The Execution of Gary Glitter is a 2009 British television drama, produced by Juniper Communications Limited[1] and broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK.
Set in a parallel Britain, the film follows an imaginary trial and execution by hanging of former glam rock singer Gary Glitter, who has been convicted for possession of child pornography and rape of minors, for "offences against children".
Though intended to open debate on hanging and capital punishment in the United Kingdom, the programme was poorly received and the choice of celebrity accused led to a complaint being registered with Ofcom by Glitter (which was later dismissed).
Glitter applies for entry to Hong Kong and Thailand, but is forced to return to the UK, where he is to be charged with child rape and to stand trial as a paedophile for "category one sex offences" committed whilst abroad.
Glitter continuously proclaims his innocence; meanwhile, the public cry for justice and his death while the media rake through his previous charges and history of offences.
All cast are shown in the order they appear in the credits:[1] Rob Coldstream, the creator of the programme, wrote an account of the premise and production behind the drama which was published in The Independent in November 2009.
He said that he had the idea for the programme after reading a report in a national newspaper that had said that "If Gary Glitter was to be strung up in Trafalgar Square tomorrow, nobody would turn a hair".
[5] Coldstream argued that "The time was right for a thought-provoking and compelling drama that would confront viewers with the consequences of the death penalty", after UK polls in June and September that year had shown more than 50% of Britons supported bringing back capital punishment.
But this was confirmation that we were tapping into a raw nerve [...] When we covertly filmed an actor outside the Old Bailey displaying a banner reading 'Honk for hanging', the cacophony of car horns was sobering.
[5]Coldstream said that "the idea was to force viewers to explore their own impulses – as individuals and communities – over how we deal with society's most reviled offenders in a way that was challenging and disturbing."
[10] Glitter claimed that "a reasonable viewer might have concluded that [he] had committed 'terrible crimes which have gone unpunished'" and stated that he "was never prosecuted in Vietnam for child rape.
[12] The BRC noted that Glitter had stated his position as unfairly being denied an opportunity to refute the claim that he "was a child rapist"; however, they "did not consider that this was a fair interpretation" of Channel 4's intent, which "focused on the effect of the programme on viewer's perceptions of Mr Gadd."