With exclusive access to Alan Johnston, his family and the behind-the-scenes hostage negotiators, this Panorama special tells the extraordinary story of the BBC correspondent’s 114 days held in captivity by the Army of Islam, a fanatical Jihadist group in Gaza.

“Suddenly my door is flung open and the frame is filled by a large figure in a long, white Jalabya shirt down to his ankles.

“And his head is swathed in a red-and-white checked headdress, completely masking his face. And he stands for a moment filling the doorway, looking down at me. And I look up and really I have a feeling there that the global jihad has … has come to call.

“And he comes in and sits down heavily on a white plastic chair. And he says, ‘Alan Johnston, we know everything’.”

In the film, Alan describes in detail how he was snatched at gunpoint in March this year; his first night of terror handcuffed and hooded; and how he was treated during the nearly four months of his imprisonment.

He talks frankly and honestly about the depths of depression he felt at times, how he tried to build his spirits during the months of isolation and the euphoria of hearing messages of support from his family and friends back home in Britain.

In a riveting interview with Jeremy Vine, Alan recalls the moments he feared he would be executed and explains how he composed himself in the face of death threats from his captors.

He talks about the “battle of wills” he fought to try and hold on to his dignity; and the relationship with his guards, who were by turns kind and friendly and then aggressive and paranoid.

Alan reveals how he was forced to film a propaganda video for the Army of Islam and why he was made to don an explosive belt before appearing in front of their cameras.

He describes how the kidnap reached a climax as the fighting intensified between Fatah and Hamas in the streets below the kidnappers’ hide-out; and how he was finally released, fearing he would be shot right up until the very moment of his dramatic handover.

This documentary also reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the hostage negotiators who corresponded by email with shadowy go-betweens to try to secure Alan’s release from a ruthless clan known as “the Sopranos” of Gaza.

Panorama – Kidnapped: The Alan Johnston Story is an extraordinary human story, told with remarkable insight, dignity and self-awareness.

Thursday 25 October
9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE