BBC commissions new Dunblane film to mark massacre's 30th anniversary
The BBC has announced a new film about the Dunblane shooting, and it will be broadcast on BBC Scotland, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in 2026.
The BBC has commissioned a new film about the tragic Dunblane massacre.
News about 43-year-old lone gunman Thomas Hamilton walking into Dunblane Primary School, near Stirling, Scotland, and then shooting dead 16 pupils and their teacher in a Primary 1 gym class, and injured 15 others, before Hamilton killed himself on March 13, 1996, rocked the world.
The deadliest mass shooting in British history sparked public debate on gun control laws in Britain, including a public petition for a ban on private ownership of handguns, and the public campaign - known as the Snowdrop Campaign - brought about two new Firearms Acts that prohibited private ownership of most handguns in Britain.
As the 30th anniversary of the Dunblane tragedy approaches, the BBC has commissioned an hour-long film called Dunblane: The Shooting that Changed Britain - working title - and it will tell the story of gun culture in Britain at the time.
It will also examine the wave of public anger following Dunblane, as well as the Snowdrop Campaign, founded by Ann Pearston, Jacqueline Walsh and Rosemary Hunter, and supported by many of the grieving parents, including Mick North, which led a hard-fought campaign to introduce a total ban on handguns for private citizens
The film - which reveals the steps that led to Britain introducing tough new gun laws over the next 18 months that followed the tragedy - also sheds light on how legislative decisions made in the aftermath of the Hungerford shooting in 1987 led, nine years later, to an atrocity which shocked the world.
And it includes contributions from high-profile figures who joined the calls for change.
Moving testimony from those affected by the shocking events of that morning, along with archive material, captures the mood of the country at that time and provides context around the fight to challenge the status quo.
Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland, said: "Scotland and the world was shocked by what happened in Dunblane nearly 30 years ago.
"Whilst much has been written and broadcast about the terrible events of that morning, our film will seek to shine a light on the courageous story of those who campaigned to get Britain’s gun laws changed forever."
Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, BBC, added: "By focusing on the 18 months that followed a terrible tragedy, this film sheds new light on a pivotal moment in British history, demonstrating how moments of despair can inspire movements of profound social change.
"We are privileged to be working with our colleagues at BBC Scotland and with IWC Media to show how the events of 30 years ago continue to shape Britain today.”
Steve Condie, Executive Producer, said: "Dunblane is a moment of unfathomable horror in a small Scottish town, but it is also a moment of real historical and political significance - a moment when grief, courage and a surge of emotion collided with the institutions of British power and the culture of the British establishment.
"Our film will capture a story saturated in sadness but also a revealing portrait of 1990s Britain and an inspiring vision of how people make change happen”.
Dunblane: The Shooting that Changed Britain is made by IWC Media (a Banijay UK company), and it will be broadcast on BBC Scotland, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in 2026.
Mark Downie, Creative Director of IWC Media, and co-Executive Producer, said: "The horrific events of Dunblane almost 30 years ago will forever be one of the worst tragedies to happen in the UK.
"The fight for change and justice is an important story to tell; we are incredibly grateful to the people who have agreed to take part in the film and honoured that a Scottish filmmaker of the calibre of Steve Condie has returned to make this with us."
