The BBC's own documentary all about Britney Spears and her controversial conservatorship is set to air on Wednesday night.
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Titled The Battle for Britney: Fans, Cash and a Conservatorship, it promises to uncover the truth behind the conservatorship that the pop star has been under for the last 13 years.
But what exactly is a conservatorship, and what has Britney herself have to say about it? Let’s break it all down...
WATCH: The Battle for Britney comes after Hulu's explosive documentary Framing Britney Spears
What is a conservatorship?
A conservatorship is a legal arrangement in the United States that places one adult under the legal guardianship of another. Typically, courts grant conservatorships for individuals who cannot make their own decisions, like those who have dementia or other mental or physical limitations.
© Photo: Getty ImagesBritney has not had control over many aspects of her life since she was 25 years old
However, following her public breakdown in 2007, Britney found herself placed under a conservatorship, meaning that she has not been able to control many of the decisions around her business and personal affairs since she was 25 years old.
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Instead, many aspects of the pop star's life - including her finances, estate and career - are currently maintained by her father, Jamie Spears. Now, 39, Britney has sought to dismiss her father from the role in court.
What is the Free Britney movement?
Dedicated fans of the Toxic singer have long been advocating for the end of the conservatorship on the singer's life and finances. According to a New York Times report, the term #FreeBritney dates back to as early as 2009 when a fan site was set up to spread information about the conservatorship.
© Photo: Getty ImagesFree Britney campaigners outside a LA courthouse
While some fans just want to see Britney back in charge of her life, others hold the belief that she has been held against her will and been pleading for help on social media via cryptic Instagram posts. As shown in the documentary, they protest outside her conservatorship court hearings.
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What has Britney said about the conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement?
Following the release of Hulu's explosive documentary Framing Britney Spears, which reignited the conversation around her 13-year-long conservatorship, Britney spoke out, revealing that she "cried for two weeks".
© Photo: Getty ImagesBritney said she was left in tears at Hulu's recent documentary about her
Sharing her thoughts in an Instagram post, she said: "I didn't watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in ... I cried for two weeks and well .... I still cry sometimes!!!!"
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Ahead of the release of the BBC's doc, which is fronted by journalist Mobeen Azhar, Britney also shared her thoughts on having shows made about her without her consent, describing the documentaries as "so hypocritical". She wrote: "Geez !!!! 2021 is definitely way better than 2020 but I never knew it was gonna be like THIS!!!! These documentaries are so hypocritical ... they criticize the media and then do the same thing?????"
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