Lisa Nandy asks why nobody has been fired at BBC over Gaza film

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has questioned why nobody has been fired at the BBC over its decision to air a Gaza documentary that featured the son of a Hamas official.

It comes ahead of a review expected to be published next week into Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, which was pulled from iPlayer in February.

In an interview with The Times, Nandy said “people must be accountable for the decisions that were taken” and she was “exasperated” by the time taken to carry out the review.

A BBC spokesperson said on Saturday that findings of the review would be published “as soon as possible” but must be “thorough and follow a proper process”.

In February the BBC apologised over “serious flaws” in the making of the programme about children’s lives in Gaza, after it was revealed its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas minister.

The review is being headed by Peter Johnston, the BBC’s director of editorial complaints and reviews, which is independent of BBC News and reports directly to director general Tim Davie.

It is expected to determine whether any editorial guidelines were broken and if any disciplinary action is needed.

The BBC will also undertake a full audit of expenditure on the programme.

Nandy said she needed an “adequate explanation” about what had happened, which she had not yet had from Davie or BBC chairman Samir Shah.

If nobody was fired over the incident, Nandy said she wanted “an explanation as to why not”.

A BBC spokesperson said: “The findings of the review will be published as soon as possible.

“As we have said previously, it is vital that this work is done as quickly as possible, but it must also be thorough and follow a proper process.”

Last month, the BBC decided not to broadcast a separate documentary from another independent production company about doctors working in Gaza due to impartiality concerns it had surrounding the production. It was later aired on Channel 4 instead.

Nandy added that BBC leadership had to “get a grip on it” following the live Glastonbury broadcast of punk-duo band Bob Vylan.