The Origin Of The Idea

Starting from a small request and branching out to address a nationwide issue, this is how I developed my idea for the documentary

During a one-week placement at Purbeck Coast FM, which is situated near the pier in Swanage, I was offered a fantastic opportunity. On the second day of my placement, a listener sent an email to the studio expressing his desire to come on and talk about the problems facing Swanage bay. Steve Finney explained that he is a waterman with a passion for body surfing but has become increasingly cautious about swimming in the sea and has been infected numerous times. Specifically, he brought "sewage dumping" to my attention - something I was unfamiliar with until we spoke.

After doing plenty of research, my producer and I agreed that we shouldn't talk about sewage dumping live on air due to Ofcom regulations surrounding impartiality. This is mainly because in the timeframe I was given it wasn't possible to get a reply from Wessex Water. So instead I opted to speak to Steve about some of the things he does to benefit the beach, such as taking part in protests and taking inspiration from the 2-minute Beach Clean. The interview was excellent, impartial and well-informed, however, I felt as though I had not done Steve justice since he had suffered from swimming in the sea.

This sparked a change - originally I had a different idea for my major multimedia project but after speaking to Steve and realising how passionate he is about this subject, I reconsidered my idea. I wanted to investigate the darker side of the beautiful seaside town of Swanage and find out for myself what is going on. Not to my surprise, things didn't turn out black and white - the problem is far more nuanced than how mainstream media is painting it out to be.