BBC commissions Dunblane: The Shooting that Changed Britain doc to mark anniversary

The Scottish village of Dunblane witnessed one of Britain’s deadliest firearms atrocity

Wikimedia Commons/Colin Smith

The BBC has commissioned Dunblane: The Shooting that Changed Britain (working title) to mark the 30^th anniversary of Britain’s deadliest firearms atrocity.

On March 13, 1996, a lone gunman walked into a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, and shot dead 16 pupils and their teacher in a gym class

The 1×60 film, produced by Banijay’s IWC Media, will tell the lesser-known story of Britain’s gun culture at the time and a turning point in Britain’s modern history.

It will shed new light on one of Britain’s darkest moments and explain how legislative decisions made in the aftermath of the Hungerford shooting in 1987 led – nine years later – to an atrocity which shocked the world.

Revealing evidence from the government archives, the film will examine both sides of the debate around Britain’s gun laws and include contributions from high-profile figures who joined the calls for change.

It was commissioned for BBC Scotland, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer by Jack Bootle, head of commissioning for specialist factual and Louise Thornton, head of commissioning for BBC Scotland.

The commissioning editors for the BBC are Simon Young, head of commissioning for history and David Harron for BBC Scotland. The film will be exec produced by Steve Condie (Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution; My Life as a Rolling Stone).

It will be broadcast on BBC Scotland, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in 2026.