BBC Factual has made four History commissions for BBC Two and iPlayer: Escaping Idi Amin (w/t) by Dragonfly; Legacy: Michael Jackson (w/t), produced by 72 Films; Captured By IS (w/t) from Story and Basement; and Lucy Worsley’s Victorian Murder Club from Wall to Wall.
In addition, the BBC has ordered a new series of A House Through Time presented by Professor David Olusoga, the sixth series from Twenty Twenty.
Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, said: “The titles we are announcing today show the incredible richness of BBC History. There is something here for everyone: startling tales from Georgian Edinburgh and Victorian London; modern history through the prism of a controversial pop superstar; hard lessons drawn from a 70s migration crisis; and a vital message about the risks that journalists take reporting from the world’s most dangerous places. These documentaries demonstrate that the future – and the present – are firmly rooted in the past. And if you want to know why the world is the way it is now, there is no better place to begin than by watching History on the BBC.”
LUCY WORSLEY’S VICTORIAN MURDER CLUB
In this historical crime series, Lucy Worsley takes on the case of a forgotten Victorian serial killer who was never caught. Dubbed the Thames Torso Murderer, and operating at the same time as Jack the Ripper, this killer’s hallmark was to dismember the bodies of his female victims and scatter the body parts in and near London’s Thames River.Worsley is investigating this historic cold case, re-examining leads that were followed and uncovering new ones. In her hunt for the murderer, Lucy interrogates new theories about the identity of the killer and consults with forensic pathologists and psychologists.
She also assembles a team of historians and writers to form her own Murder Club. Together they delve into the Victorian records to reveal more about the women and the precarious world they lived in, ultimately aiming to unmask one of the 19th century’s most brutal serial killers.
Worsley said: “By turns exciting, chilling and distressing, this was a project that sucked me in deep. I hope viewers will feel the same way! And I really hope they’ll also share my satisfaction at coming up with a convincing solution to a terrible mystery.”
Lucy Worsley’s Victorian Murder Club, a 3 x 60’ for BBC Two and iPlayer, is made by Wall to Wall Media. It was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual, the Executive Producer is Colette Flight, the Series Producer is Deborah Lee, the Series Director is James Ross and the Line Producer is Shari De Silva.
credit Connor Harris/copyright Wall to Wall Media Ltd
ESCAPING IDI AMIN (w/t)
In 1972, 18 months into his brutal regime, Idi Amin declared that all Asians had just 90 days to leave Uganda, forever. Unpredictable and charismatic, Amin said he was acting after God appeared to him in a dream.Asian families were the bedrock of the Ugandan economy, and many had lived there for generations. But for Idi Amin, their presence and status were a reminder of a colonial past.
Told as a historical thriller; Escaping Idi Amin (w/t) reveals the story of those 90 days, through the eyes of those who lived it.
Across the world, Amin’s announcement was met first by shock and disbelief, turning to panic and fear with each passing day.
Almost 30,000 Ugandan Asians were British passport holders – but their passports were not enough to guarantee entry into the UK. Whipped up by Enoch Powell and others, the UK was increasingly anti-immigrant.
As the 90-day deadline approached, the terror in Uganda intensified, with curfews, roadblocks, arrests and murders. Those who made it to Britain were allowed to leave with just £50 and were bussed to camps across the country. 50 years on, the then Prime Minister David Cameron referred to Ugandan Asians as “one of the most successful groups of immigrants anywhere in the history of the world,”
Escaping Idi Amin (w/t), a 2 x 60’ for BBC Two and iPlayer, is made by Dragonfly Film & TV (a Banijay UK company). It was commissioned by Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, the Executive Producers are Nacressa Swan, Ed Coulthard and Will Rowson and the Director is Sara Kandasamy.
CAPTURED BY IS (w/t)
This series, from the frontlines of the war against the Islamic State group, tells the story of British photojournalist John Cantlie who was kidnapped in Syria alongside his American friend James Foley. The pair were on assignment covering the civil war in 2012 when they were taken hostage and handed over to the infamous gang of British jihadis who became known as “The Beatles”.Building on the success of The Times podcast Last Man Standing, by Anthony Loyd and Manveen Rana, and with access to those close to John and James, fellow hostages, investigators and politicians, as well as British jihadis now imprisoned in Syria and Iraq, this series at once paints an intimate portrait of human survival, an important examination of the British Government’s hostage policy, and a timely depiction of the risk and necessity of journalism in the world’s most dangerous places.
