BBC Drops ‘Gaza: Doctors Under Attack' Film As Producer Brands Director General A 'PR Person'
For the second time this year, the BBC has dropped a documentary film about the Israel-Hamas conflict, announcing that it will no longer move forward with Gaza: Doctors Under Attack.
The BBC greenlit Doctors Under Attack last year from Basement Films, the production company run by former Channel 4 News editor Ben de Pear.
More from Deadline
International Insider: '28 Years Later' Arrives; Landmark Netflix-TF1 Deal; NHK At 100
BBC Hits AI Startup Perplexity With Legal Threat Over Content Scraping Concerns
BBC's BAFTA-Winning Doc Series 'Once Upon A Time In...' Turns Eye To Middle East
It was meant to spotlight the plight of medics in Gaza, but production was paused in April following the scandal over Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, the HOYO Films doc that was found to have been narrated by the child of a Hamas minister.
A BBC investigation into How to Survive a Warzone remains ongoing. Peter Johnston, the BBC's director of editorial complaints and reviews, is examining the failings that led to the film being broadcast.
Now, the BBC has said it will not screen Doctors Under Attack, or carry any of its contents in news bulletins, after discussions with Basement 'reached the end of the road' on Thursday.
In a lengthy statement, the BBC said: '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.
'Impartiality is a core principle of BBC News. It is one of the reasons that we are the world's most trusted broadcaster. Therefore, we are transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films.'
The corporation continued: '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.'
De Pear has been contacted for comment. It is not clear what brought the talks between the BBC and Basement to a head.
De Pear did, however, personally criticize BBC director-general Tim Davie on a public platform at the Sheffield DocFest on Thursday. He said Davie is 'just a PR person,' who has meddled in editorial decisions and is leading an organization that is 'failing' in its duty to report on the Gaza crisis properly.
'Something needs to happen because they are making decisions from a PR defensive point of view rather than a journalistic one. If you make a decision on a journalistic basis you can defend it, but if you make it on a PR basis, you can't,' de Pear said, per a report in Broadcast.
The BBC said it spent weeks with de Pear attempting to get Gaza doctors' voices heard. 'Our aim was to find a way to air some of the material in our news programmes, in line with our impartiality standards, before the review [into How to Survive a Warzone] was published,' it said.
The BBC added: 'Contrary to some reports, since we paused production of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack in April, it has not undergone the BBC's final pre-broadcast sign-off processes.'
The BBC's coverage of the Gaza crisis has stoked strong feelings on both sides of the conflict, with How to Survive a Warzone illustrating the fraught nature of the debate.
The UK's Jewish community was appalled that the BBC screened a film narrated by a boy with Hamas connections that were not declared to viewers. Others argued that the BBC's decision to pull How To Survive a Warzone was an act of 'censorship' that played into Israel's agenda.
