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Lucy Pilkington

Ricardo Pollack

Vanessa Moussa

Andrew Rushton

Victoria Valentino

James Poniewozik

Joseph C Phillips

Lynn Norment

Jennifer Lee Pryor

Robert Huber

Rebecca Traister

Lili Bernard

Maryclaire Dale

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Dan McQuade

Gloria Allred

Sugar Films

Bill Cosby: Fall of an American Icon

Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

05/06/2017

BBC Two - Bill Cosby: Fall of an American IconSearch BBC

The story of how a Hollywood star came to face a criminal trial for sexual assault.

The fascinating story of how one of Hollywood's brightest and wealthiest stars finally came to face a criminal trial for sexual assault a decade after the accusations were made.

This film tells the fascinating story of how one of Hollywood's brightest and wealthiest stars finally came to face a criminal trial for sexual assault a decade after the accusations were made. On June 5th 2017, Bill Cosby faced trial charged with sexual assault. A mistrial was declared after the jury was deadlocked. 

From the start of his career in 1960s, Cosby was on a trajectory to become one of the biggest television stars in the world. The eponymous Cosby Show, with Bill's alter ego Cliff Huxtable as the lead, was his career's crowning glory. With its affluent, happy black family at its heart, it redefined the way African-American families were represented on television. During this period, Cosby also became a huge philanthropist, donating millions to African-American causes.

But throughout his career, Bill was allegedly privately drugging and raping women with impunity. This film explores why it took so long for allegations about Bill Cosby to be taken seriously, and hears extraordinary testimony from the journalists, co-stars and the accusers who fought for years for this dark side of the Cosby story to be heard.

Containing interviews with those who knew Cosby professionally and personally, such as Richard Pryor's widow Jennifer Lee Pryor, actor Joseph C. Phillips as well as accusers, fellow Cosby actor Lili Bernard, and former actor and Playboy Bunny, Victoria Valentino.

After this film was first transmitted Cosby faced retrial in April 2018. He was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault.

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