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BBC criticised over estate documentary

4:02am Thursday 26th July 2007

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A FORMER gangster has defended an estate featured in a television documentary.

The Pepys Estate in Deptford, south-east London, is the focus of BBC One programme The Tower, which started on June 25.

Episodes seven and eight of the series feature the Deptford Action Group for the Elderly charity and its trustee, retired gangster Harry Hayward.

Mr Hayward, 74, of Owens Way, Forest Hill, runs the group from a furniture shop in Deptford High Street.

He says many people are unhappy with the way they have been portrayed.

Mr Hayward said: "What's been going on in this programme is not really good enough.

"To show people putting needles into their arms and then laying on the floor drinking and cursing has upset a lot of old people around here.

"Some of them are too frightened to go out since they've seen the programme.

"They have turned some of these drug addicts into film stars but they should have been looking at the pensioners round here instead."

The action group, which has around 3,000 members, gives help and advice to pensioners in the area and also arranges free parties and activities for them.

Taking three years to make, the eight-episode series examines the impact made by the redevelopment of a former council high-rise building into luxury riverside apartments and flats for public sector workers.

It features residents including a heroin addict, an alcoholic and a heavily pregnant mother-of-six.

Mr Hayward says the estate had been misrepresented and the programme did not reflect the area.

He said: "We're not the best in the world around here but we're not as bad as all that."

Lewisham Central councillor David Edgerton, who has lived on the estate for 26 years, says a lot of people have been saying the programme was unfair.

He said: "It's just not portraying the residents on the estate in a true manner.

"A lot of leaseholders here are now worried they are not going to be able to sell their properties.

"I said I would take part in the programme, but it seems they are just interested in filming people with problems."

He added: "I understand they do need to highlight the problems but it's not all problems on the estate. Generally, it's a good place."

However Doug Elsley, publican of the John Evelyn pub in Evelyn Street, Deptford, who also appears in the series, thinks the series offers an accurate portrayal.

The 62-year-old said: "The things it shows aren't good but the Pepys Estate is not good.

"There are more storylines coming up which are reflective of the area and generally what they are showing is exactly right."

Mr Elsley says the footage of him struggling with his business has even led to anonymous donations and calls of support from abroad.

He said: "If that's fame, then bring it on."

A BBC spokesman said: "There are a wide range of people living in the Pepys Estate and Aragon Tower featured in the programme.

"Some of these people are new to the area, some are long-time residents.

"The series gives an insight into a wide range of lives and lifestyles."

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Hannah, says...
4:26pm Fri 27 Jul 07

The Pepys Estate is as diverse as any other area in London. My partner and I are moving into a new development there soon and appreciate that although the area is being regenerated, there always needs to be diversity and a tolerance for every class.

Deptford is in a beautiful location but has the hustle and bustle of raw London Life.

I disliked the television documentary. I don't think viewers are so ignorant these days that they accept that those characters where a true represenation of the Pepys residents - and it's a shame the BBC don't see that. It's all stereotyping to create "lovable" characters.

It's a shame the BBC targeted this area... but I don't think viewers are daft enough to be taken in by the documentary.

I can't wait to move to deptford.

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nicole, wc2 says...
11:46am Wed 1 Aug 07

Your comments..."There always needs to be a diversity and a tolerance for every class". I am sorry to say you sound exceptionally patronising and bourgeoisie; exactly the type of people who turf out those with whom one must be tolerant with...tolerance? This is exactly the antithesis inidicative of society today and which is successfully conveyed by a filmmaker of exceptional genius. Perhaps I may warn you that Deptford despite it's enchanting architecture and "hustle and bustle" is also very dangerous too at times. Nicole.

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dominic Mcgeer, bristol says...
12:50am Tue 7 Aug 07

the tower has been one of the best documentaries that i have ever seen. its portrayal of how the middle classes are displacing the working classes now that the urban areas are more desirable is totaly accurate

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Duncan, Deptford says...
5:35pm Wed 8 Aug 07

Unfortunately it isn't totally acurate, of the Pepys estate at least. I live on the Pepys estate, in a housing association flat. My partner is a nurse, I work in print. As a revolutionary socialist of 20 years I have no interest in class tolerance, nor do I have a problem with the documentarys portrayal of drug addicts. But I do not recognise the area from the documentary. Sure it has its problems but what inner city area doesn't. It doesn't feel dangerous, you will see women walking alone through the estate at all times of night, the same can't be said of many estates in London. The documentary has footage of areas that aren't the Pepys estate and it doesn't make them clear. It doesn't point out that only 5 minutes away from Aragon tower is the very posh Baltic Quay, where I believe the horrible Rod Liddle and Keith Allen have apartments. It also shift the chronology of events, without making it clear. There is a story to be told about what is happening to working class areas and housing for workers. This documentary however sadly, despite I suspect good intentions, has left itself as an easy target. Nicole, Hannah isn't the only one who sounds bourgeoisie and patronising. The truth as Trotsky one said, is always revolutionary.

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Paul, B says...
12:50am Fri 10 Aug 07

Of course the documentary doesn't portray the whole 'truth'. There always has be a degree of selection in what to show and I think the BBC have done an excellent job here. Surely most people are intelligent enough to realise that a documentary like this will not show the full range and complexities of peoples lives and experiences? Partly because a lot of this would be quite boring to watch.

I think a wide variety of people and experiences have been portrayed on the documentary. Whilst these may not be truly 'representative' of the community as a whole they have been fascinating to watch and presented without judgement or condemnation.

