Exclusive: Pinkston residents to be television stars

Jun 25 2009 By Ben Spencer

Pinkston

Flats to feature on Channel 4

TOWERBLOCK residents who earlier this month won a five-year campaign to save their homes from demolition are to star in a new TV documentary series.

A fortnight ago, we exclusively revealed residents in two double multi-storeys in Pinkston Drive, Sighthill, would not see their towerblocks torn down after Glasgow Housing Association agreed to renovate them.

Now, the tower blocks and their residents will feature in a 16-part documentary series on Sighthill to be aired on Channel 4. The show, called The Estate, will examine the area's reputation for unemployment, addiction and poverty.

Information on the show''s website suggests it will also focus on the sense of community in the area and the residents'' struggle against the demolition of the towerblocks.

It is understood producers were inspired by a March 2007 study, which found despite the estate slowly falling into disrepair, 70 per cent of the community was happy with the area and only four per cent actively supported plans to demolish the tower blocks.

Resident Elaine Ellis, 43, told how the show''s director Ruth Carslaw almost became part of the community as she filmed over the course of a year.

Elaine, who works as an actor, said: It is fabulous they decided to film here.

The director was filming over the course of a year and she very much became part of the community.

She came to the church, she met people and she was in the local pub just about every night drinking soft drinks.

She really became one of us and I think this will be a very truthful look at Sighthill.

The series will be made up of 16 three-minute films in the '3 Minute Wonder' slot at 7.55pm on Channel 4 and will be aired in the coming months.