Best of Deadline
2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
35 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘KPop Demon Hunters' Arrives On Netflix With Stellar Critics' Score
Mira (voice by May Hong), Rumi (voice by Arden Cho) and Zoey (voice by Ji-young Yoo) in "KPop Demon ... More Hunters." KPop Demon Hunters premiered on Netflix Friday and it has already won over Rotten Tomatoes critics and users. A musical fantasy comedy movie produced by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters is being released on the streaming service as a Netflix Original. The official summary for KPop Demon Hunters reads, 'When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise.' KPop Demon Hunters stars the voices of Arden Cho as Rumi, May Hong as Mira and Ji-young Yoo as Zoe. The voice cast also includes Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu, Kim Yunjin as Celine, Daniel Dae Kim as Healer, Ken Jeong as Bobby and Lee Byung-hun as Gwi-Ma. As of Friday, Rotten Tomatoes critics have given KPop Demon Hunters a stellar 94% 'fresh' rating based on 17 reviews. In addition, the film has received an even higher rating from viewers — a 97% 'fresh' Popcornmeter score based on 50-plus verified user ratings. RT's Critics Consensus and audience summary are still pending. What Are Individual Critics Saying About 'KPop Demon Hunters'? Toussaint Egan of IGN Movies is among the critics on RT who give KPop Demon Hunters a fresh rating, noting that the film is 'a terrific directorial debut for animator Maggie Kang and yet another feather in Sony Pictures Animation's well-plumed cap.' Isaiah Colbert also gives the film a 'fresh' rating on RT, writing, 'With high-energy fight sequences and moments of genuine hilarity, KPop Demon Hunters never loses sight of the magic that makes animation and idol culture so irresistibly fun.' Jeff Ewing of Collider also gives KPop Demon Hunters a 'fresh' review on RT, writing, 'It's a beautifully bonkers fantasy premise that works, thanks to gorgeous animation and choreography, fun lore, a set of talented voice performances, and catchy tunes.' Ryan Guar of Discussing Film also sings high praises of the film on RT, writing,' KPop Demon Hunters delivers on being one of the most visually interesting movies of 2025. Sony Pictures Animation is the best animation studio in the West right now, and even their narratively flawed films like this one are still exhilarating to watch.' As of this publication, only one RT critic — Mark Dujsik of Mark Reviews Movies — gave KPop Demon Hunters a 'rotten' review, writing, '[In] its quest to be about something 'real,' the movie loses its sense of genuine fun.' Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, KPop Demon Hunters is new on Netflix.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Arcane,' returning from a 3-year hiatus, leads early Best Animated Program Emmy odds
The second and final season of Arcane is poised to shake up the 2025 Emmys. There are 38 submissions this year in the Best Animated Program category, which means there will again be five nominees. Leading the pack, per the Gold Derby odds, is Arcane. More from GoldDerby The 10 most Lynchian items at the David Lynch auction - and how much they sold for Best Drama Writing Emmy predictions: 'The Pitt' takes a risk by submitting 3 episodes 'Jaws' at 50: How Spielberg's movie changes 'horrified' wife of novel writer Peter Benchley Netflix's steampunk action-adventure show came on strong for its first season at the 2022 Emmys, winning Best Animated Program and three trophies for Best Individual Achievement in Animation. Three years later, it's back for Season 2, and there's no reason to think Television Academy members won't be just as enamored this time around. Arcane wrapped up major plot points in the series finale, "The Dirt Under Your Nails," in which destinies clashed in the lead-up to an all-out war. This is the episode that has been submitted for Emmy consideration. READ: The one show best positioned to beat Arcane in our odds is The Simpsons. The longest-running American scripted primetime series ever wrapped up its 36th season in May with its 790th episode. To date, The Simpsons has won 37 Emmys from 102 nominations, including 12 trophies for Best Animated Program. The comedy about the denizens of Springfield most recently prevailed in 2023 for "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII," but was beaten last year by Blue Eye Samurai, which is not currently in the running. This time around, the season premiere, "Bart's Birthday," is being entered for Emmy consideration, which serves a meta take on the show's eventual series finale. Love, Death + Robots has a near-perfect track record at the Emmys, winning 13 of its 15 nominations through the years. It won Best Short Form Animated Program for each of its first three seasons in 2019, 2021, and 2022, but is now competing against the big dogs up in the main Best Animated Program race. (There is no short form animation category this year, possibly due to a dearth of eligible submissions.) Season 4 of the anthology series streamed all 10 episodes