Together with the Real Lives film At the Edge of the Union, shown in this season two weeks ago, this documentary by Thames TV has proved one of television's most controversial programmes about the Troubles. The government tried to ban it, succeeded in delaying its broadcast by six weeks, published a report alleging 39 inaccuracies in the film, and ten days later introduced its broadcasting ban affecting interviews with members of certain Northern Ireland political groups.
The film, now screened in BBC2's 25 Bloody Years season, investigates the shooting in March 1988 of three IRA members by the SAS, in Gibraltar. Introducing the programme Jonathan Dimbleby says, "The question, which goes to the heart of the issue, is this: did the SAS men have the law on their side when they shot dead Daniel McCann , Sean Savage and Mairead Farrell , who were unarmed at the time?
"Were the soldiers acting in self-defence or were they operating what has become known as a 'shoot to kill' policy - simply eliminating a group of known terrorists outside the due process of law, without arrest, trial or verdict?