After Cantlie and Foley were taken hostage, Britain and the US held to their strict policies not to negotiate with terrorists, while the ransoms of other European hostages were paid. Then the worst happened. ISIS released a horrifying video depicting James Foley being murdered. John Cantlie’s loved ones braced themselves, but then a very different video emerged online. Cantlie was still a prisoner, but instead of kneeling in front of an ISIS executioner, he was reporting for them as a journalist. In a terrifying echo of the drama “Homeland”, two possibilities emerged: was he being forced to do this in a bid to survive; or had his allegiances started to shift?
Captured By IS (w/t), a 3 x 60’ for BBC Two and iPlayer, is a co-production between Story Films and Basement Films. It was commissioned by Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, the Director is BAFTA winner Marian Mohamed, the Producer is Alec Webb, the Editor is Martin McDonnell, and the Executive Producers are Peter Beard and Ben De Pear. The series builds on original reporting in The Times podcast “Last Man Standing” by Anthony Loyd and Manveen Rana.
credit BBC/Story Films /Copyright 2012 AP. All rights reserved/Mustafa Karali)
LEGACY: MICHAEL JACKSON (w/t)
Legacy: Michael Jackson (w/t) is a three‑part documentary series exploring the rise, abuse allegations, and enduring legacy of the pop star. With access to rare intimate archive, and interviews with those closest to him.From his rise to fame at a young age in the racially segregated landscape of 1960’s America, to the controversies surrounding his personal affairs in later years, the series offers a comprehensive examination of Jackson’s life. As well as the stories behind the iconic songs, innovative videos, and mesmeric live performances, the series will also explore the longstanding allegations of child sexual abuse, which he denied. In addition, the series will look at how the Michael Jackson estate continues to generate billions of dollars from his art, and how his legacy sits within the cultural landscape today.
Legacy: Michael Jackson (w/t), a 3×60’ for BBC Two and iPlayer, is made by 72 Films, a Fremantle company. It was commissioned by Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, the Executive Producer is Mark Raphael, the Series Director is Sophie Fuller. Fremantle is distributing the series internationally.
photo credit BBC/Story Films /Copyright 2012 AP. All rights reserved/Mustafa Karali
A HOUSE THROUGH TIME
Returning for its sixth series, A House Through Time, once again presented by Professor David Olusoga, embarks on an exciting new chapter in Scotland’s world-famous capital. Edinburgh’s spectacular volcanic landscape and equally dramatic history offer the perfect backdrop to BBC Two’s landmark historical investigation, revealing a new version of our nation’s past through the lives of the ordinary people all living within the walls of a single house.Edinburgh’s architecture is a tale of two cities: the medieval Old Town with its narrow closes and towering tenements, and the elegant Georgian New Town with its sweeping crescents and neoclassical grandeur. However, this series features a house that intriguingly straddles the two, both geographically and historically. It sits high on Calton Hill with a view over the city and although built as part of Edinburgh’s rapid 18th Century expansion it predates the New Town’s creation. It’s a house inhabited by the aspirational rather than the wealthy, and in typical Edinburgh style, it was built in stages and housed multiple families.
Dating back to 1765, this will be one of A House Through Time’s oldest houses and the most challenging to research because of Edinburgh’s complicated history of multiple families living in single dwellings. From its origins as a place for the aspiring professional classes, our house’s first residents included wealthy widows, post office administrators and even artists who would eventually catch the attention of Queen Victoria, but as times changed, they also included bankrupts, spies and even the owner of a questionable ‘house of ill fame’. From its Georgian origins to its current residents, the story of this house spans the history of modern Edinburgh.
Professor David Olusoga returns to guide viewers through Edinburgh’s transformation during periods of political upheaval, industrial revolution, war and urban renewal, examining how national events shaped individual lives within this single property.David says: “I’m delighted that we are bringing A House Through Time to Edinburgh, a city I adore and that is bursting with history.”
A House Through Time, a 4 x 60’ Production for BBC Two and iPlayer, is made by Twenty Twenty Productions. It was commissioned by Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History. The Executive Producer is Rory Wheeler, the Series Producer is Paul Bradshaw, the Directors are Kat Feavers and Jonathan Rowlands, and the Commissioning Editor is Emma Hindley.
credit Richard Ranken/copyright Twenty Twenty Productions
Pippa Considine
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