Skip to content or view screen version

Police veto BBC 7/7 film - Press Office lied over shelving of documentary

Tony Gosling | 18.09.2008 02:19 | Terror War

As part of BBC2's Conspiracy Files strand BBC Television at White City have produced an hour long documentary into the London Bombings of 7th July 2005. The Series Producer is Mike Rudin.

London Bombings of 7th July 2005
London Bombings of 7th July 2005


As one of the interviewees for the film I was amazed to read, in the Independent by Henry Deedes on Thursday, 4 September 2008, that the BBC have told the public they did not intend to broadcast the 7/7 programme at all this year.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/conspiracy_files/

Pandora: Conspiracy theories abound over BBC's London bombings film
 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/pandora/pandora-conspiracy-theories-abound-over-bbcs-london-bombings-film-918055.html

We, those who contributed, were told it was to be broadcast on BBC2, and possibly Internationally, around the end of September and the beginning of October 2008. We were also told by the producer that the film was shelved by BBC lawyers. More precisely, that the Met Police and Intelligence services had refused to be interviewed for the film and the BBC had been promised an interview following the Kingston trial of Waheed Ali, 25, Sadeer Saleem, 28, and Mohammed Shakil, 32. With likelihood of a retrial the police again have refused to be interviewed until that subsequent trial is over. All this can be proven should an enquiry take place.

The three, from Beeston in Leeds, were accused of conducting a "hostile reconnaissance" mission. The trial was 'inconclusive' They are the only people ever to be charged in connection with the bombings which killed 52 people.

Will this film ever see the light of day in the same form as the producer originally intended?


As part of my small fight back against the BBC Lies (to kill the story) I have scoured the web to find as many films as possible that throw light on the horrific events of that day.

Please have a look and I hope you'll agree we need a full and open enquiry. That considers the possibility that the police and/or intelligence services, domestic or foreign, may have been involved.

1. Montreal - The Next Terror Target - 60mins (2008)
Producers: Montreal 9/11 Truth -  http://www.mtl911truth.org
 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1188892712056990070

2. Ludicrous Diversion - 28mins (2006)
Producers: anonymous -  ludicrousdiversion@hotmail.com
 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4943675105275097719

3. 7/7 The Ripple Effect - 57mins (2007)
Producer: Muad-Dib -  http://jforjustice.co.uk/77/
 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2655098606138392501

4. Mind The Gap - 41mins (2006)
Producer: Adrian Connock -  http://www.officialconfusion.com
 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2001897549763616199

5. BT London Bombings, version 4.1 - 31mins (2005)
Producer: anonymous
 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1898995800774523510

Fuller descriptions of the documentaries and to get a hard copy DVD of 4 of them
 http://www.cultureshop.org/details.php?code=77COMP

Tony Gosling
- Homepage: http://www.cultureshop.org/details.php?code=77COMP

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Of course the BBC can't show it yet

18.09.2008 15:17


Can't believe that Tony (and for that matter The Independent) are being so paranoid about this.

The BBC obviously expected the trial to be over by September, so planned to broadcast it then. Now there is a retrial it would be an obvious risk of contempt of court to broadcast it until that is resolved.

That would seem an understandable reason, unless you think TV programmes should prejudice trials.




Norville B


Quick apology to Tony

18.09.2008 15:25


Apologies Tony - the BBC press office also seems a bit stupid if they are claiming there's no legal reason for not showing it yet.

Norville B


What legal reasons?

19.09.2008 07:43

Prove that the BBC have legal reasons then.

N Bournville


The obvious legal reason

19.09.2008 09:57


Thanks for the question, Bournville.

If legal precedings are ongoing, TV and newspapers should not publish anything that might risk prejudicing a trial. (Just google the Contempt of Court Act 1981).

There is a retrial about to take place against the alleged co-conspirators. Any detailed documentary about 7/7 will either show them up in a positive or negative light, so is likely to prejudice the trial.

The BBC could have to fork out millions if judges decided they were guilty of contempt of court. The fact the case is undergoing a retrial makes it even more sensitive, presumably.

This is the reason why so many documentaries are shown the day after a legal judgement, such as the big Panorama one about the fertiliser bomb plotters, or the ones about Harold Shipman and others.

Of course, the documentary may be so half-arsed or poorly researched that it doesn't cover the alleged co-conspirators, and may just be getting pushed back because of the adverse publicity or the fact it's turned out to be a bit crap. But the most likely reason is an entirely valid legal one.

The Contempt of Court Act stuff is fair: TV and newspapers should not be prejudicing trials.
The bigger worry, I'd say, is the way the press seems to have played fast and loose with those normal rules when it's come to anything linked to alleged terrorism.

Norville B


Was this programme contempt of court?

20.09.2008 12:47

Following the recent "Liquid bomb plot" trial, where the jury were unable to reach verdicts for four of the defendants, there was a documentary type TV programme about the plot, which included reconstructions.

Considering that the CPS stated immediately after the trial that they were considering a retrial and confirmed this the next day, doesn't this program constitute contempt of court?

doveman