Russell Brand: On Trial

The biggest, and very first story of the year 2000, involved a bug that was expected to impact tens of millions of lives all over the world.
But unlike the Covid-19 pandemic of today, The Millennium Bug, or Y2K for short, was a computer programming problem, with predicted Armageddon-like consequences.
In the months leading up to the year 2000, people feared the world was on the brink of disaster; that planes would fall from the sky, cardiac pacemakers would stop, and nuclear reactors would shut down. The problem was devastatingly simple - computers were never programmed to read dates beyond 31 December 1999. And the inability to do so, at 12-midnight on 1 January 2000, could lead to a global computer crash.
Governments around the world spent an estimated $500 billion trying to fix the problem.
Each individual nation had their own unique concerns.
In Russia, the military moved to protect the software that secured their nuclear weapons systems.
And in Western Australia, the Ministry of Justice feared an overly automated prison system would fail, allowing the opportunity for thousands of inmates and the state’s most dangerous prisoners, to escape.
So, they hired Matthew Hackling, a young, unassuming cyber security engineer, who was then dispatched to the state’s most notorious prisons.
Could Matthew win the race against time to prevent this millennium catastrophe?

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years. The Y2K Prison Bug is episode 21 — and the final instalment of StoryCast ’21.

CREDITS:

The Y2K Prison Bug was written and produced by Rob Mulhern.
Recordings and original idea, by Tom Gillespie
with special thanks to Matthew Hackling.
Archive, Simon Windsor
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Digital, Tom Gillespie
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Sam Gould
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story, visit www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

On 27 July 2012, Gary Connery pulled up his tights, adjusted his wig, and put on a dress fit for a queen. The London Olympics opening ceremony was about to get underway and the professional stuntman was all set for the biggest job of his career. With the Queen scheduled to open the Games it was decided she would make a very special, very British, entrance. The idea was that James Bond would chaperone Her Majesty to the ceremony in a helicopter, before they both parachuted into the celebrations.
But selling the illusion to a billion TV viewers around the world depended on the movie making skills of director/producer Danny Boyle and the bravery of a little-known stuntman ready to wow the world.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21 years.
The Queen's Stuntman is episode 20 of the 21-part series StoryCast' 21.

Credits -

The Queen's Stuntman was recorded by Tom Gillespie.
Production, writing and sound design by Rob Mulhern
Special thanks to our contributors, Gary Connery and Alastair Bruce
Archive, Simon Windsor
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Digital, Tom Gillespie
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Sam Gould
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story log on to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

A veteran of movie cameos and music videos, Eddie Moss was one of the most successful Michael Jackson impersonators in the world in 2005, but then he took a job like no other.
At the time, Michael Jackson was one of the world’s most iconic celebrities. But news headlines about his personal life and not his music had come to tarnish his reputation.
Now, Jackson was due to go on trial in California on multiple charges of child abuse against a minor.
The eyes of the world were watching. However, when the judge presiding over the case prevented cameras in the courthouse, it posed a major problem. How were news outlets going to communicate court proceedings to an international audience?
Sky News, along with E! entertainment, decided to attempt something no one had tried before — deliver daily reconstructions of key evidence, using a cast of Hollywood actors, hired to play the main roles.
None was more important, or consequential, than that of Jackson himself. But as the trial began to unfold, Eddie Moss quickly realised that his future and wellbeing were on the line too.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
Michael Jackson: The trial of the century is episode 19 of the 21-part series StoryCast ’21

CREDITS -

Michael Jackson: Trial Of The Century was written and produced by Rob Mulhern and Jayne Secker.
Original idea, Jonathan Samuels
Special thanks to our contributors, Eddie Moss, Jayne Secker and Richard Johnson
Archive, Robert Fellowes
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Digital, Tom Gillespie
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Samuel Gould
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story log on to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

