Main content

The Australian who woke up speaking Mandarin

Ben McMahon has found a career in Chinese reality TV after a car crash left him unable to speak his native English. Waking from a coma, he could only speak Mandarin.

Ben McMahon from Melbourne, Australia, has had an unlikely career in Chinese reality TV after waking up from a coma speaking Mandarin. When he was 18 years old, Ben suffered a head injury during a car crash. During his early recovery he was unable to speak his native English, and could only communicate with confused doctors in Mandarin, a language he鈥檇 studied in high school. Ben regained his English but his Mandarin stayed strong and helped him secure a spot on a Chinese dating show he was obsessed with.

Release date:

Available now

26 minutes

Featured in...

Podcast