BBC apologises over controversial Gaza documentary, with chairman calling it ‘a dagger to the heart’
The BBC has called the ongoing controversy over a documentary on Gaza a “really, really bad moment”, admitting the film’s failings are “a dagger to the heart” of the corporation’s impartiality.
Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was pulled from iPlayer and will not be broadcast on channels again after it emerged that the child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
Last week, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called an “urgent meeting” with the corporation over the film.
BBC director-general Tim Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by MPs during a Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee meeting on Tuesday.
Mr Shah told committee members: “This is a really, really bad moment. It’s is a dagger to the heart of the BBC claim to be impartial and to be trustworthy.”
He said questions over “what went wrong” were asked “on day one” following the programme’s transmission.
He went on: “To my shock, I think that we found that there were serious failings on both sides, on the independent production side as well, as well as on the BBC side.”
Mr Shah said an interim report commissioned by the BBC found “it wasn’t so much the processes were at fault as people weren’t doing their job”.
Mr Shah said he believed the problem was confined to this programme, adding: “On this story we’re examining the how and why, the compliance that determines did not take place.”
However, he also said he thought an independent review into how the BBC covers stories in the Middle East should also be carried out independently.
BBC director general Tim Davie and chairman Samir Shah. Pic: PA
Tim Davie said there was “a lot of frustration and disappointment” over the film, adding: “We’re very sorry to the audience.”
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‘We were not told’
How To Survive A Warzone was made on commission by independent production company Hoyo Films, and features 13-year-old Abdullah al Yazouri, who speaks about life in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas.
Mr Davie said there were specific questions asked around Abdullah’s father, and the BBC “found out that we were not told”.
He went on: “At that point, quite quickly, I lost trust in that film. Therefore, I took the decision quite quickly to take it off iPlayer while we do this deep dive.”
Mr Davie said removing the film from iPlayer had been “a very tough decision”.
Discussing whether or not the family involved in the film had been paid for their work, he said: “As I understand it today, the BBC has only made one payment. This was for a licence fee, to the programme maker.”
He said an initial assessment of the economics had showed “that there was a small payment to the sister… It’s totally normal payment because the boy recorded the narration. He went to a studio to do it.”
Describing the fallout as “damaging”, Mr Davie said he believes “overall trust in BBC news remains very high”.
He went on: “We’re not losing all context here. This was a serious failing. But we have trust numbers that we’re very proud of, we’re the most trusted brand in the world. And part of what we do to earn that trust… is actually be highly transparent and go through enormous processes when we fail like this to show how we’re going to fix it.”
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What’s next as the ceasefire deal ends?
Mr Davie says he has “fast-tracked” the review “out of the news department”, where it will be overseen by Peter Johnson, BBC Director, Editorial Complaints and Reviews.
Media watchdog Ofcom sent a letter to the BBC flagging their “ongoing concerns” about the “nature and gravity” of the documentary on Monday, which Mr Shah said he “welcomed”.
The Metropolitan Police said: “Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are currently assessing whether any police action is required” in relation to the documentary.
Complaints from both sides
Hoyo Films said in a statement: “We are co-operating fully with the BBC and Peter Johnston (director of editorial complaints and reviews) to help understand where mistakes have been made.
“We feel this remains an important story to tell, and that our contributors – who have no say in the war – should have their voices heard.”
Last week, protesters gathered outside Broadcasting House in London claiming the BBC had aired Hamas propaganda.
The BBC also faced criticism in pulling the documentary, with Gary Lineker, Anita Rani, Riz Ahmed and Miriam Margoyles among more than 500 media figures who had condemned the action.
In an open letter addressed to Mr Davie, Dr Shah and outgoing chief content officer Charlotte Moore, hundreds of TV and film professionals and journalists called the decision to remove the documentary “politically motivated censorship”.
Following the committee session, Artists for Palestine UK, the group that published the letter, accused Mr Davie and Mr Shah of “throwing Palestinian children under the bus”, questioning how the corporation would safeguard the young people who appeared in the documentary.
In a statement, the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism accused the BBC of “marking its own homework”, adding: “No other broadcaster would be permitted this latitude, and no other regulated industry would allow this.”
They also called for the licence fee to be suspended pending an independent investigation into the documentary.
