Channel 4 viewers 'sick to their stomachs' over One Day in Southport documentary
Channel 4 's powerful new documentary One Day in Southport, which examines the harrowing events of 29 July 2024 and the horror that followed, had a deep impact on viewers tonight.
The film focuses on one young survivor and her family, shedding light on how tragedy, misinformation, and extremism collided in modern Britain. Featuring interviews with witnesses, relatives, and community members, the documentary paints a stark picture of the horrifying event.
The programme centres on the deadly stabbing attack carried out by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space community centre in Southport.
Three young girls, Bebe King (6), Elsie Dot Stancombe (7), and Alice da Silva Aguiar (9), were all killed in the brutal stabbings. Ten more people, including eight children, were also injured.
Rudakubana, who was arrested at the scene, later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 52 years.
In the aftermath, false rumours circulated online accusing a Muslim asylum seeker of the crime. The misinformation sparked riots in 27 towns, leading to violent attacks on mosques and migrant homes.
One Day in Southport which explores not only the personal grief but also the wider social consequences had an instant impact on viewers who tuned into the Channel 4 documentary tonight. Taking to X after watching the chilling stories of the victims unfold, viewers shared their heartbreak.
"I am truly sick to my stomach watching this. How did this happen to such innocent little babies? Bawling my eyes out and thinking of their poor families," one viewer shared. Another echoed: "God, this is such a hard watch, but so important too."
Another Channel 4 viewer typed: "Those poor little girls must have been terrified. To think they had their whole lives ahead of them. Such a powerful documentary. Fair play to Channel 4."
"So heartbroken watching this. Tears streaming down to the ground omg," someone else shared. While another viewer voiced: "It just shows how unsafe the UK has become. Nobody is safe. Not even innocent little girls."
The documentary also focused on the riots that took place in Middlesbrough on August 4, 2024. It had initially been scheduled to be a peaceful protest in light of the fatal Southport stabbings, which turned into riots, which were fuelled by anti-Islamophobic and racist misinformation around the killer's identity.
Over 1,000 people attended the riot, which saw some smash shop windows, attack homes, and burn cars.
Wesley Winter, who contributes to the documentary, shared his experience with The Mirror ahead of the release of One Day in Southport.
"We saw a car get burnt down. For me, the most shocking thing was that there was a car trying to get through and people were saying, 'If you're not white, you can't go through,'" says Wesley, who is half Korean. "That was really tinteresting o see because Middlesbrough was quite a diverse area.
"It did seem like it was an excuse for just anyone to break houses and smash windows and target anyone and everyone. It was unfair."
For Wesley's wife, Cailin - a Chinese national - the experience proved to be traumatic. While waiting in their car for Wesley to film, she was surrounded by masked rioters who began attacking the vehicle.
"They were like monkeys, yelling, shouting, and jumping around, jumping on the car one by one," she says. "They kicked the windows, smashed the windows, and celebrated. I realised that they didn't fear anything."
The incident has deeply affected Cailin. "It was really traumatic because she's not familiar with England that much. Now when she goes to the high street, if people are riding on bikes with masks on, it's traumatic for her," he says.
The police arrested 43 people in connection with the violence in Middlesbrough. Wesley thinks that the government could have stepped in sooner to stop the damage from happening.
"There was a lot of damage control that could have been done from the government. There was a lack of information at the time around who the attacker was," he says.
"There was so much speculation about who he was and I know there are laws around it but for this particular case, I think there should have been more information to reduce the risk.
"People wanted to funnel their anger somewhere and they just chose the streets. It was really unfortunate."
One Day in Southport is available to stream on Channel 4.
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