Zara McDermott wants her latest documentary about the death of Gaia Pope-Sutherland to be added to her portfolio of films that bring about “bigger conversations” for young people within families and schools.
The TV presenter, 26, said she was “incredibly proud” of her upcoming three-part BBC Three series Gaia: A Death On Dancing Ledge.
It aims to shed a light on the circumstances surrounding the death of the 19-year-old who ran away from home while experiencing a mental health crisis in 2017, after reporting she had been drugged and sexually attacked by a man when she was 16.
Ms Pope-Sutherland died after suffering hypothermia and was found in undergrowth between Dancing Ledge and Anvil Point along the Dorset coastline 11 days after she went missing.
At the time of her disappearance, she was anxious about the accused rapist’s imminent release from prison where he was serving time for other sexual offences.
McDermott’s “raw and candid” film explores the series of events that led to Ms Pope-Sutherland’s death, including “oversight” from officials involved in her care, as well as highlighting the families’ search for truth and justice.
The presenter said she really hopes the main outcome of the film is that people start having “difficult conversations”.
She told the PA news agency: “I think as much as it’s important to tell a story of tragedy, because it definitely will hopefully capture the emotion, the important part as always in any documentary that I make is to see a little light at the end, regardless of how small or big that light is, just to see a little bit of light.
“Every documentary that I make, I want there to be that kind of ending where people feel hopefully something can change.
“In order for that change to be made, people watching the documentary can start to hopefully have those conversations, even just a conversation within your family, it might make someone open up about something that happened to them.”
In this moving three-part documentary Zara McDermott attempts to understand and shed light on the tragic circumstances around the death of Dorset teenager, Gaia Pope-Sutherland.
Gaia: A Death on a Dancing Ledge, watch all episodes from July 25 on #BBCThree and @BBCiPlayer. pic.twitter.com/HLDY5d5O1i
— BBC Three (@bbcthree) July 12, 2023
She continued: “For me, it’s about making a difference and making a change… A lot of my documentaries are shown in schools, and for me a massive aim is to create a portfolio of films that can be used as part of PSHE lessons in schools and just bringing bigger conversations.
“I think that it’s really hard sometimes for parents to speak about some of the topics that are in some of my documentaries, with Gaia the sexual assault element, disordered eating, rape culture in schools, revenge porn – these are tough conversations with your kids.
“So sometimes having that icebreaker of being able to sit down watch a programme and then say, ‘What did you learn from that’, that for me is the main thing and I think that’s the same with teachers as well.”
McDermott said she felt it was important to tell Ms Pope-Sutherland’s story having followed it in the news when it was first reported, noting they were around the same age.
Having filmed the documentary since last Spring, the presenter described Ms Pope-Sutherland as a “real inspiration” and considers her a friend, despite having never met her.
She said: “I’m really glad that I got to tell Gaia’s story because I learned so much about her through this journey. She was incredibly passionate, she was one of those people that lit up the room. As soon as she walked in, she had a real fiery spark and she was also beautiful.
“But also, one of the main things about her that I was drawn to was the fact that she had a real passion for wanting to help people. She wanted to tell her story, she wanted to report what had happened to her, because she didn’t want other people to go through what she’d gone through.
“I think that’s so inspiring and she didn’t let anything kind of deter her from wanting justice even though her story ended so tragically, she’s a real inspiration.”
McDermott said the film gives Ms Pope-Sutherland the “voice that she never quite got to have” and hopes her family take comfort from it “as hard as it probably has been for them to watch it back”.
Gaia: A Death On Dancing Ledge will air on BBC Three on Tuesday July 25.