Barrymore: The Body In The Pool: Channel 4 documentary explores death of Stuart Lubbock in Michael Barrymore's home
27 January 2020, 14:25
The documentary will air the chilling 999 call from Michael Barrymore's home over Stuart Lubbock death.
A landmark documentary is set to air next month which will explore the death of Stuart Lubbock at the home of Michael Barrymore.
Barrymore: The Body In The Pool - broadcasting on February 6 - is a 90 minute programme following the events of March 2001 when 31-year-old Stuart was found dead in the pool at the TV presenter's home in Roydon.
But what is the documentary about, who was Stuart Lubbock and what happened to him in Michael Barrymoore’s pool?
What happened to Stuart Lubbock in Michael Barrymoore’s pool?
Stuart was a 31-year-old from Harlow, Essex, who was found dead in Barrymore’s pool after going to a party at his house in Roydon in March 2001.
At his time of death, Stuart was reportedly found to have cocaine, amphetamines and alcohol in his system.
Six years later, Barrymore was arrested in connection with the death but he was released without charge. He then spent several years out of the spotlight.
The death of Stuart is still unexplained.
In an emotional interview with Piers Morgan, Michael previously opened up about the horrific incident, saying: “I could not be more sad. I could not be more sorry that this event took place.
“It was at my house and they don’t have all the answers to how he got these injuries. I could not be more sad or sorry if I have to be for the rest of my life.
“I was responsible for allowing people to come back to my house and to go out to the pool. All of them were . . . there were no children. Stuart was 31. You assume they was capable of looking after themselves.”
What is ‘Barrymore: The Body In The Pool’ about?
Two decades after it happened, Channel 4 have they will be exploring the death of Stuart in a documentary with access to never-before-seen material.
This will include the chilling 999 call made from Michael's home, where an unknown partygoer can be heard saying: "He had just come out and found a guy in the pool."
He then adds it was the "first time in ages he was out at a party because he had a wife and kids," and "wasn't expecting" to make the shock discovery.
"I think the geezer's dead, mate," he can be heard saying.
A Channel 4 spokesman said: “This landmark documentary explores the full story behind one of Britain’s most high-profile unexplained deaths, as told by the people closest to it.
“With access to never-before-seen material from inside one of Essex Police’s most controversial unsolved cases, the documentary-makers have forensically pieced together the perspectives of the Lubbock family, detectives, forensic pathologists and eyewitnesses, to tell the story about what happened.”
Terry Lubbock, Stuart's father, said: "This documentary is about the questions around what happened to my son Stuart Lubbock. Finally.
"The story has become so distorted and confused over the years. So much has been said and written. It's time to put all the facts together in one place."
Channel 4 commissioning editor Alisa Pomeroy said: “This film is a reflective piece that tells the story of an unexplained tragedy that unfolded in the glare of an unforgiving media.
"It sheds light on the complex relationship between celebrity, the criminal justice system and an all-powerful tabloid press in the early noughties, but most of all, it’s the deeply moving story of the Lubbock family’s continuing quest for answers and justice, nearly 20 years on."
