How to watch the MJ footage "you were never meant to see" in Living with Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson said he was "betrayed" by Martin Bashir's original documentary
Michael Jackson: The Verdict has just dropped on Netflix. But, if you’re curious about the original Living with Michael Jackson doc, there’s one way to watch it – as well as the footage “you were never meant to see”.
At the time of writing, Michael – the biopic starring Jaafar Jackson – has made over $850 million. Notably, it doesn’t address the sexual abuse allegations against the late pop star.
These are the focus of the new Netflix documentary, with the three-part series revolving around his 2005 trial that came off the back of 2003’s Living with Michael Jackson doc.
Unfortunately, the documentary isn’t available to watch on ITV. However, there is another way you can stream it online, as well as the counter doc: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See.
Where to watch Living with Michael Jackson
Living with Michael Jackson is only available to watch on one platform: YouTube!
Despite being aired on ITV, it’s not on ITVX or STV Player. Instead, it has been uploaded in 17 separate parts by LEGENDS IN 4K REMASTERED, with the whole documentary available to stream in bite-sized, high-quality chunks. The playlist has been viewed over 1.7 million times.
The documentary follows Martin Bashir as he interviews Jackson at his Neverland Ranch. They discuss his music, his appearance, and his relationships with children. Bashir also appears in Michael Jackson: The Verdict, which has been widely criticised by fans.
Gavin Arvizo, who later testified in the trial alongside his younger brother, Star, and his mother, Janet, appears in the doc.
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He speaks about how Jackson helped him “be happy and beat cancer”, and how he slept in Jackson’s bed. Arvizo went on to accuse Jackson of molesting him when he was 13.
The documentary was hugely controversial. It effectively acted as a launchpad for Jackson’s investigation and trial – in which he was acquitted on all counts.
Jackson also said he felt “betrayed” by Bashir. “[He] feels particularly devastated that he has been treated so badly by Martin Bashir, whom he let into the Jackson family home on a number of occasions over eight months, in the belief that Bashir wished to make a genuine documentary of his life,” an earlier statement reads.
“I am surprised that a professional journalist would compromise his integrity by deceiving me in this way.”
How to stream The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See
Similarly, if you want to watch The Footage You Were Never Meant to See, you’ll need to go to YouTube.
The 77-minute doc originally aired on Sky One in 2003, becoming one of the channel’s biggest debuts. It’s been uploaded by sfcplanet, where it has over 131,000 views.
Presented by Maury Povich, it acts as a rebuttal to Living with Michael Jackson, containing footage that wasn’t included in Bashir’s doc. Jackson reportedly sold the unused footage to Fox for £1.6 million.
Bashir, who described Neverland as a “dangerous place” for kids, can be heard calling it an “incredible” and “spiritual” place.
“Your relationship with your children is spectacular. It almost makes me weep when I see you with them because your interaction with them is so natural, so loving, so caring,” he also says.
In response (via The Guardian), a spokesman for ITV Granada said: “Reaction to our film stems from what Michael Jackson says and does in the documentary, not Martin Bashir’s actions or words. We still stand wholeheartedly by our documentary. We do not understand what all the fuss is about over this Fox programme.”
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