TVREAL
Media personality and digital influencer James Blake knows a lot about the online world—its immense opportunities but also its enormous dangers. In the BBC Three doc Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang, Blake engaged audiences with his personal story and joined Strident Media’s investigation into human trafficking and online fraud, for which he won the Royal Television Society Award for best breakthrough talent. Blake is now presenting a new documentary from Strident, Hunting the Online Sex Predators, which takes an in-depth look at cybersex crime in the U.K. and beyond. It is currently running on BBC One, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.
TV REAL: How did you come on board Hunting the Online Sex Predators?
BLAKE: This new film, and new career path as a television presenter, has come off the back of my first documentary Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang, in which I shared my own story and explored the dangerous world of catfishing, romance scams and online fraud.
I was approached by Strident, a Belfast-based production company, to make a documentary about my experience of having my social media accounts scraped and my name and pictures used in romance scams. The producer and director, Pete Grant, worked with me on location, where I found I was really comfortable being on camera and doing interviews with the team.
The producers did extensive research, and the investigation eventually led me around the world to scam compounds on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, discovering that the scammers themselves were often victims of human trafficking, abuse and inhumane conditions, which was shocking.
The documentary was very well-received, so much so in fact that I won a Breakthrough Talent Award from the prestigious Royal Television Society in Northern Ireland.
The BBC commissioned Strident to produce a second documentary looking at crime online, this time with me as presenter. This started production in summer 2024, and it took me on another journey both on- and offline that I was excited to be part of.
Hunting the Online Sex Predators is a very timely documentary considering the ongoing public conversation around online safety on social media platforms. All my reactions you see on-screen are real; a lot of the time I’m finding out this information along with the viewers. I’m pleased to be in this unique position to be able to share insights into something we should all know more about.
TV REAL: Having grown up online and working in social media, what is the unique perspective you bring to the doc?
BLAKE: I have always lived part of my life online. As far back as I can remember, the internet has always been a huge part of my life. Back when I was a kid, I was on all the social websites, creating content online before content creators were a thing and had over 100,000 followers on Bebo.
Fast forward to now, and I have a successful career in digital marketing driven by my social media. Like many people of my age, the online world is a huge part of my social and work life, but we should all be asking more about it. I also use social media to share my documentary work with my audience, which is great for feedback, etc.
TV REAL: What was it like to witness these raids?
BLAKE: Joining the task force on the raid was an extremely intense experience for me—from the briefings through to the raid. The stakes were really high, and I had no idea what was going to happen. It was frustrating to see that even with all the planning, sometimes things just don’t go according to plan.
The one you see in the Philippines was essentially a full 24-hour day that started early with a briefing and included a seven-hour stakeout in the back of a van, all before the raid happened at around 3 or 4 a.m. I was extremely tired but fueled by adrenaline and very aware that I was experiencing just one day in the life of the police forces and other organizations that work so hard to catch these predators. They are doing this work week in and week out.
TV REAL: What was your experience of meeting victims and speaking to officials as well?
BLAKE: I was hugely privileged to meet “Cassie” in the Philippines, who courageously shared the story of her life in the documentary. Cassie was trafficked at the age of 12, and her abuse was streamed to men, including men in the U.K. It was heart-wrenching to hear what she had to say. She is a truly inspirational person who now helps others in the same position with the help of the International Justice Mission.
I was also privileged to meet the people working day in and day out to stop this crime—the team at NCMEC (National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children), the detectives and officers in the U.K. and the Philippines, and the lawyers and academics all tirelessly working to try and stop this exploitation. I was lucky to meet these people face to face and share what they have to say with the viewers.
TV REAL: Talk to me about the importance of raising awareness of the conversation around social platforms.
BLAKE: I feel like this is really important. We all use social media, daily. It’s where we spend a lot of our time, and it’s important that we are all aware of what can happen there. In the documentary, Baroness Beeban Kidron talks about how you can be two clicks away from child abuse content on social media, which is absolutely horrifying. These conversations need to happen in the hope that awareness will eventually lead to some sort of positive impact.
TV REAL: What do you hope viewers take away from having watched this?
BLAKE: So far, the feedback has been incredibly positive. Many viewers have been as shocked as I was to find out about the dangers of the online space and social media space, and now they’re having conversations about it online and with their friends, children and families, which is so important.
TV REAL: What led you from the digital space into the television arena?
BLAKE: I think it’s important to have people from my background and demographic presenting this type of show, in order to open conversations and engage with an audience that might not otherwise be talking about these important topics.
I am a huge believer in everything happening for a reason, and it seems that things are really in alignment for me now. I have found a massive passion in presenting work and the documentary world—it’s empowering and fills me with mixtures of emotions I haven’t found anywhere else. I am excited for a long career ahead in this space.
TV REAL: What do you see as television’s unique power to reach audiences to amplify these kinds of pressing stories?
BLAKE: Mainstream media, especially TV, is a massive platform, and the traditional broadcasters are still huge in the online world. The BBC has a long track record in documentary-making, and they have a really important role to play, especially now with fact-checking and moderation not being as prevalent in the online world. I believe that television and social media can really work well together to deliver stories to a wider audience.
