The Producers

Despite TV - The Directors

Despite TV was an independent production company and co-operative, which was prolific, it produced over fifty independent documentaries. DTV trained an extensive and wide network of people across London in video production, from 1984 to 1998. Involved in the News International Wapping Dispute, Despite the Sun is one of the only documentaries, from the point of view of 5000 sacked print workers and journalists, by Rupert Murdoch, it revealed the collusion between the State, News International and the policing of picket lines. Despite TV was both a collective and a team but above all, we were individual producers, editors, and creators, whose individual contribution was as valuable as the collective. Even though many people were, a part of Despite TV productions, these are the names of the team and crew which produced Battle of Trafalgar, we chose a collective credit.

Battle of Trafalgar was Produced, Directed, Edited, Filmed and Researched by Despite TV, Clare Casson, Siobhán Cleary, Linda Eziquiel, Hinchee Hung, Chris Kilby, Chris Maguire, Mark Saunders and Martin Slaney, Mike Steventon.

Making The Film

The Production of the Documentary

Battle of Trafalgar was commissioned by Channel 4, it was broadcast on prime-time TV at 9pm in the evening on a documentary series, Critical Eye. It caused controversy in the press, as it directly questioned and confronted, the TV account of the events. With 3 million viewers, it was one of Critical Eyes, most watched independent documentaries on Channel 4. Produced by Despite TV, an independent production co-operative, based in East London, producing documentaries, and video magazines programmes. It evolved into a production company from an arts project, with a collective structure and ethos. The video magazines programmes which Despite TV produced, featured short documentaries on local events in the heart of London’s docklands. Despite TV was filming the demonstration for a special edition of a documentary on the anti-poll tax campaign. Three crews went to film the event, looking for footage of a celebration and the resolve there was, amongst 14 million people in the UK who had refused to pay the draconian tax, designed by Margaret Thatcher’s government.

Battle of Trafalgar is a documentary which was produced as part of the first wave of the digital video revolution. The people themselves, demonstrators with new camcorder VHS cameras, home video, extensively filmed the demonstration. Unexpectedly, this footage became a powerful witness to the real story of what happened when, demonstrators were faced with hundreds of riot police, vehicles and horses charging indiscriminately at them in a peaceful protest. Provocatively it raises the question, in whose interest was it to turn a peaceful demonstration into a riot? The people’s account and the interviews in Battle of Trafalgar are a testimony to the passion of people, who were determined to exercise their right to demonstrate. The campaign to end the Poll Tax was one of the most successful civil political campaigns during the Thatcher era, it was, following the demonstrations, abolished.

(Pictured:DTV Crew escaping a mounted police charge during Wapping Dispute. Photo: David Hoffman)