Chasing Dad and The Last Days Of Legal Highs coming to BBC Three
In two new documentaries, BBC Three will show how drugs and addiction are affecting young people in Britain today.
Published: 16 March 2016
I'm really proud of these films that tackle a challenging subject the BBC Three audience demands. They have an unflinching honesty and, individually, provide unique perspectives that bring the viewer closer to the story.
Chasing Dad follows a father’s heroin addiction from his son’s perspective.
The Last Days Of Legal Highs confronts a generation-defining shift in drug culture.
Damian Kavanagh, Controller BBC Three, says: “BBC Three is here to inform, educate and entertain young people, and cover issues that matter to them. Chasing Dad and Legal Highs will stimulate debate about how drugs affect young people today, from two very different perspectives.”
Danny Horan, BBC Commissioning Editor, Documentaries, says: “I'm really proud of these films that tackle a challenging subject the BBC Three audience demands. They have an unflinching honesty and, individually, provide unique perspectives that bring the viewer closer to the story.”
Examining different sides of Britain’s legal high epidemic, The Last Days Of Legal Highs confronts a generation-defining shift in drug culture, ahead of a psychoactive substances bill to ban legal highs.
The film pivots around two ‘Head Shops’ in Portsmouth that are doing a busy trade in legal drug dealing, selling all kinds of legal highs, from Spice to Gogaine.
Before the government makes untested chemicals illegal, the film follows those who sell, take and deal legal highs, and the consequences of each.
The Last Days Of Legal Highs also features exclusive access to the elusive Dr Z - creator of some of these substances, and a man determined to chemically and legally find a way to flout the ban and keep the Head Shops open.
Accompanying The Last Days Of Legal Highs is a series of original shortform content built around the main film that takes a 360-degree look at the world of legal highs.
The Last Days Of Legal Highs will all be available from bbc.co.uk/bbcthree on Tuesday 5 April.
After years of acrimony and estrangement, Phillip Wood seeks out his father, a heroin addict, to try and understand what’s happened to him since they were separated. Phillip’s father is seriously ill and, over months of filming, Phillip’s visits force father and son to confront some uncomfortable truths about their past.
Developed from Phillip’s graduation film, Chasing Dad offers a stark exploration into a subject that significantly affected his childhood. This intimate documentary will show addiction from the other side and challenge our assumptions about how families can rebuild their broken relationships.
Chasing Dad will be available from bbc.co.uk/bbcthree soon.
Notes to Editors:
Chasing Dad and The Last Days Of Legal Highs were commissioned by and executive produced by Damian Kavanagh, Controller of BBC Three, and Danny Horan, Commissioning Editor for BBC Documentaries.
Chasing Dad is a Rare Day production - filmed and directed by Phillip Wood. Editor, Ollie Huddleston. Executive producers, Jane Treays and Peter Dale.
The Last Days Of Legal Highs is a Pulse Films production - directed by Tom Costello. Assistant producer, Howard Holloway. Editor, Dan Nelson. Executive producer, Emma Cooper.
EK
