Tom Daley: Illegal to Be Me

The Olympic diving champion examines homophobic attitudes across the Commonwealth, travelling to nations where same‑sex relations are illegal. He investigates how these laws shape everyday life for LGBT people and the broader social climate, highlighting the ongoing discrimination within member states.

Tom Daley: Illegal to Be Me is a one‑off television programme that follows the Olympic diving champion as its central figure. Classified as a single‑episode documentary, the show presents a personal look at a contentious issue through Daley’s perspective. It’s billed simply as a programme rather than a series, and it aired as a standalone feature. In the episode, Daley sets out to examine homophobic attitudes that persist across the Commonwealth. He travels to a selection of member states where same‑sex relationships are still criminalised, seeking to understand how the law and cultural prejudice affect LGBT people. His journey is framed as an investigative effort into these hostile environments, and he looks at how such bias shapes daily life. The focus remains on the legal landscape within the Commonwealth, highlighting that many of its nations still enforce statutes that punish homosexuality. By visiting these countries, Daley aims to witness first‑hand the impact of such legislation on everyday lives, offering viewers a glimpse of the challenges faced by gay communities. These statutes often carry severe penalties for those convicted. Through his own experience as a high‑profile athlete, Daley hopes the programme will bring attention to the ongoing discrimination. The series presents his personal quest to confront a problem that remains entrenched in parts of the world tied together by historic ties. He hopes the visibility will spark conversation and change.