Welsh sports coach has views challenged on controversial new Channel 4 show Go Back to Where You Came From
A new Channel 4 show Go Back to Where You Came From will see a Welsh sports coach in the series. The controversial show will see six individuals embark on a journey from the "two of the most dangerous cities on earth" back to the UK as they travel migrant routes undertaken by asylum seekers.
The aim of the documentary is to put their outspoken views on immigration to the test. One person that is taking part in the series is Jess, 33, who is a sports coach from Carmarthenshire. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter.
Ahead of the documentary's first episode, Jess described herself as the "life and soul of the party". She also revealed she became involved in the Stradey Park Hotel protests in Llanelli, which lasted for 100 days in 2023, when there were plans to house more than 200 asylum seekers at the hotel.
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In the first episode, viewers see Jess travel to Mogadishu, Somalia where she is confronted with the reality of life in a country ravaged by civil war and poverty. Jess and her group have to wear bullet-proof vests, are escorted around the capital by a former intelligence officer and are transported in an armoured vehicle.
When the group had to be taken away from a market after people were spotted taking pictures of them and making calls, Jess starts to cry and reveals that she did not expect her experience to be like this. "I can see how vulnerable I am here," she says.
"It’s literally day one, I’m praying we can get back to the UK." She describes Somalia as a "culture shock". "It’s a lot poorer, more dangerous than I thought. I don’t feel safe."
In another part of the episode, Jess visits an internally displaced person (IDP) camp, where whole families live in make shift tents, with food, shelter and water in poor supply. The group meet a former refugee who is now an aid worker, as well as a single mum who lives in the camp.
They aid worker talks to the group about the reality Somali women face, including female genital mutilation (FGM) and young girls being forced to marry as young as 13. The aid worker opens up that she fled IDP camps herself after seeing young women face rape and abuse.
After this conversation, Jess has her views about Somali men challenged by Mathilda, a woman from London who has volunteered in refugee camps. "It's important not to generalise," she says. However, Jess explains that this opinion is why she got involved in the Stradey Park Hotel protests. Jess lives on the same street as the hotel and says the thought of it housing asylum seekers was "terrifying" and that she believes it is impossible to know whether the asylum seekers pose a "risk" to those in the area.
When asked why she wanted to take part in the series, Jess explained that she wanted "to learn". She said: "Immigration never really came into my life before until it hit me personally [with the hotel], and then I was interested in it. I thought, yeah, I want to learn."
The series will see Jess and five other people split into two groups. Jess' group will head to Mogadishu in Somalia and the others will head to Raqqa in Syria, before they travel through Africa or the Middle East, through to Europe and into the UK. Through their journey, they will come face-to-face with the reality of migrant routes.
Before its airing on Monday evening, February 3, the show's premise has already sparked some backlash. Amnesty International and refugee charities have criticised the programme, while a review by The Guardian, written by Hannah J Davies and published on Saturday, February 1, described the programme as "deeply cringe-inducing TV".
In the review, Davies wrote: "GBTWYCF is a largely frustrating, frequently cringe-inducing endeavour, but there are moments in the first episode where I am fully on board with the whole thing, not least when Bushra tells Chloe she is a narcissistic sociopath. And, ultimately, some realisations do begin to be had – mostly by Dave, who sobs like a child when he sees the conditions that two young Syrian brothers are enduring, and sets about cooking a meal for their family. Whether those shouting about 'illegals' will be equally moved is yet to be seen. But, you suspect – having already got their anger out online – most probably won’t be watching at all."
Go Back to Where You Came From begins on Monday, February 3, at 9pm on Channel 4.
