A new two-part documentary special about the Manchester Arena bombing is to begin airing on ITV next week.
Featuring what are being described as “emotional contributions” from the families of the 22 victims who tragically lost their lives on 22 May 2017 when a British-born terrorist detonated a home-made bomb in the foyer of the Manchester Arena, Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing will air to mark the fifth anniversary of the attack that shocked the nation to its core.
ITV explains that the new documentary special will air across two nights, and uses new revelations to piece together the chilling timeline of that day, and explores how the truth of what happened that night is finally emerging.
Made by Label1, the makers of twice BAFTA-nominated and RTS Award winning series Hospital, the documentary will reveal how multiple opportunities to stop the bomber in his tracks were tragically missed.
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A new two-part documentary special about the Manchester Arena bombing is to begin airing on ITV next week / Credit: ITV Pictures
The films will provide wider context to the attack and present two polarising worlds that tragically collided, ITV explains in the description of the show, one of “innocent young fans attending a concert by American pop superstar Ariana Grande”, and the other of “a radical Islamic extremist who had grown up just miles from his eventual victims”.
ITV continues: “The programmes delve into the role of MI5 and the emergency services, hearing directly from those there on the night and examining why decisions taken left victims helpless inside.”
Viewers will get to watch revealing CCTV footage of the suicide bomber, which follows his steps in the days, hours, and minutes leading to the attacks, all while family and friends of the victims recall their stories and how one night changed their lives forever.
The documentary will feature “emotional contributions” from the families of the 22 victims / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph)
The first episode, which is to air on ITV on Monday 11 April at 9pm, will showcase two worlds colliding, with a countdown of the hours leading up to the bombing and a story that begins nearly a quarter of a century earlier..
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The second episode, which is airing on Thursday 14 April at 9pm, then takes over from where the last show left off.
The second hour-long episode will re-live the final minutes and seconds in the run up to the detonation and its aftermath to unravel the emergency services’ response through the eyes of the victims and those first on the scene.
Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing will air on ITV from Monday 11 April at 9pm.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Emily Sergeant -
7th April 2022 
