![\"Zara](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEC_266497700-84b0.jpg\")
\n\t\tZara McDermott has been branded as \u2018really out of touch\u2019 in the BBC documentary (Picture: BBC\/Metro)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tZara McDermott has been branded as \u2018really out of touch\u2019 in the BBC documentary (Picture: BBC\/Metro)<\/p>\n
\u2018Benidorm<\/a> on steroids: cheap, cheerful, full of women.\u2019<\/p>\n That\u2019s how Thailand is described in Zara McDermott<\/a>\u2019s \u2018The Dark Side of Paradise\u2019, a new BBC documentary that has been criticised<\/a> for showing only one side of the country \u2014 the \u2018drugs and cheap sex\u2019.<\/p>\n Nicole Wilson, a public servant who is half-Thai, half-British, told\u00a0Metro\u00a0the programme is not representative of her culture and that Zara comes across as \u2018really out of touch\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018If anything, it\u2019s indicative of the poor behaviour of British people abroad,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n \u2018If Thailand has such a \u201cdark side\u201d, we have to ask why British men keep moving and going there? I think a sensitive topic like the reality of sex work should have perhaps been left to a real journalist, not a reality TV star.\u2019<\/p>\n Now, a trio of British Muay Thai martial art fighters, who teach in KO Combat Academy and KO Lions in east London<\/a>, want to reshape the narrative.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up to The Getaway newsletter\t\t\t<\/p>\n Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t Dragos Bibe, 22, Bradley Heason, 32, and Charlie Howard, 34, are part of a growing cohort of Western tourists who skip Thailand\u2019s nightclubs to embed themselves in its gyms, rhythms and discipline.<\/p>\n They travel to this verdant part of Southeast Asia<\/a>, they say, to live and sweat alongside Thais.<\/p>\n Bradley, who has spent more than a year in Thailand across multiple visits, said: \u2018After returning for the first time in 2016\u2026 as soon as I got back, the first thing people would say to me was, \u201cDid you get a happy ending?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018People think Thailand is just this party-prostitute destination.<\/p>\n \u2018It is only now, with social media<\/a>, that Muay Thai, fitness, and wellness<\/a> are becoming more popular. The \u201cseedy old man\u201d image feels a bit more in the past now.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Fake Thailand built for foreigners\u2019<\/p>\n Thailand\u2019s economy<\/a> relies heavily on its tourism<\/a> sector, which contributes significantly to its GDP and employment, even more so after the pandemic.<\/p>\n With more than\u00a035 million tourists flocking to the country each year \u2013 at least 700,000 from the UK alone \u2013 whole areas are designed specifically with foreign visitors in mind.<\/p>\n Dragos, who recently returned from three months of training in Bangkok<\/a>, had first booked accommodation on Khao San Road, famous for its backpacker scene, all-night party culture and cheap drinks<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, three days in, he relocated to escape the \u2018tropes\u2019 showcased in the BBC documentary.<\/p>\n \u2018A lot of Western stereotypes about Thailand are shaped by tourist areas like Khao San Road,\u2019 the fighter, describing his decision to stay there as a big mistake.<\/p>\n \u2018It felt like I was in a fake Thailand built for foreigners. Once I moved to a proper gym, I saw the real thing.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Muay Thai has exploded in popularity in the UK over the past decade, with gyms attracting droves who want to give it a go.<\/p>\n Increasingly, Brits are taking it one step further: flying to Thailand for weeks, even months, at a time to train the martial art in its birthplace and step into the ring.<\/p>\n Dragos, Bradley and Charlie packed their bags to chase more than skill. They wanted the real deal.<\/p>\n At dawn, they lace up their trainers to run 10k \u2013 \u2018just as a warm-up\u2019 \u2013 while a coach drives behind them on a moped and beats their legs with a stick if they dare to slow down.<\/p>\n \t\t This is followed by a day of punishing padwork and clinch drills, the same unforgiving and repetitive routine that shapes Thai fighters from childhood.<\/p>\n Charlie explained that one month of training in Thailand is worth several in the UK.<\/p>\n \u2018If you are doing it properly, you are training twice a day, six days a week, with a coach, and then you rest and recover,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n \u2018You don\u2019t have to do any work around that, which allows you to condense your time.<\/p>\n \u2018The structure has not changed too much. Most gyms run on the principle of \u201can early morning 10k run, two hours of training, a nap, another 5k run and then a few more hours of training\u201d. Rinse and repeat.