Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, today announced a number of new documentary series and singles with privileged access to powerful and contemporary stories, from the scandal of child abuse in English football to Greta Thunberg’s mission to raise awareness of climate change.

Other new documentaries announced today include a highly personal film with Paddy and Christine McGuinness about raising their three children, all of whom have been diagnosed with autism; a new film from David Olusoga celebrating the immigrant workforce that has been the backbone of the NHS; and two new films for BBC Three from new directors - one lifting the lid on the world of online influencers and the other revealing the stories of young men whose lives have been deeply affected by their addiction to gambling.

Clare Sillery says: “The BBC will always be the home of high quality, impactful documentaries, from the acclaimed series, Once Upon a Time in Iraq to the recent Katie Price: Harvey and Me which consolidated at over 4.2m.

"In these extraordinary and often divided times, it is more important than ever for us to be telling powerful, timely stories which offer different perspectives on the human experience. The documentaries I am announcing today demonstrate my ambition to grow and support the very best directing talent to make purposeful films that help us better understand the world in which we live; I’m very grateful to all those taking part for sharing their stories with us.”

Football’s Darkest Secret

A new three-part documentary series commissioned for BBC One and iPlayer about historical child abuse in English football, directed by Bafta-winner Daniel Gordon (Hillsborough, The Australian Dream). The series will examine abuse that has taken place in youth football all across the country, from Manchester to Newcastle, Crewe to Southampton.

From the mid 1970s until the mid 1990s, several coaches and scouts connected to top football clubs abused their positions of power to prey on vulnerable, young boys - and got away with it for decades. Many survivors were shamed into silence until Andy Woodward’s decision to waive his anonymity in November 2016 sparked hundreds of men to speak out. More than 800 victims have since come forward with 340 football clubs implicated and 300 suspects identified.

Three years in the making, Football’s Darkest Secret is the definitive account of this dark chapter in English football and the ensuing attempts to seek justice decades later. The story is told by survivors, their relatives, police officers, coaches and journalists. Together, they chart the abuse and its aftermath as some survivors rise to footballing fame whilst others walk away from the game - all deeply affected in their own way and all carrying a hidden secret.

The series aims to shine a light on the damaging ripple effect caused by child sexual abuse and offers a unique insight into the way it impacts survivors and their families - from that first time the abuse takes place, right through the course of their lives. The production follows behind the scenes of several high-profile criminal trials as survivors confront questions around how this abuse was able to continue undetected for so long. The results are as painful as they are cathartic.

Football’s Darkest Secret is a co-production between Insight TWI, Passion Pictures and VeryMuchSo, in association with Ventureland. The executive producers are John Battsek (One Day in September, Searching for Sugar Man), Ron McCullagh and Steve Boulton, the producer is Hugh Davies and the director is Daniel Gordon (Hillsborough, The Australian Dream).

Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World (w/t)

Commissioned for BBC One and BBC iPlayer and co-produced with PBS, this revealing series follows environmental activist Greta Thunberg as she seeks to raise awareness of the accelerating climate change and spread her message, that we must act to drastically reduce our carbon emissions.

Over the course of three episodes, Greta explores the science as she travels to extraordinary locations across the globe where the impact of a changing climate is glaringly obvious both for the planet and for the inevitable human costs. From the burning tar sands of the Canadian Oil Industry to the coal mines of Europe and the melting glaciers of the USA, she witnesses first hand the consequences of climate change and makes clear the reasons why she thinks something must be done.

On her journey she meets leading climate scientists and confronts the complexity of what is required to make change happen exploring possible actions and technology that could help limit global warming, from advanced technology to the role all of us can play. The series also hears from a range of academics, economists and experts, further exploring the climate change science Greta encounters on the ground.

Filming started in Autumn 2019 when then sixteen-year-old Greta took a year off school to embark on an international mission to spread her message and the world was transfixed as this teenager spoke truth to power, from diplomats at the United Nations to the world’s economic elite at Davos. As the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, the cameras continued filming with Greta at home in Sweden.

Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World (w/t) is made by BBC Studios Production in association with B-Reel Films in co-production with PBS for BBC and the Executive Producer is Rob Liddel. It was commissioned for BBC One and BBC iPlayer by Kate Phillips, acting Controller, BBC One, and Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, History and Religion. The Commissioning Editor is Hamish Fergusson. BBC Studios will distribute the title globally.

