BBC's Gaza documentary film-maker claims he's fighting ‘misinformation'
Jamie Roberts stressed the importance of 'factual stories' as he collected a Bafta award on Sunday night for directing a documentary about the war in Ukraine.
He previously directed and produced the contentious documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which failed to disclose that its narrator was the son of a senior Hamas official.
The BBC removed the film from iPlayer amid a backlash, admitting 'serious flaws' in its production, and announced an internal investigation.
Mr Roberts said he was confident he would be able to continue making films after the BBC concluded its investigation. He did not comment on the inquiry when asked in the winners' room after collecting the award.
'I'm confident we'll be able to keep making films telling important stories. I can't talk about the inquiry at the moment,' he said.
The film-maker took home the award for best Single Documentary for directing Ukraine: Enemy In The Woods, which portrays the lives of Ukrainian soldiers on the front line as filmed by them.
He said: 'It's really important. I mean, I think just factual stories, issues like Ukraine, like Gaza, healthcare in the UK, all these things that sometimes people might find dull or boring.
'It's important to try and make films that cut through to be able to tell these stories, because I think it's important we know what's happening in the world, especially with so much misinformation and lies.
'The narrative in Ukraine, with the Russian war is being argued over, so to be able to see what's happening through people's eyes that are on the ground there is important otherwise you can be misled.'
He said winning the award felt 'surreal'.
The review into the Gaza documentary is being led by Peter Johnston, the BBC's editorial complaints chief, who has interviewed staff and the team behind the film.
It will look at alleged errors including the payment of £790 by an independent production company, Hoyo Films, to the family of Abdullah al-Yazouri, the film's teenage narrator and son of a Hamas government minister.
Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, has told Samir Shah, the BBC chairman, that it will step in if not satisfied with the internal investigation.
It comes after The Telegraph revealed that the BBC is to appoint an independent figure to investigate allegations of anti-Semitism on its Arabic channel.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Focus on Gregg Wallace, Glastonbury and Gaza as BBC releases annual report
The BBC is to face questions on Gregg Wallace, its Glastonbury Festival coverage and the Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone documentary as it prepares to release its 2024/2025 annual report. The corporation will highlight its successes over the past year and disclose the pay of its top talent, but focus is likely to be on a storm of stories about the BBC's shows and coverage of live events. It comes after Ofcom announced it would investigate the BBC's Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone documentary after a review found it had breached the corporation's editorial guidelines on accuracy. The regulator said it had examined the BBC report and would be investigating under its broadcasting code, which states factual programmes 'must not materially mislead the audience'. The programme was removed from BBC iPlayer in February after it emerged that the child narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. An Ofcom spokesperson said: 'Having examined the BBC's findings, we are launching an investigation under our rule which states that factual programmes must not materially mislead the audience.' The review, conducted by Peter Johnston, the director of editorial complaints and reviews, which is independent of BBC News, said the programme was in breach of accuracy for 'failing to disclose information about the child narrator's father's position within the Hamas-run government'. But the review found no other breaches of editorial guidelines, including breaches of impartiality, and also found no evidence that outside interests 'inappropriately impacted on the programme'. The BBC will also face scrutiny after a total of 45 out of the 83 allegations of misconduct made against former MasterChef presenter Wallace during his time on the show were substantiated, including one allegation of 'unwelcome physical contact', in a report following an investigation into his behaviour. On Monday, Wallace's MasterChef co-host John Torode confirmed he had a standalone allegation of racist language upheld in the same report. He said had 'no recollection of the incident' and was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation in an Instagram post. In November 2024 the show's production company, Banijay UK, announced Wallace would step away from his role on the BBC cooking show while historical allegations of misconduct were investigated. The report concluded that the 'majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour', adding that 'a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated'. Also expected to be on the agenda is coverage of Glastonbury, which saw the broadcaster livestream a set by punk duo Bob Vylan, during which singer Bobby Vylan, whose real name is reportedly Pascal Robinson-Foster, led crowds in chants of 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'. Director-general Tim Davie confirmed on Monday that staff at the festival had the authority to cut the stream Avon and Somerset Police have since launched an investigation into the group's set with the BBC issuing an apology for the live stream, and promising to no longer broadcast live acts they deem 'high risk' as they had with Bob Vylan in a pre-festival assessment. The Ipswich-formed duo, who are completed by drummer Bobbie Vylan, are also being investigated by the Met Police for alleged comments in a video of their performance supporting Iggy Pop at Alexandra Palace in May. In the video, Vylan appears to say: 'Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.' According to reports in The Times, the BBC's director of music Lorna Clarke was among a group of senior staff who have stepped back from their day-to-day roles after the broadcaster's decision to show Bob Vylan's set live. The salary of former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker is expected to be included in the report, after he left his presenting role early following a social media row after he shared a post about Zionism which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult. Lineker, who issued an unreserved apology, was the BBC's highest-paid presenter until his departure, with the annual report for 2023/24 showing his salary to be to around £1.35 million a year. The presenter will no longer front the BBC's coverage of the 2026 World Cup or the FA Cup next season, with his final appearance on Match Of The Day at the end of the last Premier League season. It comes as it was announced that Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah will face questions from MPs over the documentary, Wallace, and its Glastonbury coverage. The two will appear before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on September 9.
