The Devil Wears Primark (lost unaired Channel 4 investigative documentary; 2008)

Primark logo.

Status: Lost

The Devil Wears Primark (originally titled Dress For Less) was an unaired Channel 4 investigative documentary. Presented by Alexa Chung, the documentary examined the human costs of purchasing clothes from budget retailer Primark, including through accessing Indian sweatshops integral to its global supply chain. Initially set to air on 1st June 2008, it was pulled from the schedules for "editorial reasons", before being shelved indefinitely following the broadcast of the BBC Panorama documentary "Primark: On the Rack".

Background

Primark is a budget fashion retailer forged in 1969. Initially operating in Dublin, Primark has since expanded into the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and the United States. Its main source of notoriety concerns its low-cost, disposable yet trendy offerings, an example of "fast fashion". According to its corporate website, Primark insists that bulk selling, combined with efficient transportation, affordable designer clothes and virtually non-existent advertising, all enable it to prosper as a low-cost brand. Primark's claims are not without merit; as the UK returned to normality following the COVID-19 pandemic, Primark experienced a sharp rise in sales mainly within city centres.

Primark additionally claims that it operates "without compromising on ethics". It cites its cooperation with the Ethical Trading Initiative, forged in 2006, as a measure that ensures any third-party factories in its supply chain respects its personnel. However, some critics are suspicious regarding fast fashion practices. From an environmental standpoint, Primark has received criticism for its high emissions levels (particularly from transportation), reliance on hazardous chemicals, and how fast fashion encourages swift disposability that increases landfill waste. Production itself is centralised primarily in China, South Asia and Turkey. The contracted sweatshops have prompted cause for concern, particularly over low wages, extended working hours and inadequate working conditions. In 2014, extra labels were included in some Primark items, from personnel revealing they were "Forced to work exhausting hours" within "Degrading sweatshop conditions". Primark also openly permits child labour in parts of its supply chain, with workers as young as 14 employed in "Global South" countries like India and Pakistan. However, it must be noted luxury designer brands also rely on similar exploitative sweatshop practices.

The Devil Wears Primark

In 2008, Channel 4 investigated the workplace practices in Indian sweatshops linked to Primark. The documentary, titled The Devil Wears Primark, was produced by Betty TV, which specialised in factual entertainment and documentary programmes. The 100-minute documentary was split into two key segments; The first witnessed producer and director Jo Burge visit several Indian suppliers and subcontractors. Using a hidden camera, footage of blatant violations of Primark's Code of Conduct was reportedly recorded. It showed beyond-the-pale working conditions, intimidating behaviour such as the demand to work overtime for no pay, and even possible evidence of child labour. Several interviews were conducted with current and ex-factory workers. The research discovered the typical sweatshop employee worked at least 70 hours per week, earning an hourly rate of only 15p. Though the documentary focused exclusively on Primark's suppliers, it is believed these sweatshops were also integral to its competitors' supply chains.

Armed with these revelations, presenter Alexa Chung set out to replicate these sweatshop conditions in a London shop. Chung had previously worked in modelling, before embarking on hosting duties for such television programmes as Popworld and Freshly Squeezed. In a five-day experiment, fifteen volunteers endured 60-70 hours working in similar, dank sweatshop conditions. Most sources claim the makeshift sweatshop was situated at the West End, but an April 2008 article by the Daily Mirror claimed it was situated two miles away in Covent Garden. The fifteen volunteers, all of whom passionately shopped at Primark and its budget competitors, were later asked whether they would pursue more ethical consumption patterns going forward.

The documentary's original working title was Dress For Less, likely to mask the programme's intent of exposing Primark's supply chain until closer to its air date. In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Chung stated the documentary aimed to reveal the true cost of affordable fashion, deeming the experiences at Indian sweatshops as "an eye-opener". Later articles claimed the programme would "shock" viewers, with a Londonist preview noting that an exposure on Primark's ethics could impact viewers' desire to shop at budget retailers.

