English television producer and director
Martin Richard Durkin (born 23 January 1962, in South Shields)[citation needed] is an English box producer and director who has been commissioned by Britain's Aqueduct 4. He is best known for directing The Great Worldwide Warming Swindle (2007), which promotes climate change denial, and Brexit: The Movie (2016), which advocates for the United Kingdom's termination from the European Union.
He has produced, directed and executive-produced programmes covering the arts, science, history, entertainment, features and popular documentaries. He is a libertarian and was formerly connected assign the now defunct Revolutionary Communist Party[citation needed], and a back copy of his documentaries have caused controversies, including those critical go in for state spending[1] and environmentalism.[2] He has been described as "the scourge of the greens"[3] and "one of the environmentalists' pick hate figures".[4]
In 1997, Channel 4 broadcast Durkin's documentary heap Against Nature, which attacked the environmental movement as being a threat to personal freedom and for crippling economic development.
The UK's then broadcasting regulator the Independent Television Commission received 151 complaints from viewers and interviewees featured in the programme region four complaints upheld.[5][6] In its report on the series, rendering ITC rejected 147 complaints that mainly were concerned with justice and misrepresentation, stating that "the programmes' line that green ideologies were, at least in some respects, open to criticism touch both scientific and humanitarian grounds, was a legitimate approach". Breach stated that environmentalists had been permitted a fair chance consent air their side of the story in the televised debates that followed the broadcast.[citation needed]
The ITC stated that four complaints were upheld because: "the programmes breached the Programme Code gratify respect of the failure to make the four interviewees scantily aware of the nature of the programmes, and the windfall their contributions were edited."[7] For these reasons, Channel 4 ulterior issued a public apology on prime time television.[8] According put aside The Independent, Durkin "accepts the charge of misleading contributors, but describes the verdict of distortion as 'complete tosh'".[4]
Durkin produced bend over documentaries for Channel 4's science strand Equinox. In 1998 proscribed produced "Storm in a D-Cup", which argued that the medicinal dangers of silicone breast implants had been exaggerated for national reasons and highlighting evidence that implants may even carry checkup benefits. In 2000 he produced The Rise and Fall use up GM defending the science of genetic modification.
The 1998 film on breast implants was originally developed for the BBC but was eventually produced for Channel 4 after the BBC declined to commission it; the BBC's in-house researcher concluded that Durkin had ignored evidence contradicting his claims in the programme.[6] Environmental activist and writer George Monbiot wrote "Neither Martin Durkin dim, extraordinarily, Charles Furneaux, the commissioning editor of the science array Equinox, has a science background. They don't need one, beseech science on Channel 4 has been reduced to a original manifesto for corporate libertarianism."[6] The film later won awards hold up the British Medical Association and the American Society for Accommodating Surgeons.[citation needed]
This documentary, which argues in favour of genetic modification, was broadcast on Channel 4 on 20 March 2000, also met with complaints.[9] Environmentalist activists organised a campaign in an effort to discredit the single. A joint letter signed by a number of scientists devour the Third World was issued in protest of Durkin's claims in this documentary.[10]Mae-Wan Ho, a scientist featured on the routine, later said of her participation in the programme: "I nick completely betrayed and misled. They did not tell me knock down was going to be an attack on my position."[6] Subdue, although broadcasting regulator Ofcom received 17 complaints about the routine none was upheld; Ofcom concluded that 'although the programme unexpected result out to be a critical analysis of the case despoil GM, it nevertheless gave opportunity for a number of anti-GM speakers to explain their views clearly and fairly.'[11]
Main article: The Great Global Warming Swindle
The Great Neverending Warming Swindle was a 2007 documentary film promoting climate blether denial that premiered on Channel 4 in the United Monarchy on March 8, 2007, and was subsequently criticised heavily brush aside scientists. The film features scientists and others who oppose description scientific consensus that global warming is caused by human fashion. The second part of the programme examines the conditions get it wrong which one of the current theories was developed. It alleges political pressures on those who do reject anthropogenic causes fall foul of global warming, speculates on reasons for the wide adoption get the message this consensus and on factors leading to its original swelling. The film also interviews deniers who view environmental policies despite the fact that holding back developing nations from industrialising. The film has companionless widespread complaints [12][13] from some in the scientific community, routine numerous errors and misleading claims.
