Undercover Doctor uncovers bias

In Channel 4’s usual Tuesday night “odd/controversial documentary slot” this week was Undercover Doctor: Cure Me, I’m Gay. Led by Dr Christian Jessen from Embarrassing Bodies, the program intended to investigate various “gay cures,” and even featured Dr Jessen trying a few of themselves.

Dr Christian investigates controversial “gay cures.” Photograph: Mark Johnson

The show saw Jessen investigate various “cures” and therapies used in both the past and present, including a trip to the United States’ bible belt to investigate the more recent of the treatments.

It was an interesting documentary, especially where it showed the horrific methods that were, at one point, used on the NHS. There was a particularly harrowing therapy that had Jessen look at explicit pictures of men while listening to a recording of someone trying to discourage his homosexuality. Jessen had to ingest a glass of some kind of sickness-inducing drink, and was told to throw up where he sat. His reaction showed just how horrifying it must have been for someone to go through the therapy, and was difficult to watch.

That is, unfortunately, where the positive aspects of Cure Me, I’m Gay ends. The male-centric show (can you even cure lesbianism? Who would know!) had one fatal flaw: it lacked objectivity. Jessen looked upon each test with contempt even before trying them.

In spite of of the documentary’s interesting topic, it had a problem that is almost obligatory to all Channel 4 documentaries – the question being asked was answered before the actual investigatory aspect began. In this case, it was obvious from the offset that Jessen did not believe any of the cures would work for him, and this was evident throughout.

Save that, it was evidentially just a vehicle for Channel 4 to show the ridiculously buff Dr Jessen with his top off. Get it together, Channel 4.

Katie Campbell

A Day In The Life Of A Television Student

Andrew Stewart is one of many television students in Scotland. He shares with us how he handles part-time job, trying to start his own production company and attempting to keep his social life alive, without tearing his hair out.

My university routine changes daily as I’m in different classes and modules every day, but let’s say on an awful day I’m awake by about 7:30am. Once I finally force myself out of bed it’s a simple case of getting dressed, grabbing something for breakfast then I’m out the door.

Once I arrive at university I tend to be in all sorts of different classes throughout the day. The classes that are best for me, you’d think would be the practical side like camera work and filming, but I actually find myself really enjoying the perhaps ‘geekier’ side about the laws and the history of technology in the creative industries.

Outside of university I’m also in the process of starting up my own production company, Scooperficial. It’s an exciting but also difficult task in the sense that I don’t have all the technology required, but I feel what my production company lacks in that makes up for it by having a unique style of production. We’re not fighting with the big companies to get noticed, we’ve set up a production company for the community.”

When I was in college editing I was pretty notorious for skipping my breaks entirely and just working because I had to finish other people’s works. University on the other hand is split into morning and afternoon periods meaning I’m either in one or the other so my lunch breaks tend to be taken outside of university, but they are definitely taken now!
The transition from college to university was surprisingly easier than I initially anticipated. Classes are based through presentations so with that you have to really come into yourself as an independent learner and not be so reliant on your lecturers spoon-feeding you. They teach thousands of students, so they don’t have time for that. Other than that college and university are relatively similar. You have smaller amounts of lessons and the union in university, but it’s really not as intimidating as it’s made out to be.
The most challenging aspect for me is definitely trying to juggle everything. As every module I do is different, I receive a different task for every class which all at once can be extremely challenging alongside working part-time, the production company and trying to fit some sort of social life between it all, but I try to keep my time management under check.

After university there really is only one thing you want to do and that is sleep, a lot.

Emma Tomlinson

BBC3 set for the axe

The channel faces the axe under director general Tony Hall’s plans. (BBC)

BBC3 is set to be axed as part of BBC’s general director’s plans. As a result of this, it will only function on the station’s online player, iPlayer.

The online aspect is already a popular feature, with BBC uploading several episodes of shows online prior to television broadcast dates.

The decision made by Tony Hall, director general of the BBC, is yet to be approved by the BBC Trust but it is set to be announced as early as today.

Not everyone is in agreement with this decision however, with celebrities including Jack Whitehall, Nick Grimshaw and Richard Bacon taking to Twitter on Tuesday in an attempt to keep the channel going.

Russell Kane, a regular on the channel told The Guardian, “If BBC3 is really under threat, so is much of the UK’s new comedy. This place is the crucible of upcoming comedic artists. Yet again, young people don’t get a proper voice in the cutbacks.”

A new, up-to-date version of the iPlayer is set to be unveiled next week.

Strippers attempts to bare all

Channel 4’s latest ‘controversial’ documentary, Strippers hit our screens on Tuesday night in an attempt to remove the overwhelming stigma behind the stripping industry.

The first episode kicks off in Glasgow, focusing on the popular strip club, Diamond Dolls and their strippers. They show the struggles the girls face working in the industry but also the fun, appealing aspects of the business.

Strippers attempted to combat the controversy surrounding stripping. (Channel 4)

A touching part of the show doesn’t come from the dancers but from regular punter, Colin. He reveals that following his cancer diagnosis, the strip club offered a family-like support system to him. In return, when he visits, he brings chocolate to keep the girls going on a busy shift.

While this show is supposed to help broaden our minds to the idea of stripping, the message mainly fell flat. The classic ‘no exploitation here’ line is used by the club’s ‘house mother’ Shelley, quickly followed by some scenes of private, erotic dances rendereing her point entirely useless.

The show also shows the hopelessness of their predicaments, highlighting some of the dancers’ inability to reach their monetary goals. Laefena, a trained nurse from Estonia, longed to make enough money to pay off her nursing debts, but sadly left Glasgow with only £1000.

Kim, a girl dying to get out of the industry ultimately stays despite getting a full-time job claiming the industry just too addictive to leave.

Danielle spent much of her career hiding the job from her parents. After much anticipation she plucks up the courage and confesses to her family, after which she no longer wishes to participate in filming.

Ultimately the show tried too hard to portray a fun for all time at the club, but the glaring contradictions in their statements scuppered them. Two more episodes remain in the series with further stripping escapades in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Emma Tomlinson 

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