Exposure is a current affairs strand, broadcast in the United Kingdom on the ITV network. The programme comprises long-form films, investigating and exploring domestic and foreign topics. Episodes are produced both by independent production companies and in-house by ITV Studios. The average budget for a single edition is between £150,000 and £200,000.[1]
ITV is a British free-to-air television network with its headquarters in London, it was launched in 1955 as Independent Television under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to BBC Television, that was established in 1932. ITV is also the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, its legal name has been Channel 3, to distinguish it from the other analogue channels at the time, namely BBC 1, BBC 2 and Channel 4. In part, the number 3 was assigned because television sets would usually be tuned so that the regional ITV station would be on the third button, with the other stations being allocated to the number within their name.
ITV Studios is a television production company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It is primarily based in Greater Manchester and London in the United Kingdom. It was formerly ITV Productions, and originally Granada Productions.
The series was commissioned by Peter Fincham, ITV's Director of Television, and is a sister show to year-round current affairs strand Tonight. It made its debut on Monday 26 September 2011 – airing at 22.40, directly after ITV News at Ten. Since its launch, the programme has usually occupied this near-peak slot, but has also been shown as late as 23.10. On 3 March 2015, it made its only appearance to date in primetime, airing at 21.00.
Peter Arthur Fincham is a British television producer and executive. From 2008 until 2016, he was the Director of Television for the ITV network. He was also formerly the Controller of BBC One, the primary television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation, until his resignation on 5 October 2007, following criticism over the handling of the A Year with the Queen debacle.
Tonight is a British current affairs programme, produced by ITV Studios and ITN for the ITV network, replacing the long-running investigative series World in Action in 1999. Previously airing twice-weekly, on Monday and Friday evenings at 8.00pm, the show runs the gamut from human interest-led current affairs to investigative journalism. Tonight has conducted interviews with a plethora of political and public figures, including U.S. President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Tony Blair and former U.S First Lady Hillary Clinton. From 1999–2007, the programme was known as Tonight with Trevor McDonald.
News at Ten is the flagship evening news programme on British television network ITV, produced by ITN and founded by news editor Geoffrey Cox in July 1967. The bulletin was the first permanent 30-minute news broadcast in the United Kingdom, and although initially scheduled for only thirteen weeks due to fears that its length would turn viewers off, the bulletin proved to be highly popular with audiences and became a fixture of the ITV schedule.
The series was broadcast on Mondays in 2011 and Wednesdays in 2012. The 2013 series was billed as an eight-episode run (the longest to date), with five of the editions airing on consecutive Thursdays in their traditional autumn slots and the remaining three being broadcast as standalone episodes between February and July 2014.
In January 2014 it was announced that ITV would no longer air episodes in a series block, instead spreading them throughout the year. Independent producers expressed concern that this would result in fewer editions, but ITV said the changes allowed for a more flexible approach regarding delivery deadlines, which are often complicated by the need for legal clearance before broadcast.[2]
The three standalone editions aired in early-mid 2014 as part of series 3 from 2013 effectively meant that there was no 2014 series of the strand. The programme began its first non-series run in January 2015.
Promotional trailers for individual editions are rare, but the strand itself featured in a promo for ITV's news and current affairs coverage (along with ITV News, Tonight and The Agenda) in late 2012.[3]
The Agenda is a political discussion programme on British television network ITV, broadcast on Monday evenings from 10.45pm. The programme is presented by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby and was first broadcast on 27 February 2012.
Series 1
Episode 1
Gaddafi and the IRA(Broadcast 26 September 2011)
Colonel Gadaffi gave the IRA enough weapons to turn a militia into an army. Exposure's first film examines his support for the Republicans and investigates the continuing danger of his legacy. Narrated by Paul McGann.
