Curious Films has been commissioned by BBC Factual to produce a single documentary for BBC Three that explores the secret workings of the tabloid press, public relations, agents and the ‘WAGs’ themselves, which led to the high-profile public bust-up between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy.
With access to key sources who didn’t give evidence at the trial, including a leading journalist involved in the stories that led to Coleen’s infamous tweet, Wagspiracy: Vardy vs Rooney (1×60’) “lifts the lid on the industry behind the headlines, offering a very different take on a story that has attracted huge media attention.”
Going all the way back to Baden Baden and the nostalgia of the 2006 World Cup where the obsession with the wives and girlfriends of England’s footballers first began, it tells the origin story of the rise of the ‘WAG’ phenomenon and the accompanying ‘gold rush’ experienced by the tabloids. It hears from the team behind Rebekah Vardy, who were instrumental in spotting an opportunity to ‘launch’ her as a new kind of ‘WAG’. With first hand testimony from journalists, and in particular The Sun, the documentary reveals what was really going on behind the scenes, and how celebrity – and the industries that support it – operate in 21st Century Britain.
Exploring the motivations behind each of these high-profile women, and the treatment they’ve faced online, in the press and on social media, the documentary examines why ‘Wagatha Christie’ and the subsequent trial at the High Court became such a big story. With contributions from ‘WAGs’, journalists and media professionals, it looks at the fallout for all those involved.
Caroline Sciama is directing and producing the film, following her selection by the BBC’s New Documentary Directors Initiative. She has previously worked with Curious Films as the producer of Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death for Channel 4 and Being Frank: The Frank Gardner Story for BBC Two, and developed Squad Goals 3: Dorking ‘Til I Die for BBC Three.
Hamish Fergusson, BBC Commissioning Editor, Documentaries, said: “It’s brilliant to have as exciting an emerging talent as Caroline break new ground inside such an iconic, timely British story.”
Caroline Sciama, Director, Curious Films says: “Everyone thinks they know this story of female friendships turned sour, social media mind games, multi-millionaire footballers and the dark arts of the tabloid press. But there’s a lot more to it than hit the headlines. Wagspiracy: Vardy vs Rooney reveals the truth about what really happened behind closed doors – and gets under the skin of what it means to be a ‘WAG’.”
Wagspiracy: Vardy vs Rooney (1×60’) is a Curious Films production for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Controller, BBC Three and Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. It is produced and directed by Caroline Sciama, and executive produced by Charlie Russell & Dov Freedman. The Commissioning Editor is Hamish Fergusson.
Curious Films’ recent commissions include Running With The Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee (Netflix), The Accused: National Treasures On Trial (Channel 4), Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry (BBC Two), Squad Goals 3: Dorking Til I Die (BBC Three), Reclaiming Amy (BBC Two) and Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death (Channel 4). The company is currently in production on a number of new projects for international streamers and terrestrial broadcasters.
Jon Creamer
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