For the first time ever, Drake Bell is ready to open up about how he was abused while working for Nickelodeon as a child star. He details his experience with former dialogue coach Brian Peck in the upcoming Investigation Discovery docuseries, “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.”
On Tuesday, ID released new footage from the four-part docuseries. The clip begins with various Nickelodeon talent reflecting on their time working on the network’s sets and recalling reports surrounding a child actor being abused by Peck.
After one of the interviewees — seemingly a former Nickelodeon staffer — questions if the survivor was a child, the video cuts to Bell walking into frame and sitting in a director’s chair.
Bell was one of the most notable Nickelodeon stars from the early ’90s and early 2000s, having starred in hit series like “All That,” “The Amanda Show,” “Drake & Josh” and more.
The new docuseries, which will make its debut over the course of two nights on ID on Sunday, March 17, and Monday, March 18, is set to spotlight the alleged abuse that took place during the reign of Nickelodeon producer and screenwriter Dan Schneider.
In 2004, Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison after he was arrested in August 2003 on 11 sexual abuse charges related to the sexual abuse of an unnamed child. He was ordered to register as a sex offender in October 2004.
“Quiet On Set” is directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz and produced by Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television – Nonfiction in association with Business Insider.
Here’s an official synopsis of the series, below.
“Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” uncovers the toxic and dangerous culture behind some of the most iconic children’s shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It pulls back the curtain on an empire, built by creator Dan Schneider, that had an undeniable grip on popular culture. Over the course of its four parts, the docuseries reveals an insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism. “Quiet On Set” will shine a spotlight on these emotional accounts, chronicling a pattern of gross, abusive and manipulative behavior that unfolded across decades, as well as exclusive stories about child predators on set. These interviews, woven with archival footage (some of which has never been broadcast), scenes from the shows and social media commentary, will recontextualize many moments within these series that may have seemed silly or off when first aired but now carry a much darker undertone, offering a powerful reframing of these beloved shows.
“Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” premieres Sunday, March 17, on ID.
