The BBC and Netflix have announced the commissioning of a series based on the Lockerbie bombing, which occurred nearly 35 years ago on a flight from London to New York.
The British broadcaster and international streaming behemoth has commissioned World Productions to create Lockerbie, a six-part drama series based on the December 1988 bombing and the subsequent joint Scots-American inquiry.
Just days before Christmas, Pan Am Flight 103 was flying above the Scottish town of Lockerbie on its way to JFK airport from Heathrow when a bomb exploded in its hold, killing all 259 on board and another 11 on the ground.
The atrocity remains the greatest terror attack in British history. So far, only former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has been convicted in connection with the incident.
The series will focus on the aftermath of the bombing, from the cross-Atlantic inquiry to the upheaval endured by the Lockerbie town and victims’ relatives.
According to a BBC release, Lockerbie will include stories from interviews with officers involved in the investigations that have “never previously” been shared.
British novelist and screenwriter Jonathan Lee will be the lead writer of the series which was researched and initiated by filmmaker Adam Morane-Griffiths.
“The Pan Am 103 Disaster and the global manhunt it spawned was a defining event in world history — one that contains so many instances of resilience and courage that deserve to be honoured and understood,” said Lee.
Gaynor Holmes, BBC commissioning editor, said:
“We have the right team in place to tell this extraordinary story with the greatest of care (reflecting) the devastating events of that night, the complex and far-reaching investigation that followed and the effect it had on all those who lost loved ones.”
After filming concludes later this year, Lockerbie will be broadcast by the BBC, followed by Netflix in the UK and abroad.
