BBC puts new Gaza film on hold amid bias row
A new BBC Gaza documentary is facing an 'indefinite' delay until a review into a controversial film with links to Hamas has been completed.
The programme, provisionally titled Gaza: Medics Under Fire, follows Palestinian doctors and health-care workers in the war zone, and had been due to air in February.
However, it was pulled after a previous film on Gaza was found to have been narrated by the son of a Hamas government minister.
The contentious documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, featured Abdullah al-Yazouri as its teenage narrator, but did not disclose his family's links to the proscribed terror group.
The BBC removed the film from iPlayer amid a backlash, admitting 'serious flaws' in its production, and announced an internal investigation.
The review will look at errors including the payment of £790 by an independent production company, Hoyo Films, to the boy's family.
It has now emerged that the investigation has led to a separate documentary, Gaza: Medics Under Fire, being put on hold.
The film's production company, Basement Films, expressed frustration that its work could be affected by the scandal.
The company, which is not linked to the film under investigation, said it was 'deeply disappointed' with the 'repeated and indefinite delays'.
The documentary includes interviews with Palestinian doctors who survived attacks on hospitals, with some claiming to have been detained and tortured.
'We are desperate for a confirmed release date in order to be able to tell the surviving doctors and medics when their stories will be told,' the production company added.
The BBC said that it would show the film 'as soon as possible' after its review into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone had finished, but it has not set a date.
A spokesman for the corporation said: '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.
Basement Films is run by Ben de Pear, a former editor at Channel 4 News, who has won Emmy and Bafta awards for his work.
The Times reported that one BBC insider claimed the fallout from the first film had left bosses 'terrified' of showing anything about Gaza, but that others were reportedly relieved that it had been held back.
'The BBC has already done a lot about the suffering of Gazans because of Israel's actions,' the insider told The Times.
The review is being led by Peter Johnston, the BBC's editorial complaints chief. He has interviewed staff and the team behind Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, but The Times reported that legal issues have slowed its progress.
Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, has told Dr Samir Shah, the BBC chairman, that it will step in if not satisfied with the internal investigation.
It comes after The Telegraph revealed that the BBC is to appoint an independent figure to investigate allegations of anti-Semitism on its Arabic channel.
On Saturday, Dr Shah also suggested the corporation's wider reporting on the Israel-Gaza conflict would now be reviewed.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: 'The Arabic service, we are looking at it, we've been examining it. I think this whole business of how we've covered Israel-Gaza is a proper thing to examine thoroughly, which is why we're going to identify... we're going to get hold of an independent figure to look at our coverage.'
BBC sources said a 'thematic review' of its reporting on the Middle East conflict will be 'independent and published in full' for presentation to the board.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: Dunes Summer Theatre's 74th anniversary Sunday celebrated with sold-out ‘Misery'
When Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City reopened after its 2020 season pandemic pause for relaunch in 2021, it was a slow return to attract cautious audiences. Elise Kermani, managing director of the Dunes Arts Foundation and Steve Scott, a director emeritus from Chicago's Goodman Theater, later named Dunes Theatre artistic director in fall 2021, are sharing the same amazement this summer. They opened their 2025 stage season with a sold-out run of a newly imagined telling of Stephen King's 'Misery,' which opened May 30 and concludes with a final performance 2 p.m. Sunday, and scattered seats still available at all three remaining shows. Dunes Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oak Drive in Michigan City, celebrated the marking of the 74th anniversary last Sunday, June 8, with standing audience ovations for this new and cleverly devised staging of 'Misery.' The run stars Chicago TV news personality Janet Davies, completely transformed as the menacing recluse nurse Annie Wilkes, opposite brilliant Kevin Giese as tortured novelist Paul Sheldon who is held captive by 'his biggest fan.' The production is directed by John Hancock, our noted filmmaker and Oscar-nominated movie director local claim-to-fame who hails from LaPorte and did the filming for his 1989 holiday classic 'Prancer' at his family's farm in LaPorte. Also in this 'Misery' cast are Jim Lampl as skeptical rural town Sheriff Buster and Emmie Reigel, the latter molded into a new character, not previously featured in the original stage work or readings of this adaptation from two decades ago in New York. Reigel is cast as the ever-looming spirit of author Sheldon's novel heroine Misery Chastain and appears in nearly all the scenes. And many times, she 'earns her oats' helping with inventive transitions for scene needs. Creative wiz Michael Lasswell has built an entire rustic cabin farmhouse set design, complete with hidden secret reveals for the audience. Davies was the TV entertainment reporter for Chicago's ABC 7 News for more than 30 years and the host of the award-winning '190 North' Chicago entertainment, dining and lifestyle TV series. A world-traveled, seasoned broadcast journalist and winner of 18 Emmy awards for producing, writing and reporting, Davies has covered the British Royal Family, reported live from the red carpets of the Oscars and the Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the American Music Awards. In February 2021, Davies left ABC-owned WLS Channel 7 after a 37-year history and now divides her time between her beloved Chicago, world travels and her home in Galien, Michigan. She is also the board chair of the tiny but mighty stage at The Acorn Theatre in quaint Three Oaks, Michigan. 