BBC
develops factual drama about the state of Britain's railways
BBC
Drama and News & Current Affairs are working together for the
first time to develop a factual drama about the crisis in Britain's
railways.
Provisionally
entitled Derailed, the proposed 90-minute film will tell the story
of the enquiry into the Paddington train crash in October 1999 -
which claimed 31 lives - and the derailment at Hatfield in October
2000 which left four people dead.
It will explore why these tragic accidents happened, and examine
how far the privatised rail industry allowed commercial interest
to supercede considerations of passenger safety.
Derailed
is to be written by Stephen Greenhorn (Glasgow Kiss) for BBC ONE
and is to be produced by Lucy Hillman (a producer on Panorama and
series producer of BBC TWO's Food Junkies) and Liza Marshall (Fields
of Gold, The Sins). The executive producers are Paul Woolwich and
Laura Mackie.
Jane
Tranter, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, says: "We are
developing this project in the light of a real appetite to tackle
dramas relating to current affairs, real events and real people.
The state of Britain's railways - and the issues of passenger safety
which it raises - is a subject that touches us all."
Peter
Horrocks, Head of BBC Current Affairs, says: "It is exciting
to be combining the best of the BBC's investigative journalism with
its strongest drama talent. We hope to bring audiences vivid and
thoroughly researched accounts of key topical events through this
new partnership."
