The documentary makers behind Channel 4 program “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack” launched a tirade against the BBC while picking up a BAFTA TV Award for the doc.
The BBC, which had originally commissioned “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,” dropped the program last June citing impartiality concerns. It was subsequently picked up by Channel 4.
Ramita Navai, who hosted the doc, which was produced by Basement Films, said in her acceptance speech for best current affairs program the BBC had “paid for” the program but “refused to show it.” “But we refused to be silenced and censored,” she said. “We thank Channel 4 for showing this film.”
A month after it was revealed the BBC had decided not to broadcast the documentary, then-BBC news and current affairs boss Deborah Turness revealed the program had been axed because of the social media activity of one of the journalists involved in making it. She also cited a radio interview Navai had participated in, saying her language “wasn’t compatible with the BBC’s standards of impartiality.”
“It made it impossible for us to continue with the project,” Turness said in an interview with Radio 4. “No BBC journalist could have said what that journalist said on air.”
At the awards ceremony on Sunday night, Ben De Pear, the executive producer of the doc, also intimated his anger at the BBC when he joined Navai on stage. “Given you dropped the film, will you drop us from the BAFTA screening?” he said, referring to the fact that the BBC broadcasts a lightly-edited version of the three-hour ceremony on BBC One with a two-hour time delay. Variety understands Navai and De Pear’s speeches will be broadcast.
In a statement last June, the BBC said: “For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms.”
“Yesterday, it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.”
“We want to thank the doctors and contributors and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially,” the statement continued.
The BBC did not respond to Variety’s press query regarding Navai and De Pear’s acceptance speech by publication time.
variety.com
#Channel #Gaza #Documentary #Team #Attack #BBC #BAFTA #Awards
