Michael Jackson: BBC announces new documentary rivaling Channel 4's Leaving Neverland

The documentary – working title Michael Jackson: The Rise and Fall – aims to 'get a full understanding of this complex character'

The BBC will air a Michael Jackson documentary rivalling Channel 4’s Leaving Neverland.

According to the channel, the film – which has been given the working title Michael Jackson: The Rise and Fall – will ”take a close look at each stage of Jackson’s life to get a full understanding of this complex character”.

The news comes as Channel 4 readies to broadcast Leaving Neverland, Dan Reed’s documentary airing in two parts on 6 and 7 March in the UK, after being released on HBO in America. Leaving Neverland focuses on the testimonies of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who say Jackson abused them as children.

Investigative journalist Jacques Peretti, who has made three other films about Jackson, is writing and presenting the newest documentary, set to air on BBC Two.

The film will document Jackson’s life from the beginning of his career as part of the Jackson 5 to the lead-up to his “This Is It” concert residency – which was cancelled following the star’s death in June 2009.

“By speaking to the individuals who shaped him and were close to him, and looking at key moments in his career that had a profound impact on him, the film will try and unpick the circumstances, controversies and accusations that continue to surround him today in an attempt to better understand the rise and fall of the pop superstar,” the BBC said in a release.

The documentary is set to air later this year on BBC Two.