Magna Carta - BBC Four

This film depicts the life of American programming prodigy, Aaron Swartz, through personal archive, and testimonies from his family and world leaders in the computing field.

Internet activist Aaron Swartz had his fingerprints all over the internet. He was integral to the development of the basic internet protocol RSS and co-founded the global social news and entertainment website Reddit. It was also, however, Swartz’s ground-breaking work in social justice and political organising, combined with his aggressive approach to information access, that ensnared him in a two-year legal nightmare.

It was a battle that ended with his suicide age 26. Aaron’s story touched a nerve with people far beyond the online communities, in which he was a celebrity. Internet’s Own Boy is a personal story about what we lose when we ignore the implications of technology and its relationship to our civil liberties.

BBC Four - Luminant Media - 1 x 90

Mugabe vs The Democrats is a political documentary thriller set in Zimbabwe, following two political enemies, forced on a joint mission.

Two top politicians, MP Paul Mangwana and MP Douglas Mwonzora, from the governing party and the opposition respectively, have been appointed to lead Zimbabwe through the process of writing a new constitution. It is the ultimate test that will either take the country a decisive step closer to democracy and away from President Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship, or toward renewed repression. In a country impeded by economic sanctions from the international community and hyperinflation running rampant, failure is not an option.

BBC Four - Upfront Films - 1 x 80

Datong mayor Geng Yanbo is one of the ‘officials with personality’ (‘gexing guan yuan’) to have emerged on China’s political stage in recent years. His aim is to revitalise the city of Datong by rebuilding the ancient city to attract tourism. But that means demolishing vast swathes of flats and relocating thousands of residents. Datong follows game-changer Geng Yanbo in his most turbulent period as mayor to find the real man and real battle behind the public image.

BBC Four - QI Films - 1 x 80

Asylum is a new, single-camera comedy for BBC Four, conceived by Kayvan Novak (Facejacker, Cuban Fury, Four Lions, Inside No. 9) and producer Tom Thostrup. Kayvan also stars as Rafael.

Inspired by the true stories of whistleblowers claiming asylum, we find our two protagonists (Dan and Ludo) under the threat of extradition, stuck in a fictional central-American embassy in London. Dan Hern, played by Ben Miller (Doctor Who, The Armstrong and Miller Show) is a serious, self-important egotist who is accused of leaking important documents, while Ludo Backslash, played by Dustin Demri-Burns (Cardinal Burns) is a larger-than-life, childish hacker who set up a file-sharing website and became public enemy number one among the global entertainment community. They are very much the classic odd couple.

Asylum is written by two new writers - Peter Bowden and Thom Phipps - directed by Iain B MacDonald, and produced by Tom Thostrup at 2LE Media. Roger Drew (Veep, The Thick Of It) is script editor.

Kristian Smith is the commissioning editor for the BBC.

BBC Four - 2LE Media - 3 x 30

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