The Push: Murder On The Cliff (Channel 4)

Channel 4 explores the murder of Fawziyah Javed in a new Channel 4 true crime documentary.

The Push: Murder On The Cliff will span two episodes, airing on Sunday, 3 March and Monday, 4 March at 9PM.

At 31, Fawziyah Javed, a successful lawyer from Leeds, met a tragic end when she fell from Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat in September 2021.

Her husband, to whom she had been married for nine months, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder—a case remarkable for its lack of both weapon and witnesses. The legal battle that ensued at Edinburgh’s High Court involved Scotland’s foremost legal experts, who endeavoured to reconstruct the events leading to Fawziyah’s untimely death, far from her home.

The jury was presented with compelling evidence, including CCTV footage of the couple together shortly before the incident and a selfie capturing their last moments of apparent joy.

The narrative deepens as Yasmin, Fawziyah’s mother, seeks justice for her daughter and her unborn child. Her testimony provides a harrowing look into Fawziyah’s life and her turbulent relationship with her husband, Kashif Anwar.

Despite support for Kashif from his family and friends, and the defence’s attempts to discredit the prosecution’s case, the trial unveils disturbing details, including Fawziyah’s prior interactions with the Leeds police.

A pivotal moment arrives with the testimony of a crucial witness, the first to reach Fawziyah post-fall, who relays her dying declaration. This, alongside the first responders’ accounts, begins to shed light on the mysterious circumstances of that night, presenting the jury with two vastly different narratives. Was it an accident, or was Fawziyah pushed?

In the trial’s final stages, both sides deliver compelling closing arguments, leaving the courtroom charged with emotion. The jury’s verdict brings a conclusion to the case but offers little solace to Fawziyah’s grieving family, who are left to mourn her loss eternally.

The Push: Murder On The Cliff airs on Channel 4 on Sunday, 3 March and Monday, 4 March at 9PM.

Both episodes will also be available on Channel 4 streaming from Sunday, 3 March.