Executive Producers are Peter Beard and Ben De Pear

Story Films for BBC Two

Editor: Graham Taylor ( Episode 2, Offline and Finishing Editor)

Hostage is shaping up to be one of the BBC’s most gripping factual releases this year. The three-part documentary series tells the extraordinary and deeply unsettling story of British photojournalist John Cantlie, whose reporting trip to Syria in 2012 turned into a prolonged and highly publicised hostage ordeal.

The series takes viewers back to the early days of the Syrian conflict, when freelance journalists were racing to document events on the ground. Through detailed storytelling and first-hand insight, it examines how John Cantlie and fellow reporters entered the war zone, the moment their situation spiralled into crisis, and the complex geopolitical backdrop that shaped what followed. Cantlie was kidnapped in Syria alongside his friend James Foley.  Taken hostage by an infamous gang of British jihadis a video was released depicting Foley being horrifically executed.  Cantlie’s family braced for bad news, however a very different video emerged online, which saw him reporting for IS as a journalist.

Episode two is edited by Graham Taylor, an accomplished, award-winning film editor known for his distinctive creative approach. Graham specialises in projects with a unique tone and voice, bringing progressive approaches to narrative and aesthetic. Reflecting on the project, Graham said it was “a privilege to work on the story, it’s one of the most amazing hostage stories ever!”

What sets the documentary apart is its focus not just on the captivity itself but on the wider reality of frontline journalism. It paints a sobering picture of the risks photographers and correspondents take in pursuit of the truth, and the human cost when those risks go wrong.  

Hostage will premiere on Wednesday 4th March at 9pm on BBC Two,  it airs weekly on BBC Two and will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.