The boy who came to symbolise our lasting image of the Iraq War is to be the subject of a BBC Radio 4 documentary this Christmas, created by Made in Manchester Productions.
Ali Abbas: In His Own Words was ordered by Radio 4 commissioning editor Mohit Bakaya. It will be presented by the BBC’s Baghdad correspondent Hugh Sykes.
Ali Abbas was just 12 when he lost both his arms and suffered severe burns to more than a third of his body. He also lost both his parents, his brother and 13 other members of his family in the US bombardment of Baghdad in 2003.
Made in Manchester Creative Director Ashley Byrne says: “Ali has gone through hell and back but he’s a real fighter and has gone on to do some pretty amazing things. Ali is now 17 and lives mainly here in the UK.
The programme is scheduled to air on BBC Radio 4 on Monday, December 29th and is being produced by MIM’s new Head of Programme Production, the former 1Xtra documentary commissioner Russell Crewe.
Made in Manchester’s latest commission for Radio 4 follows hot on the heels of In Search of Forgiveness which is due to air on the network on November 6th and follows the mother of a 7/7 bomb victim as she goes in exploration to find out how parents of other victims of crime have managed to forgive the perpetrators.