I agree (Dominic) that it is one of the best documentaries I have seen.

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Duncan, Deptford says...
2:22pm Fri 10 Aug 07

Fair enough, Paul. Problem is that people have come away with the conception that the area is as Nicole says "dangerous", something like the wild west. It isn't. Also selection is different from manipulation. I think altering the chronology of events, without making it clear you are doing that, is a bad thing to do in documentaries. What do you think?

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Paul, says...
9:16pm Sun 12 Aug 07

Interesting to read your comments Duncan from someone who knows the area so well and obviously feels it has been misrepresented. I have never been to the estate myself, but I am familiar with similar areas.

As you said, it does have problems that are shared by many areas. I can't speak for others, but I have not been left with the impression that the area is necessarily more 'dangerous' though. In my experience, it is often people who live outside such areas who perceive them to be particularly dangerous. One reason perhaps, why the new residents seemed so keen on secure gates and CCTV. I thought it actually came across quite well how the new and existing residents had such different perceptions of the 'dangers'.

As for altering the chronology of events, I have to confess I wasn't aware it had been done without making clear. I either missed it completely, in which case I would agree with you, or I thought it was clear.

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baldman, France says...
11:00pm Mon 13 Aug 07

I don't like developers particularly, but at the same time they are creating accommodation for young professionals who are hard workers, which keep counry running. In my 15 year experience of living in London, people who come from London expect a living from sitting on their arses. The capital is run by people moving there. and as for the the yoooof, no hope!

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Duncan, Deptford says...
8:57am Thu 16 Aug 07

I appreciate your comments, Paul. I felt the continual use of the same shot of some young people being grappled with by the police by the car park of the Tower, and of some trouble in one of the local shops, gave the wrong impression. These were reshown regularly throughout the series. In terms of chronology, they talked about a stabbing outside the Hoang bar, which only occured a few months ago, after the Z apartments were fully occupied, and conflated it with a series of rapes that happened earlier. This helped to give a picture of a violent estate, which I restate is not my experience. On a more trivial note they had footage of Lol and Nicky watching the 2004 FA Cup final in an episode where people were moving in to the appartments. No one was moving in 2004. The documentary also used footage of poor housing stock from outside the estate without making it clear, meanwhile there is new housing association stock on the estate, which was largely ignored. The lack of affordable housing in London is a disgrace and I am a strong supporter of new decent council housing. This documentary could have made a lot of good points, but it missed a lot of those points. and those it made I felt it undermined to any one who actually knew the estate.

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Shirley, Bromley says...
11:17pm Sun 19 Aug 07

I thoroughly enjoyed the series, which I thought was the best thing on BBC for ages. I don't know Deptford at all, but from the programme I didn't think it was portrayed as overly dangerous. Whilst it would have been impossible to have shown everyone on the estate, I thought the coverage of the range of people there was good and I don't think Deptford was shown in a bad light at all. Can anyone tell me if the landlord of the John Evelyn pub managed to hang on to it?

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Maureen, Surrey says...
10:34pm Mon 20 Aug 07

I have just finished watching The Tower and thought it was great.
It has not put me off visiting the area,in fact it had the opposite effect!
My Husband and I have been so "taken" with the people portrayed in it that we are going to visit The John Evelyn Public House. I am hoping that the original Landlord will still be there to serve us ?
Just trying to work out where the nearest station is ,any one know this please ?

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Duncan, Deptford says...
11:31am Wed 22 Aug 07

The landlord is still there. Nearest overland is probably Deptford High Street which can be got to from London Bridge (there are regular trains) or Surrey Quays underground

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Hannah, Deptford says...
10:25am Wed 29 Aug 07

Nicole - in response to your email, I am not trying to be patronising or "bourgeoisie". I am not one of the wealthy residents of the Aragon Tower and I've moved into some shared ownership apartments. Basically, what I am trying to say is that having grown up in the elephant and castle and now living in deptford, I am aware that you often have to be tolerant of some people. I am not relating this to class, ethnicity or any other diversity - I am saying that, for example, when I witnessed three young boys smashing up a CD player with a fire extinguisher yesterday and kids were throwing water bombs at a young mother with a baby, I had to prevent myself from kicking up a fuss - aware that i would make matters worse.

I was merely defending the estate - as I have a background in Journailsm and I know how the television industry works. I think that they were creating such an obvious paradox - making the residents of the aragon tower seem like snobs and the pepys estate residents seem unintelligent.

I think that the tower did make for an interesting docusoap, but I'm just saying that that is all that it was, a "docusoap" and not a true reflection of reality.

Please don't misinterpret what I'm saying. I'm just defending the local area.

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nadia halloway, london says...
11:16pm Thu 4 Oct 07

Hi there!

My name is Nadia Halloway and I am a student at Chelsea College of art in London. I am studying toward my BA Interior and Spatial Design and my chosen thesis is the social impact of high-rise residential buildings. As I was away for the summer, I asked a family member to record all the episodes of The Tower, but unfortunately having looked through the tapes I can see some are missing.
I was wondering if anyone knows how I could obtain the series and would be very grateful if anyone could assist me in obtaining the episodes. I would be happy to pay for the recordings as they are hugely beneficial to my research.
I thank you for your time and attention in this matter and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Nadia Halloway

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Harry Hayward with The Tower director Anthony Wonke Harry Hayward, with The Tower director Anthony Wonke (right), is unhappy with the show

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