The BBC has commissioned a one-off documentary about the late author and journalist Christopher Hitchens.

The doc has been ordered by Nick Fraser, editor of the BBC Storyville strand, and is expected to air on BBC4.

Hitchens died in December 2011 from pneumonia following a cancer complication. He was a contributing editor at Vanity Fair magazine and wrote a number of books including The Trial of Henry Kissinger and How Religion Poisons Everything.

For full production credits visit Storyville:Christopher Hitchens

Fraser, who announced the commission at last week’s Sheffield Documentary Festival, also said that he believes the appointment of new management, including BBC news and current affairs director James Harding, who joined from The Times, will have a positive effect on the corporation’s factual output.

“I believe it will usher in a period of genuine internationalism,” he said.

He added that although he wished the BBC sometimes took more risks with its factual programming, the broadcaster takes its documentary programming seriously. He underlined its promise to work with a number of first time filmmakers, such as Inroad Films’ Harry Freeland who is working on the Albino Witchcraft Murders film.

BBC Storyville’s latest project is Richard Pryor documentary Omit The Logic, produced by Fresh One. However, Fraser admitted that the BBC only put up £85,000 of the £1.1m budget, which was largely funded by US cable network Showtime.