Mobeen Azhar

The publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses in 1988 sparked a culture war in Britain between those in the Muslim community, who considered the book blasphemous and called for the book to be banned, and those defending it as an expression of freedom of speech.

Protests, which began in the north of England, soon spread across the UK and to the rest of the Islamic world, culminating in February 1989 with Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa - a death sentence on the writer.

Now, 30 years on, broadcaster and journalist Mobeen Azhar embarks on a journey, starting in his native Yorkshire where the protest first began, to examine the lasting effect the book has had on the Muslim community and how the events of 1989 continue to have an impact today.

Mobeen hears from a range of people who were affected by the so called 'Rushdie Affair' - from the men who took an early stand against the book and organised the original protests to the writer who wrestled at the time of the book's publication with the complex questions of free speech and her own religious beliefs, and a former member of the National Front who claims that the furore over the book became a recruiting tool for them.

Bafta-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar seeks to uncover the truth behind the conservatorship that Britney Spears has been under for the last 13 years. This film follows Mobeen as he journeys from Los Angeles to Britney's hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, untangling the complexities surrounding the conservatorship.

Mobeen delves into one of the most passionate fan bases in modern celebrity, attending a court hearing along the way and finding himself in the midst of the ongoing battle between Britney's conservatorship team and the passionate fans behind the #FreeBritney movement. He attempts to speak to those on both sides of the fence surrounding the still-unfolding story of one of pop's biggest ever superstars.

The film includes never-before-seen interviews with, among others, Britney's makeup artist Billy Brasfield, her former choreographer Brian Friedman, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and lawyer Lisa MacCarley.

In October 2022, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, drew widespread condemnation after wearing a White Lives Matter T-shirt at his Paris Fashion Show. That controversy was swiftly followed up with a series of antisemitic statements on social media. With his dangerous statements making global headlines, Ye doubled down by sharing dangerous and inflammatory mistruths during a series of interviews. In the face of backlash, Ye told the paparazzi that he was planning to run for president of the United States in 2024.

Unfolding against the backdrop of Ye's recent behaviour and his rumoured 2024 presidential campaign, this documentary sees award-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar travel to the United States to try and discover how one of America's most celebrated artists became a megaphone for hate and division.