Netflix's Beckham puts focus on access
Netflix doc Beckham was one of its most-watched shows of 2023, but the fact his own production company made the four-parter has reignited a debate about journalistic standards, impartiality and editorial control in access docs.
Beckham was produced by Studio 99, a production company part-owned by the footballer
In 2019, with the UK government going through one of its frequent “why can’t you be more like Netflix?” attacks on the BBC, Mandy Chang, then commissioning editor of the pubcaster’s Storyville documentary strand, pointed out an uncomfortable truth.
Netflix’s headline-grabbing documentary at the time, Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, was produced by Jerry Media, part of the same marketing company behind the festival itself – a clear conflict of interest that meant Chang and the BBC couldn’t have bought or commissioned that doc even if they had wanted to.
Yet Netflix, operating in the same market, competing for the same viewers, and often lauded as the example to follow by the ruling Conservative party, was not covered by the same regulations, Ofcom guidance or clauses on impartiality. A slippery slope of journalistic standards stretched out ahead, Chang told delegates at Sheffield Doc/Fest.
Fast forward to the end of 2023 and Netflix’s most watched documentary of the year in the UK is four-parter Beckham, produced by Studio 99, a production company part-owned by the former England football captain.
Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s global unscripted chief, has been at pains to state the streamer retained final editorial control throughout. The documentary’s producer, John Battsek, has insisted he would walk away from any project if editorial control was ever in question or publicists insisted on sitting in on interviews. Nicola Howson, MD of Studio 99, told delegates at Content London in late 2023 that Beckham absolutely hated the process of being interviewed by director Fisher Stevens, and anybody suggesting it was merely a propaganda film for ‘Brand Beckham’ simply doesn’t understand the process of making the series.
Beckham’s alleged affair in the early 2000s is discussed in the docuseries, but the woman in question, Rebecca Loos, is never mentioned by name. Also ignored is Beckham’s apparent attempt to target the ‘pink pound’ by appearing shirtless in Attitude magazine when that benefitted his brand and bank balance, only to later happily promote the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, where checking your Grindr messages can see you imprisoned and/or tortured.
On the omission of Loos, Howson said: “Twenty years ago there were numerous stories in the tabloids about David Beckham and his marriage. We didn’t need to replay the allegations because they’d been replayed ad nauseum 20 years ago.
“What Fisher was interested in was the effect that had on two human beings in the eye of the storm, David and Victoria. They’d never talked about it before. We deliberately didn’t talk about any other individuals in our show because it wasn’t about other individuals who may have chosen to tell stories or sell stories in a different context that were not relevant to us.”
Beckham was just a film about a former footballer, but if viewers tolerate this – and 3.8 million viewers in the UK for Beckham in its premiere week alone suggests they do – then will Shell making documentaries about the climate emergency be next?
In the UK, an Ofcom-regulated VoD code for major streamers, similar to the broadcasting code, could level the playing field between the likes of the BBC and Netflix once it becomes law in 2024.
However, there is next to no chance of the industry putting the genie back in the bottle, particularly now talent and brands can produce their own content and air it via online platforms whenever they like.
Brandon Riegg, VP unscripted and documentary, Netflix
It was on David and Victoria to be open and authentic. They were, and what came from that is something we’re incredibly proud of and is a global phenomenon. We did not give away full editorial control, we retained final cut. We talk to all the partners and want them to feel invested as stakeholders but understand our job and the producer’s job is to tell the best version of that story that is meaningful. He [Beckham] didn’t watch the series until it premiered. They were really pleased with how it turned out.
John Battsek, producer, Beckham
I’ve been doing this for more than 20 years and made a bunch of films. There has never been a publicist anywhere near an interview we’ve done with anyone at any point. If at the outset Sir Alex Ferguson had said, “This is great but my publicist will be at every interview,” of course I would have said, “I have the utmost respect for you but I’m not doing this film.” There’s an insatiable desire from people who don’t make these films to assume these people are desperate for control as well as being paid absurd amounts of money – it’s not the case, in my experience.
Guy Davies, commissioning editor of non-scripted UK originals, Channel 5 and Paramount+
The Beckham series is an interesting one because inevitably there is a degree of debate about what the price of access is when making big celebrity stories. There’s a conversation that needs to be had about editorial integrity when weighing up projects like that. However, we need to be realistic in that the way we present these stories is not going to be the traditional fly-on-the-wall or Ruby Wax Meets… type of journalistic enterprises. Those have gone.
Stephen Segaller, VP of programming at the WNET Group, parent company to PBS
I have grave reservations about projects where celebrities have editorial control. We won’t allow that, though it does limit the number of people who are willing to succumb to this experience. People ask me why we haven’t made an American Masters film about Bruce Springsteen and that’s because he wants a degree of control over any programming made with him. With these kinds of issues there are no rules, just preferences. Ours are very stodgy and old-fashioned, but we like them.
Poppy Dixon, director of documentaries and factual, Sky
Hatton was raw, honest and the dynamic between Hatton, the film’s director and Sky was integral to making an unsanitised take on his story. It could be that some celebrities are very manipulative of certain broadcasters or commissioners, but for us it’s important that it doesn’t get to that stage. Every commercial broadcaster wants a hit series like Beckham, but I don’t think the average viewer knows that his company made it. Telling celebrity stories requires rigorous thinking at the point of commission.
Warren Smith, head of sports and factual, Box to Box Films
Formula 1: Drive to Survive needed F1 to allow ourselves and Netflix in for people to see there was something in it for them, because essentially if you can pull back the curtain a bit then people want to see more. Editorial control lies with Netflix, Amazon or Apple. None of the clubs or governing bodies have final cut on our shows, but we obviously have a great relationship with them. For us, it’s about trust and having dialogue across the year – you don’t just get access and then touch base in 12 months when you’re finished.
John McKenna, co-founder and CEO, Noah Media
If there is a big area of the story the talent doesn’t want to talk about then you must question whether you should be making that film. What used to happen is you’d film a piece, it would go out on a channel once, some people would see it and that was it. Now these are legacy pieces on people’s lives, so you must treat them with respect. If you are honest at the start and lay it all out then you can get to a point where they do go there.
Fozia Khan, head of unscripted, Amazon Studios UK
With access, whatever you agree on a piece of paper is never really the access. The access is always about the people making the show and the relationships they have with the contributors. Editorial control stays with us and that’s really important. You’re always collaborating with your contributors because it’s their story you’re telling and they’re being so generous in sharing that with you. You have a massive responsibility to tell that story with care while also asking difficult questions. Audiences are really sophisticated now, they can see a puff piece a mile off.
