Sky.Documentaries.s2015e11.Escape.From.The.Secret.Sect.360p.LDTV.ABC.AU.WEBRIP.[MPup]
Low-Definition Television (LDTV) ABC iview WEBRIP: 640x360

Format: MPEG-4
Size: 640x360
FrameRate: 25.000 fps
AudioCodec: AAC
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Theres an invisible community in the UK. Clandestine, elusive and living on our streets are around 16,000 UK brethren members, Britains most secretive sect. Exclusive brethren are not allowed to watch tv, go to the cinema, listen to the radio, go to cafes or restaurants, dance or read literature. Cut off from the world and all the evil in it, they only know what their elders tell them and are taught not to question anything. This documentary follows 25-year-old Emma as she attempts to leave one of Britains most secretive organisations, the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. We hear the extraordinary stories of ex-brethren and get a rare insight into this secret sect.


Very little is known about them as they are clandestine and elusive. With approximately 16,000 UK members, they are Britain’s most secretive cult. Now some of them are starting to leave – and have given the Escape from the Secret Sect filmmakers, exclusive access to their stories.

Exclusive Brethren lead extremely sheltered lives. They aren’t allowed to watch TV, go to the cinema, listen to the radio (or any produced music), go to cafes or restaurants, dance or read literature. The girls are forbidden to cut their hair, wear makeup or trousers and they must wear a traditional headscarf to meetings or when they could be seen publicly.

Cut off from the world and all the evil in it, they only know what their Elders tell them and are taught not to question anything. The documentary follows Emma as she escapes the church and seeks refuge and support from other Ex-Exclusive Brethren. The Amish and the Brethren are alike in many ways with a simple unworldly existence. The Amish enjoy ‘Rumspringa’ where they have a period of time in the modern world before they decide if they want to return. The Exclusive Brethren are not offered such freedom, they have been educated in Brethren only schools not permitted to go to university and are encouraged to be married by 22. Emma watches a film for the first time and listens to her first pop song. However, the price ex- Exclusive Brethren pay for such simple pleasures: never to see their family again...