THE PEOPLE VS GARY McKINNON: BBC DRAMA SPECIAL TO TELL THE STORY OF COMPUTER HACKER

The BBC have commissioned a 90-minute TV movie based on the story of computer hacker Gary McKinnon.

The BBC one-off, titled The People Vs Gary McKinnon, will be written by Peter Harness and produced by Wall To Wall. McKinnon was arrested in 2002 on allegations from the US that he had hacked into US military computer systems. He later admitted to hacking into US systems on a 'moral crusade' to find classified documents related to UFOs.

Supported by his mother Janis, together they fought against extradition for ten years. They were victorious in 2012 when it was ruled McKinnon could not be extradited based on the fact he could be a risk to his own life. The programme is based on the book Saving Gary McKinnon: A Mother’s Story.

Last year, the BBC aired a TV movie which explored the lives of five ordinary Welshmen who embark on an extraordinary journey when they take part in the trial of a new drug which would later become Viagra. The series is inspired by the remarkable true story of one of the world's first medical trials for the drug, held in Swansea’s Morriston Hospital in 1994.

Men Up is available now on BBC iPlayer.