BBC glosses over human rights abuses in glitzy Dubai reality show

Featuring luxury mansions, supercars and a cast of millionaires, the BBC’s new series about life in Dubai portrays it as a “playground of the rich” and a land of opportunity.

But the three-part “observational documentary” has been criticised by human rights experts after it emerged that Emirati officials oversaw filming of the programme and influenced its production.

Inside Dubai: Playground of the Rich, made by Spun Gold TV for BBC2, attracted criticism when it was broadcast last week, with some likening it to an “advertorial” and accusing it of “glossing over” human rights abuses.

While it was billed as a “factual series” giving an “insight” into the lives of those living in Dubai, it appears to focus mostly on the glamour, flitting between shots of grand hotel complexes, caviar, extensive designer shoe collections, beach clubs and gold jewellery. It describes the emirate as a “dream world” of “non-stop holidays and five-star comforts”.

Gaynor Scott, the wife of one of Jersey’s richest businessmen, picks up copies of books by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai’s autocratic ruler, on her coffee table. She twice refers to him as “a great ruler”.

While other BBC documentaries and news reports have exposed human rights abuses in the United Arab Emirates — of which Dubai is the best known — the documentary skirts controversy.

No mention is made, for example, of the case of Princess Latifa, who a British court ruled was abducted on the orders of her father, Sheikh Mohammed, after attempting to flee the country.

The documentary features Hazel, a domestic worker for a British family who says she “loves” working for them. Viewers are told such workers are typically paid £300 a month and that Hazel only sees her son, 20, once a year due to work, but the programme quickly moves on.

It fails to mention the widespread abuse of low-paid migrant workers, who are tied to their employer by a sponsorship system, according to Human Rights Watch.

In the third episode, a short segment shares the stories of tourists who have paid a “heavy price” in the past for not abiding by the “letter of the law”, including public displays of affection, sex outside marriage and homosexuality. But the section lasts only a minute and does not detail the long prison sentences, reported abuses of detainees or the UAE’s failure to allow access to UN experts and human rights organisations.

James Lynch, director of FairSquare, a human rights organisation, said the series “very much plays into brand Dubai: the idea that this is a place that is safe and stable and somewhere to have fun and make money”. He said there was a “concerning” lack of transparency about the involvement of the UAE in the documentary, which does not carry a disclaimer or inform viewers of the arrangements with the UAE government before filming.

Details of the production arrangements were revealed in a podcast published last month by ITV Studios, which is distributing the documentary, in which the series producer, Teresa Watkins, said a government minder oversaw the filming and deterred interviewers from asking “difficult questions”.

In the podcast, Watkins said: “They give you a fixer who’s basically watching what you say and checking that you don’t ask difficult questions.” She added that “the issue was” that the BBC wanted the company to ask “some of the difficult questions . . . but it’s quite hard to do that in Dubai”.

The production company is also likely to have agreed to avoid filming scenes portraying the UAE in a negative light in order to obtain a permit from the Dubai Film Office. Companies are generally only granted permits if they agree not to film any scenes that “disrespect” the values of the country or “may reflect negatively” on “any political or ideological issues”, according to the official website.

BBC guidelines say productions must be balanced and ensure editorial decisions are not unduly influenced by outside interests, including governments or politicians. A spokeswoman said “editorial control of the final series rested at all times with the BBC”, adding that the fixer “did not prevent questions from being asked”, but that the production team had to operate within the “strict guidelines of the country”.

Dr Jeff Crisp, a former head of policy development at the UN and an expert on humanitarian issues at Oxford, said the circumstances raised ethical issues. “If the conditions set for making a documentary are so tight that you can’t really make an honest one, you have to ask whether it’s worth making at all. It’s a transparency issue, an accuracy issue and an ethical issue,” he said. “There’s a complete lack of balance. The whole framing was, ‘This is great for everybody.’ I’m sure Dubai is very happy with the result.”

Radha Stirling, founder of the campaign group Detained in Dubai, which supports those who fall foul of laws in the UAE, added: “Obviously it has been completely set up by the Dubai government, who ensure it is presented well. It’s the complete opposite to other BBC documentaries.”

The BBC declined to give details of the specific agreement reached between the production company and Dubai officials but said “no one from the UAE authorities” was allowed to view material before it was broadcast.

A spokeswoman said the commentary made clear the “wider context of the political system in the Emirate”, and that criticism of the sheikh is forbidden. She said: “Searching questions are shown being asked in the series that the contributors felt unable to answer.”

Breda Guckion, the mother of Billy Hood, a 25-year-old from west London who is currently imprisoned in the UAE, said broadcasters had a responsibility to present “both sides”. Hood was sentenced to 25 years in 2021, later reduced to 10 years, for “accidental” possession of vape liquids containing cannabis oil. His family say he was forced to sign a false confession and subject to beatings.

Guckion said: “Billy went to Dubai because he wanted to fulfil his dreams, then all of a sudden he was locked up. There’s another side to it all that you don’t see in programmes like this. People need to know all the facts.”

Spun Gold TV did not respond to requests for comment.

Originally published at https://www.thetimes.co.uk on January 12, 2022.