BBC TWO Releasing Kurt Cobain Documentary Later this Month

BBC Two and iPlayer will dedicate a Saturday night of programs to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana in April. The centrepiece will be Moments That Shook Music: Kurt Cobain, a new 1 x 60m documentary from Touchdown Films for the BBC that will air on April 13th.

Told exclusively through powerful and rare archive footage, some of which has never been seen on British TV before, Moments that Shook Music: Kurt Cobain is a visceral account of the days that surrounded that tragic moment in 1994 when Cobain took his own life.

By 1994, Nirvana had achieved mainstream and global success. Just as they were hitting their stride as one of the biggest bands on the planet, their lead singer was gone, and the world wanted to know why. Cobain was hailed as the voice of a generation, and the effects of his passing were felt right across the globe – Bill Clinton, who was President of the United States at the time, even discussed whether he should give a national address.

Now, one of musical history’s most shocking stories will be told as never before, as footage captured by local fans in Seattle and raw material from news crews reporting at the time are woven together, immersing the viewers in the events that unfolded as they happened.

We see the poignant reaction from the electrician who discovered Kurt’s body when installing a security system at his Seattle home, statements from police at the scene, and the chaos, confusion and devastation caught on video by his fans – including the moment a tape recording of an emotional Courtney Love reading her late husband’s final letter was played out to a crowd of thousands at a vigil in Seattle; and a revealing interview with Cobain himself, just months before he died.

The same night, BBC Two will give viewers another chance to see When Nirvana Came To Britain (first broadcast in 2021), which examines the special relationship between Nirvana and the UK – including the role this country played in paving the way for their global success; Foo Fighters at Reading 2019, in which BBC Radio 6 Music’s Huw Stephens introduces highlights from rock titans Foo Fighters, fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, as they performed dozens of classics spanning their massive catalogue in front of the Reading Festival crowd. And The Live Lounge Show, in which Clara Amfo takes viewers behind the scenes at Radio 1’s Live Lounge in a program that features performances from Foo Fighters and more (first broadcast in 2017).