BBC to share personal stories of Lockerbie victims in new documentary Lockerbie: Our Story

BBC News

06-02-2025

A new documentary for BBC One, BBC Scotland and iPlayer, Lockerbie: Our Story, tells the personal stories of six victims of Britain's deadliest terrorist attack.
On 21st December 1988, passenger jet Pan Am 103 was blown up over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing all 259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground. It became the UK's largest crime scene and to this day remains the deadliest terrorist attack on British soil.
For nearly forty years the bombing has been mired in criminal investigations, controversy and conspiracy theory – overshadowing the stories of the people who lost their lives. Instead, this powerful and emotional documentary focuses on the passengers. The film tells the personal stories of six people who boarded the plane that day, never to come home. For the first time, family and friends describe their lost loved ones in intimate detail - who they were, what they were like in life, their hopes and dreams for a future that never came. They tell us why they were on the plane that day and wonder whether they should have been warned not to be.
Olive Gordon, a hairdresser, was 25 when she died. Greek shipping titan Minas Kulukundis, died aged 38. Tim Burman, a banker died aged 24. Terri Saunders and Billy MacAllister, a couple, died and were buried together. Helga Mosey, a promising musician was only 19 when she died on Pan Am 103. Now their family and friends pay tribute to them and tell us the painful, touching and often joyful memories of their lost loved ones which they treasure to this day.
Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, said 'Nearly forty years on from the bombing of Pan Am 103, this film shines a long overdue light on some of the people and personal stories behind the bombing.'
Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning BBC Scotland said: 'The impact of the tragic events of the Lockerbie disaster in December 1988 continue to be felt today. It was an atrocity which shocked the world and changed lives forever. Our documentary will honour the memory of those lost, and tell the stories of those left behind, with the greatest of care.'
Alan Clements, Managing Director and Executive Producer, Two Rivers Media, says: 'We feel extremely proud that the families in this film have given Two Rivers such open access to their stories, many of them speaking for the first time. We feel passionately about honouring human and individual experiences in our work, whether in films like Last Musician of Auschwitz, Marine A or this film, ensuring that voices and issues continue to be heard.'
Lockerbie: Our Story (1 x 60) is produced by Glasgow based Two Rivers Media for BBC One, BBC Scotland and iPlayer. The film is produced and directed by Stephen Bennett (Dunblane: Our Story) and the Executive Producer for Two Rivers is Alan Clements. The film was commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries and by Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland. Aisling O'Connor is Commissioning Editor for Documentaries and David Harron is Commissioning Editor for BBC Scotland.
As previously announced, the BBC and Netflix have commissioned World Productions (Anne, United) to produce a six part drama about the investigation into the bombing of Pan Am flight 103, and how the community in Lockerbie came together in the aftermath. The series will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year, followed by Netflix in the UK and globally.
DH4