Zara McDermott branded ignorant after BBC’s ‘judgmental and patronising’ Thailand documentary

Zara McDermott takes on Thailand in her new BBC docu-series (Picture: BBC/South Shore)

Zara McDermott has come under fire from some BBC viewers unhappy with the depiction of Thailand in her new documentary for the broadcaster.

The TV personality, 28, was in the Southeast Asian country to film her new three-parter on BBC Three, titled Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise.

The docu-series sees McDermott explore the rite-of-passage spot in the hopes of peeling back what lurks beneath the partying.  

However, BBC viewers found the portrayal of the country to be wanting, with many taking to a post of the documentary’s trailer on Instagram to express their frustrations over the episodes, all of which are on iPlayer.

The trailer shows McDermott visiting bustling cities like Bangkok and island hopping in the limestone scenery made famous by James Bond’s The Man with the Golden Gun film.

The clip sees the reality star drinking straight from a bottle at one of the country’s ‘hedonistic parties’ as well as talking to a man who describes it as ‘like Benidorm on steroids, cheap, cheerful, full of women’.

The documentary has come under fire for being ‘patronising’ (Picture: BBC/South Shore)

The teaser also touches on the moment the crew were ‘nearly arrested’ for filming in one of Bangkok’s red light districts. 

Yet underneath the post, one of the most-liked comments said it was a ‘deeply disappointing’ move from the BBC to make this documentary, describing it as ‘one-sided and sensationalised’.

‘Having lived and worked in Thailand and travelled extensively across the country as a young single woman, I can confidently say that this is an unfair and skewed portrayal of a beautiful nation and its kind, welcoming people,’ wrote @thiharaa97.

‘Thailand, a country heavily reliant on tourism, deserves more responsible and balanced reporting.’

The trailer shows McDermott visit Bangkok (Picture: BBC/South Shore)

Numerous other watchers echoed this sentiment, with @kelsleigh96x similarly describing the show as ‘disappointing’. 

@nicole.yimmmmm added: ‘Her documentary on Thailand felt poorly handled. As an Asian viewer, I was repulsed by how judgmental and patronising it is.’

Meanwhile @joedeviggiani described it as an ‘ignorant portrayal of an entire country’, while @traveling_on_the_go said it was a ‘narrow and negative perspective on the country’.

They added: ‘Amazing people, completely safe and the most interesting place I’ve ever been. Feels like a reach for views. Explore the whole country please.’

Metro contacted the BBC and Zara McDermott’s representatives for comment.

Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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