ITV EXPLORE THE MURDER OF BRIANNA GHEY IN NEW DOCUMENTARY

Emotive new ITV1 and ITVX documentary Brianna (w/t) will explore the brutal murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, which sparked widespread condemnation across the UK. 

In February 2023 the teenager, who was trans, was stabbed to death by Scarlett Jenkinson, her so-called friend of just ten weeks, and Eddie Ratcliffe, a boy she had never met.

In this powerful film, made by MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios, Brianna’s mother Esther speaks in depth for the first time about her “beautiful daughter” and how the devastating loss has driven her campaign for change. 

Coming this year the 75-minute documentary features exclusive interviews with friends and family, plus murder detectives. Cheshire Police has given exclusive access to their investigation, including evidence and custody suite interviews with the two killers, who were caught within 28 hours.

Detectives reveal for the first time how they quickly built up their case to bring the perpetrators to justice. 

The documentary further explores Brianna’s upbringing in Warrington through interviews with her close friends, who have never spoken before. They tell for the first time about the “wonderful” and “amazing” person Brianna was, and speak about her trans journey.

In deeply personal conversations, Esther also discusses her ongoing campaign to make the UK safer for children.  

Esther is calling for a public inquiry into peer-on-peer violence, why it is on the rise, and what can be done to stop it happening? She also wants the growing mental health crisis investigated among children and young people, and looks at whether social media is making children harm themselves or others. 

The documentary will air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV player and the TX will be confirmed in due course. ITV Studios will distribute the documentary internationally. 

Esther Ghey, Brianna’s mum said: "I took part in this amazing documentary as a way to ensure that my family's story was told truthfully, and people could get to know Brianna the way we did. I also wanted to find out more about the benefits of mindfulness, and the impact that harmful content online is having on teenagers and children...

"I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to speak to amazing people who highlight the issues that young people face in society right now. The statistics are shocking. I hope that this documentary contributes to the push for our children's welfare, online and offline.”

Tom Giles, Controller of Current Affairs ITV said: "We are incredibly grateful that Brianna's family entrusted us and MultiStory Media to bring this deeply personal story to ITV. We are privileged to have had the unique insight of Esther - as well as of the police force who worked on the case. The resulting documentary is a testament to the strength of character of Esther who, in the face of such an appalling crime, fights to this day to effect real change in society and to keep her daughter's name alive." 

Mike Blair, Head of Documentaries, MultiStory Media & Executive Producer ‘Brianna’ said: “This is an incredibly powerful and emotional film featuring, at its heart, two quite remarkable people - Brianna herself of course and her extraordinary mother Esther. The love Esther has for her child comes shining through; as does her determination to turn the loss of Brianna into something positive and good for other children.”

Transmission details will be announced in due course.