Surviving R Kelly: How to watch the documentary in the UK

Controversial R&B singer is the subject of multiple allegations of sexual abuse against women and underage girls

As the aftermath of a new, six-part R Kelly documentary continues to unfold in the US, audiences in the UK are likely wondering how they can watch it for themselves.

Surviving R Kelly will premiere exclusively on the Crime + Investigation channel from Tuesday 5 February at 10pm, with the remaining five parts to air each Tuesday after that.

The series, which premiered on Lifetime in the US in the first week of January 2019, details the serious, multiple allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct against the 52-year-old R&B singer ­– which he has repeatedly and categorically denied.

It features interviews with high profile musicians and producers including John Legend, as well as testimony from Kelly’s former wife, ex-girlfriends, family members, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, and a number of Kelly’s alleged victims.

Kelly was charged with 21 counts of making child pornography in 2002. He denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. Having paid bail, it took six years for the trial to make it to court. The jury eventually concluded that they could not prove that the girl on the tape was a minor at the time it was filmed, and Kelly was found not guilty on all counts.

In 2017, a Buzzfeed investigation by reporter Jim DeRogatis, who has spent two decades investigating allegations of abuse against Kelly, reported allegations of a “sex cult” where young women and underage girls were being held against their will in multiple homes rented by Kelly. Kelly denies the allegations.

According to sources via multiple publications, the Fulton County District Attorney's office is currently investigating sexual abuse allegations made against Kelly in the documentary.

To learn more about the allegations against R Kelly until Surviving airs in the UK, there is also a BBC Three documentary – Sex, Girls and Videotapes – available to stream on iPlayer now.