Susan Sarandon and Frankie Boyle among signatories urging BBC to air Gaza film

South Wales Argus

12-05-2025

Figures from across the film, TV, journalism and cultural sectors have signed their name in an open letter urging BBC director general Tim Davie to air the unreleased documentary, Gaza: Medics Under Fire.
The letter has been sent on behalf of the UK Screen Industry, made up of a 'group of concerned film and TV professionals'.
Tim Davie, director general of the BBC (Andrew Milligan/PA)
The documentary, which includes eyewitness accounts from frontline Palestinian health workers in Gaza and documents attacks on hospitals and clinics, was due to air in January.
But it was delayed by the BBC until an ongoing review into a different programme in the region was completed.
The BBC pulled the documentary How to Survive a Warzone in February after it emerged its 13-year old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
The letter, signed by more than a dozen anonymous BBC staff, said: 'This documentary was scheduled to air in January but has since been indefinitely delayed. It has undergone rigorous editorial scrutiny. It has been fact-checked and signed off repeatedly, and yet the BBC refuses to set a broadcast date.
'This is not editorial caution. It's political suppression. The BBC has provided no timeline, no transparency. Such decisions reinforce the systemic devaluation of Palestinian lives in our media.
'It's hard not to conclude that the BBC's gatekeeping is rooted in racism. The message is clear: Programmes about the ongoing genocide, told from Palestinian perspectives, are held to a different standard.
'Every day this film is delayed, the BBC fails in its commitment to inform the public, fails in its journalistic responsibility to report the truth, and fails in its duty of care to these brave contributors.'
Also among the 600 or so signatories are Channel 4 News international editor, Lindsey Hilsum, and actors Game of Thrones' Indira Varma, Killing Eve's Dame Harriet Walter, and Sweetpea star Olivia Cooke.
Director Mike Leigh also added his name to the list along with actress Miriam Margolyes and Bend It Like Beckham's Juliet Stevenson.
Ruhi Hamid, a filmmaker who signed the letter, said: 'As a documentary filmmaker, I know how much work, risk, and responsibility goes into telling the truth – especially in places like Gaza.
'When the BBC, a public service broadcaster, chooses to suppress a film that highlights the lifesaving work of doctors under siege, it doesn't just fail the filmmakers. It fails the public.
'It sends a message that some truths are too inconvenient to air, and that some lives – especially Palestinian lives—are less worthy of compassion or coverage.
'That's not just editorial judgment. That's a failure of journalistic integrity – and it's dangerous for our entire industry.'
Rose Glandfield, a documentary editor who also signed the letter added: 'As a Jewish woman from a family of pacifists, I was raised with the belief that our humanity is defined by how we respond to the suffering of others, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or religion. Bearing witness to injustice and standing up for those in danger is not only a moral imperative, it is a core part of my identity.'
The production company behind the new documentary, Basement Films, said they gathered 'searing testimony from multiple Palestinian doctors and healthcare workers' and are 'desperate' to confirm a release date.
The broadcaster has responded to the delay and said it will release the documentary 'as soon as possible'.
A BBC spokesperson said: 'We are committed to journalism which tells our audiences the stories of this war, including what is happening in Gaza. This documentary is a powerful piece of reporting and we will broadcast it as soon as possible.
'We have taken an editorial decision not to do so while we have an ongoing review into a previous documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.'
The BBC previously apologised over 'serious flaws' in releasing How To Survive a Warzone with Davies saying he lost 'trust' in the film after learning of the Hamas connection.
It is understood that the BBC will respond to the letter in due course and will not cancel the documentary.
The broadcaster launched a review into the film and has delayed the release of the new documentary with no current date in place for when it will air.