BBC-Shelved Gaza Documentary Wins Top BAFTA TV Award
A documentary focused on Israel’s military actions against hospitals in Gaza has won a BAFTA TV Award for Current Affairs, despite initially being shelved by the BBC amid concerns over impartiality.
“Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,” produced by Basement Films and presented by journalist Ramita Navai, highlights attacks on medical facilities and staff during the ongoing Gaza conflict through firsthand testimonies from Palestinian healthcare workers. The documentary was eventually aired by Channel 4 after the BBC chose not to broadcast it.
The film was originally scheduled for broadcast by the BBC in February 2025 but was delayed. The broadcaster cited editorial investigations into a separate documentary, “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,” which was found to have breached impartiality guidelines because the narrator was the son of a Hamas official. Following this review, the BBC decided not to air “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,” stating that showing the documentary risked creating a perception of partiality that did not meet its high editorial standards.
The BBC’s decision drew widespread criticism from journalists, campaigners, and public figures. More than 600 industry professionals, including Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, signed an open letter urging the BBC’s then director general, Tim Davie, to release the film. The letter emphasized the broadcaster’s failure to inform the public and honor the contributions of those featured in the documentary.
Accepting the award at the BAFTA TV Awards ceremony in London, Ramita Navai criticized the BBC for refusing to air the film, stating, “We refused to be silenced and censored.” She thanked Channel 4 for broadcasting the documentary and emphasized that its findings were the result of an investigation funded by the BBC but never shown by the corporation.
Executive producer Ben de Pear also questioned whether the BBC would acknowledge the documentary’s BAFTA win during its delayed coverage of the awards ceremony.
The controversy around the BBC’s Gaza coverage was one of the many challenges during Tim Davie’s tenure as director general, which ended in November amid multiple scandals and editorial disputes, including a high-profile defamation case involving former US President Donald Trump.
The success of “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack” at the BAFTA TV Awards marks a critical moment, highlighting ongoing debates about editorial impartiality, censorship, and the role of broadcasters in covering conflict zones.