Bognor Regis star of Channel 4 documentary speaks out about time in the spotlight

The star of a three-part Channel 4 documentary set in Bognor Regis has spoken out about her time in the spotlight.
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“We’re already in a recession. There’s no two ways about it. The statistics haven’t caught up yet but we definitely are in a recession. And it’s going to be really hard for those youngsters leaving school and entering the workplace because it’s a very different landscape to the one we left behind.”

So said Sarah Duke, the 51-year-old star of A Very British Job Agency: A channel 4 documentary series following Mrs Duke and her colleagues as they find work for British jobseekers in a post-Brexit, post-pandemic economy.

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It follows on from 2017’s British Workers Wanted and tells the story of British jobseekers struggles to find employment in a new, faster-paced and gig-orientated job market.

Sarah and Rich DukesSarah and Rich Dukes
Sarah and Rich Dukes

For Bognor Regis-based Mrs Duke, who has worked as a job agent for the last five years, her client’s struggles are the direct consequence of a new, faster-paced gig economy scarred by a global pandemic.

"You can't just say after two years ‘right, that’s it. Let’s all just go back to normal. The ripples of this thing are so far-reaching that it will take years and years to even begin to recover from it,” she explained.

That makes the documentary exceptionally important. By recording Mrs Duke's day-to-day working life, its producers hope the three-part series will document the hardships of job-hunting in this scary new world: everything from mental health problems to low wages.

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Even so, it wasn’t easy. As fun and as valuable as it might have been, Mrs Duke said making a documentary wasn’t always smooth sailing.

"Trying to run a company while filming is really hard. You’re trying to run a business. People think it must be fun having cameras follow you around, but a lot of things happen when you are being watched. The reality is that things don’t always go to plan,” she said. “It’s not glamorous. People think reality tv is glamorous. It really isn't.”

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