Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.
Romesh Ranganathan hosts acclaimed documentary maker and author Stacey Dooley for a wide-ranging conversation about her journey making over 100 documentaries, her unorthodox start in television, and her transition from fast-fashion contributor to deep-dive investigator. Dooley reflects on the intense environments she has navigated, from covering war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to investigating difficult domestic issues in the UK such as ketamine addiction, military deaths, and mysterious falls among women. Throughout the episode, Dooley and Ranganathan explore the contrast between high-stakes investigative journalism and lighthearted pop culture escapism, discussing everything from boxing and interior design to reality television and the realities of being in the public eye.
The episode opens with a brief Lululemon ad followed by a Marvel promotion before the host introduces the show and the guest.
Romesh Ranganathan formally introduces the documentary filmmaker, highlighting her career and achievements.
She discusses the skepticism she faced, the pressure to conform, and how she navigated early criticism.
The host and Dooley share light moments about boxing, interior design, and her love for reality TV shows.
The conversation turns to her latest three documentaries, covering domestic abuse, child care, and sexual harassment in the army.
Stacey explains how she manages emotions and editing when filming intense moments.
Stacey’s mother records a playful message, adding a personal touch to the episode.
Stacey contrasts her experiences in Southampton with the intensity of war‑zone filming.
Stacey recounts her transformative first trip to India and its lasting impact.
Stacey discusses the challenges of writing her own voice for her books.
Stacey prefers interviewing everyday people over rehearsed celebrity interviews.
The hosts play a game where they misquote Stacey’s past statements for humor.
Starting Out at Luton Airportstory
The guest discusses her unexpected entry into television, starting as a regular participant on a 2008 BBC Three documentary while working at Luton Airport before building a two-decade career.
Not Coming Across as an Expertinsight
The guest explains that her success in hostile environments relies on making people feel comfortable rather than trying to prove her own knowledge or journalistic authority.
Dealing With Online Criticismstory
The guest recalls early internet criticism, including absurd accusations of nepotism, and explains how she learned to let go of online hostility.
Meeting the Yazidi Fightersstory
The guest shares the profound impact of spending time with ordinary women, such as former hairdressers and pop stars, who took up arms on the front line against ISIS.
Investigating Fallen Womenstrategy
The guest details her upcoming documentary series examining cases of women falling to their death from social housing and the common threads of abusive relationships.
Investigating Ketamine Addictiondata
The guest highlights the severe physical toll of ketamine abuse among young people in care, noting extreme bladder damage that requires major surgery.
Military Sexual Harassment Investigationinsight
The guest discusses her documentary on a young female soldier who died by suicide after reporting sexual harassment, focusing on the fight for accountability led by the soldier's mother.
Inherently Bad Peopledebate
After years of attributing bad behavior to circumstance, the guest admits that after interviewing violent criminals and ISIS members, she believes a handful of people are simply bad.
“I have a look on Net-a-Porter, so what do I fancy?”
“I think I'm not there to kind of tell the viewer how much information, you know, how sort of”
“I think there are. Often it's circumstantial, of course. Often it's circumstantial.”
“There'll be, you'll feel a real temptation to conform because this isn't your space.”
“I'm just, um, I realise it's, no one's particularly interested in watching a TV presenter cry.”
“I think as well, it's so easy for us like, um, to be kind of portrayed as, you know, the, the sex that always, you know, we're always, we're often the victims.”
What makes Stacey Dooley such a good documentary maker? In this episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by broadcaster and documentary maker Stacey Dooley to reflect on her journey through documentary-making, how she approaches telling them and the stories and experiences that have stayed with her. They also get into some very important Selling Sunset and Below Deck gossip, before Stacey explains exactly why she hates Southampton. Plus, there's some questionable role play, a game of Misquoted and a brief detour into boxing, Little Mix and Jamie Oliver. A Ranga Bee Production. Chapters 00:00 Intro05:56 A gift for Stacey08:21 Why Stacey loves boxing12:39 Stacey hobbies14:36 Questionable role play17:06 What makes Stacey a good documentary maker25:37 Selling Sunset and Below Deck gossip28:16 Louis Theroux and the manosphere29:55 Stacey's new documentaries38:38 Are there really goodies and baddies?44:35 A question from Shanthi45:43 Why Stacey hates Southampton50:47 Lessons from inspiring women55:16 Who Stacey would love to interview1:07:27 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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