Channel 4 show that tasked contestants with smuggling their way into Britain past border guards is axed from schedules after Purfleet lorry tragedy
- The two-part Channel 4 documentary sees people trying to sneak into the UK
- Broadcaster described it as an ‘unprecedented national security experiment’.
- But it has now been postponed following the discovery of 39 bodies in a lorry
Channel 4 has postponed the broadcast of a documentary on smuggling following the discovery of 39 bodies in a lorry in Essex.
The two-part documentary sees eight members of the public try to enter the UK from Europe by evading border checks.
The broadcaster has described it as an ‘unprecedented national security experiment’.
A screening of Smuggled had been planned for Thursday but was cancelled for unrelated reasons.
A spokeswoman said: ‘In light of the tragic events today we have postponed the transmission of the series.’
The two-part documentary sees eight members of the public try to enter the UK from Europe by evading border checks
Detectives have begun the process of trying to identify 39 bodies found in a lorry on an industrial estate in Essex
The lorry, which is believed to have come from Bulgaria, was found by police at Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays, Essex, in the early hours of Wednesday.
Essex Police said 38 adults and one teenager were pronounced dead at the scene.
In promotional material, Channel 4 said it had commissioned the show at a time when the UK was preparing to ‘take back control’ with Brexit.
Head of factual entertainment Alf Lawrie said in August: ‘This dramatic series has real purpose at its heart.
‘Extreme, authentic and utterly timely, it is a standout experiment that we hope will inform the national conversation.’
The first part of the series was due to be broadcast by Channel 4 on Monday, October 28.