BBC to air new documentary on the murder of presenter Jill Dando
The BBC News and Crimewatch host was shot on her doorstep 20 years ago
BBC1 has announced plans to broadcast a documentary on the murder of Jill Dando, one of Britain’s most celebrated newsreaders.
The one-off film will mark 20 years since Dando – who presented the likes of BBC’s Six O'Clock News, Crimewatch and travel show Holiday – was shot dead on her doorstep on 26th April 1999.
Although a local man, Barry George, was convicted and imprisoned for the murder, he was later acquitted after an appeal and retrial. Dando’s case is still unsolved.
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The Murder Of Jill Dando will explore the murder inquiry by speaking to those at the heart of one of the Metropolitan Police’s most complex cases, from investigators to Dando’s colleagues, friends and close family.
The BBC promises that "never-before-seen material" from the case will help tell the story of the murder investigation, and examine why after 20 years the case remains unsolved.
“Jill was one of the BBC’s most talented and well-loved presenters,” says David Brindley, head of commissioning at BBC Popular Factual and Factual Entertainment. “Her death sent shockwaves through the country and sparked one of the biggest investigations the Metropolitan Police had ever launched.
“Twenty years on, with the crime still unsolved, this film will reveal in detail the process of that investigation from those who were closest to it."
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Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.