CALLS for the BBC to reinstate a Gaza documentary outnumber calls for its removal, the corporation’s director general has said.
The broadcaster removed the documentary 'Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone' from iPlayer after it emerged that the child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, former Hamas deputy minister of agriculture.
The corporation has since received nearly four times the number of complaints calling for a Gaza documentary to make it back to iPlayer than it being “anti-Israel”.
BBC director general Tim Davie, appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday, said that the BBC has received “around 1800” complaints calling for the documentary’s reinstatement, compared to the around 500 complaints about the film being biased against Israel.
The director general noted that he is “not ruling anything out” when asked if the documentary could return to iPlayer.
Prior to that however, Davie said he wants “forensic analysis” to be carried out on the programme on various areas including its budget before any potential reinstatement.
The corporation apologised last week for “serious flaws” in the making of the programme after conducting an initial review.
Davie (below), speaking at today’s committee hearing, said: “As editor-in-chief, I have to be secured, not only editorially where the film’s at, but the making of that film. And at that point, quite quickly, I lost trust in that film.
Davie added that he is aware of a “small payment” being made to the sister of the son of the Hamas official who featured in the documentary for his part in recording the narration.
The removal of the documentary sparked serious backlash, with BBC executives facing a joint letter signed by 500 TV stars and media professionals, including Gary Lineker, to reinstate the documentary.
The letter expressed concern that criticism of the documentary, based on nine months of footage shining a light on life in the devastated territory before the fragile ceasefire with Israel, was based on “racist assumptions and weaponisation of identity”.
It also argued that the narrator Abdullah’s father is not a political figure but a civil servant.
Following an initial review, a BBC spokesperson said last week that the broadcaster had “no plans to broadcast the programme again in its current form or return it to iPlayer” and that it would make a “further assessment” once the review is complete.
In a letter to the BBC on Monday, Ofcom chairman Lord Grade said the regulator could step in if an internal inquiry into the making of the documentary is not satisfactory.
