Emily Atack explores cyberflashing in new BBC documentary - ‘Is it my fault I’m sent explicit messages?’

Emily Atack has been vocal about the sexual harassment she has faced throughout her career as an actress, comedian and TV presenter. Now the 33-year-old has fronted a BBC documentary about cyberflashing.

Emily Atack has said she has received hundreds of explicit messages on her social media accounts everyday for years. But has said the quantity and tone of the messages intensified over lockdown, when they became even more sexually aggressive.

Now, Emily is going public and hoping to tackle the issue in the new BBC documentary entitled Emily Atack: Asking For It? The description of the programme on BBC reads: 'Actress Emily Atack explores why she is sexually harassed online on a daily basis, and seeks to understand why the blame for unwanted sexual attention is so often put on the victim.'

Atack has faced this issue from a very young age, and says she began receiving unwanted attention from some men. To try to protect her, she says her loved ones would suggest altering her behaviour, like not wearing make-up or a skirt to school.

Atack said the advice given to her made her carry a sense of blame into her adult life: "It’s so out of control, the only way that those that love you can control it is to change you. That all goes in somewhere, so I started looking inward. My whole life I just blamed myself because of that."

Speaking about the documentary she said: "I’m nervous about going public about all this because I put bikini photos up on Instagram, I talk about sex in my shows and I’m very cheeky and flirty," she says. "There will be people saying, ‘But you asked for this negative attention, what do you expect?’"

She added: "You do sit there and go, ‘Is this my fault? Is this something I’m putting out there?’"

In 2021, Emily gave a speech in Parliament sharing her experience of abuse - and the Online Safety Bill includes a new cyber flashing offence that will carry a maximum prison sentence of two years. The bill was approved and law changed in March 2022.

The government website released a statement on the change which featured the following statement: 'The change means that anyone who sends a photo or film of a person’s genitals, for the purpose of their own sexual gratification or to cause the victim humiliation, alarm or distress may face up to two years in prison.'

However, even though Emily has campaigned for the law change, she now wonders if changing the law alone is the answer. She uses part of the documentary to focus on changing behaviours.

How to watch Emily Atack: Asking For it?

Emily Atack: Asking For it? will premiere on BBC Two on Tuesday January 31, at 9pm. The programme will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer following its showing on TV.