{"id":3394,"date":"2025-04-02T15:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T15:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/?p=3394"},"modified":"2025-04-02T18:39:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:39:48","slug":"michael-sheens-channel-4-documentary-investigated-over-originality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/02\/michael-sheens-channel-4-documentary-investigated-over-originality\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Sheen\u2019s Channel 4 documentary investigated over \u2018originality\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"grabs:\t<\/div>
Filmmakers of a 2021 documentary have said a recent one featuring Michael Sheen copied theirs (Picture: Channel 4)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Channel 4<\/a> has slammed \u2018ludicrous\u2019 claims a recent programme may have ripped off a 2021 documentary.<\/p>\n

Released four years ago, the \u2018community driven\u2019 feature film Bank Job followed filmmakers Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell as they instigated and followed a community in Walthamstowe, East London<\/a> as they came together to make their own currency and open a bank to examine how money and debt is created in the economy<\/a>. They also worked to query how the system of money creation might be altered in their favour.<\/p>\n

The act of \u2018citizen money creation\u2019 was also used as a way to raise money for causes in the community and a way of fundraising to \u2018buy and destroy \u00a31million of local predatory debts\u2019.<\/p>\n

Last month the programme Michael Sheen\u2019s Secret Million Pound Giveaway saw the actor put his own money on the line <\/a>to \u2018expose the world of high-interest debt and credit\u2019.<\/p>\n

He did so by buying \u00a31 million worth of debt owed by people in his hometown of Port Talbot for \u00a3100,000, which he then planned to write off immediately.<\/p>\n

However, a month on Edelstyn and Powell, who spent their life savings developing their documentary about the UK\u2019s debt crisis have questioned the originality of Sheen\u2019s project.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Pictured:\t<\/div>
Michael Sheen\u2019s Secret Million Pound Giveaway aired last month (Picture: Gareth Iwan Jones\/ Channel 4)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pair also claim they had pitched their idea to the actor years ago.<\/p>\n

The Guardian <\/a>has reported their lawyers have contacted Sheen and the producers behind his show over concerns it is incredibly similar to their feature.<\/p>\n

In their letter, the lawyers said they \u2018support Michael Sheen\u2019s efforts to support those treated unjustly in the UK\u2019 but there were \u2018questions as to the originality of the Channel 4 documentary\u2019.<\/p>\n

They explained it was because the recent documentary also \u2018focuses on a specific write-off target of \u00a31m as a story hook [and] \u2026 grounds the debt write-off in a very specific locality.<\/p>\n

They claim Bank Job was groundbreaking as it was the \u2018first time an action like this had been undertaken in the UK\u2019 and also asked Channel 4, Michael Sheen and production company Full Fat TV to \u2018explain what you knew of our client\u2019s work\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is difficult for our client not to conclude that its ideas have been used without its permission or, at the very least, cursory credit,\u2019 they continued.<\/p>\n

Edelstyn and Powell said the idea for their film came in 2014, later getting in contact with Sheen and his team three years later.<\/p>\n

They replied to the pair saying: \u2018We are working on a big debt project, so we are interested in finding out more.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"An\t<\/div>
The documentary Bank Job hit screens in 2021 (Picture: Dartmouth Films)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Guardian read emails that showed Edelstyn responded to say their production company Optimistic had plans to \u2018buy up and destroy a lot of predatory debt\u2019 and were keen to \u2018get Michael involved in one of another\u2019.<\/p>\n

The filmmakers also had a call with Sheen\u2019s personal assistant, who then wrote in an email it was \u2018too early to say\u2019 if the actor could financially contribute to the project but they believed the project would have a \u2018wider cultural impact\u2019.<\/p>\n

They updated the personal assistant in 2018 and explained they\u2019d purchased and cancelled \u00a31 million local payday debt\u2019. Two years later they corresponded for the last time, with Sheen\u2019s assistance saying Optimistic\u2019s email would be sent to him.<\/p>\n

A letter for their layer detailed: \u2018Bank Job premiered in May 2021 at Hot Docs international film festival followed by a UK cinema release and nominations for Bifa and Grierson awards. Our client understands that the production company Full Fat TV pitched their film in June 2021 and Channel 4 subsequently commissioned the idea in 2022.\u2019<\/p>\n

However, the claims of a lack of originality have been shut down by Channel 4 and Full Fat TV.<\/p>\n

The latter said it \u2018independently developed and pitched\u2019 Secret Million Pound Giveaway to Channel 4.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is a shame that an important message about the unfairness of the credit system in this country, which Michael spent \u00a3100,000 of his own money to highlight, risks being lost due to these unfounded claims,\u2019 they said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in a statement to Metro<\/strong>, a Channel 4 spokesperson said: \u2018These two programmes are significantly different and it\u2019s ludicrous to suggest that one is a copy of the other.<\/p>\n

\u2018Buying and writing off debt is an established practice which has been covered in the media on multiple occasions and the commissioner who greenlit and worked on Michael Sheen\u2019s Million Pound giveaway had no awareness of Bank Job.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\""Nye"\t<\/div>
Sheen was initially approached to work on the first film (Picture: Hoda Davaine\/ Dave Benett\/ Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A spokesperson for Sheen told The Guardian said the inspiration for him doing the programme \u2018came from watching John Oliver buying medical bill debt in the US in 2016\u2019, adding that he was \u2018regularly pitched documentary ideas but only commits to the ones he really believes in\u2019.<\/p>\n

At the time of its release, Bank Job was praised by critics and holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n

\u2018In addition to activism and the intention to bring about tangible change, Bank Job is a fiery portrait of the power of community action,\u2019 La Esatuilla wrote.<\/p>\n

\u2018A compelling exploration into a deep and dank money pit, with a sharp, vivid focus on the humanity at the centre of artistic and social endeavours,\u2019 HeyUGuys added.<\/p>\n

Metro has contacted representatives for Michael Sheen for comment.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Filmmakers of a 2021 documentary have said a recent one featuring Michael Sheen copied theirs (Picture: Channel 4) Channel 4 has slammed \u2018ludicrous\u2019 claims a recent programme may have ripped<\/p>\n

Continue reading <\/use> <\/svg>Michael Sheen\u2019s Channel 4 documentary investigated over \u2018originality\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3394"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3394"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3401,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3394\/revisions\/3401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}