A 90-minute documentary programme exploring the death of a man found in the swimming pool at entertainer Michael Barrymore’s house is set to broadcast this year.

The high-profile unexplained death of 31-year-old Stuart Lubbock back in 2001 will be told by the people closest to the Essex case.

Barrymore was one of the best-known TV presenters in the UK when the body of Mr Lubbock was found at his then home in Roydon, after a party.

Lubbock had been pronounced dead at the Princess Alexandra Hospital at 8.20 am the morning after the incident.

The Channel 4 programme, which has the working title Unexplained, has been 18 months in the making and features never-before-seen material from inside the unsolved Essex Police case.

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Stuart Lubbock, 31, was found dead in Mr Barrymore's swimming pool in Roydon back in 2001

Six years later, Mr Barrymore was arrested in connection with the death and he was released without charge before withdrawing from public life.

Audio of the 999 call was played to journalists in London today (Tuesday, January 13) as Channel 4 unveiled its new slate of programming for 2020.

Channel 4 director of programmes Ian Katz said: "This remarkable film, with never-before-seen police evidence and exclusive interviews with those involved in the investigation, reminds us that, 19 years on, no-one has yet been held accountable for the tragedy."

Mr Lubbock's father, Terry, said: "This documentary is about the questions around what happened to my son, Stuart Lubbock. Finally.

“The story has become so distorted and confused over the years. So much has been said and written.

"It's time to put all the facts together in one place."

Channel 4 commissioning editor Alisa Pomeroy said: "This film is a reflective piece that tells the story of an unexplained tragedy that unfolded in the glare of an unforgiving media.

"It sheds light on the complex relationship between celebrity, the criminal justice system and an all-powerful tabloid press in the early Noughties, but, most of all, it's the deeply moving story of the Lubbock family's continuing quest for answers and justice, nearly 20 years on."

Barrymore last year spoke out about the death of Mr Lubbock, telling Piers Morgan's ITV show Life Stories that he "couldn't be more sorry" for his behaviour that night, and that he is "100 per innocent".