The BBC’s board has apologised for the “significant and damaging” mistakes made in producing its documentary on Gaza.
The corporation’s board met on Thursday after it emerged that the son of a Hamas official featured on its programme Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.
A spokesperson said the BBC was seeking “additional assurance” that no payments were made to members of Hamas or its affiliates.
A statement from the BBC board said: “The subject matter of the documentary was clearly a legitimate area to explore, but nothing is more important than trust and transparency in our journalism.
“While the board appreciates that mistakes can be made, the mistakes here are significant and damaging to the BBC. The board has required the executive to report back at the earliest opportunity on the outcomes of the work the director-general has commissioned.”
The documentary was pulled from BBC iPlayer on Friday after it was revealed that Abdullah al-Yazouri, the film’s 13-year-old narrator, was the son of the deputy minister of agriculture in the Hamas government.
A spokesperson for the corporation said BBC News conducted an initial review which “identified serious flaws in the making of this programme”.
“Some of these were made by the production company and some by the BBC; all of them are unacceptable. BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the corporation’s reputation. We apologise for this.”
The spokesperson added: “During the production process, the independent production company was asked in writing a number of times by the BBC about any potential connections [the boy] and his family might have with Hamas.
“Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy’s father was a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas government.
“It was then the BBC’s own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired.”
The spokesperson added that the production company, Hoyo Films, told the BBC it paid the boy’s mother, via his sister’s bank account, a limited sum of money for the narration.
“While Hoyo Films have assured us that no payments were made to members of Hamas or its affiliates, either directly, in kind, or as a gift, the BBC is seeking additional assurance around the budget of the programme and will undertake a full audit of expenditure,” the spokesperson said.
In a statement, Hoyo Films said: “We felt it was important to hear from voices that haven’t been represented on screen throughout the war with dignity and respect – and to tell the story about the devastating impact of war on their everyday lives.
“We are cooperating fully with the BBC and Peter Johnston to help understand where mistakes have been made. We feel this remains an important story to tell, and that our contributors – who have no say in the war – should have their voices heard.”
The BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, has asked for an independent review into the making of the documentary to be expedited. It will be undertaken by Peter Johnston, the director of editorial complaints and reviews.
In response to the BBC’s statement, Danny Cohen, a former director of BBC Television, said: “The BBC must allow a full independent inquiry to investigate the processes that led to this documentary being produced, and the pervasive anti-Israel bias that allowed it to pass through the system unobstructed.”
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Earlier, the BBC announced the departure of its creative chief after five years in charge. Charlotte Moore, the corporation’s chief content officer since 2020, is to leave later this year to take up a job at Sony.
There was no suggestion from Moore or the BBC that her departure was connected to the row over the Gaza documentary.
Moore said: “It’s been a tough decision to leave a job I love and an institution I believe in. But I’ve decided the time is right for a new challenge and a new adventure and to follow my heart to return to making shows.”
She said it had been an honour to “lead the BBC creatively as chief content officer at a time of unprecedented change” and she was “very proud of what we’ve achieved during my time at the helm”.
She will become chief executive of Left Bank Pictures, owned by Sony, which made the Netflix royal drama The Crown and the Starz Scottish historical show Outlander.
Davie said Moore was “a creative powerhouse and real visionary who has made a huge impact during her time at the BBC”.
Last week a letter was sent to Moore, Davie, and Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, asking challenging questions about the documentary.
The documentary’s two UK-based directors, Jamie Roberts and Yousef Hammash, gave directions to two Palestinian camera operators based in Gaza over nine months of filming.
The BBC initially added a clarification to the film, but last Friday the corporation removed it from its platforms, saying: “There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company.”
The letter to Moore, Davie and Turness was signed by Cohen, a former BBC One controller, and more than 40 others. It asked if the BBC knew about the child’s father, what diligence checks were undertaken, whether Abdullah or his family were paid, and whether Hamas permitted or authorised the filming.
On Wednesday a separate letter signed by 500 film, TV and other media professionals called on the BBC to reinstate the documentary, saying it was an “essential piece of journalism, offering an all-too-rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinians”. Among the signatories were Gary Lineker, Mike Leigh, Juliet Stevenson and Ken Loach.
