Horizon Season 35, Episode 17: Thalidomide: A Necessary Evil

1

Saddam's Secrets

After the 1991 Gulf War, a UN Special Commission was set up to go into war-torn Iraq, seek out Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and destroy or disable them. This remarkable Horizon follows the tension of the inspectors' every move as they track down secret military bases, Scud missile launchers, the infamous super-gun barrels, decaying chemical weapons dumps, and the remains of the nuclear research establishment, cunningly hidden amongst debris and the innocent-looking rubble of post-war reconstruction. At each stage in the cat-and-mouse game with the Iraqi security forces, the UN team had to draw on cunning and courage to force their way into secret locations. Day by day, they recorded their progress on video, and charted the tensions of diplomatic stand-offs as the world was twice drawn close to another violent confrontation in the Gulf. The courage of the UN team, drawn from scientists from all over the world, is graphically revealed as they attempt to gauge the lethal nature of rusting canisters of poison gas, at Saddam's decaying chemical weapons store. After the immediate rush of successes, the inspectors' work became a steady process of attrition - grinding on against the stonewalling of their hosts. "The weapons programme is like layers of an onion. Every now and then, Saddam would allow us to peel one back, but there is always more underneath." But five years on, the inspectors had still not tracked down proof of the darkest of Saddam's secrets: his biological weapons programme. However, painstaking detective work revealed that huge quantities of the media needed for growing biological organisms had been imported, and Iraq finally admitted to having substantial biological weapons, which are cheaper and more simple to produce than nuclear and chemical weapons, yet have the same destructive power. Gradually the inspectors got close to the labs and animal testing stations where the lethal toxins had been produced. In addition to the most common biological warfare organisms, anthrax and botulinus, Iraq developed and tested strains of viruses never before adopted for weapons purposes. This was part of an ongoing international biological arms race to design novel weapons using gene-splicing or fibroviruses such as Ebola, Hanta fever and others.

60 min

2

Dr Miller and the Islanders

Horizon presents a documentary with Jonathan Miller who sets out for the Torres Strait, near Australia, to retrace the footsteps of the first British anthropological expedition 100 years ago. The expedition laid the foundations of modern anthropology's aims, ethos, and rules.

60 min

3

The Rainmaker

Horizon presents the scientist, Graeme Mather, whose claims to be able to cause rainfall, are tested in Mexico with his reputation at stake.

60 min

4

Hopeful Monsters

In this documentary, Horizon reports on the genetic research of biologist Mike Levine, whose discovery of a mutant fruit fly led to cures for illnesses as diverse as Parkinson's disease and skin cancer.

60 min

5

The Limits to Birth

Horizon examines how much further we can and should go in our treatment of those born too soon in Britain.

60 min

6

Overkill

Horizon presents the story from Celtic ritual and forensic science with startling conclusions that emerge about the subject and the nature of the evidence itself.

60 min

7

The Curse of Vesuvius

In this story, Horizon looks at the communities that live directly below the shadow of the volcano called Mount Vesuvius.

60 min

8

Mir Mortals

This documentary by Horizon presents the story of the four Russian men who orbited earth last year on board the ill-fated Mir space station.

60 min

9

The Computer that Ate Hollywood

Horizon presents this documentary on how special effects have evolved during the last century of films.

60 min

10

Magic Bullet

Horizon brings the story of a 40 year struggle to bring 'Antisense' into being and it's current trials with incurable cancer patients.

60 min

11

The Gulf War Jigsaw

Horizon examines claims that measures to protect American and NATO troops against chemical and biological weapons may have backfired.

60 min

12

Sexual Chemistry

Horizon series on the emergence of the new sex drug Viagra for men.

60 min

13

Chimps on Death Row

Horizon explores the history of experimentation with chimpanzees, our closest living relatives.

60 min

14

Dinosaurs in Your Garden

Horizon tells the story of maverick scientist John Ostrom and his theory that birds are really just dinosaurs with feathers. Thirty years later, a revolution in palaeontology has proven him correct. Horizon looks at the compelling and recent evidence that shows how modern birds fine-tuned their unique design for flight. It also confirms that Velociraptor dinosaur is more closely related to the sparrow than it is to the crocodile.

60 min

15

Mosquito!

Horizon investigates how science is fighting against the mosquito-spread disease Malaria.

60 min

16

The Life and Times of Life and Time

Horizon follows the work of various scientists attempting to turn back the biological clock.

60 min

17

Thalidomide: A Necessary Evil

Horizon presents an investigation into how Thalidomide is being used to treat leprosy, AIDS, and cancer with encouraging results.

60 min

18

Beyond a Joke

In this program, Horizon reveals how laughter and play are crucial to the development of the brain, and how some scientists are recommending play as an alternative to drugs in helping to treat hyperactive youngsters.

60 min