'You have to remember, I started out as a theatre major in college, and communication was my secondary career study,' said Davies, who was born in Richmond, Virginia, and raised in Fairfield, Ohio, before she earned a BA from Miami University in Ohio majoring in communications and theater. When chatting with Davies on Sunday, I told her of my amazement that she could remember all of the script lines and blocking sequences for the two-hour stage epic. (I still have my own nightmares about not remembering lines on stage, and that's without working full-time in the theater industry). In her world of working in the television field, a teleprompter is nothing out of the ordinary for anchor desk reporting. 'I spent considerable time learning lines, and a great director and cast help the process,' she said. Davies' 'Misery' co-star Giese is a graduate of Portage High School and trained at Second City in Chicago. He is familiar to audiences at both Dunes Summer Theatre and Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. I asked Davies if she already has another stage project in the works, and her only answer was a glint in her eye paired with a smile. I'm casting my own vote to see her play the mother superior nun in 'Doubt' or 'Agnes of God.' Maybe the theater gods will hear my request. Tickets for 'Misery' are $30 to $35 and available at or call 219-879-7509. Up next at Dunes Summer Theatre opening June 27 and playing until July 13 is 'Outside Mullingar,' a delicious dark company and one of my favorite stage stories by Irish playwright John Patrick Shanley and being directed by the Dunes' Michael Lasswell.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Harris Yulin, Emmy-Nominated Actor of ‘Scarface' and ‘Ozark,' Dies at 88
Harris Yulin, a prolific Emmy-nominated actor whose career spanned more than five decades across film, television, and stage, died Tuesday of cardiac arrest in New York City. He was 88. The character actor's many films include 'Scarface,' 'Clear and Present Danger, and 'Training Day.' He also played Buddy Dieker on the Netflix series 'Ozark' from 2017 to 2018. He guested on 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and was Emmy nominated in 1996 for a guest role on 'Frasier.' He made his film debut in 1970 in the black comedy 'End of the Road,' but landed his first featured role in Brian De Palma's 1983 'Scarface' as Mel Bernstein, a dirty narcotics cop. The actor was always memorable even in small parts, such as the New York judge in 'Ghostbusters II' who agrees to reverse murder charges for a pair of rampaging ghosts. Yulin was a well-respected theater actor, making New York debut in 1963 in 'Next Time I'll Sing to You' and first appeared on Broadway in the 1980s production of 'Watch on the Rhine.' He also starred in Broadway productions of 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' 'The Price,' and 'Hedda Gabler.' The actor was set to begin production on the MGM+ series 'American Classic,' opposite Kevin Kline and Laura Linney. Series co-creator Michael Hoffman told The Hollywood Reporter, 'Harris Yulin was very simply one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered.' Yulin was married to actress Gwen Welles Nashville from 1975 until her death in 1993 at age 42. He is survived by his second wife, actress Kristen Lowman, and his son-in-law Ted, nephew Martin and godchildren Marco and Lara. The post Harris Yulin, Emmy-Nominated Actor of 'Scarface' and 'Ozark,' Dies at 88 appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Harris Yulin, Frasier and 24 Actor, Dead at 87
Harris Yulin, the Emmy-nominated character actor whose myriad TV credits included Frasier, Ozark and 24, has passed away. His manager, Sue Leibman, tells TVLine that her client died of cardiac arrest in New York City Tuesday. He was 87 years old. More from TVLine Chris Robinson, of General Hospital and Bold and Beautiful, Dead at 86 Cheers Star George Wendt's Cause of Death Revealed Valerie Mahaffey, of Northern Exposure and Young Sheldon, Dead at 71 Yulin's career spanned more than six decades. At the time of his death, he was set to begin production on the forthcoming MGM+ series American Classic, opposite Kevin Kline, Laura Linney and Jon Tenney. The project would have reunited Yulin with series creator Michael Hoffman, who directed him in the 2005 film Game 6. His earliest TV credit was the 1970 telepic Neither Are We Enemies. He'd then go on to secure guest spots on such classics as Barnaby Jones, Ironside, Kojak, Little House on the Prairie, Police Woman, S.W.A.T. and Wonder Woman. He also recurred as Deek Peasley on ABC's How the West Was Won. The following decade included memorable roles as Bernstein in Scarface and The Judge in Ghostbusters II. Then in 1990, he was cast as news anchor Neal Frazier in the short-lived CBS workplace drama WIOU. Six years later, he played mobster Jerome Belasco in a Season 3 episode of Frasier. His performance earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He's also known for his roles as NSA director Roger Stanton in 24, and Kansas City mobster Buddy Dieker in Ozark. Additional film credits included Clear and Present Danger and Training Day. TV Stars We Lost in 2025 View Gallery36 Images Best of TVLine 'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
