An “important and timely” new documentary about Sarah Everard is to air on the BBC three years following her death.
The tragic murder of the 33-year-old by serving Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens – who abducted her as she walked home on the evening of 3 March 2021 to the Brixton Hill area from a friend’s house near Clapham Common in London – was, undoubtedly, a watershed moment for the nation.
Her death brought to the forefront the devastating issues within the UK’s police forces, and highlighted the extent of violence against women and girls in our society.
And now, coming up to three years on from the historic event, and with the issue of violence against women and girls having been recently declared a national priority, alongside terrorism and organised crime, the BBC has announced that it will air a new documentary on the case, showcasing how the devastating crime unfolded, and the impact it’s gone on the have.
BBC Factual announces new documentary Sarah Everard: The Search For Justice for @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer
The hour-long factual programme – which is titled Sarah Everard: The Search For Justice, and will air on both BBC One and iPlayer – will primarily look at the Met Police’s investigation into Sarah’s murder.
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The story will be told by those closely-involved in the case from the outset, many of whom will be speaking on camera for the first time, including the Senior Investigating Officer, the Prosecuting Barrister, and Sarah’s local MP.
In the aftermath of the event, the Met was placed into special measures, and a major review of the force found a culture of denial, widespread bullying, discrimination, institutional homophobia, misogyny, and racism – with several other UK police forces also having been forced to confront the culture and behaviour in their own ranks too.
An new documentary about Sarah Everard is to air on the BBC / Credit: Gerry Popplestone | Tim Dennell (via Flickr)
An Independent Inquiry launched by the Home Office is underway too to examine the “unimaginable failures in policing”, and to find out how a tragedy like Sarah’s murder could even happen in the first place.
Hundreds of police officers also continue to face sexual assault allegations in the three years following Sarah’s death, which only proves just how “important and timely” this BBC documentary will be.
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The documentary’s production team has been in close contact with Sarah’s parents for the making of this film, and say they hope it will bring “increased focus” to issues of women’s safety, as well as abuse of power by police and others in positions of authority.
The “important and timely” programme will air three years after her death / Credit: Tim Dennell (via Flickr)
Speaking ahead of the documentary airing, Emma Loach, who is the Lead Commissioning Editor for Documentaries at the BBC, commented: “The murder of Sarah Everard sent shock waves across the country and ignited an urgent conversation about police failings and violence against women and girls.
“This is an important and timely film, and we, like Sarah’s family, hope it will contribute to the ongoing dialogue around the issues raised.”
Sarah Everard: The Search For Justice will air on BBC One and iPlayer this year, with the official release dates set to be announced in due course.
Featured Image – Metropolitan Police
TV & Showbiz
Tim Burgess pens touching tribute to ‘everyone’s mate’ Mani
Danny Jones
Legendary local musician Tim Burgess has written a touching tribute to the late, great Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield as people continue to pay their respects to the iconic Stone Roses bass player.
The Charlatans’ frontman, who recently got the band back in the recording studio for their stunning 14th studio album, is one of many who have taken the time to honour the influential Manc musician over the past few days.
Mani, 63, who also saw his career reignited as a regular member of Primal Scream after his time with the Roses, sadly passed away last week.
Penning a lengthy eulogy for The Sunday Times, Burgess was unaware that the digital version of the paper would be behind a paywall, deciding instead to share it publicly online.
Sharing the first few excerpts from the full article, the 58-year-old lead singer, solo artist and Salfordian said of Mani: “People have more stories to tell of their shared adventures with Mani than anyone else I know, often simply about enjoying a gig with him.”
The most striking part of his column is how much of it reiterates not just the Crumpsall native’s undying love for music but his raw obsession with the medium.
Perhaps most touchingly, however, is how he is positioned as “everyone’s mate” in the piece – a sentiment that seems to have been echoed all over social media, among the countless Manchester United fans that bumped into him at games, in the pub chat since and countless other corners.
Burgess is one of several high-profile artists to have honoured Mounfield in their own way; Richard Ashcroft and Oasis playing the ‘She Bangs the Drums’ riff and dedicating ‘Live Forever’ to their idol, The Membranes member and Louder Than War boss, John Robb, speaking via the BBC, just to name a few.
A particularly heartbreaking line is when he says, “On hearing the news of his death last week, I found solace in the idea that Mani lived life to the full. But at 63, it was a life cut lamentably short.” You can read more down below.
Since disclosing the Times write-up with his followers, it’s clear that the 58-year-old is going through a period of reflection following the death of not just a peer and role model but a close friend.
On Sunday, he summed up his feelings perfectly: “Go to that gig. Listen to that song, dust off that record player, learn to play that guitar. Music helps us through. Life can be overwhelming at times. Music can help, I promise you that.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Speaking of – we don’t know about you, but we’re going to be playing the best of The Stone Roses for the foreseeable future, and there’s a good chance we’ll also be heading to Chorlton for a special tribute DJ set by one of his friends and former colleagues.
Childish Gambino confirms shock stroke that caused him to cancel his world tour
Danny Jones
Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, has revealed that a stroke caused the cancellation of his Manchester gig and the rest of the shows on his world tour last year.
The multi-talented artist, actor, comedian, writer, filmmaker and jack-of-all-trades, who goes by the Gambino moniker in the music world, was scheduled to play a UK leg as part of his globetrotting series of live dates in 2024.
However, just over a month into the run, which kicked off in August, the 42-year-old musician didn’t just postpone the tour but had to cancel it altogether for the foreseeable future after falling ill on stage.
It has now been confirmed that the reason for this was a stroke, and also a serious problem with his heart, which required surgery.
At the time, he could only confirm an unknown ‘ailment’.
Detailing the incident to a crowd while playing at fellow rapper Tyler, the Creator‘s Camp Flog Gnaw festival this past weekend, ‘Gambino’ delivered the shocking news in a very matter-of-fact manner.
Confirming the stroke and a hole in his heart live to the LA audience on Saturday, 22 November, Glover began by stating that he was having a really good time on the tour, before adding: “I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana, and I did the show anyway.”
“I couldn’t really see well”, he continued, “so when we went to Houston, I went to the hospital and the doctor was like, ‘You had a stroke.'” Yep, as simple as that.
He even went on to joke that he was copying fellow actor and singer Jamie Foxx, who also suffered a stroke back in 2023, which presented as a bad headache – one of several sudden signs of a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke.
You can see the clip down below.
Childish Gambino reveals that he had a stroke and a hole was found in his heart and is why he had to stop his tour pic.twitter.com/YxeQYBWDBA
After visiting the hospital, it was then discovered that he had a hole in his heart, sometimes referred to as a septal defect.
The Stone Mountain-raised musician ended up needing two procedures to fix the problem and is now, thankfully, in good health and able to perform live once again.
Nevertheless, he’s not taking anything for granted after the severe health scare, telling fans on the night: “They say everybody has two lives and the second life starts when you realise you have one; you got one life, guys, and I gotta be honest, the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing,” he told fans.
His Manchester show at the AO Arena is still yet to be rescheduled, as are any of his UK dates, but we’re glad he’s not only back on the mend but back doing what he does best.
Emily Sergeant -
19th February 2024 
