Jo, Willy Weir and I had a meeting at BBC after someone who worked there contacted me and was trying to push something through. I can't remember when it was, but I think a year or two before the pandemic--I thought it was later than 2017. The meeting included a doc-maker who'd worked on the 1999 show, if I remember correctly--Michael someone or other. He was interested. After our meeting, BBC sent PACE to an "independent" statistician, who said it wasn't as bad as we were making it out to me. And that was that.
I think, given long Covid, the chances of a documentary solely on ME are pretty slim. LC and the controversy around it is the obvious news hook. The best way to get something going would be the way that previous effort started--with someone inside and/or with contacts/connections at BBC or other British TV venues to push it through. That is, someone who understands the issues already and is committed to telling the story. I doubt an appeal from a patient group sent to lots of people, no matter how well laid out, would get much traction. I mean, I could be wrong!! But that's my gut feeling. I mean, appealing to or approaching a particular reporter/producer and getting them on board to push it could work.
But my guess is no one without personal experience of ME or LC--and by that I don't mean they have to be sick themselves but perhaps a loved one or close friend--would be interested or have any understanding of what the issues are, even if they read an appeal or description. Given how counter-intuitive to recommend against exercise, and how CBT seems to be widely accepted in UK as treatment for everything, it would be hard to get the point across to anyone who hasn't first-hand understanding.
There's not much point is saying a program would need to have this person or that person or a counter-Wessely or whatever. There would be zero control over any of it. Once it was taken up by whomever, the proposal that launched it would be pretty much irrelevant because they'd do all their own research. Of course, people could be put forward and suggested as good interviewees, but the documentary would not be made per patient request or approval but per however the person doing it and their bosses wanted to do it. And yes, both-sides-ism would likely be a big part of it, most likely.
I don't like to be a downer, and I certainly wouldn't tell someone not to reach out to BBC or whomever. But the chances of it resulting in anything, much less something that would tell the story the way one would want to, seems unlikely. I mean, if George Monbiot were at BBC, that would be different. Or if he did in fact do a big written investigation, that would be great. Perhaps there are BBC journalists more or less in his camp who could be approached. But I do think this sort of reaching out would best be done to individuals who already have an interest and awareness of how fucked-up this has all been.
