The Push: Murder on the Cliff

Channel 4Candour

19 Mar

From the BAFTA-winning team at Candour Productions, ‘The Push’ is the inside story of a murder trial in Edinburgh, Scotland, where a man stands accused of pushing his wife from a hillside to her death. Part intimate portrait of a grieving family, part real-life courtroom drama, this two-part feature documentary series allows viewers to watch all the evidence as if on the jury benches themselves.

In September 2021, newlyweds Fawziyah Javed and Kashif Anwar from West Yorkshire, England, travelled to Edinburgh for a mini-break. The couple walked at sunset to the top of ‘Arthur’s Seat’ - an extinct volcano and popular landmark with views over the city. Only one of them made it down alive. Fawziyah Javed, a 31-year-old lawyer who was pregnant with the couple’s first child, fell 50ft to her death from the top of the rocky precipice. A strange series of events on the cliffside in the dimming light seem to suggest the fall may have been no accident. But with no witnesses to the incident and a panicked husband claiming she slipped, the question is, did a murder occur that evening? A jury of 15 men and women decide - did she fall, or was she pushed?

Episode 1

A murder with no weapon and no witnesses, Scotland’s top legal teams need to skilfully paint a picture of what happened to Fawziyah Javed, as she died alone, on a hillside in Edinburgh far from her Leeds home. With exclusive access to the murder trial at Edinburgh’s High Court, the jury is shown CCTV of the couple walking arm-in-arm, and a smiling selfie taken minutes before Fawziyah falls – what dark secrets could lie behind their outward happiness?

Fawziyah’s mother, Yasmin, seeks truth and justice for her only daughter and unborn grandchild. She is a key witness for the prosecution, and as we learn more about Fawziyah’s life from Yasmin’s testimony, a concerning portrait of her relationship with her husband, Kashif Anwar develops. It is revealed Fawziyah had previously been in touch with the police in her hometown of Leeds. Meanwhile, Kashif’s family and friends come to court to support him, as the defence sheds doubt on the evidence.

Episode 2

With exclusive access to the murder trial at Edinburgh High Court, the jury hears shocking testimony from a key witness, who was the first person to find Fawziyah after she fell on the hillside. The court could hear a pin drop as the jury discovers she was still alive – and she gave a dying declaration of what happened. Details of the incident on the night of her death start to become clear, as the first police officers and fire-fighters on the scene take the stand.

But it is still a case with no forensics – and two totally different versions of what happened. Did she fall or was she pushed? As the case draws to a close, the prosecution and defence lay out their powerful closing speeches. Emotions run high in the court as the jury come back with a verdict, and Fawziyah’s family have to live with her loss forever.

RUNTIME:
45 Minutes

PRODUCER:
Kate Reid

DIRECTOR:
Tom Whitaker

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Anna Hall

RELEASED:
2023