We may be more preoccupied with the heat this week, but Covid-19 is not going away. In fact, cases are on the rise again in the UK. Experts say we’re currently in the fifth wave of coronavirus infections and daily case numbers hit a record high of 351,000 this month. 

It’s easy to switch off or become immune to the numbers, stats and reports after two traumatic years, more than 197,000 deaths and several lockdowns, but tonight a probing BBC documentary gets into one of the most divisive subjects of our times: why are so many people in the UK still yet to receive a single dose of the vaccine?

The eye-opening investigation led by Professor Hannah Fry aims to understand why certain parts of the population remain unvaccinated against Covid-19.

Fry is the British mathematician who worked on the data that helped bring the UK out of its first lockdown and now she’s on a mission to look beyond the headlines and find out what the nation really thinks today.

To do this Fry will bring “seven unvaccinated participants together under one roof to unpack the long-held opinions, beliefs and fears that have prevented them from getting the vaccine”. The group will meet leading experts to confront the latest science and explore how misinformation spreads on social media.

Given that it’s such a divisive and complex issue, the show is bound to stir up debate online and in homes around the UK.

At the end of the experiment each participant will be asked if they have changed their mind about the vaccine after what they have learned, and whether they will now get the vaccine. 

With scientists saying we are likely to face more pandemics, and more vaccine rollouts in the future, the documentary tries to get to the heart of what it will take to convince those who are unvaccinated to get their first Covid-19 vaccination.

Tom Coveney, BBC commissioning editor, science, said: “With Covid infections on the rise again, there couldn’t be a more important time to examine the reasons why so many adults are still not getting the vaccine.

“It’s an issue that has torn families and workplaces apart, arguing over the science, the misinformation and the many different ways we’ve all been affected by the pandemic. It’s an explosive debate that goes to the heart of modern life and growing mistrust in the establishment.”

Craig Hunter, creative director of factual at STV Studios, said: “The Covid vaccine is one of the most divisive health debates of recent years and this documentary explores a range of viewpoints in an open and sensitive way.

“Moving beyond the often misrepresented debate, this programme reveals why some people remain vaccine hesitant and, equally, what advocates of the vaccine can learn from those who’ve rejected it.”

Unvaccinated airs on BBC Two on Wednesday 20 July at 9pm and on BBC iPlayer shortly afterwards. 

Images: BBC/STV Studios/Jack Barnes