Channel 4 Orders Doc on Anti-Vaxxers

Caravan and Quicksilver Media have been commissioned by Channel 4 for a feature-length documentary exploring the origins and growth of the anti-vaccination movement and its impact on international efforts against Covid-19.

Tentatively titled The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement, the documentary includes interviews with experts on the movement, some of its leading proponents and parents on both sides of the debate. A Caravan and Quicksilver Media production for Channel 4 and ARTE, the doc is directed by Colette Camden (Married to a Paedophile). It is being distributed worldwide by All3Media International.

Eamonn Matthews, executive producer at Quicksilver Media, said: “Just at the moment when Covid vaccines offer the best chance for saving the lives of millions across the globe, the anti-vaxx movement has grown in strength. The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement (w/t) investigates this well-funded and organized movement and the methods it uses to draw in and hold its followers.”

Dinah Lord, executive producer at Caravan, said: “The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement (w/t) is a timely and globally resonant story, providing a forensic investigation into the anti-vaxx business, exploring some of its more disturbing activities and shedding new light into a growing movement that has the potential to change the course of history.”

Steve Boulton, commissioning editor for Channel 4 News and Current Affairs, added: “This is a time of powerful anti-social conspiracy theories, and we felt we needed to take a deep dive into one of the most troubling, a movement that threatens to damage public health just as science starts to deliver us all from a killer pandemic.”