10 Film Documentaries That Accidentally Uncovered Major Scoops

6. Stevie - The Dark Path Of Stevie Fielding

Gimme Shelter 1970 documentary
Lionsgate Films

Helmed by acclaimed documentarian Steve James, 2002's Stevie began life as a basic profile of Stevie Fielding. James had previously worked as an advocate Big Brother to Fielding, and the aim of the film was simply for the two men to reconnect.

But what actually happened was nowhere near as straightforward as that.

Upon reuniting with Fielding, James discovers that the awkward kid he once knew has grown into a troubled young man, but that's not the half of it. The documentary was really flipped on its head when, part way through filming, Fielding was arrested and charged with a serious crime - molesting an 8-year-old girl.

What's more, Fielding would later end up confessing to the crime, before taking that confession back. This entire saga is chronicled in James' fascinating documentary, turning what was supposed to be an intimate catch-up into a much darker study of Fielding, and the self-destructive path his adult life took.

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Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.

Senior Writer
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.