June 14, 2024 – To coincide with the BBC panel at Sheffield Documentary Festival, Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries has announced three new single films:

• The Disappearance of Nicola Bulley: the Inside Story (w/t), a new 1×60 from Rogan Productions, directed by Rachel Lob-Levyt

• Helmand: A Frontline Story, 1×75, commissioned by BBC Factual and BBC Cymru Wales, co-produced by Passion Pictures and Kailash Films and directed by Hannah Lowes

• State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump (w/t), 1×90 from 72 Films, directed by Marian Mohamed

Clare Sillery, BBC Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, says: “These new commissions demonstrate our commitment to bringing audiences the best of British storytelling and backing British talent.

Documentaries have a unique role to play in helping us make sense of the modern world and these films give a voice to a range of different perspectives on stories that have resonated across Britain and also internationally.

Developing and growing the next generation of British film-making talent is also of huge importance and I’m delighted that all three films are directed by female directing talent, two of whom made their first films via the BBC’s New Documentary Directors’ Initiative.”

The Disappearance of Nicola Bulley: the Inside Story

A new 1×60 documentary about the disappearance of Lancashire mother-of-two, Nicola Bulley, featuring exclusive interviews with the family and those closest to the case, produced by Rogan Productions.

More information: BBC Factual announces new documentary telling the inside story of the disappearance of Nicola Bulley

Helmand: A Frontline Story

Marking the ten year anniversary of the withdrawal of frontline British troops from Afghanistan, this 75 minute film, commissioned by BBC Factual and BBC Cymru Wales and directed by Hannah Lowes is a co-production between Passion Pictures and Kailash Films.

It tells the story of a group of soldiers from the Welsh Guards Regiment during a brutally demanding six month tour of Helmand Province in 2009. During the course of the deployment the regiment suffered an extraordinary number of casualties, including losing their Commanding Officer, the most senior ranking member of the British Army to be killed in action since the Falklands War.

That summer was to prove the bloodiest period for British forces of the entire conflict and a turning point in its overall course. The film focusses on the stories of a tight cast of contributors as well as their loved ones back home in Wales, widening the lens to intimately explore the experience of war for partners and parents alongside combatants over both the six month timeframe of the tour and the years since. They speak powerfully about how their lives were transformed by the conflict and reflect on its longer term legacy, including witnessing the Taliban retake the same ground the Welsh Guards had fought for during their resurgence in 2021.

Director Hannah Lowes says: “I’ve always wanted to find a story to explore about war as it’s such an extreme experience and hence tells us so much about the minds and characters of those who have to live through it. The narrow focus of this film on those characters has offered a unique opportunity to do that. I was also immediately excited about including the voices of women who have lived that tour day by day and in the years since alongside the soldiers, to survey the full impact of conflict on the home front as well as in theatre.”

Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning, BBC Wales says: “The Welsh guards have a long and proud history and the culture of the regiment speaks to the places across Wales where the soldiers come from. Their voices offer a unique, warm and incredibly raw expression of the bonds forged in these extreme circumstances. Told with a mixture of brutal honesty, compassion and humour, their stories make for an incredibly powerful documentary about this difficult subject.”

Hamish Fergusson, Executive Producer for Passion Pictures, says: “This anniversary offers a unique opportunity to explore the human experience of the Afghanistan conflict during its most intense year –a period that feels really significant in our national memory.”

Gwenllian Hughes, Executive Producer for Kailash Films, says: “This documentary about the Welsh Guards’ tour of Helmand in 2009 has given the young soldiers a chance to share their experiences for the first time. Told first-hand by them and their wives and mothers, we show the full impact of war, both on the front line and back home.”

Helmand: A Frontline Story (w/t) 1×75 is a BBC Factual and BBC Wales co-commission for BBC Two and iPlayer commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries and Nick Andrews, Head of Content Commissioning, BBC Wales. It is being made by Passion Pictures and Kailash Films where the Co-Executive Producers are Gwenllian Hughes and Hamish Fergusson and the Director is Hannah Lowes. The Commissioning Editor for BBC Factual is Tom Pullen and the Commissioning Editor for BBC Wales is Julian Carey.

State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump

This feature length documentary based in Georgia, USA, follows the people who are working to put Donald Trump behind bars and those determined to return him to The White House.

Not only is Georgia a hugely important swing state in the presidential race, it’s where Trump allegedly tried to overturn the 2020 election. Now, in 2024, Trump must win the Georgia vote – but before that, he and his 18 co-defendants face a criminal trial.

With unprecedented access to The State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, this film explores the key evidence in the most audacious ‘criminal racketeering enterprise’ case in American history. Using a small observational team, the film will follow members of the prosecution and defence as they build their case and witness first-hand how day to day trial preparation is now a world of body doubles and safe houses.

It’s a story about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. From the employee who secretly recorded Trump asking their boss to find ‘11,780 votes’, to the suburban candle maker suddenly finding herself the foreperson of the grand jury indicting the ex-President of the United States.

The contributors will straddle the alleged crimes of 2020, the impending trial and the thrilling 2024 presidential race. One day they’re attending pre-trial hearings and the next, they’re orchestrating Trump’s election rallies down the road.

Made by Emmy Award winning 72 Films (9/11 One Day in America) and directed by Bafta winning and BBC New Documentary Director Initiative alumnus, Marian Mohamed (Defending Digga D).

Marian Mohamed says: This is an extraordinary moment in history. Having the chance to be at the heart of a story that could change the world we live in is thrilling. As a filmmaker, it’s the kind of opportunity you dream about.”

State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump (w/t) 1×90 for BBC Two and iPlayer was commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries. It is being made by 72 Films where the Executive producers are Nick Holt & David Glover, the Director is Marian Mohamed and the Producer is Jecca Powell. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Tom Pullen.