Ofcom warns it could intervene in BBC's Gaza documentary investigation

Independent

03-03-2025

Ofcom has warned it has 'ongoing concerns' about the 'nature and gravity' of a BBC documentary on Gaza which featured the son of a Hamas official.
In a letter to the BBC, Ofcom chairman Lord Grade also warned that the regulator could 'intervene' to handle a complaint if it is not satisfied with the corporation's internal investigation.
An internal review by the broadcaster found that the child narrator for Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture.
The letter to BBC chairman Samir Shah comes as BBC director-general Tim Davie is set to be questioned by MPs during a Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee hearing on the work of the corporation.
It also comes after 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.
Lord Grade wrote: 'The BBC has publicly acknowledged there were serious failings in the production of this programme which have raised important questions that the BBC must answer.
'Ofcom has ongoing concerns about the nature and gravity of these failings and the negative impact they have on the trust audiences place in the BBC's journalism.
'It is crucial that the causes of those errors are investigated, and that systems are put in place to ensure they cannot recur.'
He also noted that 'in exceptional circumstances, Ofcom may intervene to handle and resolve a complaint which has not been resolved by the BBC'.
Lord Grade, who said Ofcom is waiting on the BBC to complete its investigations, added: 'We expect the investigation into complaints being led by the Editorial Complaints Unit and the fact-finding review led by Peter Johnston to be conducted as thoroughly as possible, and with the full scrutiny of the BBC Board.
'We will continue to keep the situation under close review and will expect regular updates from the BBC regarding both timeframes and progress and reserve the right to use our powers to step in should we feel it necessary to do so, given that the BBC Board has decided these to be internal investigations.'
The BBC has said independent production company Hoyo Films, which made the documentary, told the broadcaster that the boy's mother had been paid 'a limited sum of money for the narration'.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy met Dr Shah on Friday after saying she wanted assurances 'that no stone will be left unturned' during a review into the documentary.
A BBC spokesman previously said 'serious flaws in the making of this programme' had been identified.
He added: 'Some of these were made by the production company and some by the BBC; all of them are unacceptable.
'BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the corporation's reputation. We apologise for this.
'Nothing is more important than the trust that our audiences have in our journalism. This incident has damaged that trust.
'While the intent of the documentary was aligned with our purpose – to tell the story of what is happening around the world, even in the most difficult and dangerous places – the processes and execution of this programme fell short of our expectations.
'Although the programme was made by an independent production company, who were commissioned to deliver a fully compliant documentary, the BBC has ultimate editorial responsibility for this programme as broadcast.'
The spokesman said one of the core questions was around 'the family connections of the young boy who is the narrator of the film' and the production company 'was asked in writing a number of times by the BBC about any potential connections he and his family might have with Hamas'.
A BBC spokesperson said: 'Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy's father was a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas government; they have also acknowledged that they never told the BBC this fact.'
After the discovery about Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who speaks about life in the territory amid the war between Israel and Hamas, the BBC added a disclaimer to the programme, and later removed it from its online catch-up service, saying it had no plans to broadcast the programme again.
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 Margolyes 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'.