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
BBC's Gaza documentary narrated by Hamas official's teen son violated editorial guidelines, probe finds
A BBC documentary about the Gaza war's effect on children breached editorial guidelines — and is being probed by Britain's media watchdog — for not disclosing that its teen narrator was the son of a Hamas official. 'Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone' breached editorial guidelines on accuracy when it aired in February because narrator Abdullah, 13, is the son of Hyman Alyazouri, deputy minister of agriculture under the terror group, a BBC internal review determined Monday. 4 'Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone' breached editorial guidelines on accuracy when it aired in February, a BBC review determined. BBC 'The review found that the independent production company, Hoyo Films, bears most of the responsibility for the failure,' the broadcaster said Monday, while admitting it also 'bore some responsibility' and should have had more oversight. Three Hoyo Films employees knew of Alyazouri's ties to Hamas, but did not alert the broadcaster before the film aired, according to the BBC review. The film company was asked in writing 'a number of times' about any potential ties Abdullah and his family had to the terrorists, a BBC spokesperson told The Post in March. 4 The film company was asked in writing 'a number of times' about any potential ties Abdullah and his family had to the terrorists. AP Hoyo only made the revelation after the documentary was released, the rep said, adding that the production company allegedly paid the boy's mother a 'limited sum of money.' However, the BBC said its review found no proof 'to support the suggestion that the narrator's father or family influenced the content of the program in any way.' 4 Hoyo only made the revelation after the documentary was released, the rep said. BBC After the BBC released its findings, Britain's Office of Communications, or Ofcom, announced it would conduct its own review 'under our rule which states the factual programs must not mislead the audience.' The investigation comes just two weeks after the BBC aired an antisemitic livestream from punk-rap band Bob Vylan's performance at the Glastonbury Festival on June 28. 4 BBC said its review found no proof 'to support the suggestion that the narrator's father or family influenced the content of the program in any way.' BBC The company, which streams the annual event, later admitted that it should have cut the feed after the London-based duo spewed hateful rhetoric and urged the massive crowd to chant 'Death to the IDF,' in reference to the Israel Defense Forces. The US pulled Bob Vylan's visas after the stunt. The group had a 20-show American tour slated to kick off in October. With Post wires
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gavin & Stacey star's BBC sitcom hailed as 'one of the greatest ever written' confirms return date
A BBC show featuring a Gavin & Stacey icon has confirmed when its next season will air. Here We Go, starring Alison Steadman alongside the likes of Jim Howick and Katherine Parkinson, is told from teenager Sam's perspective using the point of view of a handheld camera. The series explores his dysfunctional and eccentric family's everyday lives, with the latest season showing mum Rachel (Parkinson) begin a university course and grandma Sue (Steadman) encourage Paul's (Howick) passion for boating. The show was created by Tom Basden, known for his work starring in and co-creating hit comedy series Plebs. Here We Go's third season is due to begin on BBC One on 25 July, with the first episode airing at 9pm followed by a second at 9.30pm. Related: One fan said Here We Go was "one of the greatest shows ever written" in a Google review, saying it was as good as other hit shows like Gavin & Stacey and Friday Night Dinner. Broadcast said the show was a "criminally underrated gem." Filming for season three began last year, with the cast announcing the news by posing together in costume with a clapperboard. A synopsis for the latest season teases what fans can expect, with Rachel beginning a new life as a therapist and Paul becoming a police constable. Grandma Sue has moved back into the family home, while Uncle Robin and Aunt Cherry are juggling becoming new parents to baby Atlas. Related: Amy is still trying to figure her way in life, and it's all being captured by Sam on camera. Speaking ahead of the new episodes, Basden said: "I'm so thrilled to be reunited with our cast of comedy legends to bring another round of the Jessops' epic family misfortunes and everyday adventures back to BBC One." The Sun previously reported that a fourth season of the show is on the way, before the third has even hit our screens. The first season aired in 2022 following a pilot in 2020, initially called Pandemonium. Here We Go season three begins on BBC One at 9pm on Friday, July 25 Digital Spy's new print issue is here! Buy Oasis - Live in '25 in newsagents or online, now priced at just £8.99. at at at Pandora at at at at at Pandora at at at at at Apple at at Apple at at at at at at You Might Also Like PS5 consoles for sale – PlayStation 5 stock and restocks: Where to buy PS5 today? IS MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7 THE BEST IN THE SERIES? OUR REVIEW AEW game is a modern mix of No Mercy and SmackDown
