The BBC has commissioned Stacey Dooley: Shoplifting for BBC Three and iPlayer, along with further projects in the pipeline including an additional single documentary and two series, on the day that Dooley is to receive the prestigious Trustees’ Award at this year’s Grierson Awards.

Britain is in the grip of a shoplifting epidemic with recorded crimes at their highest since records began. Shoplifting is now costing British businesses £1.8 billion a year and a quarter of Brits admit to having shoplifted. How has shoplifting gotten so out of control and who are the people behind it? From the young graduates who think they’re owed more from society, the self-checkout swipers who steal more than they paid for and those who say they’re just doing it to survive, Stacey will unpick the many reasons people give for why they steal. Stacey will also check in with those at the front line of trying to deter and catch the thieves, seeing for herself the extreme measures some businesses are having to take to avoid losing hundreds and thousands of pounds of stock. She will meet the workers on the shop floor and witness the impact that constant shoplifting is having on their lives, and meet staff who’ve been subjected to violence and abuse from shoplifters as they try and do their jobs.

Stacey Dooley says “I’m incredibly honoured to receive the Grierson Trustee Award. With a significant rise in shoplifting, it feels more important than ever to spend proper time with the people and complexities involved. This recognition fuels my commitment to keep telling these stories, and I’m thankful for all the support – and those who have backed me from the start – that allows me to keep pushing forward”.

Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, says “Stacey Dooley has taken documentary viewers into some of the most challenging places and so I’m delighted to see her talent recognised as the recipient of this year’s Grierson Trustees’ Award 2024. In this latest film Stacey explores a high street epidemic, spending time with young shoplifters and the shop staff on the front line. This, along with other films we’re working on with Stacey, will bring a unique insight into the changing face of modern Britain”.

Stacey Dooley: Shoplifting (1×60’) is produced by Little Dooley for BBC Three and iPlayer. Stacey Dooley: Shoplifting was commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, and Nasfim Haque, Head of Content, BBC Three. Executive Producers are Claire Hughes for Little Dooley and the Commissioning Editors are Fran Baker and Raphaelle O’Loan. Daniel Harrison will direct.

Stacey Dooley: Shoplifting will air on BBC Three and iPlayer in 2025.

Jon Creamer

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