Tough life lessons from the millionaire migrant
Brit-shaming statistics came thick and fast on My Millionaire Migrant Boss (Channel 4). Nearly three million migrant workers currently do the manual jobs that Britons don’t want to do. Immigrants to the UK are less likely to be unemployed and three times more likely to become millionaires. They take three times fewer sick days and are twice as likely to put in long hours.
This frothy yet thoughtful documentary was a sort of Apprentice for jobseekers. It even starred a shouty, bearded businessman who hauled himself up by the bootstraps. In place of Lord Sugar, the tough-talking tycoon was Marwan Koukash, who arrived in Britain from war-torn Palestine in 1976 with £200 in his pocket and is now a multi-millionaire.
How would four unemployed Brits cope with Koukash as their boss? Could they learn from the migrant mentality and land a permanent job at the end of their paid two-week placement? Even as the recalcitrant quartet whinged and wept, fatherly Koukash refused to write them off.
The only one he fired was Georgia, whose inability to turn up on time became an insurmountable issue. No wonder she’d lost 10 jobs by the age of 18. One was at Mcdonald’s, where she’d lasted precisely one shift.
Geordie Joe’s confidence had been knocked by depression and life on benefits but Koukash helped rebuild his self-esteem. Wendy, 49, proved that reality TV wasn’t just a youngster’s game by securing a sales job. Even dreamer Heidi found some direction, launching her own fashion business with Koukash as her mentor – although given his blazer-and-jeans combos, I’m not convinced he’s cut out for the rag trade.
Dress sense aside, Koukash was the star here – a champion of hard work, determination and the odd spot of swearing. “It’s difficult to be a businessman and a human at the same time,” he sighed while sacking Georgia. This surprisingly touching programme was billed as a one-off but felt like a pilot for a potential full series.
There was even a happy ending for flaky Georgia, who was given a hefty boot up the backside by her experience and has since thrown herself into being a care worker. “I’ve not been late once,” she said proudly. From such small victories, careers might just be built.
Stacey Dooley: Face to Face with ISIS (BBC Three) found the intrepid reporter revisiting Iraq to tell the harrowing story of the so-called Islamic State’s sex slaves. Dooley was accompanied by Shireen, a 23-year-old Yazidi woman who was held captive for three years in Mosul and routinely raped. She attempted suicide four times before managing to escape during the battle to regain the city.
In search of answers, Shireen retraced the steps of her traumatic past. Escorted by an Iraqi army commander, she scoured the bombedout streets to locate her hiding place en route to freedom. During their hunt, Dooley was visibly shaken by the sight – and smell – of two corpses among the roadside rubble.
Shireen was soon cut off from answering Dooley’s questions by the indignant commander. “We want to tell the world what happened here,” Shireen protested. Pushing the camera away, he insisted: “I want to protect your dignity.” Even now, women were being silenced.
Their journey culminated in a face-to-face confrontation with Amar, a 21-year-old Islamic State fighter who had three sex slaves himself. In shockingly matter-of-fact fashion, he claimed to have killed 900 people and raped 250 women. While Dooley seethed at her side, Shireen fearlessly faced him down, finally giving voice to her pain and challenging him on why he committed such atrocities. Amar squirmed but looked scarily blank.
With quietly righteous fury, Shireen told him: “You will pay for the tears of those girls.” “I’m waiting for my fate,” he replied evenly. “My fate is death.”
BBC Three has carved out a solid reputation for documentaries about serious minded, youth-friendly issues, fronted by such names as Dooley, Reggie Yates and Professor Green. This half-hour film felt disjointed and lacked a driving thesis. Its two key clashes, however, made it worth the entrance fee.
My Millionaire Migrant Boss ★★★★ Stacey Dooley: Face to Face with ISIS ★★★