‘Her name was Reeva Steenkamp’: BBC condemned after Oscar Pistorius documentary trailer fails to name athlete’s murdered girlfriend

Trailer has since been removed by the BBC

The BBC has been widely condemned after a trailer for a documentary about Oscar Pistorius was released that failed to mention Reeva Steenkamp’s name.

The Paralympic sprinter shot his model and paralegal girlfriend Steenkamp at home in 2013, something he claims to have done by accident after mistaking her for a burglar. He was convicted of culpable homicide in 2014 and later of murder in 2015, for which he is serving a 13-year prison sentence.

On Tuesday (27 October), the trailer for BBC Two documentary The Trials of Oscar Pistorius was released, with the four-part series featuring interviews with figures closest to the story and recounting Pistorius’s “fall from grace” following Steenkamp’s death.

However, critics online were infuriated by the trailer, in which Steenkamp is only referred to as “his girlfriend” or “she” and never named, with her name trending on Twitter as a result. The trailer has since been removed by the BBC.

“What on earth is this,” Owen Jones commented on the trailer. “It centres the fall of a killer as the real tragedy, and doesn't even mention the name of the woman he murdered. Her name was Reeva Steenkamp.”

“Hard to tell from a 2 min trailer and I will watch the whole documentary, but it is *amazing* after all the criticism at the time that yet again she is rendered invisible, a nameless victim: in this her name is not uttered once,” another commenter wrote, adding again: “Her name was Reeva Steenkamp.”

Other social media users commented that the BBC “should be ashamed” by the “disgusting” trailer, with one accusing the documentary of “painting abusive men as the victims”.

“Just what we need, more fawning fascination with men who kill,” another commenter wrote. “A promo telling us he was a ‘really nice guy’ who was an ‘international icon’ and a ‘remarkable figure’. A TOTAL FAILURE to even name the woman he killed: Reeva Steenkamp. Shame on you BBC.”

In a statement addressing the trailer’s removal, the BBC said: “We regret that the original trail did not refer to Reeva Steenkamp directly.”

“We are aware of the upset it has caused, which was never the intention. We have removed the trail and it will be replaced by something more representative of the series, which examines in detail a number of complex issues connected to her murder.”

Speaking of the documentary, director Daniel Gordon said: “The story of Oscar Pistorius is remarkable in its complexity. It’s at once inspirational and harrowing, and provides a lens of insight into a breadth of issues - from gender-based violence to disability rights, racial inequality and media frenzy. My hope is that the film gives audiences additional context and layers to a story they think they know.”

BBC iPlayer controller Dan McGolpin also said in a press release: “This incredible documentary series provides new perspectives on the terrible events of Valentine’s Day 2013, giving us a deeper and closer look at one of the world’s most remarkable sporting figures, on the South Africa that he grew up in and the media circus that surrounded his trial for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.”

The Trials of Oscar Pistorius will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from 7 November and will be broadcast on BBC Two at a later date.

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