Former Love Island star Zara McDermott has tried her hand at documentary-making for some time, but has now caused a furore in Thailand in her latest film looking at the country
Zara McDermott has caused uproar in Thailand following her latest documentary. In the documentary, she branded the nation as being akin to “Benidorm on steroids”.
Former Love Island and Made in Chelsea star Zara has left the world of reality TV behind to look at the more serious side of television. In the past few years, she has taken on a variety of different documentaries, following in the footsteps of other Love Island alumni such as Georgia Steel and Olivia Attwood.
However, her most recent documentary series looking at the Southeast nation of Thailand has caused an international incident, after she hit out at the country for its boozy parties, all while nearly being arrested while filming. Locals have since claimed the star has made a mockery of the country’s level of tourism.
In the docuseries, former Strictly hopeful Zara visited a number of the idyllic islands along Thailand’s southern coast. These include Phuket and Pattaya, known for their lavish resorts and hardcore full moon parties.
Titled Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise, the former reality star visited the two islands to get a sense of what it is like being at the getaway resorts. There, she met a number of Brits kicking back and getting involved, as many Brits fly to the nation for the ultimate backpacking experience.
During the BBC series, Zara shares a number of problems facing Thailand, such as the numerous drugs that are available to buy — as well as copious amounts of prostitution. However, in the wake of the series, many in Thailand have slammed Zara for her disastrous portrayal of the country.
In the documentary, Zara brands Thai resorts as being “Benidorm on steroids: cheap, cheerful and full of women.” However, Thai people have said they live in a “welcoming and warm country”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, one souvenir shop owner in the capital Bangkok slammed the show, fuming: “I have talked to my clients from around the world many of them, of course some are English, told me here is safer than in their own countries. The documentary is unfair; it could make a negative image about safety here in Thailand and it could shake the confidence of foreign tourists.”
The owner said the Made in Chelsea star’s documentary was not accurate in its description of safety during the night, explaining she is able to regularly walk alone in the late evening and there have never been any issues. “I think those who made this story just wanted to boost their engagement,” she said.
Other locals in the area said the documentary series could shatter people’s ideas of what Thailand is like and impact the country’s tourism sector — something which it relies deeply on. They also expressed their disappointment at the BBC for not fact-checking before publishing.
However, some expats believe the backlash to the show is unjustified, although they recognise it may not show everything the country has to offer. Charlie Howard, 34, spent months living in the country and said there should be more calm surrounding the reaction to the series.
“The show I thought essentially just hammers on the party scene in Thailand, which is a thing, but you can’t just sum up a whole country rich in culture and history to drunk tourists essentially,” he explained. “Imagine seeing a documentary about the UK and it said all we do it gets drunk and go to Butlins.”
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