\u2019<\/p>\n Training is a lesson in \u2018trust the process\u2019<\/p>\n While Charlie trained in Phuket Singha Muay Thai Gym, both Bradley and Dragos described near identical experiences of a \u2018mix of very old-school methods and world-class knowledge\u2019 in Samart Payakaroon Gym, one of the most famous gyms in Bangkok.<\/p>\n \t\t Training is a lesson in \u2018trust the process\u2019. Like the young boys training in the gyms, Westerners are not allowed to question the endless runs, the repetitive drills or even the validity of some arguably \u2018outdated\u2019 techniques.<\/p>\n Dragos described it as a \u2018constant grind\u2019. <\/p>\n \u2018There is no \u201clesson of the day\u201d like you might get in a UK gym. You do the same routine every day, get small corrections, and improve little by little.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s like being in school or the army, but in a good way. You surrender to the process, and that is what makes it so transformative.\u2019<\/p>\n Diving into the cultural difference between training in the UK and Thailand, Bradley said that in the West, there is a \u2018go out on your shield\u2019 mentality.<\/p>\n \u2018Every session needs to be crazy and every fight has to be all-or-nothing,\u2019 he added. <\/p>\n \u2018In Thailand, they still train hard, but it is so laid back. More than anything, you need to enjoy it.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t All three fighters note that Westerners are, understandably, treated differently in the first weeks of training.<\/p>\n Coaches are welcoming, yes. But they have seen too many tourists come and go to invest too soon.<\/p>\n New arrivals are watched closely. Are they there to train, or to take pictures for Instagram before hitting the bars?<\/p>\n It is only after showing up, sticking to the method, staying after class to help out, and even learning a few words of Thai that Westerners get the nod of respect.<\/p>\n Charlie said: \u2018The longer you are there, the more you are treated like family.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Living in one of the gyms also gave them an insight into how the locals live, \u2018not just the tourist stuff\u2019.<\/p>\n Since returning from Thailand, all three have reflected on the lessons they have learnt. They have also questioned their Western biases.<\/p>\n Like his colleagues, Bradley stressed that placing Thailand in a bubble of partying and prostitution is \u2018narrow-minded\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s like saying England is just tea, crumpets, and posh accents,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n \u2018Thailand is a whole country, there are cities, countryside, layers of culture. The beauty and kindness of the people are what stand out most to me.\u2019<\/p>\n Metro has contacted the BBC and Zara McDermott for comment.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tThe best things to do in Thailand, according to Muay Thai fighters\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t Bradley and Charlie shared their favourite things to do in Thailand with Metro that don\u2019t involve binge drinking and partying all night.<\/p>\n Advice from Bradley, who spent time in Phuket and Bangkok<\/p>\n Watch Muay Thai at Rajadamnern Stadium, Bangkok Advice from Charlie, who spent time in Phuket<\/p>\n Visit The Great Buddha of Phuket Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more stories like this, check our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Dragos](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_266485030-3500-e1758114537868.jpg\")
\n\t\tDragos Bibe showing off an amulet he received as a gift from his coach in Bangkok (Picture: Metro)<\/p>\n![\"Bradley](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_266485111-6246.jpg\")
\n\t\tBradley Heason has spent more than a year training in gyms across Thailand (Picture: Metro)
\nAuthentic training<\/p>\n![\"UK](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_266485028-8690.jpg\")
\n\t\tDragos praised the young Thai fighters for their resilience and said that one day he hopes to be like them (Picture: Metro)<\/p>\n![\"Charlie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_266485048-f652.jpg\")
\n\t\tCharlie on one of the daily 10k runs before the actual training begins (Picture: Metro)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI266485054-2bac.jpg\")
\n\t\tThere is much more to Thailand than clubs and booze (Picture: Metro)
\nWestern biases<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI266485092-adae.jpg\")
\n\t\tFriends who become family (Picture: Metro)<\/p>\n![\"Longtail](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1154847237-4e36.jpg\")
\n\t\tAo Pileh (Pileh Lagoon), Thailand (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n
\nVisit a Muay Thai gym, even for a one-off training session
\nVisit the 11-tiered\u00a0Pa La-U Waterfall, located in\u00a0Kaeng Krachan National Park<\/p>\n
\nTravel to Ya Nui Beach\u00a0\u2013 a tiny bay tucked in a cove between the Windmill Viewpoint and the famous Promthep Cape in the very south of Phuket Island
\nTake a boat trip to Phi Phi Islands and Coral Island<\/p>\n
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