BBC to air 'definitive' 7/7 London bombings documentary analysing Aylesbury terrorist involvement

This series, which is set to air on BBC Two on Sunday 5 January and Monday 6 January at 9pm, will likely feature terrorists from Aylesbury.

Suicide bomber, Germaine Maurice Lindsay, was one of four people who detonated the explosives that caused the deaths of 52 people on that fateful day.

While the series says it will focus on the victims’ and survivors’ perspectives, it is also likely to feature former Aylesbury resident Samantha Lewthwaite. She was married to Lindsay at the time and has appeared on Interpol’s most wanted list due to her integral role in other international acts of terror, since 7 July, 2005.

Episodes dedicated to examining the first acts of terror committed on British soil will also be available to view on the iPlayer from 5 January.

Called, 7/7: The London Bombings, it has been created by the same team who worked on the multi-award-winning BBC documentary, 9/11 Inside: The President’s War Room. In total, there will be four 60-minute episodes exploring the biggest police investigation in British history.

It will analyse the three-week hunt to catch all the bombers, which included a tragic police mistake.

After four bombs were detonated on London’s transport system, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. Police and security services faced changing challenges to keep the public safe and an innocent man was killed by the emergency services – Jean Charles de Menezes.

According to the BBC, this series follows the investigation forensically and painstakingly, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Information is gathered from emergency responders, survivors who had to cope with life-changing injuries, and others who were engulfed in the crisis.

Among the key figures interviewed for the show are Prime Minister Tony Blair, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, then Home Secretary Charles Clarke, plus key members of the police investigation team. 7/7 examines how they struggled to deal with the repercussions, reassure a nation, and find out what had happened before bombers could strike again.

Simon Young, BBC head of commissioning, history, says: “It’s difficult to comprehend just how febrile and frenzied those weeks felt like in London and across the country, nearly twenty years ago. This series painstakingly pieces together the chain of events, moments of resilience and hope, as well as tragedy and horror. The result is a frank portrait of how the nation responded, when our streets became a new kind of frontline.”

An experienced team of documentary filmmakers and directors worked together to complete the upcoming broadcast.

Adam Wishart, Joint Series director and producer, The Slate Works, added: “After telling the story of President George W Bush on 9/11, we wanted to understand what happened to the British state when faced with a huge crisis of its own. What does it feel like to run the police or the country, when faced with the biggest attack on English soil? And what is it like when you or your family are caught in the blasts? How does anyone cope with the emotional consequences and the political repercussions?”