Headhunting The Homeless
| Headhunting The Homeless | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Walsh |
| Narrated by | Ray Burdis |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | John Walsh |
| Running time | 3 x 60 min. |
| Production company | Walsh Bros Ltd. |
| Original release | |
| Release | May 9, 2003 |
Headhunting The Homeless [1] is a British documentary series for the BBC by John Walsh of Walsh Bros Ltd. This three part series followed five homeless people for over a year as they looked for employment on a new scheme involving two hundred companies, including Marks & Spencer, Pret a Manger and Wates Construction, following the work of Eva Hamilton’s Business Action on Homelessness project [2] as part of Business in the Community. The goal of this project was to try and break the cycle of homelessness for good,[3] to challenge perceptions of homelessness, and to change the attitudes that business people have and in the process observe the demanding transition into the working world for homeless people.
For Carol Thatcher it’s her first job in 20 years: “I proved to myself that I can do it…I had tears of joy running down my face.” Carol hopes that this new start will help her to reconnect with her children who were taken into care 12 years ago. Accountant David Haighbrown doesn’t fit the stereotype; he’s well-spoken, college educated and motivated. Yet he found himself living rough, forced to rummage through dustbins for food and sleep in shop doorways. “I remember thinking, ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ I’ve never abused drugs or alcohol nor have any criminal record, yet here I am.”
Describing his own film, Walsh has said: "These moving stories of human frailty and redemption, gave for the first time, a dignified voice to people who are not often heard and seldom depicted as real human beings."[4]
Awards
Grierson Awards Nominated for Best Documentary series or Strand.[5][6]
Reception
The series was part of the BBC’s 120 most treasured programmes of the first half of 2003 in the corporation’s drive to convince its critics that the licence fee should not be abolished.[7]
The Guardian described the series as "truly touching".[8] and also chose it as their Pick of the Day [9]
External links
References
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/04_april/17/headhunting_homeless.shtml
- ^ https://www.bitc.org.uk/news-events/news/business-takes-practical-action-prevent-homelessness
- ^ http://www.ovguide.com/video/headhunting-the-homeless-bbc-documentary-series-922ca39ce10036ba0e115de22ba45801#
- ^ IMDB plot summary
- ^ http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/grierson-judges-attack-catastrophic-decline/1097032.article
- ^ "Headhunting the Homeless". bbc.co.uk.
- ^ John Plunkett. "BBC list aims to win over critics". the Guardian.
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2003/may/18/features.review7
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/may/07/tvandradio.television1
 | This article about a British documentary film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |