Zara McDermott has shared the ‘terrifying ordeal’ she experienced after being in Thailand for just 24 hours.
The TV personality, 28, was in the Southeast Asian country to film her new BBC documentary Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise.
The three-parter sees McDermott explore the rite-of-passage spot, which featured in the latest season of The White Lotus, in the hopes of peeling back what lurks beneath the partying.
However, in the first episode, the former Love Islander and her TV crew were approached by the Thai police, who demanded to see their footage.
The episode saw McDermott invited on a bar crawl on Bangkok’s backpacker paradise, Khao San Road, after which she moved to one of the city’s notorious red light districts, Soi Cowboy.
It was here that the BBC documentary’s filming was shut down by local bar owners and the police.
McDermott explained as the group walked back to their van: ‘We have to get out of here as soon as possible, because they wanted to see all of our footage, and we don’t want to lose what we’ve captured for tonight.
‘So we’ve got to get out of here quite quickly.’
Once back in the van after the police had allowed the crew to return to their accommodation for the night, McDermott added: ‘The police have threatened to actually arrest a few of our crew members for filming.
‘Even though we have a permit to film, we’ve paid for the permit, so we should be allowed to film.
‘The police have finally agreed to let us leave as long as we bring the footage to the police station tomorrow.’
She added: ‘That whole ordeal was pretty terrifying. I’ve been in Thailand for less than 24 hours, and I’ve nearly got arrested. Like, what’s happening?’
Later in the episode, McDermott visited the Bangkok Immigration Detention Centre for a glimpse of what becomes of those on the wrong side of the law in Thailand.
Ahead of the documentary filming, McDermott said she had been ‘excited’ to discover the country that attracts so many young people.
‘There’s clearly a fascination with the nightlife, parties and stunning beaches – but there seems to be other intriguing reasons people are going to Thailand and staying,’ she said in a statement when the documentary was first announced.
Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise continues on the BBC and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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