Paul John McGann is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the 1986 television serial The Monocled Mutineer. He later starred in the 1987 dark comedy Withnail and I, and as the eighth incarnation of the Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who television film, a role he reprised in more than 70 audio dramas and the 2013 mini-episode "The Night of the Doctor". McGann is also known for playing Lieutenant William Bush in the Hornblower TV series.
In this episode, ITV mistakenly presented footage taken from the game ArmA 2 as footage of a 1988 IRA attack. The broadcaster apologised, blaming human error.[4] A spokesperson for ITV commented on the error and said:
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) are paramilitary movements in Ireland in the 20th and the 21st century dedicated to Irish republicanism, the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic from British rule and free to form their own government. The original Irish Republican Army formed in 1917 from those Irish Volunteers who did not enlist in the British Army during World War I, members of the Irish Citizen Army and others. Irishmen formerly in the British Army returned to Ireland and fought in the Irish War of Independence. During the Irish War of Independence it was the army of the Irish Republic, declared by Dáil Éireann in 1919. Some Irish people dispute the claims of more recently created organisations that insist that they are the only legitimate descendants of the original IRA, often referred to as the "Old IRA". The playwright and former IRA member Brendan Behan once said that the first issue on any Irish organisation's agenda was "the split". For the IRA, that has often been the case. The first split came after the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, with supporters of the Treaty forming the nucleus of the National Army of the newly created Irish Free State, while the anti-treaty forces continued to use the name Irish Republican Army. After the end of the Irish Civil War (1922–23), the IRA was around in one form or another for forty years, when it split into the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA in 1969. The latter then had its own breakaways, namely the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA, each claiming to be the true successor of the Army of the Irish Republic.
"The events featured in Exposure: Gaddafi and the IRA were genuine but it would appear that during the editing process the correct clip of the 1988 incident was not selected and other footage was mistakenly included in the film by producers. This was an unfortunate case of human error for which we apologise."[5]
Episode 2
The Factory
Focusing on a city in Europe where the pollution is so bad, children struggle to breathe, DNA is damaged, and the vulnerable are forced indoors. This programme investigates the role played by a global multi-national.
The British Way of Death (broadcast 26 September 2012)
Undercover investigation which reveals disrespectful behaviour by British funeral directors.[6]
Episode 2
The Other Side of Jimmy Savile(broadcast 3 October 2012)
Former police officer Mark Williams-Thomas investigates claims of sexual abuse of underage girls against the charity fundraiser and television presenter Jimmy Savile. Five women (two of whom waived their right to anonymity) all allege that they were assaulted or raped by the entertainer.[7]
The programme was born out of an aborted investigation by the BBC's Newsnight in late 2011, on which Williams-Thomas had worked as a consultant,[8] with reporter Liz MacKean and producer Meirion Jones.[9]
Williams-Thomas took a leading role in the programme, having pitched a proposal to ITV after the BBC dropped the Newsnight investigation; he has praised MacKean and Jones for allowing him to do so.[10] He says he researched the piece as if he were running a police investigation and admits that he was worried that both he and the programme-makers would be heavily criticised if other alleged victims hadn't come forward in the wake of the broadcast.[10]
Producers and ITV News bosses agreed that the edition would be broadcast only if it could have been shown had Savile still been alive. The testimony of those making allegations against Savile was only included if their contact with him could be established by a photograph or other supporting evidence.[1]
The piece came within the usual budget for Exposure, costing around £170,000 for the ten-month investigation. It was broadcast in a later-than-usual timeslot of 23.15, but still attracted 2.5 million viewers (including time-shifted viewing) and a 23% audience share.[1]
The edition won Royal Television Society awards in 2013 in the Current Affairs (Home) and Scoop of the Year categories.[11] It was also given a Peabody Award in 2012.[12] The programme gave ITV News a platform for extensive follow-up reports on the subject, which resulted in ITN winning the News Coverage (Home) category in the RTS awards in 2013.[11]
Although it would become the highest profile edition of the programme to date, this episode was broadcast at the later-than-usual time of 23.10.