Entertainment
Reginald D Hunter: Summons against comic by Campaign Against Antisemitism quashed for seeking to have him ‘cancelled’
A judge has quashed a summons against comedian Reginald D Hunter, brought privately by Campaign Against Antisemitism, ruling it “abusive” and intended to get the comedian “cancelled”.
The 56-year-old US comic had been accused of three counts of sending an offensive communication on three different occasions – 24 August, 10 September and 11 September last year – to Heidi Bachram on X.
The summons was quashed at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday by District Judge Michael Snow following an application by the defence.
Judge Snow ruled that the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) charity’s motive in seeking to prosecute Hunter was “to have him cancelled” and that the prosecution was “abusive”.
Bought as a private prosecution, rather than by the state, the judge said the charity was seeking to use the criminal justice system “for improper reasons”.
The CAA describes itself as a volunteer-led charity, “dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law”.
In his ruling, Judge Snow said: “The CAA have demonstrated by the misleading and partial way in which it summarised its application and its wilful, repeated, failure to meet its disclosure obligations, that its true and sole motive in seeking to prosecute Reginald Hunter is to have him cancelled.
“I have no doubt that the prosecution is abusive.
“My view of the conduct of the CAA is consistent with them as an organisation which is not ‘playing it straight’ but is seeking to use the criminal justice system, in this case for improper reasons.”
Hunter at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this year.Pic: PA
‘Inadequate’ summary and failure to flag compliance probe
Judge Snow said the summary of Ms Bachram’s tweeting in the application case summary was “wholly inadequate”.
He added: “It did not reveal the extent of her tweets directed against Reginald Hunter in the period immediately preceding the complaints (her tweets were sent between 15 August and 11 September 2024).
“The summary misled me into believing that his comments were addressed to her involvement with the Jewish faith as opposed to his response to attempts that were being made to have him ‘cancelled’.”
The judge said the CAA had failed to inform him of a compliance investigation by the Charity Commission into the CAA in November 2024.
CAA accused of ‘weaponising’ the court
Hunter’s lawyer Rebecca Chalkley KC told the hearing on Tuesday that “very little was disclosed” to the judge and the “lack of candour” meant the summons should be quashed.
Ms Chalkley said: “It calls into question the whole juridical process as judges before issuing summonses need to have everything in front of them.”
The lawyer told the judge: “You were led to believe in papers in front of you that the CAA was no more than a charity, that it had no history – as since demonstrated as a vexatious litigant – no complaints, no criticism in Parliament, no investigations by the Charity Commission.”
The lawyer added: “The CAA are weaponising and using the courts for their own political agenda and not just in this case.”
The CAA’s prosecutor Donal Lawler told the hearing that the charity had complied with its duty of candour.
Hunter regularly tours the UK and has appeared on comedy panel shows Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You and 8 Out Of 10 Cats.
A crowdfunding campaign he launched to help him cover his legal fees raised over £58,000 in less than six months.
Chris Rea, known for hits including Driving Home For Christmas and The Road To Hell, has died after a short illness, according to a family spokesperson.
A statement on behalf of his wife and two children stated: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Chris.
“He passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today following a short illness, surrounded by his family.”
Chris Rea arrives at the Odeon Leicester Square for the opening of the London Film Festival in 1996. Pic: PA
The Middlesbrough-born musician was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had his pancreas removed in 2001, and in 2016 he suffered a stroke.
Follow our blog for the latest reactions to Chris Rea’s death
Rea found fame in the late seventies and eighties with hits such as Fool (If You Think It’s Over), Let’s Dance and The Road To Hell.
Known for his gravelly voice and latterly for his slide guitar playing, he was nominated for a slew of top awards, including Brit Awards, at the height of his success and sold millions of records.
File pic: Glenn Ashley/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Rea’s debut album, titled Whatever Happened To Benny Santini?, a reference to the stage name his record label wanted him to adopt, was released in 1978.
His track Fool (If You Think It’s Over), from the album, went on to be nominated for a Grammy.
He did not find such success again for a few years, but by the time his eighth album On The Beach was released, he was a star in the UK and around Europe, with sporadic hits in the US.
