The Push: Murder on the Cliff

 

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

 

Press

“Rare, powerful chance to watch a murderer on trial”
The Telegraph ★★★★★

“…an enraging, and hugely important, piece of television.”
The Times ★★★★

“an extraordinary film of unbearable horrors”
The Guardian ★★★★

“Why Channel 4’s The Push: Murder On The Cliff is such an important documentary”
Stylist 

“Unlike so many other documentaries about murder, there was nothing remotely prurient or otherwise trashy to be found here”
iNews 

“The series will make you shout in frustration and cry in grief for a life lost through a controlling domestic abuse relationship.”
The Yorkshire Post

“Viewers react to 'desperately sad' The Push as they praise Fawziyah Javed's grieving mum”
Wales Online

“What happened to Fawziyah Javed?”
Mail Online

“Channel 4's 'The Push' Documentary: Justice for Fawziyah Javed's Tragic Murder at Arthur's Seat”
BNN

“Channel 4 The Push Murder on the Cliff viewers ‘heartbroken’ by devastating Fawziyah Javed documentary”
Leeds Live

“The Push on Channel 4 explores murder of Fawziyah Javed
Telegraph and Argus

“‘Hidden homicides’: campaign calls for review of cases where women fell from height”
The Guardian

“Notorious Edinburgh Arthur's Seat murder to be covered in new real crime doc”
Edinburgh Live

“He pushed his wife off a hill — and tried to get away with murder”
The Times

“Unprecedented footage will grant viewers access to the inner workings of a court room for the first time”
Daily Mail

“Pregnant lawyer's last words helped jail murderer who pushed her off cliff”
LBC  

“Pregnant lawyer pushed over cliff edge by husband helped jail killer from beyond the grave”
Mirror

“A pregnant solicitor who was murdered by her husband at a Scots beauty spot used her legal skills to help convict him from beyond the grave, a new TV documentary has revealed.
The Sun  

“The pregnant lawyer who helped jail killer husband from beyond the grave”
Manchester Evening News

“…what really sets The Push apart, says Candour creative director Anna Hall, is unprecedented access to the murder trial.”
Broadcast

“Edinburgh Arthur's Seat murder: Fawziyah Javed's mother hopes documentary will save lives”
Edinburgh News

“Documentary to explore murder of pregnant lawyer pushed from Arthur's Seat by husband”
STV

“Pregnant lawyer pushed off Arthur's Seat used legal skills to convict killer husband from beyond grave”
Daily Record

“How did Fawziyah Javed die? Pregnant lawyer's last words were, "Don’t let my husband near me, he pushed me"”
Sports Keeda

Organisations for further support

Domestic Abuse

AAFDA
https://aafda.org.uk/
help@aafda.org.uk
07887 488 464

ARC England / Us Too Project
https://arcengland.org.uk/project-resources/the-us-too-project/
contact.us@arcuk.org.uk
01246 555043

Beverley Lewis House
https://mylife.redbridge.gov.uk/directory/providerdetails/42591
blh@east-living.co.uk
020 7473 2813

Broxtowe Women’s Project
https://broxtowewomensproject.org.uk/
01773 719 111

DIVAS - Women’s Centre Cornwall
https://www.womenscentrecornwall.org.uk/about-us/divas-/
support1@womenscentrecornwall.org.uk
01208 77099

Kaleidoscopic UK
https://www.kaleidoscopic.uk/
kaleidoscopicuk@gmail.com

Karma Nirvana
https://karmanirvana.org.uk/
https://karmanirvana.org.uk/about/contact-us/
0800 5999 247

NIA
https://niaendingviolence.org.uk/
info@niaendingviolence.org.uk
0808 2000 247

Reducing the Risk
https://reducingtherisk.org.uk/
contact@reducingtherisk.org.uk
01865 965055

Refuge
https://refuge.org.uk/
https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/en/Contact-us
020 7395 7700

Respond
https://respond.org.uk/
admin@respond.org.uk
020 7383 0700

Safe Lives
https://safelives.org.uk/
info@safelives.org.uk

Sign Health
https://signhealth.org.uk/
info@signhealth.org.uk
020 3947 2600 |http://signhealthmainoffice.signvideo.net/

Sisters of Frida
https://www.sisofrida.org/
https://www.sisofrida.org/contact-sisters-of-frida/

Solace Women’s Aid
https://www.solacewomensaid.org/
advice@solacewomensaid.org
0808 802 5565

Stay Safe East
https://www.staysafe-east.org.uk/
enquiries@staysafe-east.org.uk
07865 340 122

The DASH Charity
https://thedashcharity.org.uk/
https://thedashcharity.org.uk/contact-us/
01753 549 865

Women’s Aid
https://www.womensaid.org.uk/
helpline@womensaid.org.uk

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