University of Stirling students produce new documentaries for BBC Scotland

BBC Scotland’s Disclosure has commissioned students to produce two new documentaries as part of an on-going partnership with the University of Stirling.

The short films, which will be available to view on iPlayer from Monday 26 August, have been made by two teams of final year students. It is the second time the University of Stirling has collaborated with BBC Scotland’s news and current affairs department to produce documentaries for broadcast.

The new films were created following a series of masterclasses led by senior BBC journalists, and students were invited to pitch ideas for a documentary. Two were then commissioned, with mentoring and support provided by BBC staff including award-winning producers Calum McKay, Kevin Anderson and Liam McDougall. One of the films is on the topic of illiteracy and the second explores the assisted dying debate.

In What If I Can’t Read?, student reporter Abbie Freeman, who could not read and write until the age of 13, examines illiteracy rates in Scotland. She discusses her own struggle to overcome illiteracy, and talks about how she dealt with being diagnosed with dyslexia. She interviews experts on the subject, including the OECD official who produced the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report on reading among 15-year-olds.

Abbie, from Kemnay in Aberdeenshire, also visits an adult literacy group to hear the testimonies of men who are learning to read years after leaving school. Student reporter Alex Lichtenauer’s grandfather chose to die via assisted euthanasia in their home country of the Netherlands.

As the Scottish Parliament considers legalising assisted death, in My Death, My Choice?, Alex speaks to people for and against medically assisted dying to hear the arguments that divide opinion on this contentious issue. Alex, who lives in Stirling, also gives her personal reflections on her grandfather’s decision and how the family felt during a highly emotional time.

The first two programmes in the collaboration were also presented, filmed and edited by graduating Film and Media and Journalism students. Do I Have ADHD? and Is My Flat Safe? are still available on BBC iPlayer.

Shelley Jofre, BBC Scotland’s Editor of Disclosure:

‘We’re delighted that we have two new documentaries to air from this successful collaboration with the University of Stirling. The students have again produced outstanding content on issues of significant public interest.’