The Evil That Men Do

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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.