On 22 July 2005, when Patricia da Silva learned that police marksman had killed a man at Stockwell Underground Station in London, she’d no reason to second-guess news reports describing the deceased as a terrorist.
The capital then was on high alert.
Just two weeks earlier, a series of bomb attacks killed 52 people, injured hundreds and London was left reeling.
Then, on 21 July 2005, four men targeted the capital’s transport network in a carbon-copy style attack.
This time, the terrorists' bombs failed to explode and they fled.
So less than 24-hours after that failed attack, when Patricia left for work, she knew from news reports that police were in a race against time to catch the bombers.
She’d absolutely no idea that the block of flats where she lived on Scotia Road in Tulse Hill was already under intense surveillance; that it had been linked by police to one of the terrorists — Hussein Osman, the target of the police shooting in Stockwell.
Or was he?
Critically, Scotia Road, Tulse Hill was much more than a location of police interest, it was home to Patricia, and her cousin — Jean Charles de Menezes, an electrician also from Brazil.
On the morning of 22 July, when Patricia learned of the shooting, she couldn’t have imagined that a catastrophic chain of events had already cost Jean Charles de Menezes his life.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
Batman raids Buckingham Palace is episode 17 of the 21-part series StoryCast ’21

CREDITS -

The Shooting was produced by Rob Mulhern and Tom Gillespie.
Story originator, Tom Gillespie.
Special thanks to our contributors, Patricia da Silva and Mark White
Archive, Robert Fellowes
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Digital, Tom Gillespie
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Samuel Gould
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story go to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

In September 2004, Jason Hatch dressed up in a Batman costume and broke into the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The Queen's home is protected by some of the tightest security measures in the world - but they weren't tight enough for this caped crusader, who climbed on the iconic building and made his way to the main balcony. A casual observer might have been forgiven for thinking Batman had stolen into the palace to execute a daring rescue.
But in reality Mr Hatch was risking his life because he hadn't seen his children in more than eight years - and this superhero dad was set to stage a protest that would soon be beamed around the world.
Would the British establishment bend to the will of Batman?


In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
Batman raids Buckingham Palace is episode 17 of the 21-part series StoryCast ’21

CREDITS -

Batman Raids Buckingham Palace was recorded by Tom Gillespie and Rob Mulhern.
Production, writing and sound design by Rob Mulhern
Special thanks to our contributors Jason Hatch and Martin Brunt
Archive, Daniel Franklin
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Digital, Tom Gillespie
Sky News Head of Radio, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Samuel Gould
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story log on to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

On the evening of 26 November 2008, Director and photographer Daniela Federici was in the lobby of the five-star Taj Palace hotel, Mumbai, when Islamic terrorists began a deadly 4-day terror attack using automatic weapons and grenades.
Hours before, the Australian had arrived in the Indian port city – referred to my many in India as the ‘City of Dreams’ – to begin recording for a new TV documentary series.
Instead, she found herself fleeing deep into the hotel’s vast warren of corridors as the terrorists, sent from Pakistan, mercilessly hunted down and murdered guests and security personnel. Escape the Taj Mumbai is Daniela’s story of survival and ultimately, escape.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
Escape the Taj Mumbai is episode 16 of the 21-part series StoryCast ’21

CREDITS -

Escape the Taj Mumbai was written and produced by Rob Mulhern
Recordings by Tom Gillespie
Special thanks to Daniela Federici and Ashish Joshi
Digital by Tom Gillespie
Presented by Jayne Secker
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Head of Sky News Radio Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Chris Scott
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story visit www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

The UK has a long history of exploration, however by 2016, only one astronaut, Helen Sharman, had travelled to space bearing the colours of the UK flag and no Briton had ever experienced the most demanding and perilous experience of spaceflight. That was until one January morning in 2016. Former RAF test pilot, husband and father, Tim Peake, had arrived at The International Space Station (ISS) just weeks before.
When mission control discovered damage to an external power unit, Peake, and fellow astronaut Tim Kopra, were tasked with its repair - a complex undertaking, fraught with danger, which could only be executed during night orbit at 17,000 km per hour.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
Tim Peake: Britain’s first spacewalk is episode 15 of the 21-part series StoryCast ’21

CREDITS

Tim Peake: Britain’s first spacewalk was recorded by Tom Gillespie
Writing, production and sound design by Rob Mulhern
Special thanks to Tim Peake and Thomas Moore
Digital by Tom Gillespie
Presented by Jayne Secker
TV treatment, Johnny El-Giathi
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Chris Scott
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story log on to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

From Pauls Valley in Oklahoma, USA, Miles Hill always dreamed of joining the US Marine Corps.
Growing up, family life was coloured by US military history - his grandparents served in World War Two and Korea. So when al Qaeda terrorists attacked the US on 11 September, 2001, it set in motion a chain of events that brought Hill to Iraq in 2003, as part of the Marine Corps.

