Channel 4 commissions Slaying at Sycamore Gap (w/t) from Candour Productions

22 August 2024

On the morning of 28 September 2023, news spread across social media that the iconic Sycamore Gap tree had been deliberately felled overnight. The tree had famously stood in a remote nook of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland (a UNESCO World Heritage site) - a popular tourist spot renowned for its appearance in the Hollywood film ‘Robin Hood Prince of Thieves’.

Slaying at Sycamore Gap (w/t), 2 x 60,  will be produced by Candour Productions and directed by award-winning Anna Hall.  Candour Productions have exclusive access to Northumbria Police and will tell the extraordinary story of this headline-grabbing crime.

With access to never-before-seen investigation assets, witnesses, suspects, police officers and case experts, the series will chronicle this unique investigation – following its intricate twists and turns and exploring the impact this senseless crime had on the local community and around the world.

The central character of the bizarre story will be the Sycamore Gap tree. Its presence resonating throughout offering up intimate interviews with fans, social media posts, news archive and cinematic footage.

The film will celebrate this icon of North- East imagery and identity and capture the utter outrage and disbelief that people around the world expressed at such a senseless crime. What was the motive? This is a gripping environmental true crime thriller.

As a global outpouring of shock and anger erupted and the world’s media descended, Northumbria Police immediately launched a criminal investigation. The detective double act tasked with uncovering the culprits of this stranger-than-fiction crime were SIO Rebecca Fenney and DS Calum Meikle.

The only evidence they had to start with were the remains of the 200-year-old tree. There was no CCTV. There were no witnesses.

What unravelled in the following weeks was a bizarre but complex investigation,  in an effort to get justice for the tree, the local community, and the countless number of outraged fans across the world.

Eventually two men were charged  - Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31 - with criminal damage and they now stand accused of causing £622,191 worth of damage to the tree and a further £1,144 to Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Both are pleading not guilty and are due to stand trial in December 2024.

Anna Miralis, Senior Commissioning Editor, Documentaries said:  “The felling of this iconic and much -loved tree sent shock waves across the world.  With the mix of extraordinary access to this unique investigation and an award-winning director, this documentary is guaranteed to be both enlightening and utterly compelling.  It is my hope it will offer up some understanding on what drove those to commit such a senseless crime.”

Anna Hall said:  “In a world where campaigners struggle to get people to take action to care about the global environmental crisis, the outpouring of grief for the Sycamore Gap tree was quite unbelievable. A story that instantly went viral around the globe. A bereft community at the heart of it. And anger and outrage felt by thousands to get justice for the tree. This is an incredible opportunity to tell the story of some very unusual police work and why we all cared so much about a Slaying at Sycamore Gap”.

ENDS