Infamous Assassinations

8.2(4)|2012-07-09|1 seasons, 26 episodes

Documentary

Overview

This brand-new and exclusive series takes a closer look at some of the world's most talked-about assassinations and near misses. Always a fascinating and macabre subject, assassinations can damage a nation's confidence, create wars and shock the world. Throughout this series some of the 20th century's most outrageous attempts can, thanks to rare archive footage and reconstructions, be seen first hand and viewers are brought closer to the events than ever before. From the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Mahatma Ghandi, to attacks on royalty, politicians and media celebrities, this series uncovers the real reasons behind these events and how they unfolded.

Episodes

Season 1(26)

S1E1 · 2012-07-09 · 30m

The Assassination of Ernst Roehm

Munich 1934: The Night of The Long Knives Flying into Munich in the early hours of 20th June 1934, Adolf Hitler, then Chancellor of Germany, drove to a fashionable lakeside hotel, where one of his closest comrades from the earliest days of the Nazi Party was dragged from his bed and assassinated. Ernst Roehm, the feared leader of the Brown Shirts was dead.

S1E2 · 2012-07-09 · 30m

The attempt on Princess Anne

London, 1974 As the Queen"s daughter travelled from Buckingham Palace along the Mall, she was attacked by a gunman who fired six shots at her vehicle. Several passers-by, her chaffeur and a policemen were all seriously wounded as the gunman was eventually arrested by police reinforcements.

S1E3 · 2012-07-09 · 30m

The Assassination of John Lennon

New York, 1980 On 8th December 1980, outside the Dakota Building, the 40 year-old Beatle was shot dead by Mark David Chapman, a young stalker who alleged that he was Lennon''s ''double''. What were the psychological factors which drove Chapman to murder?

S1E4 · 2012-07-09 · 30m

The Assassination of Lord Louis Mountbatten

Ireland, 1979 The former Viceroy of India and cousin of the Queen, Lord Mountbatten was a World War II naval hero, Allied Commander in South East Asia and one of the architects of D-Day. On 27 August 1979, he was assassinated by a bomb planted on his boat by the IRA (Irish Republican Army) whilst he was on holiday with his family in County Sligo, Ireland.

S1E5 · 2012-07-09 · 30m

The Assassination of Trotsky

Russia, 1940 On 20 August 1940, the exiled Bolshevik leader was assassinated with an ice-pick by Ramon Mercader, who was undoubtedly working on behalf of Stalin and his secret police. Why was it still necessary for Stalin to assassinate him?

S1E6 · 2012-07-09 · 30m

The Assassination of Pope John Paul II

Rome, 1981 On 13 May 1981, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people in St Peter''s Square, a young Turkish gunman shot the Polish Pope, possibly at the behest of the Russians who were concerned at the inspiration he was providing to Poland and the Solidarity Movement.

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