From Tuesday 11
th
September 2013
at 21:00 and 21:50
BBC Knowledge presents a weekly strand The Evil That Men Do,
a fascinating collection of programmes
that explore some of history’s darkest moments
and examine the science of morality
1
Introduction
History has shown man to be a complex and often cruel species, capable of terrible
atrocities, destruction and death. This September BBC Knowledge presents The Evil That
Men Do, a series of programmes that examine some of history’s most notorious figures and
events. The season also explores the science of morality and whether there is a physical
source behind our moral instincts.
Programme Highlights
The Hunt For Bin Laden (1 x 90)
Tuesday 11
th
September at 21:00
When Osama Bin Laden was killed by American Special Forces on 2
May 2011, it marked the end of the longest and most expensive
manhunt in American history. The Hunt For Bin Laden offers the
definitive inside story of how America’s leaders, intelligence chiefs and
the military tried and failed many times to find and take out Bin Laden
and how they finally tracked down the country’s most wanted man.
What the UK press said about The Hunt For Bin Laden
“This excellent documentary forms a compelling chronicle of the most
intensive manhunt in history.... Highly recommended.” Observer
Auschwitz: The Nazis & The Final Solution (6 x 50)
Starting Tuesday 18
th
September at 21:00
2
It’s the site of the largest mass murder in the history of
the world – Auschwitz. Yet few know the true and
surprising history of this most infamous place, nor how it
fitted into the Nazi’s overall plan for the mass
extermination of the Jews – what they called ‘The Final
Solution’. In this definitive series, the individual
experiences of those involved – from the Poles first
incarcerated there as political prisoners, to the inmate
Sonderkommandos who worked in the gas chambers
and former SS soldiers who have never before spoken on camera – are revealed.
Salem – Unmasking The Devil (1 x 50)
Tuesday 18
Who or what was really responsible for the
witch trials at Salem, Massachusetts? New
evidence reveals a tale more shocking than
anyone expected.
Author and historian Katherine Howe, a
descendant of one of the hanged ‘witches’,
goes on a very personal journey to discover
how the latest research reveals a story of an
embittered Puritan minister stage-managing
the witch-hunt in a desperate rear-guard action against his enemies.
th
September at 21:50
Are You Good Or Evil? (1 x 50)
Tuesday 25
th
September at 21:50
Do humans have an innate sense of
morality? If so, where does it exist in
the brain and how did it get there? Are
You Good Or Evil? meets the scientists
trying to find a physical source behind
our moral instincts.
3
What the UK press said about Are You Good Or Evil?
“A great documentary for anyone who loves knowing what makes us become the people we
are. But it’s alarming” The Mirror
Did you know?
Psychopaths make up about 15-35% of US prisoners, but only 1% of the general population.
4
Goering’s Last Secret (1 x 50)
Tuesday 2
nd
October at 21:50
This intriguing film reveals the amazing
and relatively untold story of Albert
Goering, the brother of Nazi Herman
Goering. Despite his connections to the
highest echelons of the Nazi Party, Albert
was determinedly anti-Nazi. He saved 34
people from Nazi atrocities by
audaciously using his brother's forged
signature and exalted position. Australian
backpacker William Hastings Burke - who recently stumbled on new evidence to support the
story - has travelled thousands of miles, interviewed relatives and talked to survivors,
including some who owe their lives to Albert's interventions. His film shows just how Albert's
true legacy was overshadowed by his brother's savage crimes.
The Last Nazis (3 x 50)
Starting Tuesday 9
th
October at 21:50
The Last Nazis is a landmark documentary
series about surviving Nazi war criminals.
These films marked the last chance to speak to
these men, to enter their worlds, and uncover
the impact their existence has had on others.
In the first film of this three-part series, Nazi
hunter Efraim Zuroff embarks on an
international manhunt for the world’s most
wanted Nazi war criminal, Aribert Heim aka Dr Death.
The second film sees two young film-makers set out on a
journey to interview four more surviving Nazis and their
collaborators: Sandor Kepiro, 94, who allegedly took
part in the massacre of 1,400 Jews, Serbs and
Gypsies, Milivoj Asner, 96, now living in Austria and
claiming he is too old and infirm to remember the past,
Josef Scheungraber, currently on trial in
Germany at the age of 90, and Ursula Haverbeck, a
leader in the Hitler Youth who continues in her beliefs to this
day.
5
The final episode reveals what has become of some of the 200,000 Polish children stolen
from their parents for ‘Germanisation’, part of the Lebensborn project, Himmler’s plan to
create an Aryan Master Race of blonde-haired, blue-eyed children.
fre. 16 aug 2013, 15:02