A warts and all fly on the wall documentary about Fife Council got off to a smelly start on Wednesday night as the cameras followed a housing officer into an abandoned house in Collydean.
In the first episode of The Council, screened on BBC One Scotland, housing officer Karen candidly revealed the highs and lows of her job as she entered the property jam-packed with rubbish and cat filth.
The cameras also followed the work of occupational therapist Diane in Methil who needed to find a new house for 60 year old Motorhead fan Davey who hadn’t been able to leave his upstairs home for over a year.
Meanwhile, another segment followed team leader for Community Learning and Development, JP as he worked with deprived communities in Glenrothes and secured a £10,000 grant from the council to make improvements in an area called Macedonia.
Great TV tonight with #TheCouncil @FifeCouncil Highlights the excellent & dedicated work of Council workers across Scotland. #ProudToBeOne
— Nicola Graham (@nicolag71) December 7, 2016
#TheCouncil was very interesting tonight – really worth a watch ??
— Kirsty Jarvis ? (@KirstyJarvisSNP) December 7, 2016
#TheCouncil A jist want a lavvy pan! Davie is something else. Well done that OT officer for sticking with him. #
— Sheila Harris (@sheila5681) December 7, 2016
Well done to the team behind #TheCouncil. Honest and frank TV without demonising people.
— Danielle Rowley MP (@DaniRowley) December 7, 2016
Enjoyed every minute of #TheCouncil. Brilliant idea for a fascinating show. Diane is a total gem.
— Clare Johnston (@ClareS_J) December 7, 2016
really enjoyed watching #TheCouncil and seeing the variety of essential jobs they do for all of us. Well done @FifeCouncil
— Laura (@LocGo) December 7, 2016
The first episode also saw John and Ian from the roads department in Craigluscar, north of Dunfermline, trying to address the potholes and harbour master Jim, in Pittenweem, keeping the boat traffic flowing.
An interview with Fife Council chief executive Steve Grimmond was also featured as he explained the punishing budget cuts facing Scotland’s third largest local authority, but with higher demand than ever for public services.
He said the pressure on local authorities has never been greater.
Overall, the first of this new three-part documentary series, made by IWC Media, gave an illuminating, poignant and also entertaining look at an example of a governing institution, which is part and parcel of many people’s lives across Scotland, viewed in equal measure by some as vital everyday help and everyday bane.
Fife Council costs over a billion pounds a year to run.
From educating children to caring for elderly and protecting the vulnerable, the series – narrated by one of Fife’s most famous sons film star Dougray Scott – follows the council staff on the frontline.
As Dougray says in the introduction to the series: “The council. The organisation everyone loves to hate.”
Producer and director of The Council Stephen Bennett is a multi-award winning filmmaker.
Award
At BAFTA Scotland this year he picked up the award for best Single Documentary for Dunblane; Our Story, having also won another BAFTA Scotland a few years ago for The Walking Wounded about former soldiers coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
*The second part of The Council, is on BBC One Scotland, at 9pm on December 14. To see the first episode again, click here.
