Susan Sarandon among hundreds to urge BBC to release delayed Gaza film

The Oscar-winning histrion Susan Sarandon and the British film-maker Mike Leigh are among hundreds of figures from the taste satellite accusing the BBC of censoring Palestinian voices, aft its determination to hold the broadcast of a documentary connected medics successful Gaza.

Tim Davie, the BBC’s manager general, has received an unfastened missive signed by much than 600 manufacture figures – including immoderate of his ain employees – stating that editorial caution implicit the taxable has spilled implicit into “political suppression”.

The signatories request the contiguous merchandise of Gaza: Medics Under Fire, claiming it has undergone extended editorial reviews and fact-checking and has been acceptable for broadcast for months.

“Every time this movie is delayed, the BBC fails successful its committedness to pass the public, fails successful its journalistic work to study the truth, and fails successful its work of attraction to these brave contributors,” the missive states. “No quality organisation should softly determine down closed doors whose stories are worthy telling. This important movie should beryllium seen by the public, and its contributors’ bravery honoured.”

The BBC has said the programme’s airing had been delayed portion it investigates the accumulation of different documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which was pulled from iPlayer aft it emerged its young narrator was the lad of a Hamas official.

There are concerns among immoderate BBC unit that the corp has go paralysed implicit its handling of the issue. Gaza: Medics Under Fire was produced by a squad including Ben de Pear, a erstwhile exertion of Channel 4 News.

Other notable signatories of the missive demanding its merchandise see the Game of Thrones prima Indira Varma, arsenic good arsenic chap actors Harriet Walter, Miriam Margolyes, Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson. NHS doctors progressive successful helping to acceptable up the movie are said to beryllium among those acrophobic astir the delay.

Basement Films, the accumulation institution down the programme, has already expressed its disappointment. “We gathered searing grounds from aggregate Palestinian doctors and healthcare workers,” it said. “We are hopeless for a confirmed merchandise day successful bid to beryllium capable to archer the surviving doctors and medics erstwhile their stories volition beryllium told.”

It remains unclear erstwhile the BBC volition reason its interior reappraisal into the making of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone. Samir Shah, the BBC’s chair, said the failings successful making the programme had been a “dagger to the heart” of the corporation’s claims of trustworthiness and impartiality.

The BBC has been contacted for comment.