ZOE BROUGHTON

When Zoe Broughton wanted to know more about what was going on behind the walls at Huntingdon Life Sciences - the largest animal laboratory in Europe - her first move was to apply for a job there.

"First of all I went in for an interview - I did quite a bit of training for that beforehand, with complete mock run-ups with somebody who'd already worked inside there so they knew what sort of questions I'd be asked." She also had to rehearse what sort of person she would pose as being and memorise reasons why she was suitable for a job as a lab technician.

If you plan to film inside a company, it makes sense to spend several days working before taking in your equipment. Surprises - such as being expected to change in a communal changing room - could mean a sudden end to your disguise.

So what's it like to operate a hidden camera? "Although it was small, it was still the size of a normal camcorder - but this was broken into several blocks of pieces which were then strapped to my body under my clothes," reports Zoe. "There was also the whole problem of the fact that you're not looking through the viewfinder as you would with a normal camcorder so you're basically filming without seeing what you're actually filming. So, in my first few days of filming the footage was completely on angles and all sorts of things and I had to learn to stand in very weird positions in order to get the angles correct."

When Zoe's programme 'It's a dog's life' was screened on Channel 4 the company's share prices plummeted from 129 to 56 pence, and major clients took their business elsewhere after the results of their test projects were shown to be invalid. In total Zoe's work may have cost HLS £80 million.

Interview by http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk