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Outlook: Fear and fantasy TV in the siege of Aleppo

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People watch a screening of Game of Thrones

17/03/2021 GMT

Fear and fantasy TV in the siege of Aleppo

BBC World Service - Outlook, Fear and fantasy TV in the siege of Aleppo

The Syrian medic who found solace in TV as he ran rebel Aleppo’s only children’s hospital

The Syrian paediatrician who ran the only children’s hospital in rebel-held Aleppo. To deal with the daily intensity and horrors of war, he found escapism in fantasy TV shows.

Ten years ago, Hatem was a student watching both season one of Game of Thrones and the Syrian revolution unfurl. But when the peaceful protest movement turned into devastating civil war, he wanted to help. Fresh out of medical school and still in his 20s, Hatem became one of the most important doctors in Aleppo. Working in unimaginably terrifying and desperate conditions, he ran the only children's hospital during the siege of 2016. To deal with the daily intensity and horrors of war, he found solace and escapism in his favourite fantasy TV shows.  

Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Maryam Maruf

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Picture: A screen showing Game of Thrones
Credit: VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP via Getty Images

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