BBC Commissions Grenfell Drama from Peter Kosminsky

The BBC has commissioned Grenfell, a drama about the deadly 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower in West London, from writer and director Peter Kosminsky (Wolf Hall, The Undeclared War) for BBC One and iPlayer.

The series will draw on over five years of research, taking in public sources, the inquiry hearings and extensive interviews conducted by Kosminsky and associate producer Ahmed Peerbux. It will shine a light on those caught up in the tragedy, including the survivors, the families of the victims, the firefighters on duty that night and the wider community.

Grenfell will be produced by The Forge for BBC One and iPlayer, with Kosminsky and Mark Pybus executive producing for The Forge and Lucy Richer executive producing for the BBC.

“Occasionally, events occur in our national story that touch us all,” Kosminsky said. “The fire at Grenfell Tower is such an event. 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. In our drama, we attempt to pick our way through hours of public testimony, as well as original interviews conducted by our team, to reach the heart of this catastrophe: how such a thing can have happened, how we can avoid it ever happening again.”

“We have been working on this drama for more than five years now, and it is only right that such a terrible event, seared into the national psyche, should be approached with rigor and not rushed,” Peerbux added. “We are immensely grateful to the men and women who have shared their stories with us and let us into their lives. We couldn’t possibly hope to honor their experiences without the time and trust they have given us.”

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said, “Grenfell was a tragedy that touched the entire nation and is one of the most significant and devastating events in our recent history. In the trusted hands of Peter, Ahmed and their dedicated team, Grenfell will utilize drama’s unique ability to sensitively and respectfully show the human side of what happened and to offer a response to some of the many unanswered questions that remain.”

“I can think of no better combination to make this essential drama than Peter Kosminsky and the BBC,” added Pybus. “Peter, with his peerless reputation for truth telling, will honor the lives of those