“Naked News — Backstage” is an hour-long documentary that takes viewers from inside the dressing room, to confrontations with producers, to anchor auditions and on-the-street segments, where “Naked News” reports on-scene in the nude.
“We have always operated on a closed set,” Producer David Warga told XBIZ. “So to give viewers an inside look at how our newscast comes together was a chance for us to show the world what Naked News is all about.”
“Naked News” began in 1999 as an Internet phenomenon. The subscription website features news anchors stripping or fully nude as they broadcast the day’s headlines. “Naked News TV” is an offshoot pay-per-view or subscription service. “Naked News” clips are available on mobile devices through Amp’d mobile in the U.S.
Vascha Productions approached Channel 5 in the U.K. with the idea for the documentary, which aired in late March and is expected to re-air multiple times.
While “Naked News” has both male and female anchors, the documentary covers only the females.
“I think our anchors found that participating in the documentary was cathartic for them,” Warga said. “They got a chance to tell people about their jobs and why they love doing this. Our lead anchor that has been with us from the beginning, Victoria Sinclair, said she found the project liberating.”
Warga said the production crew filmed over the course of eight months from its studios in Toronto to the streets of London as the news crew covered real-time, breaking stories.
One of the documentary’s most revealing moments, according to Warga, was when an anchor admitted her parents didn’t know about her nude news broadcasts, instead believing her to be a dental hygienist. “Many parents don’t know about their [child’s] involvement with our program,” Warga said.
While there have been discussions about a serial reality show based on the documentary, those talks are in the early stages, Warga said.
