The BBC removed a controversial documentary from its iPlayer platform on Friday morning, following the discovery that its young narrator is the son of a senior Hamas official. The network has initiated an investigation into the film, originally broadcast on BBC Two, which portrayed the experiences of children in Gaza. This action comes after the revelation of the narrator's familial connection to Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the UK, Israel, and others.
The documentary, created by Hoyo Films, featured 13-year-old Abdullah as its narrator. It offered a poignant child's perspective on the war in Gaza. Despite the film's intention to highlight crucial stories from the region, concerns arose when it was disclosed that Abdullah is the son of Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. The BBC stated that they were not made aware of this connection by the production company before the documentary aired.
"The narrator of this film is 13-year-old Abdullah. His father has worked as a deputy agriculture minister for the Hamas-run government in Gaza. The production team had full editorial control of filming with Abdullah." – BBC
Calls for an investigation intensified as several prominent television figures, including Tracy-Ann Oberman and Danny Cohen, urged the BBC to suspend all broadcasts of the documentary and remove any related content from their platforms.
"Given the serious nature of these concerns, the BBC should immediately postpone any broadcast repeats of the programme, remove it from iPlayer and take down any social media clips of the programme until an independent investigation is carried out and its findings published with full transparency for licence-fee payers." – Tracy-Ann Oberman, Neil Blair, Danny Cohen, and Leo Pearlman
The Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, expressed her intent to discuss the matter with the BBC's director general and chairman. In response to ongoing questions surrounding the documentary, the BBC announced it would conduct "further due diligence" with Hoyo Films.
"There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company." – BBC
While addressing these concerns, the BBC maintained that the film remains an essential portrayal of children's experiences in Gaza.
"The film remains a powerful child's eye view of the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza which we believe is an invaluable testament to their experiences, and we must meet our commitment to transparency." – BBC
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