MMR: Every Parent's Choice

MMR: Every Parent’s Choice was a forty-minute documentary created for BBC1’s Panorama and transmitted on February 3rd, 2002. The catalyst for the research was the sense of confusion over the Measles, Mumps and Rubella triple vaccination. On the one hand, connections had been alleged between the recently introduced vaccination and the onset of autism in children. On the other hand, fears were being voiced by the medical profession over the potential for a low take-up of the vaccination to provoke a new measles epidemic.

At the centre of these circumstances was the doctor Andrew Wakefield. The programme, a year in the making, focused its investigation around the doctor and contextualised extensive interviews within a narrative framework that enabled the broader scientific debate to communicated to the viewers.

The programme showed that despite well-meaning intentions Wakefield had provided no evidential support for his suggestions there could be a link between the triple MMR vaccine and autism. This situation was complicated by the fact that there were also equally clear irregularities in terms of how the medical authorities had responded to Wakefield’s concerns.

One of the most significant dimensions of the documentary research involved the researcher establishing a relationship of trust with Wakefield so that he would be prepared to talk candidly to camera about his position. The research produced and directed the film, conducted the off-screen interviewing, determined the selection of interviewees and directed the filming itself, the scripting and had a substantial responsibility for overseeing the editing process.