An idealistic 19-year-old, Hill had little understanding of geo-politics, but it was his absolute conviction that the world would be a better place without the Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi dictator had been a destabilising influence in the region since the 1990 Gulf War. Now accused of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) as well as forging links with al Qaeda terrorists, Hill and his fellow Marines were tasked with leading the ground invasion and deposing Hussein. On the morning of the invasion, military leaders warned of the bloodiest urban battle in US Marine Corp history. By the end of that day, Miles Hill would find himself at the centre of one of this century’s most iconic moments.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
Taking down Saddam is episode 14 of the 21-part series StoryCast ’21

CREDITS

‘Taking down Saddam’ was produced and written by Rob Mulhern.
Recordings and digital Tom Gillespie
Special thanks to Miles Hill and David Chater.
Presented by Jayne Secker
Sound Design, Rob Mulhern
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Archive, Simon Windsor
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Chris Scott
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story go to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

Saturday September 11, 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on the US, which resulted in almost 3000 deaths and injured 25,000 people.
At around 8 o'clock on the morning of the attacks, a group of al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes before flying them - packed with passengers - towards targets in New York and Washington D.C.
In the hours that followed, one of the deadliest attacks in US history played out live on TV screens around the world.
From London’s East End, Janice Brooks, had just moved to New York. Then aged 41, she'd started a new job with the finance firm Eurobrokers. Her new office was located on floor 84 of 2 World Trade Centre (The South Tower).
Shortly after Janice got to her desk on 9/11, the terrible chain of events that continue to mark her life, began to unfold. In this special extended episode of StoryCast 21 and using Sky News archive from the attack as it was being reported live, Janice tells the story of her escape from the upper floors of 2 World Trade Centre.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
9-11 Janice Brooks: Inside the South Tower is episode 13 of the 21-part series StoryCast ‘21

CREDITS

9-11 Janice Brooks: The South Tower was produced by Rob Mulhern.
Story originator and digital - Tom Gillespie
Special thanks to Janice Brooks and Since 9-11- an education programme directed at UK students.
Presented by Jayne Secker
Sound Design, Rob Mulhern
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Archive, Simon Windsor
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Chris Scott
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story log on to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21

Ghassan Hasrouty wasn’t supposed to be working at Beirut’s port on Tuesday, 4th August 2020.
He’d swapped shifts to allow him to attend an upcoming weekend trip with his wife and children.
A senior manager, Ghassan had worked at the port for 38-years. He knew its rhythms well and anticipating that he may have to work through the night, he called home and asked for someone bring him a pillow and blanket.
Around the same time Zein Ja’Far, Sky News' Middle East News Editor based in Beirut, was working from his apartment, less than half a mile away when he noticed smoke coming from the port.
A fire was about ignite thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate, stored near Ghassan's workplace. The lives of the Hasrouty family, and Beirut’s two million residents were about to be changed forever.

In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.
Episode 12 of the 21-part series is The Beirut Blast: Ghassan’s story.
*StoryCast '21 returns in September 2021, with an extended episode to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.

CREDITS

The Beirut Blast: Ghassan’s story was written and produced by Rob Mulhern with Zein Ja’Far.
Special thanks to Eli and Tatiana Hasrouty
Research and Digital by Tom Gillespie
Presented by Jayne Secker
Sound Design, Rob Mulhern
TV treatment, Victoria Hudson-Grant
Head of Radio, Sky News, Dave Terris
Design and graphics, Brian Gillingham
Social media, Chris Scott
Press and Marketing, Alexandra Horton
Email: [email protected]
For more on this story log on to www.skynews/storycast21
#StoryCast21