BBC announces drama based on Grenfell tragedy

The show will be written by Peter Kosminsky

Updated 13 February 2023 at 9:45 am·2-min read

People listen to a multi-faith and wreath laying ceremony at the base of Grenfell Tower in London, in remembrance of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire on June 14 2018. Picture date: Tuesday June 14, 2022. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images) — The BBC is making a drama about the Grenfell tragedy. (Getty Images)

The BBC has announced a drama based on the 2017 Grenfell fire in London which killed 72 people.

The three-episode series will be written and directed by Peter Kosminsky who was behind the acclaimed adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall.

Kosminsky has been researching the drama for five years and the show will be told from multiple points of view including survivors of the fire, the families of those who died, firefighters and the local community.

<p>Protestors marched through London today (June 21) seeking justice for the Grenfell victims and survivors. (GETTY) </p> — Campaigners have continued to advocate for justice for the victims of the Grenfell fire. (Getty)

Kosminsky's research has drawn on the public inquiry and extensive interviews with those that were there.

Speaking about the show, which will simply be titled Grenfell, Kosminsky said: "Occasionally, events occur in our national story which touch us all. The fire at Grenfell Tower is such an event."

He added: "We remember what we were doing when we heard about it, remember the pictures, the saturation coverage. And yet, despite this, despite the many newspaper pages and TV hours devoted to the story, we may be left with a less than clear sense of exactly what happened, what went wrong."

The BBC's director of drama Lindsay Salt also said that Grenfell will "utilise drama's unique ability to sensitively and respectfully show the human side of what happened" and address "many unanswered questions that remain".

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 19: Director Peter Kosminsky speaks onstage during the 'MASTERPIECE “Wolf Hall”' panel discussion at the PBS Network portion of the Television Critics Association press tour at Langham Hotel on January 19, 2015 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) — Peter Kosminsky is writing a drama about Grenfell. (Getty Images)

The Grenfell fire occurred on 14 June 2017 when a high rise block of flats burnt down following an electrical fault leading to the deaths of 72 people. It was the worst fire in the UK since the Second World War.

There was much controversy over the cladding used to build the tower block which was later found not to comply with regulations. Grenfell residents had also expressed many concerns over the building's safety as the block did not have fire sprinklers and many of its fire extinguishers were out of date. There were also concerns about the number of fire exits.

Watch below: Michael Gove admits government failings on Grenfell.