Colin Firth’s Lockerbie branded ‘tragedy porn’ by disaster victims as Sky series given damning verdict
A Lockerbie bombing victim’s relative has accused the new Sky series of being “tragedy porn” in a rebuke of its account of the atrocity that killed her father.
On December 21, 1988, a bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish village of Lockerbie killing all 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 people on the ground.
The combined 270 fatalities make it to date the deadliest terrorist attack on British soil.
Jim Swire lost his daughter Flora during the atrocity and became deeply involved in the following investigation into the attack.
His book, The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search For Justice has become the basis for Sky’s new series Lockerbie: A Search for Truth starring Colin Firth, 64, as Swire.
Now, another relative of a victim has come forward to raise an issue with the show’s “re-traumatising” handling of the events.
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin was 17 when she learned her father, Frank, was one of those killed in the attack.
Some 36 years later, Lipkin was serving as a victim’s representative on the production of the new series.
However, she was shocked at the show’s opening scenes which graphically depict the bombing – including debris, and bodies, raining down on Lockerbie followed by the grisly recovery efforts.
“I looked at my Mom and I was like, ‘It’s tragedy porn. This is disgusting’… They’re literally representing the worst moments of our life,” she said.
“The amount of bodies they showed and the egregious nature of it becoming like an action movie with things coming out of the sky. You don’t need to do that,” Lipkin explained to Deadline.
In response to her complaints, a Sky spokesman said: “We recognize that this is a deeply sensitive matter for many and approached the storytelling with the utmost care and respect.”
“We engaged with victims’ families and support groups throughout production and in the lead-up to the series launch and all episodes are signposted for any potentially distressing content,” they continued.
Lipkin, among other victims, has also expressed concern over Swire’s account of events and conclusions of culpability.
In particular, they point to Swire’s book and the Sky series casting doubt on the guilt of Abdulbasset Al Megrahi – the only man convicted of the atrocity.
Ahead of each episode, the programme informs viewers it is “based on the events and aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing”.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
ABC The View ‘hypocrisy’ row explodes as panel defends Biden pardons while Trump branded ‘spineless’Richard Hammond makes ‘catastrophic’ mental health admission amid split from wife of 28 yearsSir Rod Stewart, 80, ‘thrilled’ as he announces major new career move amid ‘retirement’ speculation
Lipkin disagreed and argued the show “should have no bearing on how people understand the truth about the bombing of Pan Am 10”.
Additionally, she suggested Sky should make clear where creative licence was applied so viewers can draw their own conclusions on events.
Responding to those complaints, a Sky spokesman said: “We understand there are opposing opinions on the Lockerbie disaster and the programme does not attempt to tell the definitive version or present a conclusion.”
“We chose to tell this story as we believe that drama is an accessible medium that can shine a light on difficult and thought-provoking subjects,” they concluded.
GB News has contacted Sky Studio for further comment.