Following its initial announcement on September 16th, Netflix has delayed the release of Hunting Gary Glitter indefinitely citing “new legal information we recently became aware of.” The article below has been updated to reflect this new information.
The new three-part docuseries, centered on the journalists who chased Gary Glitter around the globe and exposed him for the terrible crimes he committed before his 1997 conviction, was originally scheduled to come to Netflix on October 14, 2026, but has since been delayed. We have all the details on the docuseries below, including the trailer and first-look photos.
The director of Hunting Gary Glitter is Sebastian Smith, who previously directed documentaries such as Girl on the Run: The Hunt for America’s Most Wanted Woman, Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel, and Netflix’s The Devil on Trial.
The series is produced by Voltage TV, with Sam Starbuck (The Tinder Swindler) and Sanjay Singhal (Scoop)as executive producers.
Hunting Gary Glitter was initially set to be released globally on Netflix on October 14, 2026. However, Netflix has since decided to hit pause on launching the title. We’re told this delay stems from new legal information that the streamer recently became aware of. While Netflix isn’t able to share any specific details regarding the situation right now, they have promised to provide a status update on the documentary as soon as they are in a position to do so.
A trailer was released alongside the initial announcement but has now been pulled as has all the other assets from Netflix’s media website.
The logline for the series read:
A string of dogged journalists chases fugitive pop star Gary Glitter across the globe — from Cuba to Cambodia to Vietnam — determined to expose the child sexual abuse he concealed behind decades of chart-topping fame. This documentary follows their pursuit alongside the survivors who speak out, charting Glitter’s 1997 conviction, through to his years on the run, and eventual incarceration.
Who is Gary Glitter?
Paul Francis Gadd, better known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is a British former singer, songwriter, and record producer. After changing his stage name from Paul Raven to Gary Glitter, he found success in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to his eccentric glitter suits, on-stage performances, and glam rock music. However, in the 1990s, his music career came to an end after he was convicted in 1999 for downloading and being in possession of child pornography.
After fleeing the UK, Glitter would seek refuge from the public eye in countries such as Cuba, Spain, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, each attempt to settle would eventually result in him being recognized and reported to the local authorities, forcing him to flee to another country, all the while being pursued by the press. Glitter would eventually be arrested in Vietnam in November 2005 for committing sexual abuse crimes against young women and children in Vũng Tàu. After serving a prison sentence in Thủ Đức Prison from March 2006 to August 2008, upon his release, he was banned from entering at least 19 countries and eventually returned to the UK, where he was added to the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Several years later, in the wake of the death of a notorious media personality and pedophile, Jimmy Savile, his crimes resurfaced once more, and he would eventually be arrested, charged, and convicted for crimes he committed between 1977 and 1980. In February 2015, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison but would serve only half his sentence under the sentencing guidelines in effect when he committed the offenses. However, Glitter would return to prison after it was discovered that he was using a mobile phone while in prison in order to access the dark web.
Gary Glitter currently resides in prison in the UK and was recently charged once more for another historical crime he committed against an underage girl with whom he had unlawful sexual intercourse between 1978 and 1981.
Are you going to be watching Hunting Gary Glitter on Netflix when it eventually releases? Let us know in the comments below!
