Channel 4 to explore story of Marine A in exclusive access doc

26 May 2022

Channel 4 announces the commission of a landmark documentary on the first British solider to be convicted of murder on a foreign battlefield since World War Two.

From a war against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan to a legal battle in the UK, Marine A (w/t) details one of the most controversial events in the 20-year war on terror. On the 15th September 2011 an unarmed and wounded Taliban insurgent was shot in the chest by a British Royal Marine, who went on to tell his men that he “just broke the Geneva Convention”. With an exclusive interview with Alexander Blackman, known to most as Marine A, it reveals the story of that one day in Helmand. The 1x90’ feature documentary includes never seen before, recently recovered, combat footage, and many who have never spoken on camera before, Marine A takes audiences into the dark heart of those minutes in battle and the ensuing four-year legal campaign that his wife waged to set him free.  The film is a Two Rivers Media and Uppercut Films co-production. 

Alan Clements, Managing Director of Two Rivers Media says: "Alexander Blackman was the first British serviceman since the Second World War to be found guilty of a battlefield murder committed overseas.  Many have tried to get access to him, to hear his story in his own words.  We are honoured and proud that he has chosen to share it with us.  This unique access allows us to explore the real events surrounding this devastating event, to bring the full story to the screen in the way that we did with Killing Escobar and Cassius X.  The premium documentary space is central to our growth as a company and we are delighted to be working on Marine A and have more projects coming through."

Anna Miralis, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 says: “This is one of the darkest moments in modern British warfare, yet despite the intense media and political interest much about this story remains unknown. This film will bring together testimonies of Blackman and others involved, as well as footage from that day in Helmand, to give us the most complete picture of what happened that day and the ensuing fall out.”

Stephen Bennett, Director of the film says: “With powerful, candid testimony from Alexander Blackman, Marine A takes viewers into the crosshairs of the moral, legal and personal battles of an unlawful killing in Helmand which was uniquely filmed on camera.  Was Blackman, as some suggest, a cold-blooded murder or was he a Marine psychologically damaged by war?”