Zara McDermott’s BBC Doc Almost Got Her Cuffed—Find Out What Went Down Before the Cameras Rolled!
Added on September 5, 2025 inCelebrity News Cards
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Ever wonder what happens when a former Love Islander, armed with a camera crew and a heap of permission slips, ventures into Bangkok’s nightlife only to find herself inches away from a police arrest? Well, Zara McDermott just spilled the tea on her nail-biting experience filming the BBC documentary Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise. It seems the stars aligned to throw a little cosmic curveball her way—because despite the crew’s paperwork being tighter than Mercury in retrograde, tensions with local bar owners and police escalated faster than you can say “Sun in Virgo.” Zara, who’s gracefully evolved from reality TV fame to tackling gritty, emotional stories, found herself in the eye of the storm, facing ashtrays and being pushed out—yet her aim remained crystal clear: to shine a light on the unseen struggles of sex workers and unpack what consequences really mean when you’re thousands of miles from home. If you think your zodiac sign is good at stirring things up, wait till you dive into this documentary’s chaotic charm. Ready to see what’s behind the paradise façade? LEARN MORE
Zara McDermott has spoken about the ‘scary’ moment she almost got arrested while filming a documentary for the BBC.
The ex Love Island star, 28, who was once threatened by masked men during a shopping trip in London, presents new doc Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise.
From reality show appearances on the likes of The X Factor: Celebrity and Made in Chelsea, she has transitioned into presenting thought-provoking programmes like Revenge Porn and Uncovering Rape Culture.
Her most recent show, however, includes a number of tense moments with Bangkok police.
Even though the BBC crew had permission to film in the local bars, Zara said they were almost ‘losing what we were there to do’ within hours of arriving.
Zara McDermott was there to discover why Brits are so drawn to the popular tourist spot (BBC)
“The whole sequence gets cut down. But that was over the span of a few hours of filming there, the tensions were starting to increase with the police,” she told press, as reported by the Mail.
“We nearly got arrested because of the filming that we were doing, but, the interesting thing about that is that we’d got all the permissions in advance. We’d been OK to film there.
“And the bar owners were definitely, definitely kind of trying to throw their weight around a bit, and wanted us to get out of the area completely.”
In the documentary, one crew member had an ashtray thrown at them.
Zara and the BBC crew faced issues filming documentary Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise (BBC)
“In the end, the bar owners kind of, you know, they won in that sense, and we had to leave,” she added.
That moment almost lead to the group ‘potentially being arrested’, and the mission of exploring the darker side of the country was at risk.
Thankfully, they were able to bypass any issues and Zara’s presenting experience, instead, allowed her to have ‘some difficult and emotional conversations with sex workers’.
“My aim is for these women to feel completely seen and heard, because I truly believe that sharing our stories helps give us women power,” she added to the BBC.
Zara said she hopes the doc ‘questions what consequence looks like when you are thousands of miles from home’ (BBC)
“I have a huge amount of empathy for the women who are pressured to work in such an unpredictable and at times unsafe industry.”
The reality star also noted that she was ‘excited to discover a country that so many young people like me are heading to right now’.
“There’s clearly a fascination with the nightlife, parties and stunning beaches – but there seems to be other intriguing reasons people are going to Thailand and staying,” Zara said.
Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise will be available on BBC iPlayer from 8 September.
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