London Bridge: Facing Terror Channel 4 documentary release date - what was the London Bridge Terror attack?

London Bridge: Facing Terror is a new documentary film on Channel 4 which will explore the three men who stopped the London Bridge terrorist attack in 2019.

Produced by Raw, it will tell the story of three men Darryn Frost from the Ministry of Justice, Steven Gallant and John Crilly who apprehended Usman Khan after he’d brutally killed two people. They had been attending a a prisoner rehabilitation event at Fishmongers’ Hall near London Bridge, when the terror attack took place.

The three men received the Queen’s Gallantry Medal, however after Gallant and Crilly’s criminal convictions were revealed, the tone towards them shifted. The documentary explores their past and whether they will ever be seen as heroes.

So, what is London Bridge: Facing Terror about and when can you watch it on Channel 4? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is London Bridge: Facing Terror about?

The documentary film produced by Raw, looks at the harrowing terror attack that took place on London Bridge on 29 November, 2019 and the three men who each played a role in stopping the attacker.

Khan killed two people, Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, before he was tackled to the ground by the men, one who was holding a narwhal tusk. The narrative of heroism was quickly shifted after it was revealed two of the men themselves held murder convictions.

The documentary includes interviews with all three men and with Merritt’s father. It will explore the past events that lead to the two men’s convictions and how fate brought them to London that day for an event on prisoner rehabilitation. It will examine how we treat people who have been convicted of a crime and ask if people can ever truly achieve redemption.

The official synopsis on Channel 4 reads: “In 2019, on London Bridge, three men tackled Usman Khan to the ground after he’d brutally killed two people. Was it a simple tale of heroes and villains or is the truth more complex?”

Is there a trailer?

Raw productions shared a 40-second clip of the upcoming documentary on X, formely known as Twitter. The segment features the three men who fought off the attacker whilst attending a prisoner rehabilitation event and questions whether the two with convictions have found redemption. You can watch the clip below.

What happened on London Bridge in 2019?

The London Bridge terror attack took place on 29 November, 2019. Khan, who was attending a prisoner rehabilitation event at Fishmongers’ Hall and had been considered a success story launched a vicious attack on attendees.

Armed with two knives and wearing a fake suicide vest he threatened to blow up the building and started to stab people, claiming the lives of Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones.

Khan was eventually tackled to the ground on London Bridge by event attendees, Darryn Frost from the Ministry of Justice, Steven Gallant and John Crilly. Both Gallant and Crilly held criminal convictions, with it being the first day that Gallant had been allowed out on licence in 14 and a half years.

Reported by the Mirror, Gallant who had been serving a 17 year sentence for murder, recalled Khan’s attack and the subsequent attempt to restrain him. He said: “The screams just kept going and going and so I, I just thought ‘f*** it’ I’ll go and investigate. As I walked down I saw somebody stood in the foyer with two big knives in his hands. I think it was about an eight-inch knife and it was strapped to his arm with tape.

“I turned to my side and there was someone stood next to me with a narwhal tusk, holding it out towards me. He (Khan) is swinging these knives and I managed to stab him with it but it bounced off a little bit. It didn’t have much effect so I whacked him again with the tusk but it snapped over him.

“As I’m walking out of that building... I’m completely free. I’m on my own and it’s the first time I’ve engaged in violence in fourteen and a half years so I had all these profound things in my head.”

When can I watch London Bridge: Facing Terror?

London Bridge: Facing Terror will be available to watch tonight (24 August) on Channel 4 at 9pm.