In the spotlight Meet one of the standout stars of the recent Council House Britain programme on Channel 4.
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ouncil House Britain, Channel 4’s well received six-part documentary, has put Southwark in the limelight. The series highlights the complexity of housing and homelessness and the vital work of dedicated council workers from Housing and Pest Control. Charmain, a Resident Services Officer who supports 600 residents, told us about her time filming for the prime time TV series.
What did you most enjoy about taking part in the series? I’ve most enjoyed seeing residents relish the opportunity to take part in the programme and have a voice. It has been a unique experience. I think it is wonderful that Britain will be able to see that Peckham, for example, is not how the public see the area. Viewers will be able to see regular people who are proud of where they live. Peckham and
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other parts of Southwark are not ‘no go’ areas, but places where families can thrive and be proud of their community.
it’s all about evicting tenants, but we support our residents in countless ways and their welfare is important to us.
What was it like being on the show?
Are there any weird or funny filming moments that stick out?
I found it interesting being on the show and learning about what goes into creating a programme and how content is filmed. I did not realise when you see programmes on television that show someone going into a house, followed by a clip of them inside the property closing the door, that this is sometimes achieved with one camera rather than two, and involves a lot of editing. Who knew?
Why did you take part in the Council House Britain documentary series? I decided to take part in the programme to educate Britain and some of our colleagues about what Resident Services Officers do. You’d be surprised at what people actually think our job entails. People think
One memory that sticks out is when we were wrapping up filming and getting ready to walk back to Queens Road, but heard my tenant shouting from the second floor of his block. When we looked up he was entering his flat from the window, and he was shouting to me that he had lost his key for the umpteenth time. I thought the camera man had stopped filming, but the camera was still rolling. Then I was told that this is the opening shot for the series. Just another day in the life of a Resident Services Officer. If you missed the series, you can stream all the episodes on www.channel4.com/programmes/ council-house-britain
