Gaza film producer accuses BBC of gag attempt after documentary dropped
Ben de Pear says broadcaster pressured him to stay silent on decision not to air film on Gaza medics
LONDON
The producer of a documentary about medics in the Gaza Strip has accused the BBC of attempting to silence him for its decision to drop the film, which aired Wednesday on Channel 4.
“Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,” features harrowing accounts from medics working under Israel’s bombardment. It showed overwhelmed hospitals, raids and claims of detention and torture.
The documentary was originally commissioned by the BBC’s Panorama team but was later dropped by the broadcaster, prompting its return to Channel 4, where the project was first developed.
“This has been on far too long a journey, given the horrific and urgent events it depicts, but finally our film will air tonight, back where it started at Channel 4,” producer Ben de Pear said on LinkedIn.
He accused BBC executives of repeatedly pressuring him to sign a legal clause preventing him from stating that the broadcaster had declined to air the film, or from allowing others to say it.
“Not only could we have been sued for saying the BBC refused to air the film (palpably and provably true) but also if any other company had said it, the BBC could sue us,” said de Pear. “Reader, I didn’t sign it, and I spoke the truth at Sheffield, and I felt better. If you work at the BBC you should try it, if you can.”
The film passed through BBC Panorama and BBC Eye before being dropped. Despite the uncertainty, the production team pressed on.
“In Gaza we had a team of 12 filmmakers who made Kill Zone: Inside Gaza; that’s now 11 after Montaser al-Sawf became one of 200 journalists killed by Israel,” de Pear said, paying tribute to the crew.
He criticized Western media for hesitating to cover the war in Gaza.
“Why is it so difficult to make documentaries about the biggest and worst assault on civilians this century?” he asked. “Why won’t US media commission anything? Why can we watch on our phones the death of tens of thousands, but not on our TVs?”
According to the filmmakers, the medics featured in the documentary never believed the BBC would broadcast their testimonies.
“They were right,” de Pear added.
