Join us as we look at what’s new on BBC iPlayer this week – Showtrial, Alma’s Not Normal, Surviving October 7th, One Day in Gaza and more
Showtrial
Showtrial. L-R: Sam (ADEEL AKHTAR), Justin (MICHAEL SOCHA), World Productions, Peter Marley ©BBC Pictures
When the high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit and run, he uses his dying moments to apparently identify his killer – a serving policeman. But who is this unnamed ‘Officer X’? What does his own history reveal about the nature of trauma and revenge, and was Marcus’ death actually a careless accident or cold-blooded murder?
From Calderwood’s last breath to the jury’s final verdict, Showtrial takes us into the worlds of the charismatic and cocky officer PC Justin Mitchell (Michael Socha), Sam Malik (Adeel Akhtar), an anxious defence solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes; and Leila Hassoun-Kenny (Nathalie Armin), a wry and rigorous CPS lawyer leading the case against the accused.
As public outrage reaches a fever pitch, Showtrial questions whether a fair trial is possible when tensions are riding high and whether the truth is ever clear-cut.
Speaking about Showtrial, Michael Socha said, “Showtrial is an anthology series, so this second one is completely different from the first. It covers a lot of things happening in today’s society in terms of climate change, police misogyny and toxic masculinity – themes that are quite relevant for today’s audience”.
Watch Showtrial on BBC iPlayer from Sunday 6 October.
Solar System
Join Professor Brian Cox on a journey to the Volcano Worlds of our solar system as he explores planets and moons bursting with fire and ice, with eruptions so violent they reach far out into space.
Watch Solar System on BBC iPlayer from Monday, 7 October.
What’s new on BBC iPlayer this week – Oct 6, 2024
Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher
A new feature-length documentary from the makers of Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland. Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher is a gripping and emotionally charged story. Pat Magee planted the deadly bomb three weeks before the Conservative Party Conference on October 12 1984, and it lay hidden behind a bathtub in room 629 all that time. The film looks at the politics of this period, the devastation of the night itself, the subsequent search for Magee and his arrest, and how the Brighton bombing continues to have present-day effects, including for its many victims.
Watch Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher on BBC iPlayer from Tuesday 8 October.
Alma’s Not Normal
Alma’s Not Normal. Alma (SOPHIE WILLAN). Expectation TV ©BBC Pictures
Alma (Sophie Willan) is back in town and desperate for things to be different.
She bags herself a talent agent, who turns out to be somewhat of a con artist. She buys herself some new wheels that she can’t afford. And she lands herself an acting role that is completely demoralising. It’s safe to say things are not panning out for Alma.
Meanwhile, Lin (Siobhan Finneran) is back in the hospital and has discovered a penchant for witchcraft. Jim (Nicholas Asbury) is living at Joan’s as her pet, and her best mate, Leanne (Jayde Adams), has transformed a truck into a bar that’s become Bolton’s biggest hotspot.
Just as Alma starts to settle back into her Bolton life, Joan (Lorraine Ashbourne) has some shocking news that’s going to change everything.
Speaking about Alma’s return and the screenwriting process, Sophie Willan said, “Humour is about rage and optimism, in my opinion, and the emotion of the story comes from a place of love and sadness. I believe if you’re able to tap into all these emotions and authentically tell the story with generosity and pragmatism, that’s what will come out. Also, Northerners have a natural gallows humour, so it’s sort of innate”.
Alma’s Not Normal starts at 10 pm on Monday, 7 October, on BBC Two and iPlayer.
What’s new on BBC iPlayer this week – Oct 6, 2024
Documentaries now streaming on iPlayer
Surviving October 7th – We Will Dance Again
Surviving October 7th: We will dance again: Storyville. Festival-goers before the attack. ©BBC Storyville (not for reproduction).
Yariv Mozer’s harrowing and unflinching glimpse into the brutality and horror of the attack on partygoers at the Nova Music Festival by Hamas on October 7th last year is a tough but essential watch as we near the anniversary of that day. Surviving October 7th – We Will Dance Again dovetails the urgent testimonies of the survivors with CCTV and mobile phone footage in bringing the events of October 7 and the stories of those who lived and those who died to our screens in harrowing detail.
On the morning of October 7, as the sun rose on the festival site, joy and love turned to confusion, fear, chaos and unimaginable brutality as Hamas launched its attack. Festival-goers attempted to flee in cars, hide where they could or run as Hamas soldiers unleashed hell. Painful recollections from survivors, still attempting to navigate the horror of that day, and horrific videos from the six or more hours of rampage and slaughter make Mozer’s film a tough and challenging watch, but they also highlight the confusion and the lack of response to emergency calls made that day as those fleeing and hiding cried for help that didn’t arrive.
On October 7, what began as a celebration of love, equality and spirituality for around three and a half thousand Israelis and other foreign nationals ended with 364 people murdered and 44 others taken hostage.
One Day in Gaza
One Day in Gaza (2019) Director Olly Lambert
Before the devastation of the recent war in Gaza and the estimated loss of over 42,000 lives, Olly Lambert’s 2019 documentary took us back to the events of May 14, 2018, a day that started with mass protests at Gaza’s border with Israel and ended as one of the most deadly days in Gaza for a generation. For weeks, Palestinians had been protesting along the border fence, but tensions were running particularly high due to the opening of the new United States embassy to Israel in Jerusalem – the controversial step ordered by Donald Trump.
As Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and other senior US officials gathered in Jerusalem to inaugurate the new embassy, tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered at sites along the Gaza border, barely 40 miles away. As the sun set that day, over 60 Palestinians were dead or dying, and over 2,000 lay injured, many by live ammunition.
Drawing on more than 120 hours of archive footage filmed on both sides of the border that day – including exclusive videos released by both Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, and the Israel Defence Forces, this film reveals the complex reality and human toll of the day – and asks who was to blame for the bloodshed.
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