Interested to find out more, The TV Show spoke exclusively to the people behind the season to learn more about how and why Disarming Britain came to be, and to get a flavour of what viewers can expect.

The concept (Dorothy Byrne – Head of News & Current Affairs)

Earlier this year, we decided that Channel 4 should devote a substantial season of programming to the examination of knife and gun crime in Britain. It felt to us like something was changing about life on Britain’s streets – but we wanted to find out the facts. Was there really a huge rise in gun and knife crime? Were people right to feel so afraid? Were there potential solutions to the problem that we should examine?

Last year Channel 4 carried out a major commission into Iraq – we decided to adopt the same model for this very different subject and, as a result, set up the Street Weapons Commission. Chaired by Cherie Booth, the commission has toured the country to find out why so many young people now carry guns and knives. Much of the evidence and statistical data gathered has been very surprising – it seems that much of what we presume to be true about gun and knife crime is not correct.

Significantly, our commissioners – who come from a range of backgrounds – have discovered that there are some solutions. We’re not pretending that there’s one big answer, but in each city the commission visited, some brilliant work is being done and some path-breaking ideas are being examined.

The Street Weapons Commission series will be broadcast across five nights in one week and is of great importance. We have also commissioned three separate current affairs films as well as five short films from David Modell. We genuinely believe that the season will bring some positive thinking to the debate on knife and gun crime.

The promotion (James Walker – Marketing Manager)

We wanted to find an emotive and iconic symbol that was emblematic of street weapons. The finger gun symbol was a powerful way of illustrating the devastation that is caused. The trails also feature powerful statistics that bring home the true impact of street weapons.

The campaign has been running for three weeks now and can be seen across TV, magazines and billboards -we’ve had a steady stream of feedback so far, most of which has been extremely positive. Understandably, some viewers have found the images to be shocking, but the reality of gun and knife crime is just that – it would have been difficult to portray the issue in any other way.

The programmes (Ed Braman – Commissioning Editor)

The Disarming Britain season comprises a variegated offering of content, all of which we hope will contribute positively to the debate on street violence. We’ve commissioned some really strong and uncompromising programmes that each look at the issues from different viewpoints.

Dispatches: The Truth about Street Weapons, which focuses on the doctors and professionals who deal with street attacks, lays out the territory and defines the landscape. Meanwhile, A Widow’s War on Yobs comes from a more personal perspective, revealing what it’s like to lose someone to an arbitrary act of violence. Widow Helen Newlove explains what she would like to see happen and shares with us her personal journey through pain.

Kids, Knives and Broken Lives is a documentary told from the streets by the kids who use and experience weapons. We find out how they see the crisis, what have they experienced, how easy is it to get weapons and why they feel the need to use them… It’s a remarkably raw and chilling movie.

The season also features the gripping drama Fallout, adapted by award-winning playwright Roy Williams from his acclaimed stage play. It’s a passionate and powerful reflection on race and law and order in the wake of the murders of Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor.

Finally, David Modell’s short films capture individual snapshots and vignettes of the experience of street weapons – they are tiny explosions of emotion.

Disarming Britain online (Hilary Perkins – Factual Editor, Online)

Online is a very important part of Disarming Britain. We wanted to make sure that the season reached as many people as possible, and the web is an ideal way to achieve this. Gun and knife crime is an issue which affects many young people, and it was important to us that they have a voice.

The internet enables us to have a two-way discussion with our audience. We’ve used social networking and blogging to reach younger audiences and engage them in discussion in online spaces that are familiar to them. In particular, bebo has allowed us to connect with likeminded groups and young people, share our content with them, and see the issues from their perspective.

We know that young audiences are now spending more time online and less in front of the TV. As a result, we have incorporated vast quantities of video on the site – from programme highlights and unseen footage to pieces we have commissioned specifically for the web, like Eye 4 An Eye.

Dead Ends, a 3D game produced exclusively for Disarming Britain gives us a really interesting angle on the season. It provides players with a chance to explore issues of peer pressure, gangs and street violence without being lectured at. Much of the work on the game was done by young people, providing us with a game that speaks directly to a youth audience.