The Plymouth Shootings

Original version

BBC Three HD

BBC Two

BBC Three

BBC Two England

England

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

David Atkinson

Sam Emmery

Fran Baker

Holly Doyle

Lindsay Konieczny

Julie Scott

Firecracker Films

Documentaries

Factual

BBC Three - The Plymouth Shootings

How did a seemingly normal young man turn into one of Britain’s most lethal killers?

On 12 August 2021, Jake Davison shot and killed five people before turning the gun on himself. How did a seemingly normal young man turn into one of Britain’s most lethal killers?

On 12 August 2021, a 22-year-old Jake Davison shot and killed five people in a quiet cul-de-sac in Plymouth before turning the gun on himself. It was the worst mass shooting on British soil in over a decade and the first of the digital age. 
 
But how did a seemingly normal kid from a small town on the south coast of England turn into one of Britain’s most lethal killers?
 
In the months leading up to the shootings, Davison uploaded a series of videos and posts on internet forums that chart his deteriorating state of mind and alienation from those around him. 
 
This digital legacy, alongside interviews with people who knew him, those close to the victims and others connected to the case, gives some insight into why this tragic event happened. 
 
The documentary explores Davison’s connection to the incel movement, a deeply misogynistic ideology that is growing at an alarming rate and has been linked to violent extremism.
 
The programme also raises questions about how ‘troubled kids’ are supported and monitored and will expose a series of missed opportunities and a catalogue of failures that allowed a dangerous individual to remain in possession of a legal firearm.

A multi-platform service for 16-34s, featuring comedy, entertainment and factual content.

The BBC’s multi-platform service for 16 to 34s, innovating with breakthrough comedy, stand-out entertainment, brave documentary and intellectual factual content.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Plymouth Shootings

Contributors

Genres

Formats

BBC Three HD

About BBC Three