Channel 4's Sleeping With the Far Right proves divisive for many

Megan Davies
Photo credit: Chris Bull/ UNP - Channel 4
Photo credit: Chris Bull/ UNP - Channel 4

From Digital Spy

Channel 4's latest thought-provoking documentary Sleeping With the Far Right premiered tonight (February 21), and it will probably come as absolutely no surprise that viewers had a lot to say about it.

The hour-long programme saw presenter Alice Levine spend a week with far right nationalist Jack Sen and his family in a bid to discover why he holds the beliefs he does.

Over the course of the week, Alice followed Jack as he attended events and activities connected to his beliefs, as well as learned more about how he manages websites and social media groups to promote his beliefs and those of prominent figures in the far right.

For those following the programme as it was broadcast, though, a lot of people were left feeling uncomfortable by the views that were being shared:

And many more were confused as to how Jack could hold his British nationalist beliefs considering his own multi-cultural history, as he has Indian heritage, was partly brought up in America and is married to a Ukrainian woman:

Meanwhile, at the start of the programme, Alice made it clear that her personal views contradicted Jack's own completely, and many praised the presenter's ability to remain calm when Jack said things she disagreed with, and especially so when she and former BNP leader Nick Griffin clashed too:

Speaking about her time with Jack while making the documentary, Alice Levine called him a "fascinating" and "intriguing" character and stressed that this programme didn't offer someone the chance to "have a platform to repeat their rhetoric".

"It’s not really a film about politics, it’s a film about identity at the heart," Alice said in an interview with Channel 4. "So this wasn’t just a chance for someone to recite their manifesto or have a platform to repeat their rhetoric, it had to be about two people getting to know each other.

"We’re an odd couple, to say the least, so the film is entertaining, and has these strange moments of dark humour. He is a fascinating character, but also somebody who has opinions that are obviously troubling and dangerous. It makes for a tense and unique hour."

And, by the end, it was clear that Alice and Jack's views were just too different as Sleeping With the Far Right ended with a clash between the pair, and viewers were left with a lot of respect for Alice for how she handled the difficult situation:

Sleeping With the Far Right aired on Channel 4.

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