Chris Atkins (journalist)

Chris Atkins (born Christopher Walsh Atkins^[1] in 1976^[2]) is a British journalist and documentary film maker. He gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into the ethics of the British press.^[1][3]

Atkins was educated at Bromsgrove School from 1986–1994.^[4] His early career involved making low-budget dramas with director Richard Jobson,^[5] including Jobson's debut feature film, 16 Years of Alcohol, and subsequent works The Purifiers and A Woman in Winter. In 2013 he produced the Panorama episode "All in a Good Cause", which looked into unethical investments made by charities such as Comic Relief,^[6] the aftermath of which resulted in Atkins claiming he had, "turned into the comedy establishment's most hated man".^[7]

His work includes Taking Liberties (2007)^[8] and Starsuckers (2009).^[9] He has made documentaries for the Channel 4 television series Dispatches,^[10] for which he spent a year undercover investigating the illegal trade in confidential data,^[11] and occasionally writes for The Guardian.^[11]

While making Taking Liberties, Atkins was held under anti-terror laws when he tried to speak with the Home Secretary John Reid at the 2006 Labour Party conference.^[5] The film was nominated for the "Carl Foreman award for special achievement by a British director, writer or producer in their first feature film" in the 2008 British Academy Film Awards.^[12]

In June 2014 the Wall Street Journal^[13] as well as Campaign Magazine^[14] reported on Atkins and Nimrod Kamer's protestations at the advertising festival, Cannes Lions.

Thirty minutes of footage from Starsuckers were shown as part of Atkins' evidence to the Leveson Inquiry.^[3]

In 2015 Atkins will face trial at Southwark Crown Court on a count of conspiring to cheat the public revenue. He is alleged to have been part of a complex five-year scam to cheat the taxman, along with 12 others, including seven investment bankers. Atkins' lawyer, Phil Smith, has stated that his client “vehemently denies any wrongdoing” and “looks forward to the opportunity to clear his name in court.” ^[15] The scheme enabled the investment bankers to submit bogus tax returns to claim tax relief on losses between January 2007 and February 2012 and involved Starsuckers and several unmade films.^[16]

Bibliography

• Atkins, Chris; Bee, Sarah; Button, Fiona (2007). Taking Liberties. Revolver Books. ISBN 978-1905978038. 

References

External links

• United Agents profile
• Chris Atkins on Twitter
• Chris Atkins at the Internet Movie Database