It is titled Breaking the Silence.
New documentary, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, will be getting an additional fifth episode next month, titled Breaking the Silence.
The new episode will feature those who previously took part in the series, including Drake Bell, Giovonnie Samuels, Bryan Hearne, Hearne’s mother and new interviewee Shane Lyons.
The documentary, which is now available to watch in the UK, explores distressing allegations about the on-set experiences of Nickelodeon child stars and crew during the late ’90s and early 2000s.
The fifth episode aims to build “off the revelations explored in the first four episodes” and will include a conversation on “where the industry can go from here”.
In the first four episodes, former show writers and child actors made claims about a toxic work environment and inappropriate behaviour on the sets of Nickelodeon shows run by producer Dan Schneider.
Since then, Schneider has directly addressed the allegations made in the documentary.
In an interview published on Schneider’s official YouTube channel, DanWarp, he admitted that watching the series was “very difficult” as he faced his “past behaviours – some of which are embarrassing and that I regret”.
He continued: “I would snap at people sometimes. I would be snarky when I could have given them a nicer answer. I would not give people the time they needed. I would be in too big a hurry to get onto the next thing I had to do.
“Watching that, there were so many times I wanted to pick up the phone and call some of those people and say ‘I’m so sorry’ and ‘let’s talk about it’.”
The series also features revelations from Drake Bell about the alleged sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of former dialogue coach Brian Peck. Peck was convicted of committing a lewd act against an unnamed minor in 2004 and was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.
In response to Bell’s allegations, Schneider said that when Bell told him what had happened, he “was more devastated by that than anything that ever happened to me in my career thus far”.
Schneider claims he did not hire Peck on his productions.
A Nickelodeon spokesperson said in a statement: “Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviours from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct.
“Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”
Speaking on Bell, the network told Variety: “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.”
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV available to stream in the UK on discovery+ now.
Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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