Emily Atack emphasised the significance of catcalling having serious implications.
The 33-year-old British actress rose to prominence after starring in the E4 comedy series The Inbetweeners as Charlotte Hinchcliffe.
Emily Atack: Asking For It, a new BBC documentary, will star Atack, who has previously spoken of being forced to call the police after receiving rape threats.
The star explores how’something so nasty, aggressive, wicked, and violent’ as sexual harassment has evolved and how it may be addressed via education in the feature-length film.
She also explained that this form of street harassment can evolve into something way more sinister.’
She said: ‘I think bringing things in like making catcalling a public health issue are important. People can tut and roll their eyes when they hear things like that, but I can now understand the importance of that kind of thing.’
In the show, Atack will also attempt to speak with some of the guys who send her graphic social media content.
The I’m A Celebrity star who has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, previously talked to The Sun on Sunday in April and said she is subjected to ‘relentless and nasty’ rape threats online that have caused her to call the police and ‘doubt her entire existence at times’.
At the time Atack said she has had to move house four times in the wake of targeted harassment, telling the newspaper: ‘They knew where I lived, said what they were going to do to me, even my family.
‘I got the police involved.’
Atack has already campaigned against cyberflashing, in which people share unsolicited pornographic photographs online, and talked about the matter in Parliament in February.
The UK government stated in March last year that cyberflashing will be made a new criminal offence, with perpetrators risking up to two years in prison.
Emily Atack: Asking For It? airs on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on January 31.
Victim Support
Victim Support offers support to survivors of rape and sexual abuse. You can contact them on 0333 300 6389.
