Jaine Green, also known as Jaine Harmston-Green, is an award winning UK documentary maker and former stand-up comedienne.
Jaine Green has been making controversial films since 1995, when one of her first documentaries I'm Your Number One Fan (C4) split the critics. Victor Lewis-Smith stated that it 'transcended the documentary format' and was 'a true work of art that deserves to win every award it's entered for',[1] but others thought it was exploitative. The film followed three stalkers quietly going about their daily business as they harassed the likes of Princess Diana. German doctor Klaus Wagner believed Princes Diana was at the centre of a hate campaign by the Queen,[2] and could see a surgeon's robe dripping in blood as he threw himself in front of her car to warn her of a plot on her life. Blue Tulip Rose Read is seen crowing like cockerel as she pursues DJ Mike Read.
An immediate 'student's choice', the film attracted a cult following. The Standard began selling 'Mrs Read teeshirts', and comedy series The League of Gentlemen has used direct quotes from the film in every series. One example from the first series: 'Ed Stewart's Breath stinks'.[3]
Jaine has never shyed from controversy. She was the first person to show a clitoris on UK national television in Channel 4's The clitoris uncovered, and in Killing in Common one of her contributors, GP Michael Irwin, openly admits to killing 'literally hundreds' of his patients using the double effect method (knowingly giving enough drugs to kill both the pain and the patient).
In Jennifer Lopez - Behind the Behind Jaine revealed many secrets the star tried to stop being aired. One of the biggest was about her ex-teacher (nearly twice her age) who became her live-in lover - an affair the star thought her media camp had successfully buried. The documentary The Truth About Take That contained a number of high profile revelations about the history of the UK boy band including an interview with their former manager, Kevin Kinsella, where concerning Robbie Williams, Kinsella stated that "It was clear to me that he is gay".[4]
Both The Guardian and Independent declared that the UK Party Political Broadcast she made for a breakaway pro-euro Tory group was the most controversial ever seen and would mark the change in future campaigns where a much more US-style 'gloves off approach' was now likely to be adopted. The broadcast contained a portrayal of William Hague as a tramp and it stirred up broadsheet interest for days.
A more mainstream production was Simon Rattle - Moving On a year-long production for the BBC which followed Britain's best known conductor in his final year at the CBSO.
Recent documentaries have included The Real Witch Project, Middle Aged Mummy’s Boys and Tourette’s on the job (finalist for The Bafta/Mental Health Media Awards 2007).[5]
In 2009, Jaine Harmston-Green was executive producer for Glasshead [6] on Channel 4's My Monkey Baby about people who treat monkeys as children who will never grow up which provoked a debate about the ethics of keeping monkeys as pets.[7][8]
In addition to making over 50 diverse films and commercials, Jaine has also directed theatre. Her West End debut was a production of Lip Service, a dark comedy built around three women taking calls for a sex line.