Our Family and Autism (w/t)

In 2017 Paddy and Christine McGuinness’s four-year-old twins, Leo and Penelope, were diagnosed with autism and last year their youngest child, Felicity, four, was also diagnosed.

Like 2.8million other British families, the McGuinness family is still coming to terms with their ever-changing reality - and are left with many unanswered questions.

In this powerful and moving documentary for BBC One and iPlayer, Paddy and Christine are bravely revealing their story to viewers, as they look within their own family and others to help them answer some of these questions.

What is autism in medical terms? When a child is diagnosed, what do you do? What support is out there? What does the future have in store? Is there ever a ‘right’ way to react and deal with the news of a diagnosis? And what is the impact on the family?

Paddy and Christine will meet with other parents of autistic children to see how their experiences differ and whether they can learn from them. They will also meet leading paediatricians and cutting-edge child-development experts to discover more about their children’s autism - and the condition in general.

Intimate, emotional and refreshingly candid, this is the portrait of a family so many assume they know, but seen here like never before. The film aims to challenge people’s preconceptions and kickstart a national conversation about an increasingly common condition that so few of us really understand.

The film is being made by Raw, producers of Chris Packham: Asperger’s and Me and Nadiya Hussain: Anxiety and Me. Tom Barry will executive producer and Lucy Wilcox is the director.

Our International NHS

In a one hour special for BBC One and iPlayer, David Olusoga celebrates the immigrant workforce that has been the backbone of the NHS, from its inception 70 years ago to the current pandemic.

Throughout its history, the NHS has drawn in doctors, nurses, specialists and support staff from overseas, and without them the NHS would simply have collapsed, unable to deliver on its foundational promise of a universal healthcare system available to all.

But though desperately needed these key workers have not always felt wanted. Presented by David with his forensic eye for documents, artefacts and archive, the film tells the story of the NHS from the perspective of Irish and Caribbean nurses, Asian doctors and Eastern European ancillary workers, whose personal journeys expose revelatory truths about an institution that today more than ever has become ‘the closest thing we have to a national religion.’

Our International NHS (1x60') is an Uplands Production. The Director and Producer is Tim Kirby and the Executive Producers are Charlotte Sacher, David Olusoga and Mike Smith. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Emma Loach.

Bad Influencer (w/t)

Bad Influencer (w/t) will unlock the shocking rise and fall of Belle Gibson, one of Instagram’s first super-influencers.

By 23, Australian Wellness guru Belle Gibson had cultivated an adoring global following online with the story that she’d cured her own terminal cancer by eating a plant-based diet and using alternative natural therapies. Warm, glamorous and authentic, Belle’s appeal transcended Instagram as she scored a lucrative publishing deal, while winning awards and plaudits in the press. But there was one problem with Belle’s story: she never had cancer.

Seen through the eyes of those who adored her and those who exposed her, Bad Influencer will lift the lid on one of social media’s great mysteries: who was the real Belle Gibson - an ingenious con artist or a vulnerable young woman trapped in a lie?

It will also examine the £3tn global Wellness industry, asking why Belle was allowed to thrive for so long, and asking if the pursuit of eating ‘clean’ is driving some young Brits to ill-health.

Bad Influencer (w/t), a 1x60' for BBC Three, is made by Minnow Films. It was commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Controller, BBC Three and Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, History and Religion. The Commissioning Editor is Emily Smith; the Executive Producer is Grace Reynolds; and the Director is Ziyaad Desai.

Gambling: When Our Fun Stopped (w/t)

Gambling: When Our Fun Stopped (w/t) will tell the powerful stories of young men whose lives have been deeply affected by addiction to gambling. As the use of online gambling has increased dramatically over the past five years, so have concerns about rises in addiction, particularly among young men.

Driven by the experiences of those harmed by gambling addiction, the film will trace their descent into addiction, the attempts they made to navigate and overcome it, and the tactics employed by some gambling firms that make recovery so difficult. Told with powerful testimony from friends and family, the devastating personal consequences of gambling addiction in young men are laid bare.

Gambling: When Our Fun Stopped (w/t), a 1x60 for BBC Three, is made by Blakeway North. It was commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Controller, BBC Three and Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, History and Religion. The Commissioning Editor is Emily Smith; the Executive Producer is Fran Baker and the Director is Candace Davies.