★★★★ ‘Incredibly fascinating’ Mail on Sunday | ★★★★ ‘Enthralling, engrossing’ The Times
★★★★ ‘The inside track on Saudi’s erratic ruthless leader… A fascinating psychological profile’ Telegraph
‘This is a story that would have John Le Carre or George RR Martin scribbling down every perfidious detail. Critic’s Choice Sunday Times
★★★★ ‘Fascinating and revealing…You’re unlikely to hear a stranger tale all week’ Daily Mail | ★★★★ ‘Paints a vivid portrait of a Machiavellian prince’ Financial Times
From fringe royal to de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, the rise of Mohammed bin Salman is one of the most extraordinary stories of our time. This two-part series looks at how he became one of the most powerful and divisive leaders in the world.
Hearing from friends and advisers, Western spies and diplomats who have seen him up close, and from those who were in the inner circles of Saudi power, the documentary reveals how MBS, as he is known, has outwitted rivals – both inside and outside the Kingdom – with a combination of ambition, brains and ruthlessness to become the effective leader of the Kingdom.
The first part of the series also explores the tension between his desire to reform one of the most conservative countries in the world and his seeming willingness to suppress opposition mercilessly.
The second part explores four significant weeks for MBS in the autumn of 2017 in which he bought the most expensive painting in the world, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi; announced ambitious plans to transform Saudi Arabia, including building a vast glass city – the biggest infrastructure project in history, and launched an anti-corruption drive, ordering the detention of 200 of the wealthiest men in the country and forcing them to give back billions of dollars he said they owed.
As MBS pushed ahead with liberalising laws like allowing women to drive, the documentary looks at how at the same time he was also cracking down on internal dissent and imprisoning people who were seen as a threat. It also investigates MBS’ alleged role in the death of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Broadcast Details
This programme will be broadcast on:
Monday 19th August 2024 and Monday 26th August at 9pm on BBC Two.
Credits
Executive Producer for the BBC: Gian Quaglieni
Executive Producers: Make Hedgecoe, James RoganConsultant Producer: Jonathan RugmanFilmed, Produced and Directed by: Colin Murray
Rogan Productions Scotland for BBC Two
