Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, filmmaker Mike Leigh, and more urge BBC to air delayed Gaza documentary
Over 600 prominent figures, including Susan Sarandon, Mike Leigh, and Lindsey Hilsum, have signed an open letter urging the BBC to broadcast the delayed documentary “Gaza: Medics Under Fire.” The letter, addressed to BBC director-general Tim Davie, expresses concern about the censorship of Palestinian voices and calls for the immediate release of the documentary, which follows medical workers in Gaza. Among the signatories are 130 anonymous participants, with over a dozen identified as BBC staff members.
Produced by an award-winning team, including Emmy and Peabody recipients, the documentary was originally scheduled to air in January but has been indefinitely delayed. Despite undergoing rigorous editorial scrutiny and fact-checks, the BBC has not provided a timeline or transparency for the delay.
The letter accuses the BBC of political suppression, stating that such decisions reinforce the devaluation of Palestinian lives in the media. The production company, Basement Films, is quoted in the letter expressing their desperation for a confirmed release date to inform the surviving doctors and medics featured in the documentary.
Notable signatories of the letter include actors Miriam Margolyes, Maxine Peake, and Juliet Stevenson, comedians Frankie Boyle and Alexei Sayle, as well as journalists, filmmakers, and media professionals.
The letter concludes with a direct demand for a release date for “Gaza: Medics Under Fire,” emphasizing the importance of telling all stories and not deciding behind closed doors whose stories are worth sharing.
Variety has reached out to the BBC for comment on the situation.
The controversy surrounding the delayed documentary comes in the wake of increased scrutiny of the BBC’s Gaza coverage. In February, the broadcaster faced backlash over another Gaza documentary, “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,” which was pulled from its streaming platform due to revelations about its teenage narrator’s father being a Hamas official. The BBC acknowledged serious flaws in the production process and initiated a review to uphold trust and transparency in its journalism.
