Inseparable Sisters: uplifting BBC documentary about conjoined twins

Conjoined sisters Marieme and Ndeye Ndiaye pose for the camera

Marieme and Ndeye Ndiaye were born in Senegal in 2016 and brought to the UK for treatment

(Image credit: BBC Cymru Wales / Nick Hartley)

published 29 February 2024

"The challenge when making a documentary about conjoined twins is acknowledging the reality of the life-shortening condition without resorting to fake positivity – or, worse yet, piling on the misery," said Ed Power in The Daily Telegraph. This "refreshingly humane and optimistic" documentary from BBC One walks that tightrope "to perfection".

It tells the story of Marieme and Ndeye Ndiaye, who were born in Senegal in 2016 and, before long, moved to the UK with their father, Ibrahima, to receive treatment. The initial plan had been to separate the sisters; but "when it was discovered that Marieme's heart could not survive the procedure, the roadmap had to be redrawn". The twins are portrayed "not as victims or charity cases to be gawped at", but children bursting with personality; and the effect is "hugely uplifting". Ibrahima left everything – "home, wife and other children, job, country" – to give his daughters a chance at life, said Chitra Ramaswamy in The Guardian. At its core, the documentary is a tribute to "the almighty power of parental love" and duty; and a very moving one.

I was also charmed by the willingness of everyone around the girls to chip in to help, said Christopher Stevens in the Daily Mail. It's a shame, though, that the programme makers didn't feature the twins' mother, who is in Senegal looking after their siblings. "If this programme had been extended to an hour, instead of being confined to 40 minutes, we might have learnt something of how the girls felt about missing her."