BBC Panorama - Eurovision's Dirty Secret

[ukboy]

There will be a BBC Panorma documentary about the contest this year and the country itself. If your not familiar with Panorama it is in depth investigative journalism with the aim of socking the audience. So you may not like what you see, but hey, it will be on Monday 21st May at 20:30 BST.

Show Synopsis

With just days to go to the final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, Panorama has been undercover inside its hosts Azerbaijan, to discover the extraordinary truth about this secretive country and its approach to the world's most watched non-sporting event.

Reporter Paul Kenyon finds out how the contest has been used as a tool of intimidation: viewers have been interrogated for voting for the nation's long-term enemy, Armenia; a protest singer has been told to flee before Eurovision or he will be thrown in jail; and dozens have had their homes bulldozed to make way for the Eurovision event itself.

The US embassy in Baku has compared the ruling family to the Mafia. The regime has held onto power through a combination of rigged elections, jailing opponents, and by irregular control of the country's vast oil wealth. So, why did the organisers of the world's best well-loved music event agree to host it in Azerbaijan?

 

[eerik]

Thanks for the tip. Hopefully I'll remember to watch it.

 

[Interrail]

Thread like this would fit better in Political sub-forum

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

I shall be watching! It will be interesting to see what the BBC has uncovered, hopefully it wont ruin my view of Eurovision this year so near to the contest!

 

[doctormalisimo]

I'll be watching. I'm looking forward to being socked

 

[Interrail]

I think they won't uncover anything what ppl already didn't know.

 

[Margerita86]

I think they won't uncover anything what ppl already didn't know.

Aye, I feel like it will just be the same old things we already knew, just present as it had just been found out.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

^ I think the same probably. It will just be made more widely known in the UK because not that many people know of Azerbaijan in any great detail here.

 

[QwaarJet]

Should be an interesting watch. Hopefully my opinion of Azerbaijan won't go any lower.

And this should be in the politics forum so we can talk about this properly.

 

[mono]

do you know if i can watch it online?

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

Well as far as I know BBC iPlayer is only for those in the UK but Panorama episodes are usually uploaded onto YT pretty quickly.

 

[mono]

Well as far as I know BBC iPlayer is only for those in the UK but Panorama episodes are usually uploaded onto YT pretty quickly.

oh cool! i'm going to check it then thanks!

 

[r3gg13]

If you have to watch it on iPlayer outside of UK, you can use a google chrome proxy extension

 

[eerik]

do you know if i can watch it online?

Try this: http://bbc-player.com/

It streams BBC iPlayer channels through proxy so there are no territorial restrictions.

 

[Sean]

Thanks for the tip, will try to remember or at least watch it on iPlayer afterwards.

This thread is gonna go downhill pretty quickly when the Azeris notice it though...

 

[deese]

seriously? why cannot BBC bother own business? why cannot they MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS? Western countries tried to help Iraq, Libya, Egypt and only made it worse. Why cannot you let other people live as they want. If we want, my nation wants, we will change the situation in the country ourselves.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

This thread is gonna go downhill pretty quickly when the Azeris notice it though...

I thought the same thing!

seriously? why cannot BBC bother own business? why cannot they MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS? Western countries tried to help Iraq, Libya, Egypt and only made it worse. Why cannot you let other people live as they want. If we want, my nation wants, we will change the situation in the country ourselves.

If there is nothing to hide, then no need to be fearful of an investigation!

 

[doctormalisimo]

seriously? why cannot BBC bother own business? why cannot they MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS?

The BBC do a lot of investigative work like this. It's a very British thing really. This is not a personal attack on Azerbaijan or Eurovision, it's a an opportunity for the public to see things from a different angle and the programme's aims are always to improve whatever situation they've investigated, in this case, the human rights of Azeri people. Past Panorama programmes have dealt with issues of corruption in football, the music industry, police, healthcare and even Parliament. It's not in the BBC's (or Western journalism's) nature to mind their own business. By showing the shocking facts and provoking people, they're trying to make the world a better place.

 

[Raul_Spain]

OMG typical of BBC! Western countries superiority complex (including my own's) is unbearable. Az tv could do the same and tell the world some US/EU/UK dirty secrets too...

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

The BBC do a lot of investigative work like this. It's a very British thing really. This is not a personal attack on Azerbaijan or Eurovision, it's a an opportunity for the public to see things from a different angle and the programme's aims are always to improve whatever situation they've investigated, in this case, the human rights of Azeri people. Past Panorama programmes have dealt with issues of corruption in football, the music industry, police, healthcare and even Parliament. It's not in the BBC's (or Western journalism's) nature to mind their own business. By showing the shocking facts and provoking people, they're trying to make the world a better place.

xyeah

OMG typical of BBC! Western countries superiority complex (including my own's) is unbearable. Az tv could do the same and tell the world some US/EU/UK dirty secrets too...

Im sure they already have done .