Leaving Neverland features testimony from two men who claim they were abused by singer as children

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Channel 4 is to go ahead with the broadcast of British director Dan Reed’s controversial documentary about Michael Jackson’s alleged abuse of two children, despite demands from the late singer’s estate to pull it from the schedule.

“We tried to make it graphic enough to be eye-opening and for people to be confronted with what it means for a little child to be seduced and raped by an [alleged] adult paedophile,” the Bafta-winning film-maker said.

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A spokeswoman for the British channel, which first commissioned Reed, said the Jackson estate and fans had “sent messages” about the film, but added: “There is no change in our commitment to airing the documentary.”

Leaving Neverland, which focuses on revised testimony from Wade Robson, 36, and James Safechuck, 41, prompted angry protests from fans when it premiered at the Sundance film festival in January.

It goes out in two parts on Wednesday and Thursday nights on Channel 4, but is broadcast on Sunday and Monday on HBO in the US. Last week the singer’s estate filed a lawsuit against HBO, claiming that the channel once signed a “non-disparagement” agreement before airing a Jackson concert in 1992.

Play Video 0:41 Watch the trailer for Leaving Neverland: Michael Jackson and Me – video

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This weekend Oprah Winfrey supported the programme in the face of complaints from those who question why Robson and Safechuck have changed their claims. In 1993 they both spoke in court in defence of Jackson. Robson appeared in defence of the singer again in 2005.

“I tried and tried and tried to get the message across that sexual abuse was not just abuse, that it was sexual seduction,” Winfrey is to say at the opening of a discussion programme, After Neverland, which will follow the documentary on HBO on Monday. “But for me, this moment transcends Michael Jackson; it is much bigger than any one person. It is a moment in time that allows us to see this societal corruption. It is a scourge on humanity.”

Timeline Michael Jackson child sexual abuse claims Show Hide LAPD investigation After Jordan Chandler makes allegations during a police interview that Jackson has abused him, an investigation begins. Jackson had met the 12-year-old boy the previous year. Barnes and Robson press conference Teenagers Brett Barnes and Wade Robson hold a press conference stating that they had shared a bed with Jackson on multiple occasions, but that nothing sexual had happened. Chandlers sue Jackson A lawsuit from the Chandler family alleges sexual abuse by Jackson and seeks $30m. Jackson video statement Jackson describes being strip-searched and photographed by the LAPD two days earlier as “the most humiliating ordeal of my life”. He states: "I am not guilty of these allegations, but if I am guilty of anything it is of giving all that I have to give to help children all over the world.” Jackson settles lawsuit Jackson settles out of court with the Chandlers for $22m – $15m goes to Jordan Chandler to be held in a trust fund until he turns 18. LAPD investigation fails After two grand juries fail to indict, and Jordan Chandler tells authorities he will not testify in court, the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara district attorneys end their investigation. Scream released The lead single from Jackson’s album HIStory is released. A duet with his sister Janet, the song angrily addresses media coverage of the child sexual abuse allegations against him.

Bashir documentary Jackson discusses regularly having sleepovers with children, including a young cancer patient named Gavin Arvizo, in Living with Michael Jackson – a documentary fronted by the British journalist Martin Bashir. "It's not sexual," said Jackson on-screen. "We’re going to sleep. I tuck them in. It's very charming." The film rekindles police investigations. Police raid and arrest Jackson's Neverland estate is again searched by police, and a week later Jackson is arrested. Jackson charged Michael Jackson is formally charged with committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. Trial begins During Jackson's trial, Arvizo and his younger brother testify that the singer showed them pornography and made them drink "Jesus juice" – wine. Both say Jackson masturbated in front of them and molested Arvizo on multiple occasions. Blanca Francia, one of Jackson's former housekeepers, testifies she saw Jackson showering with Wade Robson. Witnesses for the defence, including Macaulay Culkin and Robson, say that Jackson never molested them. Not guilty verdict The jury finds Jackson not guilty on all 14 charges brought against him. Jackson dies In the run-up to This Is It, a planned residency at London's O2 Arena, Jackson dies age 50 of a cardiac arrest. Wade Robson sues Wade Robson takes legal action against the Jackson estate, alleging that Michael Jackson molested him over a seven-year period between the ages of seven and 14. James Safechuck sues Safechuck alleges Jackson abused him on more than 100 occasions after the pair met when Safechuck appeared in a Pepsi commercial alongside the singer. Leaving Neverland Dan Reed's four-hour documentary Leaving Neverland opens at the Sundance film festival. In it Wade Robson and James Safechuck discuss at length the abuse they claim they suffered at Jackson's hands. It is described as "a public lynching" by Jackson's surviving family. Television screenings Leaving Neverland is shown on the HBO network in the US, with a UK screening on Channel 4 on 6 and 7 March. The Jackson estate sue HBO for $100m, claiming the network is in breach of a non-disparagement clause in a 1992 contract. Radio ban Radio stations around the world, including in New Zealand and Canada, begin to pull Jackson's music from the airwaves.

Robson, now a choreographer, met Jackson at a dance competition in Australia. He claims he was sexually abused by the singer between the ages of seven and 14. Safechuck, a computer programmer, met the star when they filmed a Pepsi advert together. He claims he was sexually abused by him from the age of 10.

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The production team behind the musical Thriller Live, which has been running in London’s West End for 10 years, had no comment about the documentary’s allegations.

The show, billed as a celebration of the man, his music, his stagecraft and showmanship, has now played to more than 2 million people and is the Lyric theatre’s longest-running show.