Sky has today announced the commission of feature documentary, The Manchester Arena Bomb (w/t) which will come to Sky Documentaries and NOW in 2027. 

On the night of 22 May 2017, thousands of teenagers and their parents packed the Manchester Arena to see Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman World Tour. For many, it was a night they had been counting down to, practising lyrics to their favourite songs. But what began as an evening of music and joy became a devastating attack on British soil. A suicide bomb killed 22 people, many of them children and young adults, and injured hundreds more, making it the deadliest terror attack in the UK since the 7/7 bombings and altering countless lives.

In the days that followed, a sea of flowers appeared in St Ann’s Square, and thousands tattooed Manchester’s worker bee onto their skin in a gesture of solidarity that came to symbolise the city’s collective resolve.

Produced by All3Media company RAW (The Body Next Door, The Truth About Jussie Smollett, Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed) and from director Sophie Oliver (Boyzone: No Matter What, Operation Dark Phone) this feature-length Sky Original documentary will unpick the full story of that night. First-person testimony will reflect the experiences of those most affected, honour the memories of those who died, and explore how, almost a decade on, the true and lasting impact of the attack is only now coming into focus. 

Executive Producers for RAW are Tom Sheahan and Liesel Evans, who said: "This is a film that gives space to the voices of those who were there — what they lived through, how they helped, and how they continue to carry it with them today, nearly 10 years on. The film will follow a chronological arc — beginning with the anticipation, excitement, and euphoria of the concert itself, through the final songs, the explosion, the hysteria, the escape, and the rescue, to the days, weeks, months, and years that followed, and the extraordinary public response that unified not just Manchester, but the nation as a whole.”

Hayley Reynolds, Head of Documentary Commissioning, Sky said: "Sky Documentaries is proud to be working with RAW and director Sophie Oliver on this film. Their track record for compelling, thoughtful and sensitive storytelling makes them uniquely placed to take on such an important subject. The Manchester Arena bombing was a defining moment in recent British history and, for a generation too young to remember 7/7, their first experience of such a brutal act of domestic terrorism. Ten years on, it remains vital to remember what happened and reflect on its lasting impact”. 

The Manchester Arena Bomb (w/t) (1x100) was commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Executive Director, Unscripted Originals at Sky for Cécile Frot-Coutaz, Chief Advertising and Content Officer, Sky, CEO Sky Studios. The Head of Documentary Commissioning, Sky is Hayley Reynolds and the Commissioning Editor for Sky is Bruce Fletcher. Filming will begin this month.