BBC defends filming cancer patient death

The BBC has defended a new programme featuring the dying moments of a terminally-ill man, arguing that there is "a case to be made for filming a peaceful, natural death".

New BBC science series Inside The Human Body will feature the final moments of an 84-year-old man called Gerald, as he passes away surrounded by his family.

Presenter Michael Mosley said that footage of Gerald's death would upset some people, but it was important not to avoid "talking about death and, when it's warranted, showing it".

Speaking to the Radio Times, Mosley said: "There are those who feel that showing a human death on television is wrong, whatever the circumstances.

"Although I respect this point of view, I think there is a case to be made for filming a peaceful, natural death - a view shared by many who work closely with the dying."

The situation follows a controversy surrounding a new BBC documentary fronted by Sir Terry Pratchett, which is due to show a terminally-ill man having a medically-assisted death at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. The corporation has been accused of being a "cheerleader for assisted suicide" by filming the death.

The Inside The Human Body series will track the passage of life from conception to grave, including the birth of a new baby and the body's move into adulthood.

The second episode will feature footage of the death of Gerald, who was suffering with cancer. A hospice in Pembur, Kent put the programme makers in touch with him, because it felt that it was "important that life-threatening illness and death is discussed and understood more in our society". Gerald died on January 1 this year.

"The death of a loved one is a hugely significant moment in all our lives, but not something to be feared. I watched my own father die. Just before the end he decided to start singing," said Mosley.

"He sang for several minutes and then he stopped and he was gone. I'm so glad I was there, and the time I spent with him before his death are among the many memories that I treasure."