Candour Productions founder, Anna Hall, is to follow up on her documentary from 21 years ago, Edge of the City, that first exposed the pattern now known as gang grooming.
Groomed: A National Scandal, a new film for Channel 4 on the explosive issue of gang grooming, puts the experiences of women who have survived unimaginable abuse at the heart of a story which spans 20 years.
Five young women who have suffered grooming, rape and abuse, have put their trust in Anna Hall and her team to tell their stories, which are by turns harrowing and heartbreaking. Many are speaking about their abuse on camera for the first time. Through their personal testimony, they reveal the lifelong damage caused by child sexual exploitation. Their stories expose failings by police and social services which span decades and show how children are still being let down to this day.
This film goes beyond the headlines and the political rhetoric to reveal how authorities have not only ignored victims, repeatedly and over decades, but, in some cases, criminalised the very people they should be protecting. Developed over three years and a year in production, the film comes at a time when gang grooming has been thrust into the spotlight with new announcements by the government, becoming a touchpaper issue for arguments about policing, the criminal justice system, race and class.
The 90-minute programme charts a 20-year narrative which painstakingly shows how different women’s stories mirror each other, how women who were groomed as children in towns and cities right across the UK are still fighting for justice, and exposes a system that remains unfit for purpose. But the film also shows that this is not a historic problem, that this form of child sexual exploitation is still going on today.
Through the powerful stories of survivors, combined with investigative journalism, historical context and archive, Groomed: A National Scandal is a film that demands that society stops looking away, and brings about accountability, justice, and meaningful change to protect children and support survivors.
Anna Hall’s previous films for Channel 4 on gang grooming are Edge of the City (2004), The Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs (2011), Britain’s Sex Gangs (2013).
Shaminder, Head of Specialist Factual Commissioning, Channel 4 said: “This is an urgent and vital film that shines a light on a deeply troubling reality – decades after these scandals were first exposed, victims are still being failed by the very institutions meant to protect them. With Anna Hall’s meticulous investigative approach and the powerful testimonies of survivors and whistleblowers, Groomed: A National Scandal is a call to action. It’s a film that will challenge perceptions, demand accountability, and ensure these voices are finally heard.”
Anna Hall, Director and Executive Producer, said: “This is a film that will shake the nation. It’s not just about retelling past horrors—it’s about showing that these patterns of abuse are still happening today. We trust our police and social services to protect victims, but this documentary will reveal the devastating truth of their ongoing failures.”
Groomed: A National Scandal is a 1×90 doc produced by Candour Productions for Channel 4 and is set to air in 2025.
Jon Creamer
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