Documentary filmmakers claim to know two prime suspects in 1974 Birmingham IRA pub bombings

Documentary makers claim to have identified two prime suspects in the 1974 IRA Birmingham pub bombings.

The explosions at the Tavern in the Town and Mulberry Bush killed 21 people and injured 220.

One of the men named in the ITV Exposure programme, to be broadcast on Monday night, is the convicted IRA bomber James Francis Gavin, who has since died.

In Hunt for the Birmingham Bombers, Gavin, a former British soldier, is alleged to have been one of the people who planted the bombs.

The second suspect is shown being asked about his alleged role by the documentary makers outside a Belfast supermarket. He declined to comment and his lawyers told the programme: “Our client denies all the allegations … and does not intend to respond any further to the unfounded allegations you have made.”

The documentary will suggest the Crown Prosecution Service had examined the case against the suspect and concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge him.