When Road To Hell was released in 1989, he became one of the biggest solo stars in the UK. Two of his studio albums – The Road To Hell (1989) and Auberge (1991) – went to number one in the country.
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His famous song Driving Home For Christmas, first released in 1986, features in this year’s M&S Food Christmas advert – which sees comedian Dawn French sing along to the single in her car.
Speaking about the song during the 2020 Mortimer And Whitehouse Gone Fishing Christmas special, he told comedian Bob Mortimer: “I was on the dole when I wrote that.
Chris Rea arrives at the Mojo Awards in 2009. Pic: PA
“My manager had just left me. I’d just been banned from driving, right. My now wife, Joan, she had to drive down to London, picked me up in the Mini, and take me home, and that’s when I wrote it.”
The singer returned to his blues roots after a string of health problems.
“I wasn’t frightened of dying,” he once said in an interview.
“It did look like the end, but what got me through was the thought of leaving a record that my two teenage daughters could say, ‘That’s what Papa did – not the pop stuff, but the blues music. That’s what he was about’.”
Chris Rea arrives at the Odeon Leicester Square for the opening of the London Film Festival in 1996. Pic: PA
Entertainment
Stars and fans including Liam Gallagher, Paul Weller and David Beckham gather for Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield’s funeral
Stars including Liam Gallagher, David Beckham and Paul Weller have gathered to pay tribute to The Stone Roses star Gary “Mani” Mounfield.
The Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist died last month at the age of 63.
The coffin is carried from the ceremony by Alan Wren (L), Liam Gallagher (R) and John Squire (2nd R). Pic: PA
Pic: PA
His death came two years after that of his wife, Imelda Mounfield, who was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in November 2020. The couple welcomed twin boys in 2012.
He had been due to travel the UK later this year for an in-conversation tour sharing memories of his rock experiences.
Liveblog: Famous faces say final goodbye to Stone Roses bass player
The funeral, which was held at Manchester Cathedral, drew hundreds of fans, including a guard of scooter riders with black bands and a photo of Mani on their bikes.
Arriving at the service, The Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown said Mani was “a brother to me”, calling him a “beautiful human being”.
Some of the biggest names of British 1990s music were at the ceremony, including Oasis star Liam Gallagher, singer-songwriter Paul Weller, Primal Scream frontman Bobbie Gillespie and Bez, from the Happy Mondays.
Tim Burgess, lead singer of The Charlatans, Elbow frontman Guy Garvey, Ian McCulloch of Echo & The Bunnymen, Mike Joyce, drummer from The Smiths, Inspiral Carpets keyboardist Clint Boon, and former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook also came to pay tribute.
Liam Gallagher. Pic: PA
David Beckham. Pic: PA
Former Manchester United players David Beckham and Gary Neville were also among hundreds of mourners arriving for the service.
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay were also in attendance.
Paul Weller. Pic: PA
Bez from the Happy Mondays. Pic: PA
Hundreds more fans gathered outside the cathedral and applauded as the cortege arrived, and as I Wanna Be Adored – one of The Stone Roses’ biggest hits – blared from the speakers.
The coffin, which was decorated with artwork from the cover of The Stone Roses – the band’s self-titled debut album – had travelled around eight miles from Heaton Moor in Stockport to the cathedral.
Gallagher, along with The Stone Roses drummer Alan Wren – also known as Reni – and bandmate John Squire carried the coffin from the ceremony after the service.
Mani was part of the Stone Roses’ classic line-up alongside Brown, Squire and Wren.
Pausing briefly as he went into church, Brown said he was there to celebrate “what a beautiful human being that he was”.
Asked what his bandmate meant to him, the singer said: “Everything. He’s a brother to me.”
Guy Garvey, from Elbow, arriving for the funeral service of former The Stone Roses and Primal Scream bass player Gary Mounfield, who was known as Mani
Actress Sally Lindsay. Pic: PA
Forming in 1983, Mani was part of The Stone Roses until they split in 1996, playing on both the eponymous debut album, released in 1989, and their 1995 follow-up, Second Coming.
The “Madchester” band was known for blending indie with acid house, psychedelia and pop.
Mani went on to play with Scottish band Primal Scream for 15 years, leaving in 2011 to rejoin the reuniting Roses.
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