Dead Man 1995

Stabbings, shootings, genocide, torture, abduction, robbery, serial killing and mass suicide are just a few of the horrific crimes explored in Great Crimes and Trials. True stories carefully researched and reconstructed with actual archive footage. Cases which have become almost legendary in the annals of crime and detection.

Witness the tragic fall of the great Indian nations. Share the tales of the "conquering" of the American West from the Native American perspective.

The life and career of one of Hollywood's original bad boys, Robert Mitchum, is examined using archive footage of his appearances on the BBC that illustrate why he was a favourite of film fans, and an interviewer's nightmare. The actor, originally from Connecticut in America, is still considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time. He featured in more than 100 films during his career, most famously Cape Fear (1962), The Night of the Hunter (1955) and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957).

Beginning in the 1950s, American and Soviet scientists embarked on a perilous race to see who could build and detonate the world’s largest bomb. The results exceeded all expectations about how big a bomb could be built. Initially, the Americans led the way, but then left the field clear for the Soviet Union to break all records.