebook page and YouTube channel,” he said. “You’re always going to upset some people but I think it’s important. We’re all going to die at some point and you might as well talk about it and know what’s going to happen when it comes to the funeral. The Victorians spoke about death, probably because they were so used to it with life expectancy being so much lower and children dying regularly back then. These days we find it easier to talk about sex than death.”

How a British sitcom inspired a career as a funeral director

Mr Fogg told how as a boy he had wanted to be a Catholic priest but that changed after watching the British sitcom In Loving Memory, which was set in an undertakers business and starred Thora Hird. “After watching that I decided I was going to be an undertaker, and it turns out I was born to do it,” said the 58-year grandfather-of-two, who grew up on the Woodthorpe estate around 600 yards from where his business is located today. “I’m passionate about my work. My daughter says my funeral will be so boring because all I ever talk about is death but to me that’s not boring. I’ve helped thousands and thousands of families going through the most difficult time in their lives and for me that’s a privilege and an honour.”

Grandson Jacob is ‘England’s youngest funeral director’

Mr Fogg’s seven-year-old grandson Jacob helps out at the family firm, with his jobs including putting the handles on coffins. According to his grandad, Jacob holds the honour of being the youngest funeral director in England, having conducted a funeral aged just six at the request of a client. “He loves it and is passionate about it like me,” says the proud grandfather, who accepts that although he would love for Jacob to follow him into the family trade the youngster has his sights set on making it as a footballer.

Those currently in Mr Fogg’s care include 23-year-old Sheffield man Connor Richards, who tragically died following a collision at a car meet in Scunthorpe. He says the sense of responsibility he feels towards the families he looks after makes it impossible to switch off. “People think that because you deal with death that it doesn’t bother you or affect you but obviously we’re human and of course it affects us,” he says. “Even when I’m at home in bed or watching telly, I’m thinking could I have done anything better. In this profession, you know the family will remember the funeral forever so you want to make sure you do your best for them.”

The job can understandably take its toll on Mr Fogg’s mental health. He is open about his battles with depression and anxiety and this is something he also discusses on Facebook and YouTube in the hope it will encourage more people to talk about their own mental health, rather than struggling in silence. “Too many men especially don’t talk about it so I thought it was important to do so,” he says.