Episode 3
No bribes please! We're British(broadcast 10 October 2012)
Episode 4
Driven From Home(broadcast 17 October 2012)
Residents forced out of an estate blighted by violence
Episode 5
Who cares in Britain's care homes?(broadcast 24 October 2012)
Episode 6
Banaz: An Honour Killing(broadcast 31 October 2012)
The story of Banaz Mahmod, who was 19 years old when she became the victim of a so-called honour killing ordered by her own family. The programme features footage from a police interview with Banaz, who says she is being followed by members of the Kurdish community from which she originates, having walked out on an abusive forced marriage and pursued a relationship with another man.[13]
In view of the programme's content, a warning about "graphic discussion of rape and murder" was aired in the continuity announcement at the start of this edition; unusually, this warning was repeated after the first commercial break before the programme continued.
Episode 7
Exposure Update: The Jimmy Savile Investigation(broadcast 21 November 2012)
Mark Williams-Thomas revisits his investigation into the disgraced entertainer Jimmy Savile, which dominated the news agenda in the weeks after it was broadcast. Set against a backdrop of the criminal and institutional investigations which had been launched in the intervening seven weeks, this programmes hears testimony from more alleged victims and explores how Savile ingratiated himself with politicians and royalty.[15] It also considers the question of how Savile was able to gain widespread access and power within NHS institutions, in spite of being unqualified for any of the roles which he purportedly fulfilled there.[16]
The programme considers why charges were not brought against Savile after he was interviewed by Surrey Police in 2009; Williams-Thomas declares "for the record" during this segment of the programme that he used to work for the force.
Series 3
Episode 1
Predators Abroad(broadcast 2 October 2013)
Mark Williams-Thomas investigates new concerns over British paedophiles in Cambodia.
Britain's booming cannabis business(broadcast 16 October 2013)
Conor Woodman investigates the shift in the UK cannabis industry from commercial to home-grown production and reveals how this move towards small domestic units can result in growers encountering the kind of violent criminals whom they had tried to avoid by growing their own supply. The programme explores the extent of cannabis cultivation in the UK and shows how major dealers are generating their profits by operating multiple small-scale sites.[17]
Too Late to Save Your Life(broadcast 30 October 2013)
An investigation into the effectiveness of the UK's cancer screening programme, exploring how some testing regimes have better early diagnosis and detection rates than others.[19]
Episode 6
Fashion Factories Undercover(broadcast 6 February 2014)
An investigation uncovers pressures, abuse and violence - as well as locked fire doors and lies about health and safety - behind the closed doors of Dhaka's sweatshops. Presented by Laura Kuenssberg, who had provided extensive coverage in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza factory disaster in April 2013 as ITV News Business Editor. This programme was broadcast shortly after Kuenssberg had departed ITN to rejoin the BBC,[20] but she made appearances on ITV News bulletins throughout the day, trailing the edition. It was the first standalone edition in what had been billed as an eight-episode run when the series returned in autumn 2013.
Inside the Diplomatic Bag(broadcast 26 April 2014)
Mark Williams-Thomas investigates how privileges for foreign diplomats based in the UK are open to abuse. Issues explored include diplomatic immunity and the protected status of the so-called 'diplomatic bag' for moving items into and out of the country. The programme centres around a sting on a member of the Nigerian High Commission, who claims he can smuggle stolen goods out of the UK, but is later revealed not to have diplomatic status.[21]
Episode 8
Don't Take My Child(broadcast 15 July 2014)
Exploring the issue of forced adoption and considering whether the power is being used too readily in the wake of several high-profile child protection scandals.[22] Narrated by ITV News presenter Nina Hossain. Another standalone edition; the last episode in the 2013/14 series.
