The tragic death of teenager Gaia Pope-Sutherland, from Swanage, will be explored by Zara McDermott in new documentary for the BBC.

The moving three-part documentary 'Gaia: A Death on Dancing Ledge', to be shown on BBC Three and iPlayer, will see presenter Zara McDermott attempt to understand and shed light on the tragic circumstances surrounding the teen's death and highlight the families' search for truth and justice.

Gaia was 19 years old when she died in November 2017. She was found in undergrowth between Dancing Ledge and Anvil Point, close to the Swanage coastal path, and an inquest later found that she died from hypothermia after running away from her home while suffering from a mental health crisis.

The teenager had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after revealing she had been drugged and raped by a man when she was 16.

The revealing new series tracks the events leading up to her death and explores the failings and oversights by officials, including the police and health care professionals, involved in her care. 

The documentary will hear directly from Gaia's friends and family about her life and the circumstances that led to her death, as well as from the former Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset at the time of her death.

As Zara speaks to a number of those closely involved in the case and attempts to piece the puzzle together, she continues to tackle the themes she has explored in her other hit documentary films for the BBC.

This timely three–part series will air on BBC Three and iPlayer from Tuesday, July 25 and will explore whether enough was done in advance of Gaia's death to protect and support her – and other young women and girls in the area - and examines what needs to change in the future.

This raw and candid documentary series is the first time that Gaia's story has been pieced together in full for a TV audience with various contributors interviewed all offering their unique perspectives on this tragic case. 

In a joint statement, Gaia's older sister Clara, twin sister Maya, mum Kim and dad Richard, said: "Gaia would have been 25 earlier this month, our hearts ache thinking about everything she was and all the possibilities of what she could have become.

"With the release of this series, we're clinging on to the hope that we can be part of the change Gaia so desperately needed. 

"We want young people and survivors watching to know that they are not alone; there are people and organisations that will listen to and support you. In speaking up, united we can eliminate the perpetuation of rape culture in society and hold the authorities that are meant to protect us to account." 

Zara McDermott, TV presenter and documentary maker, said: "When I first heard about the disappearance of 19-year-old Gaia on the news in 2017, I was immediately struck by her story. She and I were the same age.

"I saw Gaia's face on the news for days and days after this, and it really struck a chord with me. A young woman with the world at her feet, yet her life was over before it had even begun.

"I began diving deeper into Gaia's story, alongside her brave family, and I uncovered a huge amount in the year and a half I spent down in Dorset. This young woman needed a voice, and I wanted to tell her story."

Clare Sillery, head of documentary commissioning, commented: "We are delighted to give a platform to this incredibly important and timely documentary series and for Gaia's story to be front and centre.

"It follows on from the hugely poignant subjects that Zara McDermott has delved into already in her filmmaking for the BBC and looks at whether enough was done to protect Gaia and other young women and girls, exploring the impact on those closest to Gaia.

"We hope the series will contribute to a very important conversation about what needs to change in the future."