Dunblane: New BBC Scotland documentary to mark 30th anniversary of Dunblane massacre in the works

Gunman Thomas Hamilton walked into a primary school in the town near Stirling on March 13, 1996 and fatally shot 16 pupils and their teacher Gwen Mayor during a primary one gym lesson.

The mass shooting is the deadliest in British history.

As 30 years since the atrocity approaches, the BBC has announced the new documentary will be broadcast next year. The production will explore Britain’s gun culture in the years leading up to the shooting, and the campaign in the months which followed to introduce tough new laws on gun ownership.

The broadcaster said the new film, Dunblane: The Shooting that Changed Britain, will tell a lesser-known story about how legislative decisions following the Hungerford shooting in 1987, when gunman Michael Ryan went on the rampage in the small town in Berkshire, contributed to the Dunblane massacre nine years later.

It will follow the surge of public anger in the wake of the shooting and the establishment of The Snowdrop Campaign to end the private ownership of handguns in the UK.

The campaign was founded by Ann Pearston, Jacqueline Walsh and Rosemary Hunter, and supported by many of the grieving parents, including Mick North.

Delving into government archives and the response from the public, the documentary will examine the passionate arguments on both sides of the debate, and the process that led to the eventual introduction of gun laws in the years that followed the shooting.

It is also set to include moving testimony from people affected by the tragedy, archive material capturing the public outrage, and contributions from high-profile figures who joined the campaign for change, the BBC said.

The film is being produced by Steve Condie, whose previous work includes Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution and My Life as a Rolling Stone.

Louise Thornton, head of commissioning at BBC Scotland, said: “Scotland and the world was shocked by what happened in Dunblane nearly 30 years ago.

“Whilst much has been written and broadcast about the terrible events of that morning, our film will seek to shine a light on the courageous story of those who campaigned to get Britain’s gun laws changed forever.”

Mr Condie said: “Dunblane is a moment of unfathomable horror in a small Scottish town, but it is also a moment of real historical and political significance - a moment when grief, courage and a surge of emotion collided with the institutions of British power and the culture of the British establishment.

“Our film will capture a story saturated in sadness, but also a revealing portrait of 1990's Britain and an inspiring vision of how people make change happen.”

Armed with four handguns and 743 rounds of ammunition, purchased legally under the UK firearm laws at the time, Hamilton had made his way to the school gym where Ms Mayor was teaching her primary one pupils.

Over the course of four minutes, Hamilton opened fire on the class of children, shooting 32 people. PE teacher Eileen Harrild and teaching assistant Mary Blake were injured, but managed to shelter as many children as they could inside a gym cupboard while Hamilton fired shots.

A total of 16 pupils were fatally injured, all aged six or under.