Occasional episodes
Britain's Secret Slaves (broadcast 22 January 2015)
ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham fronts an investigation into forced domestic servitude. The programme includes interviews with those who have experienced modern-day slavery after being brought to the UK. It also considers how changes to visa rules, designed to toughen the immigration system, could be responsible for trapping victims in slave-like conditions[23] and features an undercover sting on a recruitment agency which promises non-existent jobs to foreign domestic workers in return for a fee. The culmination of the sting sees a producer on the programme confront the woman who had been secretly filmed.
The lack of pictures resulting from the need to obscure identities and provide an appropriate visual accompaniment to disturbing cases studies is addressed with the use of still drawings of the situations under discussion.
This edition reveals how real-time information from mobile phones was used by coalition forces to target suspected insurgents during conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the height of the military action, up to a dozen addresses were raided per night in an effort to capture or kill the individuals concerned.[24]
Some senior military figures involved in the operations defend their use and effectiveness, while other analysts suggest they hampered efforts to negotiate an end to the conflicts - perhaps even improving the gene pool of insurgent fighters, making them more difficult to defeat militarily.[25]
The programme is narrated by former Parachute Regiment commander Sean Rayment and produced by Brook Lapping Productions.
Charities Behaving Badly (broadcast 18 February 2015)
An investigation into charities alleged to be promoting extremist views, including white supremacy, anti-semitism and jihad.[26]
ITV News presenter Mark Austin presents and also conducts several interviews, including one in which the Charities Commission admits it does not have the power to close charities for the reasons highlighted by the programme.
When Pregnant Women Drink (broadcast 3 March 2015)
This edition explores a condition known as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, which can affect the offspring of women who consume alcohol during pregnancy. It focuses on the apparently contradictory advice given to pregnant women in the UK about a 'safe level' of alcohol intake.[27]
The programme features several sufferers of FASD and follows the progress of one child with severe behavioural and developmental problems whose adoptive parents are seeking a definitive diagnosis. They are given access to advanced facial profiling techniques which aid in confirming the condition.[28]
Research is revealed from the United States which claims an analysis of various studies shows alcohol to be a greater risk factor to unborn babies than heroin.[27]
Good Morning Britain and ITV News presenter Ranvir Singh presents and takes on an active reporter role, conducting the majority of interviews, including a combative encounter with a consultant obstetrician.
This edition aired in peaktime at 21.00, the only occasion to date on which the strand has done so. It was produced by October Films.
An investigation into Islamic extremism in the UK, featuring interviews with reformed extremists.[29] The film is made by Deeyah Khan and produced by her production company Fuuse.
The Sham Marriage Racket: How to Buy Your Way Into Britain (broadcast 2 July 2015)
NHS Out of Hours Undercover (broadcast 22 July 2015)
ITV News presenter Mark Austin looks into the failures of patient care at an NHS Out of Hours service in London, discovering unqualified doctors and understaffing.[31]
Making the Grades (broadcast 12 August 2015)
ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham investigates the increasing pressure on schools in the UK to deliver good grades from their students, leading to teachers dishonestly marking exam papers higher than they should be. It is produced by Hardcash Productions.[32]
Saudi Arabia Uncovered (broadcast 22 March 2016)
An investigation into the strict Islamist regimes of Saudi Arabia, featuring covertly-shot footage and interviews with a number of activists.[33]
Abused and Betrayed - A Life Sentence (broadcast 15 June 2016)
A documentary about the lives and experiences of ex-Muslims: people who have leftIslam to become atheists, and who often face discrimination, harassment, ostracism and violence for leaving Islam, both in the UK and abroad. The film is made by Deeyah Khan and produced by her production company Fuuse.[35]
Breaking the Silence: Britain's Adoption Scandal (broadcast 9 November 2016)
Documentary revealing the stories of thousands of women who were pressured to give up their children for adoption following World War II.[36]