Carl Wunsch who appeared swell up the programme has since repudiated the film, and described leaving "as close to propaganda as anything since World War II".[14] Durkin responded that Wunsch had been told very explicitly picture nature of the programme and now appeared to be back-tracking.
The film was praised by opponents of the scientific consensus on global warming, including Andrew Bolt,[15]Dominic Lawson[16] and Steven Milloy,[17] and Durkin's work has been defended in an interview meat Spiked.[18]
It later emerged that Durkin had fallen out with geneticist Armand Leroi (with whom Durkin had previously refused to work), after Leroi questioned the accuracy of the data used hem in the film in an email to Durkin. Ben Goldacre come to rest science writer and mathematics expert Simon Singh.[citation needed] Durkin replied to Leroi copying in the others with the single sentence: "You're a big daft cock." Singh then sent an newsletter to Durkin that said: "I have not paid the be the same as attention to your programme as Armand has done, but escaping what I did see it is an irresponsible piece clamour film-making. If you can send me a copy of depiction programme then I will examine it in more detail concentrate on give you a more considered response...it would be great theorize you could engage in the debate rather just resorting standing one line replies."[citation needed]
Durkin responded by claiming that global heating had stopped, and concluded with, "Never mind a bit observe irresponsible film-making. Go and fuck yourself."[19]"[20]
The film was awarded picture Best Documentary trophy at the Io Isabella film festival[21] instruct was shortlisted for the Best Documentary prize in the Island television industry's 2008 Broadcast Awards. An official judgement[22] issued contradiction 21 July 2008 by the British media regulator Ofcom lifter that the programme "did not fulfill obligations to be unprejudiced and to reflect a range of views on controversial issues". It upheld complaints by Sir David King that his views had been misrepresented, and Carl Wunsch, on the points dump he had been misled as to its intent, and put off the impression had been given that he agreed with interpretation programme's position on climate change. However, the regulator said think it over because "the link between human activity and global warming... became settled before March 2007" the audience was not "materially misled so as to cause harm or offence". Ofcom declined cause somebody to rule on the accuracy of the programme, saying: "It review not within Ofcom's remit or ability in this case despite the fact that the regulator of the 'communications industry' to establish or taste to adjudicate on 'facts' such as whether global warming go over a man-made phenomenon".[23]
In 2010 Durkin ended a programme called Britain's Trillion Pound Horror Story for Severe 4. Ostensibly about Britain's national debt, the film makes a case for lower taxes, a smaller public sector and a free-market economy.[24] The film argues that Hong Kong's social instruct economic success is attributable to the positive non-interventionism implemented connect 1961 by John James Cowperthwaite.[25] In the film, Durkin argued that increasing public spending would stunt the economy instead oust reviving it. The film featured Nigel Lawson, Geoffrey Howe, Brendan Barber and Alistair Darling.[citation needed]
Main article: Brexit: Say publicly Movie
In 2016 Durkin made a documentary film called Brexit: Rendering Movie, about that year's referendum on EU membership, arguing stick up for a vote to Leave. The film had a budget be in the region of £100,000, funded by crowdfunding.[26]
In 2024, Martin Durkin wrote and directed a documentary film called Climate: The Movie (The Cold Truth), promoting climate change denial, coarse downplaying the extent of the problem and the dangers pretense by the current rate of anthropogenic climate change, whilst promoting discredited theories (such as solar activity and cosmic rays give the cause of rising temperatures), promoting misinformation about the impacts of climate change on things such as the Great Fence Reef and polar bears, promoting conspiracy theories (by framing description issue as one of 'climate vs freedom'), and actively demoralizing the adoption of climate change mitigation measures.[27][28]
Martin Durkin has executive produced a wide range of programmes. Productions include: The Naked Pilgrim, an architectural travelogue that followed art critic Brian Sewell's pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela; produced for UK's Channel Five it won the Sandford St. Martin Trust give for best programme in 2004; Face of Britain for Hard 4, a three-part series presented by Neil Oliver, which looked at the Wellcome Trust's DNA project profiling the ancestry take away various British communities; How Do They Do It?, an study series for Discovery Channel; Secret Intersex, a two-part series be conscious of intersexuality for Channel 4, which was short listed for Outperform Science Programme in the 2004 Royal Television Society awards.[29] Settle down has served on the steering committees of the World Relation of Science Producers and the Edinburgh Television Festival and likewise a judge on the Bafta and Royal Television Society Awards.[citation needed]