Tom Daley's surrogacy documentary scrapped by the BBC

"He was unable to film."

By Dan Seddon

19 Jan 2023

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Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley's BBC documentary Surrogacy is no longer happening, it's been confirmed.

First announced in 2018, the one-off special would have seen Tom exploring how surrogacy operates in the UK, comparing the situation with that in the US state of California.

In the UK, surrogacy is legal, but surrogacy agreements aren't enforceable in law, according to gov.uk. A surrogate also cannot be paid in the UK, save for "reasonable expenses". However, in California, commercial surrogacy is legal.

The documentary would have also seen Tom visit at least one other country where surrogacy is completely outlawed.

A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: "Due to Tom's sporting commitments in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics, he was unable to film.

"Given the topicality of the subject and its exploration of the arguments for and against a change in the law, he agreed with the BBC it would have been impossible to complete the film in a satisfactory way that would have accurately reflected the situation at the time."

Tom and his husband, the filmmaker Dustin Lance Black, welcomed their son Robert Ray via surrogate back in 2018.

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At the time of Surrogacy's commissioning, the BBC's Tom McDonald shared in a statement: "Surrogacy is one of the most complex issues in modern society and the laws which govern it are radically different across the world.

"As new fathers through surrogacy, Tom and Lance are both committed to exploring all of the nuances around this very emotive subject. I'm thrilled that Tom is going to be our guide in this deeply personal and intelligent film."

Last year, Tom fronted a documentary titled Tom Daley: Illegal to Be Me for the BBC, which focused on homophobia in Commonwealth member states and aired in the run-up to the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

He also appeared in Tom Daley's Hell of a Homecoming for the channel, documenting a Comic Relief challenge which saw him running, rowing, cycling and swimming on a journey from London to Plymouth, where he grew up.