Netflix has postponed the release of "Hunting Gary Glitter," a three-part documentary series about the convicted former pop star, just three weeks before it was due to premiere. The docuseries, directed by Sebastian Smith and produced by Voltage TV, had been scheduled to launch on the streaming platform on Oct. 14.
A Netflix representative confirmed the delay, saying: "This follows new legal information we recently became aware of. We're not able to share further detail at this time." The rep did not indicate when the documentary might now be released, though it will likely be held until after Glitter's upcoming trial concludes. "We'll provide an update as soon as we're in a position to do so," the rep added.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in the U.K. following his 2015 conviction for historical sexual abuse against three young girls. He is now awaiting trial after being charged earlier this summer with four additional historical sex offences, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
In July, deputy chief Crown prosecutor Bethan David announced the new charges, stating: "The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone that proceedings are now active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial. It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings." U.K. media outlets operate under strict reporting restrictions once a trial is pending, in order to avoid influencing a jury.
Glitter was briefly released from prison in 2023 after serving half of his sentence, before being recalled for breaching his licence conditions. His criminal history also includes a two-and-a-half-year prison term served in Vietnam in 2006 for child molestation, and a four-month U.K. sentence in 1999 after he admitted to possessing more than 4,000 images of child sexual abuse.
Alongside postponing the series, Netflix has removed the accompanying trailer from its YouTube channel. The trailer, which had been released just last week alongside the October launch announcement, opened with a voiceover stating: "Gary Glitter was one of the biggest rock stars in Britain and a serial child abuser." It then showed archival interview footage in which Glitter, who rose to fame during the 1970s British glam rock era, was told: "It seems to me that when you're in the public eye, you don't have secrets anymore," to which he replied, "Yeah, well, I've still got a few secrets."
According to its official logline, the documentary follows "a string of dogged journalists" who pursue the fugitive pop star "across the globe — from Cuba to Cambodia to Vietnam — determined to expose the child sexual abuse he concealed behind decades of chart-topping fame." The series was set to trace Glitter's 1997 conviction, his years evading capture, and his eventual imprisonment, incorporating accounts from survivors who chose to speak out.
Photo: Andy Thornley from London, UK, CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
