Mark Thomas: Debt Collector
Channel 4
22 October, 2003
Saddam’s gone but the debt he ran up while in power remains. Iraq’s foreign debt stands at $383 billion, roughly $16,700 for every man, woman and child. With the average Iraqi wage at just $150 per year, it would take them 150 years to pay off their share. So Mark Thomas decides to help pay off the debt by trying to raise money from the people and companies who have profited from Iraq. Setting off on a series of stunts to highlight the country’s plight (repossessing an Iraqi-owned bank and attempting to sell it to traders in the City of London; hijacking a busload of arms dealers and asking for donations), Mark does his bit to reduce the balance and also reveals how Saddam’s debt is now, with the IMF’s help, going to be swapped for Iraq’s vital assets. All of which means that the very companies that profited under the original regime now stand to cash in again. (C4 Press.)
Producer: Adrian Gatton
Director: Martin Herring
Executive Producer: Stephen Phelps
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Adrian Gatton 