Having lived on the Pepys Estate while this film was being made I like most others who saw it being made were shocked when we saw this. The disparity between the way the film crew presented themselves to the community as 'educational film makers' and the largely sensationalist result which heavily featured the most vulnerable residents was jaw dropping. Many of the scenes are staged and scripted, incentives were made to encourage entertaining behaviour and some of the narrative is simply lies. After protracted exchanges with the BBC where all actions of the filmmakers were justified by the show being 'award winning' and 'popular' I received a formal apology from Harry Dean at the BBC about the false claim in episode 4 that the Pepys Estate 'suffered the highest rape figures in London' (when in fact they were lower than most boroughs). Altogether more fantasy than reality, I would take Anthony Wonke's work with a pinch of salt.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
