From Tyra Banks to Melania Trump: Are celebrity documentaries just PR?

从泰拉·班克斯到梅拉尼娅·特朗普:名人纪录片仅仅是公关手段吗?

What in the World

2026-02-10

13 分钟
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On February 16 Netflix will release “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” — a three-part series on the controversial modelling competition. Tyra Banks, the supermodel who hosted the show, features prominently in the ANTM documentary, along with former judges and coaches Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker and Miss J. We look at why Tyra might want to offer her own take on past controversies. Melania Trump, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Billie Eilish are among other celebrities who feature in documentaries, docu-series or concert films. But why are these celebrity docs so popular — and what’s the business motivation behind them? BBC reporter William Lee Adams joins us to explain. We also discuss “Melania,” which follows First Lady of the United States Melania Trump during the twenty days leading up to President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025. During the film she discusses her background as an immigrant from Slovenia and the painful loss of her mother Amalija Knavs. The film also captures intimate moments within the Trump family, helping showcase the president as a person rather than a politician. We assess whether the sympathetic portrayal will change opinions in a divided America. And what about music stars? We look at how concert films — Beyoncé’s “Renaissance: The Film,” Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” and Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” — can help singers mythologise themselves while also bringing in a lot of revenue. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: William Lee Adams, Emily Horler and Mora Morrison Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde
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  • all very powerful famous women yes but they're also all fans of the tell-all documentary you know the type i mean going behind the scenes of day-to-day life giving us a glimpse of what it's like to be super famous do they actually tell us anything new

  • though or is it more about controlling the public image that's what we're going to be chatting about today let's get into it So there's only one man we could bring in for this,

  • our Culture King, William Lee Adams from the team, hey?

  • Hey, Iqro.

  • OK, so William, before we get into it, there's been a bunch of these celebrity-led documentaries,

  • docuseries popping up from the movie studios, the streaming sites.

  • Why is there such a push on them?

  • So, studios and streaming services,

  • they're really making a calculation here, balancing money and risk.

  • The fact is, if you're a big celebrity, you've got a massive following,

  • and so the studio knows there's gonna be interest before they even start hitting record on the series.

  • And they know that the fandom for these stars, Beyonce,

  • Taylor Swift, they're gonna turn up no matter what their star does.

  • Now, also, there's a cost element here.