David Farnor | On 14, Jun 2016

BBC Three has ordered a new string of documentaries investigating hate crimes in the USA.

At a time when accusations of race prejudice are dominating the US political debate, and the LGBT community is facing new state legislation aimed against it, BBC Three will air a three-part series called Love And Hate Crime, looking at the dangers facing those who are singled out as ‘different’ in the US.

The trio of films, which were commissioned before the weekend’s tragic shooting in Orlando, will explore three recent cases of hate crime in the US that involved love and passion, as well as prejudice. One will look at the murder of a transgender woman by her boyfriend. Another will explore how the case of a young man from Texas, killed for being gay by his own boyfriend’s family, has polarised a community. The third film will explore how two white teenage girls from Mississippi on a night out ended up taking part in a notorious race hate killing.

By interviewing police, prosecutors, perpetrators and those close to the victims, the films aim to unravel the mystery of what really happened in each of these unfolding cases. They will explore the psychology and motivation of those involved, and the consequences for the communities they come from.

The series, made by Top Hat Productions and exec produced by Darren Kemp, was announced yesterday by Patrick Holland, BBC Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, ahead of his session at the Sheffield Documentary Festival. It is part of a range of new documentary commissions from acclaimed directors and producers, including Brian Woods, Simon Dickson, Lorraine Charker-Phillips, Steve Humphries and Darren Kemp.

Patrick Holland says: “The BBC Documentaries department has commissioned some brilliant films this year, from recent singles How To Die: Simon’s Choice, Abused: The Untold Story, and Behind Closed Doors, to beautifully crafted series such as The Prosecutors and The Big C And Me.

“I want the BBC to be the place where the most exciting and acclaimed documentary filmmakers in the UK can come and do their very best work. The new series and singles we are announcing today use a range of filmmaking techniques offering unique and privileged access to some extraordinary stories. Whether engaging with big issues like the crisis in the NHS or the explosion of hate crimes in the USA, these are films that will resonate powerfully with the concerns of the audience.”

Other commissions include: BBC Four’s Surviving Aberfan, which tells the deeply moving story of the worst disaster involving children in modern British history, when 116 children and 28 adults lost their lives in 1966, after a roaring avalanche of coal waste crashed into a school and the houses nearby in a South Wales mining village; BBC Two’s Sir Chris Hoy: From Velodrome To Le Mans (working title), which tells the story of Britain’s most successful Olympic athlete of all time, Sir Chris Hoy, and his quest to realise his boyhood dream of competing in Le Mans 24hrs; BBC Two’s The Hospital: Life And Death In A Week, taking us inside one of London’s biggest hospital trusts, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; and BBC One’s My Parent’s In Prison (working title), which will examine the growing population of children with a dad or mum behind bars and the day-to-day challenges they face. The latter will be be aired on BBC One as part of Children in Need in November 2016.

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