discovery+ UK Orders Children of the Cult

Discovery UK has commissioned the true-crime docuseries Children of the Cult (w/t) for the discovery+ streaming platform.

The five-part series explores one of the world’s most notorious and prolific cults through the stories of three British women who escaped from it. Children of the Cult charts the dramatic rise and fall of the Children of God cult alongside the unfolding criminal investigation to bring members of the cult to justice.

Founded by David Berg, the Children of God cult sprang out of ’60s hippie culture in California, established its HQ in London in 1971 and subsequently spread to 130 countries. What began as a utopian Christian community preaching a message of love became increasingly corrupted, with claims of sexual abuse, child trafficking and psychological manipulation. Each episode of Children of the Cult uses testimony from the three women, as well as other victims and detectives, and previously unseen footage to document the global investigation that brought some of the perpetrators to justice.

Hugh Ballantyne is directing the docuseries, produced by Mentorn Media.

Clare Laycock, senior VP and head of lifestyle and entertainment brands at Discovery, said: “This in-depth documentary series exposes one of the world’s most prolific and horrific cults through the testimonies of three incredibly courageous British women. Mentorn has done a stellar job weaving together interviews and archival content to create a dramatic-narrative style documentary series that will absolutely resonate with our discovery+ subscribers.”

Bernie Kay, head of factual for Mentorn, said: “We are excited to be making our first premium documentary series for discovery+ and are proud to be telling this extraordinary story with unique access and powerful unheard voices at its heart​.”