Undercover: Life and Death in a Homeless Hostel (broadcast 10 November 2016)
An undercover investigation into hostels in the UK and the way that homeless and vulnerable people are treated there.[37]
Hillsborough: Smears, Survivors & the Search for Truth (broadcast 12 December 2016)
A documentary uncovering previously unreported specific evidence that raises questions over witness statements given in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster. It explores the possibility of an alleged cover-up by the police. Presented by Peter Marshall.[38]
Undercover: Inside Britain's New Far Right (broadcast 9 November 2017)
An undercover investigation into far-right extremist groups in Britain, including scrutiny of the UK Independence Party and questions about the extreme views of a contender to become their leader, Anne Marie Waters.[39]
Deeyah Khan travels to America to meet with some of the most prominent neo-Nazis and white supremacist leaders in the US today to seek to understand the personal and political reasons behind the apparent resurgence of extremism in the US.[40]
Who Cares? Children's Homes Undercover (broadcast 13 December 2017)
A covertly filmed investigation into children's homes, showing evidence of understaffing and lack of training.[41]
Prisons Uncovered: Out of Control? (broadcast 11 June 2018)
An investigation into the state of prisons in the UK, showcasing an extensive look into a riot that happened in December 2016 at HM Prison Birmingham, which became Britain's worst prison riot in 25 years.[42]
The Hunt for the Birmingham Bombers (broadcast 1 October 2018)
An investigation into the Birmingham pub bombings that occurred in 1974, revealing the identities of the prime suspects involved and confronting one of them, Michael Patrick Reilly, about their possible involvement in the bombings. Presented by John Ware.[43]
Iran Unveiled: Taking on the Ayatollahs (broadcast 29 October 2018)
A documentary following the stories of four women who are challenging those who have ruled Iran for 40 years and defying the ayatollahs. Inspiration for the film came when a woman removed her headscarf on one of the busiest streets in Tehran, the capital of Iran.[44]
Newsnight is a current affairs programme, that provides "in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines." It broadcasts on weekdays, usually at 10:30 pm on BBC Two, and is also available on BBC iPlayer.
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile OBE KCSG was an English DJ, television and radio personality who hosted BBC shows including Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It. He raised an estimated £40 million for charities and at the time of his death was widely praised for his personal qualities and as a fund-raiser. After his death, hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse were made against him, leading the police to believe that Savile had been a predatory sex offender—possibly one of Britain's most prolific. There had been allegations during his lifetime, but they were dismissed and accusers ignored or disbelieved; Savile took legal action against some accusers.
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in Berkshire, England. It is the best known and oldest of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth Hospital near Liverpool and Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.
Dame Esther Louise Rantzen is an English journalist and television presenter, who presented the BBC television series That's Life! for 21 years, from 1973 until 1994. She works with various charitable causes, and founded the charities ChildLine, promoting child protection, which she set up in 1986, and The Silver Line, designed to combat loneliness in older people's lives, which she set up in November 2012.
Jim'll Fix It is a long-running British television show, broadcast by the BBC between May 1975 and June 1994. It was devised and presented by Jimmy Savile and produced by Roger Ordish and encouraged children to write in to have their wishes granted.
Bradley John Walsh is an English television presenter, actor, comedian, singer, and former professional footballer, known for his roles as Danny Baldwin in Coronation Street, DS Ronnie Brooks in Law & Order: UK, and Graham O'Brien in Doctor Who, as well as hosting ITV game shows The Chase and Cash Trapped.
The Cook Report was a British current affairs television programme shown on ITV, produced for the network by Central Television from 22 July 1987 to 24 August 1999.
Dispatches is a British current affairs documentary programme on Channel 4, first broadcast on 30 October 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, and often features a mole inside organisations under journalistic investigation.
Hardcash Productions is an independent television production company set up by David Henshaw in 1992.
