CHANNEL 4 TO LAUNCH 'PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER 1'

CHANNEL 4 will shortly be launching a new documentary series focusing on some of the world’s most shocking crimes.
‘Public Enemy Number 1’ focuses on major crimes and criminals in countries outside Britain and the USA. While all crimes have caused considerable national anxiety, they also reveal deep-rooted cultural problems and complexities in the countries in which they took place.
The series is ring fenced for producers outside London and is another step forward in Channel 4’s commitment to sourcing 30 per cent of production from outside London by 2002. Three one-hour programmes are currently in production and will be broadcast in a 10pm slot in September, while several others are in development.
‘Superstar on Trial’, produced by Caledonia, Sterne & Wyld in Glasgow, is the story of Mexico’s pop superstar, Gloria Trevi, Latin America’s answer to Madonna. However, behind the scenes, the superstar was involved in sexual abuse and procuring teenage girls for her manager. She is now in jail in Brazil awaiting extradition back to Mexico.
‘The Pakistani Serial Killer’, produced by Chameleon Television in Leeds, is the gruesome story of Javed Iqbal who killed 100 young runaway boys in just 200 days – one every two days. He now faces the death penalty.
‘The Devil Made Me Do It’, from Wark Clements in Glasgow, recounts how three teenage girls stabbed a nun to death in a pre-meditated attack. The case provoked fears that conspiracy had gripped the small Italian town where they lived. The trial was complicated by the arrival of American satanic rock star, Marilyn Manson, whose music had supposedly influenced the girls.
Channel 4’s Head of Programmes (Nations & Regions), Stuart Cosgrove, said: “These are some of the world’s most shocking and gripping stories. Although they often receive passing attention here, they have caused widespread panic, scandal and anxiety in the countries where they take place.
“Channel 4’s viewers are interested in intelligent documentaries based on crimes but only if they offer unique insights into society. In pursuing the story of the crime and its central participants, Public Enemy Number 1 goes beyond the ‘true-crime’ genre.”
(GB)