The real lives of doggers and what drives them to get involved in outdoor sex with strangers will be revealed in a ground-breaking documentary made by a film maker whose career started in Stroud.
Leo Maguire, who was inspired to take up photography and film at Stroud College, travelled 25,000 miles over six months to dozens of venues where people take part in open air sex under the cover of darkness.
He faced a tough task in getting in to the world of bare knuckle fighting for his last film, Gypsy Blood, and finding people who would talk openly to him about dogging proved even more difficult.
"It's a world where people leave behind their everyday identity and embrace a mysterious alter ego," said Leo, 31, who left Wynstones school in Brookthorpe without a qualification to his name but whose time on a two year foundation arts course in Stroud meant he could study film making at university.
"This makes documenting the dogging scene almost impossible. As a photographer, I took clandestine pictures of dogging, making sure to frame accordingly and keep identities hidden.
"It was surreptitious and silent, as I attempted to avoid being unmasked stealing these intimate moments in the woods.
"Winning the trust of gypsy bare-knuckle fighters was incredibly difficult, but gaining access to the dogging community was in many ways much harder and required a more delicate approach."
Interviews with doggers begin as their normal day ends and follows them as they go out to laybys, woods and picnic spots around the UK that often double as dogging locations after dusk.
None of the footage was shot in Gloucestershire but the county has well known dogging spots, some of which have prompted public complaints.
Those interviewed are filmed during their sexual encounters and they talk about their attraction to dogging and the effect it has had on their lives.
Dogging Tales will be screened on Thursday, April 4, at 10pm on Channel 4.
Leo Maguire, who was inspired to take up photography and film at Stroud College, travelled 25,000 miles over six months to dozens of venues where people take part in open air sex under the cover of darkness.
He faced a tough task in getting in to the world of bare knuckle fighting for his last film, Gypsy Blood, and finding people who would talk openly to him about dogging proved even more difficult.
"It's a world where people leave behind their everyday identity and embrace a mysterious alter ego," said Leo, 31, who left Wynstones school in Brookthorpe without a qualification to his name but whose time on a two year foundation arts course in Stroud meant he could study film making at university.
"This makes documenting the dogging scene almost impossible. As a photographer, I took clandestine pictures of dogging, making sure to frame accordingly and keep identities hidden.
"It was surreptitious and silent, as I attempted to avoid being unmasked stealing these intimate moments in the woods.
"Winning the trust of gypsy bare-knuckle fighters was incredibly difficult, but gaining access to the dogging community was in many ways much harder and required a more delicate approach."
Interviews with doggers begin as their normal day ends and follows them as they go out to laybys, woods and picnic spots around the UK that often double as dogging locations after dusk.
None of the footage was shot in Gloucestershire but the county has well known dogging spots, some of which have prompted public complaints.
Those interviewed are filmed during their sexual encounters and they talk about their attraction to dogging and the effect it has had on their lives.
Dogging Tales will be screened on Thursday, April 4, at 10pm on Channel 4.
