London – A+E Networks UK has commissioned leading UK production company Avalon to produce a brand new documentary series: James Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain. The 6×60’ series, due to air on HISTORY in early 2018, takes a unique and unprecedented look at some of the most impactful events that affected Britain in the 20th and 21stcenturies.
Presented by award-winning actor James Nesbitt (Cold Feet, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man), the original six-part series unpicks the events that led to the most devastating disasters of the past 60 years.
The unique documentary shines a spotlight on the human cost of the tragedies while seeking to explain the wider political, cultural and institutional context that contributed to them – and looks at the changes made in the wake of each disaster. With individual narratives explored by journalists: Donal MacIntyre (Macintyre Investigates) and Anna Richardson (Super Shoppers, Naked Attraction), the series asks why warning signs were often ignored and how seemingly innocuous decisions – sometimes decades before – contributed to the events that changed post-war Britain forever.
Each self-contained episode explores a different event, covering the recent Grenfell Tower tragedy (2017); the Ladbroke Grove rail crash (1999); the Zeebrugge ferry disaster (1987); and the King’s Cross Fire (1987). The series will also examine the Piper Alpha oil platform explosion (1988) and the Munich Air crash (1958), both of which will be broadcast during their 30th and 60thanniversaries respectively.
The series was ordered by Dan Korn, VP of Programming at A+E Networks UK, with Diana Carter as executive producer.
Dan Korn said: When confronted with the horrors of Grenfell, or any of the other terrible events explored in the series, it’s impossible to reflect not only on the loss of life and personal tragedies but also on the profound impact on British society as a whole. HISTORY is pleased to be working with James Nesbitt, Donal MacIntyre, Anna Richardson and Avalon, on a series which reveals the full devastating impact and effect of the disasters which have shaped post-war Britain.
Michele Carlisle and Jamie Isaacs are executive producers at Avalon and Ian Hunt is series producer. Jamie Isaacs, Executive Producer for Avalon, added: This documentary tells the story of Britain through the prism of some of the most harrowing events in living memory. By examining the long-term catalysts that contributed to these tragedies, viewers will understand the complex, and compelling instances that led to disasters such as the Munich air crash or the Ladbroke Grove rail crash.
James Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain is currently in production and due to air on HISTORY in 2018. The series is distributed by Avalon Distribution, the international TV sales arm of Avalon.
