Channel 4 plan shock documentary on UK’s summer of riots that left the nation reeling
THE riots that ravaged the UK this summer will be at the heart of a new documentary series.
Channel 4 will take a deep dive into the political and cultural unrest that took place earlier this month in the wake of the murder of three children at a dance lesson in Southport.
From the makers of BAFTA and Emmy Award winning documentaries Leaving Neverland and Terror in Mumbai, the new documentary unpacks the forces behind the violence.
It will feature a closer look at those involved in inciting the horrifying race riots, and examine the feelings and ideas of the people that fuelled the rage.
First-hand stories will be told on camera by police, rioters and eyewitnesses.
Executive producer Dan Reed said: “We’ve been given a licence to deep-dive into the riots and the political and cultural crisis that gripped our nation this summer.
“Audiences will get a full 360 view, revealing the key protagonists, the raw emotions, the political agendas driving the violence and the unfolding of the police and government response.”
While a Channel 4 representative added: “As we all reflect on, and try to make sense of, the horrendous scenes of bigoted violence that took place on our streets, this vital film will provide important context on what these events say about Britain today.”
It follows the days of disorder after the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King as they visited a Taylor Swift themed dance group.
The riots were fuelled by online posts wrongly claiming that attacker Axel Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Rudakubana, 17, was born in Cardiff and raised Christian, but protests about the crime escalated into widespread far-right riots across the UK.
Nearly 400 people were arrested after more than a week of violence through cities like Sunderland, Manchester, and London.
Far-right organisations such as the Patriotic Alternative and English Defence League (EDL) had been instrumental in organising protests and spreading false rumours.
The groups capitalised on the Southport tragedy to rally supporters against Islam and immigration.
More details on the Channel 4 programme are expected soon.
Bizbit
TWO-part Channel 4 documentary The Trial Of Lucy Letby will look into the case of the former neonatal nurse who was convicted last year of murdering seven babies in her care.
It will look into her murder trial, one of Britain’s longest, and her retrial for another attempted murder.
I SPY TWO SEASONS FOR KEIRA
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY’s new spy thriller Black Doves has been commissioned for a second series – before the first has even aired.
The Netflix drama, also starring Sarah Lancashire and Ben Whishaw, was already being mooted as a hit by streaming bosses at the Edinburgh TV festival.
Now it has secured itself a second season.
Announced earlier this year, the six-parter, set in London at Christmas, follows professional spy Helen Webb, who has been passing on her hubby’s secrets to the shadowy organisation she works for, and whose lover Jason, portrayed by Andrew Koji, is killed.
Her spymaster Reed, played by Happy Valley’s Sarah, calls in Whishaw’s suave, Champagne-drinking assassin Sam to help keep Helen safe as things begin to dramatically unravel.
The first series will be available to stream later this year.
Bizbit
TV has commiss-ioned a film that will follow Queen Camilla in her work to highlight domestic violence.
Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors features interviews with victims and shows her meetings with campaigners and change-makers. It will air later this year.
IN JACOB’S DEFENCE..
THE makers of a documentary on Jacob Rees-Mogg have defended their decision to give air time to the controversial Tory politician .
Channel Discovery+ has been slammed for giving the right-wing former MP “a platform” in the Kardashians-style show, which follows him in the run-up to last month’s General Election, when he lost his seat.
Talking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Discovery’s Charlotte Reid said: “We’re not giving him a platform, it’s a moment in political history.
“He’s not an MP now and he is a person of note.”
In a clip from the show Jacob is seen saying: “This will be different from The Kardashians or Osbournes.
“But I’ve no idea as I’ve never watched the programmes.”
DOWNTON’S RIVAL
STEAMY Jilly Cooper adaptation Rivals will air on Disney+ this autumn, and the streamer has revealed its unlikely inspiration – Downton Abbey.
Although the parallels do not seem obvious, Netflix’s Lee Mason explained why the show – which stars Aidan Turner, David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson – is another English period drama.
Discussing Rivals – which is available to stream from October 18 – at the Edinburgh TV Festival, he said: “It’s about finding British stories, with a British voice and a British experience.
“Rivals is set in 1986, and it’s lots of posh people in the Eighties in the Cotswolds… and lots of sex.”
If only Downton was that much fun.