Meirion Jones is a British journalist. He worked for the BBC until 2015. In July 2016 he became Investigations Editor at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Vera is a British crime drama series based on novels of the same name, written by crime writer Ann Cleeves. It was first broadcast on ITV on 1 May 2011, and to date, nine series have aired, with the latest debuting on 13 January 2019. The series stars Brenda Blethyn as the principal character, Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope. Vera is a nearly retired employee of the fictional Northumberland & City Police, who is obsessive about her work and driven by her own demons. She plods along in a constantly dishevelled state, but has a calculating mind and, despite her irascible personality, she cares deeply about her work and comrades. She does demean her staff by proving her superior skills by picking up supposed small errors in their thought process. Vera forms a close relationship with sergeants, Joe Ashworth and Aiden Healy. On March 4 2019 it was confirmed that the show had been renewed for a tenth series.
Chris Rogers is a British broadcast journalist specialising in investigative journalism, and news presenter. He is among the long line up of presenters that began their career presenting BBC Newsround moving on to present and report for Sky News including its BAFTA Award-winning coverage of the 9/11 attacks. He then joined the Channel 4 RI:SE presenting team before heading to ITN's ITV News, and ITV's Tonight documentary series, where he presented and reported for London Today, London Tonight, ITV Evening News and produced and fronted numerous investigations for the News at Ten and the Tonight programme as ITV's Investigative Correspondent. He left ITN in 2009 to present BBC News. He has also made many investigations as a producer and reporter for the BBC's Panorama and the BBC's Our World documentary series. He is also an independent documentary film maker.
Banaz: A Love Story is a 2012 documentary film directed and produced by Deeyah Khan. The film chronicles the life and death of Banaz Mahmod, a young British Kurdish woman killed in 2006 in South London on the orders of her family in a so-called honour killing. The film received its UK premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London September 2012.
Operation Yewtree is a police investigation into sexual abuse allegations, predominantly the abuse of children, against the British media personality Jimmy Savile and others. The investigation, led by the Metropolitan Police Service, started in October 2012. After a period of assessment it became a full criminal investigation, involving inquiries into living people, notably other celebrities, as well as Savile.
Jimmy Savile (1926–2011) was an English media personality who was well known in the United Kingdom for his eccentricities and, at the time of his death, was generally respected for his charitable work. He was knighted in 1990. In late 2012, almost a year after his death, reports surfaced indicating that Savile had committed sexual abuse throughout his 50-year career, his alleged victims ranging from prepubescent girls and boys to adults.
In 2012 and 2013, the British Broadcasting Corporation was involved in a series of investigations, accusations and scandals related to sexual abuse committed by employees, and the reporting of allegations of abuse by others. The issue of child sexual abuse by BBC employees was publicised nationally in October 2012 as part of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal. Savile was a radio DJ and TV personality who presented the programmes Top of the Pops, Jim'll Fix It and Clunk Click, and was a well known charity fundraiser. Allegations of sexual abuse by Savile and other BBC employees were reported to have taken place in a number of locations across the country, including BBC Television Centre.
Elizabeth Mary MacKean was a British television reporter and presenter. She worked on the BBC's Newsnight programme and was the reporter on an exposé of Sir Jimmy Savile as a paedophile which was controversially cancelled by the BBC in December 2011. The decision to axe the Newsnight investigation became the subject of the Pollard Inquiry. She and colleague Meirion Jones later won a London Press Club Scoop of the Year award for their work on the story. She also won the 2010 Daniel Pearl Award for her investigation of the Trafigura toxic dumping scandal.
Mark Alan Williams-Thomas(born 9 January 1970) is an English investigative journalist and former police officer. He is best known for exposing Jimmy Savile as a paedophile in The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, a television documentary he presented and as The Investigator in the ITV and Netflix crime series.
Good Morning Britain is a breakfast programme on British television network ITV Breakfast, usually broadcast on weekdays from 6.00 am to 8.30 am on ITV. The show launched on 28 April 2014 after Daybreak was cancelled. As of autumn 2017, Good Morning Britain has around 700,000 viewers daily.
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