Bodyguard star's controversial ITV drama has been added to Netflix
Bodyguard star Keeley Hawes' controversial ITV drama Honour has been added to Netflix.
The two-part series, which was first released on ITV in 2020, dramatises the real-life honour killing of Banaz Mahmod, a British Muslim woman whose murder was arranged by her father and uncle in 2006 after she started a relationship with someone of her own choosing.
Honour stars Hawes as DCI Caroline Goode, who investigated the case and worked to bring Banaz's killers to justice after police failed to protect the 20-year-old on multiple occasions while she was still alive.
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Honour was heavily criticised online for perpetuating a white saviour complex ahead of its release, given the drama places its white lead at the centre, while also having a white writer (Gwyneth Hughes) and director (Richard Laxton) behind the camera.
Banaz's sister Payzee also spoke out about the series following its announcement, telling the BBC: "It doesn't really sit too well with me that that's the angle they chose to go with because that's not Banaz's story, that's somebody else's story.
"This is about somebody who lost her life very tragically and it's not about somebody getting to tell their story. I don't believe that it's honouring Banaz."
At the time, screenwriter Vinay Patel also took to social media to comment on writer Gwyneth Hughes' description of the story as "ultimately so uplifting... down to the sheer heroism and dedication of the police officers who hunted down her killers".
"'This story is ultimately so uplifting' is a strange way to see this, especially since [Banaz's] boyfriend, who was torn apart by these events, ended up dying by suicide years later," he said.
Others questioned why Deeyah Khan had not directed the series after helming the 2012 award-winning documentary Banaz: A Love Story.
"Banaz's story only came to light properly because of the powerful documentary Deeyah Khan created," one individual wrote on social media at the time, while another responded: "I agree. I watched Khan's documentary recently. It was incredibly powerful and told Banaz's story respectfully."
Honour is now available to stream on Netflix.
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