on May 15, right at the tail end of the eligibility period. The third episode, "Spider Rose," has been submitted, and focuses on a grieving woman hellbent on revenge at the end of the galaxy. In fourth place is Bob's Burgers, a 13-time nominee in this category and two-time winner (2014 and 2017). Season 15 was split into two parts, with the first part airing at the end of 2024 and the second part airing now and through the summer. The eighth episode, "They Slug Horses, Don't They?," is being put forward for Emmy consideration, in which Tina and Louise get into an argument that escalates across several increasingly graphic "apology" cards. Invincible comes in fifth place for a nomination. Emmy voters will be judging the sixth episode of Season 3, "All I Can Say Is I'm Sorry," where a powerful new figure challenges Markus "Mark" Grayson/Invincible (voiced by Steven Yeun), and helps him to explore the concept of right vs. wrong. The superhero series streams on Prime Video, and received its first Emmy nomination last year for Sterling K. Brown for voicing Angstrom Levy. Gold Derby's Emmy odds are based on the combined forecasts of more than 4,100 people (and counting), including experts we've polled from major media outlets, editors who cover awards year-round for this website, and the mass of users who make up our biggest predictions bloc. Track the Emmy predictions by exploring all of our charts and graphs, and sound off in our TV forum. PREDICTED NOMINEES 1. Arcane — 19/10 2. The Simpsons — 71/20 3. Love, Death + Robots — 5/1 4. Bob's Burgers — 8/1 5. Invincible — 13/1 POTENTIAL SPOILERS 6. Big Mouth — 25/1 7. #1 Happy Family USA — 85/1 8. What If...? — 95/1 9. Harley Quinn — 100/1 10. Family Guy — 100/1 LONGSHOTS 11. Devil May Cry — 100/1 12. Batman: Caped Crusader — 100/1 13. Futurama — 100/1 14. Secret Level — 100/1 15. Star Trek: Lower Decks — 100/1 SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2 Adam Brody, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actor interviews Kristen Bell, Tina Fey, Bridget Everett, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actress interviews Click here to read the full article.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Charlie from 'Love Island USA' on Hannah and Pepe: 'How can I watch that?'
"Love Island USA" Season 7's Charlie Georgiou says the women were too loyal to Huda to vote her out of the villa, calling himself an "easy target." Charlie Georgiou is still reeling from being dumped by his fellow "Love Island USA" cast members. "It's savage; it's brutal," he tells USA TODAY. Since his villa roommates voted to oust him over the controversial Huda Mustafa and Taylor Williams, Charlie has been in a Fiji hotel room watching Netflix — and also catching up on the dozen Season 7 episodes in which the actor/model appeared. But the season's first male bombshell isn't eager to follow the most recent episodes, in which the woman he'd hit it off with, Hannah Fields, is happily moving on with Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez a day after uncontrollably sobbing over Charlie's departure. "When I was watching the episode of my departure, I saw that the next day, obviously they sent Pepe and Hannah and all the new couples on dates. And I was like, 'I can't watch that, man.' How can I watch that?" Charlie says. "Any human being wouldn't want to watch someone that they've just been establishing connections with go off and get to have this intimate experience with someone else." He adds, "Yeah, I don't want to watch the (newer) episodes. It's not a nice feeling. ... I'm just a bit worried I'll see something that makes me feel a bit (bad)." Charlie says he was the 'easy target'; the women 'weren't about to dump' Huda In Episode 12, viewers for the first time had their say in who couples up. When Hannah was paired with Pepe, Charlie was left on the chopping block alongside Taylor and Huda. Chelley, Cierra and Amaya's votes sealed Charlie's fate. This "disappointed" Charlie, who'd thought he had formed better friendships with the women. "Amaya, I always looked out for her. She cried in front of me. Me and Hannah looked after her and made her feel better, and she confided in us and we consoled her," Charlie says. "So for her to be the final executor of my time there ... the irony of it. I was like, 'No way, man, I can't believe it's you that's done it." As for Cierra, her vote to dump Charlie "let me down because ... we went in this game together. We went into the villa together. We'd have one-on-one conversations and check in on each other. He'd hoped he would sway his fellow islanders by giving his "last-ditch effort" pitch that he and Hannah had just found a new lease on their budding love. "And even that wasn't enough," Charlie says. "So I think I was always going to be the easy target." The women's loyalty to each other was the nail in the coffin, Charlie believes. "I just feel like the girls weren't about to dump (Huda)," he says. "They're not going to dump their girlfriend that they're upstairs with. They're watching her cry. They're not going to do that. They're going to go for me."
