James R | On 08, Jan 2019

Surviving R. Kelly will premiere on UK TV on 5th February.

The Lifetime documentary series, which premiered last week in the USA, has already been making waves, as it delves into and shines a light on the allegations of abuse surrounding the singer R. Kelly.

The R&B musician’s genre-defining career and playboy lifestyle has been riddled with rumors of abuse and predatory behaviour. Despite damning evidence and multiple witnesses, to date, none of these accusations has seemingly affected him. This series sees women emerge from the shadows and unite their voices to share their stories.

“Survivors and people from R. Kelly’s inner circle, are coming forward with new allegations about his sexual, mental, and physical abuse,” reads the show’s official synopsis. “They are now finally ready to share their full story and shed light on the secret life the public has never seen. With over 50 interviews including civil rights activist Tarana Burke, musicians John Legend and Sparkle, talk-show host and former DJ Wendy Williams, ex-wife Andrea Kelly, ex-girlfriend Kitti Jones, brothers Carey and Bruce Kelly, and many others, the story of R. Kelly’s controversial past will be revealed beginning in 1970 through present day, shedding light on the R&B star whose history of alleged abuse of underage African American girls has, until recently, been largely ignored by mainstream media.”

Episode 1 will premiere at 10pm on Tuesday 5th February. Episodes will then air weekly on Tuesdays, charting rumors about his marriage to a 15-year-old, the discovery by journalists of an underground sex tapes, R. Kelly’s trial in Chicago, accusations of imprisonment from the parents of girls in R. Kelly’s camp, and other women’s groups coming forward to take aim against the brazen superstar.

While it’s a long wait until the show makes it across from the USA to UK shores, the series follows two BBC Three documentaries investigating the accusations against R. Kelly, which are currently available on BBC iPlayer until March 2019 and May 2019.

Surviving R. Kelly will air on Crime + Investigation in the UK, which is part of the A+E network of channels, including History, Lifetime and Blaze. You can get Crime + Investigation on Sky (156), Virgin Media (275), BT TV (328) and TalkTalk (328).

Don’t have pay-TV? You can also watch it online legally live and on-demand with streaming service TVPlayer, which offers premium channels such as Syfy, Comedy Central, History HD, Discovery Channel, Crime + Investigation, Eurosport 1 and 2, and National Geographic, as part of a £6.99 TVPlayer Premium Pack – with no monthly contract.

Here’s a trailer for the series:

 

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