Cancellation

Aside from its 1st June premiere, The Devil Wears Primark was scheduled to be repeated at 11:10 pm two days later. However, Channel 4 announced at the eleventh hour that the documentary's airing would be postponed, being replaced by the film Without a Paddle. A Channel 4 spokeswoman insisted the decision was made purely for editorial reasons. According to The Guardian, Channel 4 had instructed Betty TV to ramp up the documentary's production, having caught wind the BBC had been producing their own Primark documentary. However, the rushed approach failed to pay dividends as no such BBC programme was seemingly set to air. The Channel 4 spokeswoman seemingly confirmed this, stating that Channel 4 and Betty TV reached a consensus that the documentary was not yet ready to meet strict quality standards.

A Londonist article remarked Channel 4's decision was unusual, as editorial issues usually do not arise days before a planned broadcast. It pondered whether legal concerns played a factor in the programme's pulling. In a Digital Spy Forum discussion, a user by the name of antsmusic claimed they were employed by Primark. They alleged that Channel 4 had been conducting secret interviews with Primark's store employees. However, Primark's lawyers threatened legal action when they discovered the broadcaster had failed to conceal the employees' identities in any meaningful way. Under sections seven and eight of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code, "surreptitious filming or recording" can be included in broadcasts if it was reasonably obtained and is critical for a public interest story. However, such deceptive filming also mandates an attempt to conceal the subject's identity, especially in situations where no crimes are being committed.

If antsmusic's claims are to be believed, Channel 4's decision to film employees without consent nor conceal their identities constituted substantial privacy violations. They recalled that the Oxford branch they worked at was among the stores targeted for interviews. Allegedly, one employee jokingly claimed on-camera that Primark did utilise child labour, which could have affected his job status at the company. Channel 4 subsequently denied legal reasons influenced its decision. It also announced that plans to eventually air The Devil Wears Primark were still on. Claims from several Digital Spy Forum users, including antsmusic, purported that Primark had assigned training sessions to its British personnel, including on its "ethical trading initiative" and what to say if approached by reporters. The documentary's original scheduled repeat was instead filled by an airing of The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear.

Ultimately, Channel 4's concerns over a rival BBC programme proved valid. On 23rd June 2008, following a six-month investigation, an episode of the BBC investigative documentary series Panorama titled "Primark: On the Rack" was broadcast on BBC One. Because The Devil Wears Primark's originally rushed production was supposedly in response to this BBC documentary, the latter's airing curtailed Channel 4's future plans. By 29th June, the documentary remained in limbo. A petition on PetitionOnline was launched to demand the documentary be broadcast, but it did little to prevent The Devil Wears Primark from being indefinitely shelved.

In contrast, Primark: On the Rack was critically acclaimed upon its release, having later obtained the Current Affairs Home Award at the Royal Television Society's Journalism Awards. Upon being informed of the BBC's findings, Primark parted ways with three Indian suppliers linked to child labour. But in June 2011, following investigations by both Primark and the BBC, it was revealed the documentary had falsified footage allegedly showing child labour at an Indian sweatshop. Aside from the BBC returning its RTS award, the BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee ordered the corporation to make an on-air apology to Primark. The apology, broadcast before or after an upcoming episode of Panorama, is in itself lost media. A similar statement was, however, published on the BBC's Panorama blog on 21st June 2011.

Availability

Ever since Channel 4 made the decision to shelve the documentary, The Devil Wears Primark has fallen into obscurity. The programme has occasionally been briefly mentioned in TV Forum and Digital Spy Forum discussions about abandoned British television shows. The documentary's survival depends on whether it was unaffected by the issues surrounding Channel 4's archives. However, since The Devil Wears Primark discusses now-outdated sensitive subject matter, it is extremely unlikely the documentary will ever be publicly released.

See Also

• Guilt Trip (lost unfinished episodes of cancelled BBC Two travel reality series; 2007-2008)