The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989. But the bricks started crumbling long before that - and were given a mighty kick by a rock 'n' roll band from New Jersey.

This is the madcap and improbable true story of how the Stasi licensed a Bruce Springsteen gig in East Berlin, and started something they couldn't stop.

In 1987, both Pink Floyd and David Bowie play at the Reichstag, deliberately pointing the speakers towards the East. The result is rioting on the Eastern side - Glasnost has arrived and East German youth wants some. 'Pony' Ponesky, an East German band manager (no easy job) knows something has to be done – the hard line won't work any more, they have to provide their own rock concerts. He is granted a rare luxury: a phone call to the West. And when he speaks to the promoter of Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love Tour, the answer – freakishly, unbelievably, miraculously – is Yes! Who'd've guessed Bruce has always wanted to play East Berlin? Now all he has to do is sell the idea to the Stasi...

Jonathan Myerson's entertaining drama follows the rollercoaster tale of how 200,000 East Germans got to sing 'Born In The USA', in front of the Party hierarchy - and how one crazy night in Berlin fired the hearts of a generation.

‘Pony’ ..... Bryan Dick
Lutz ..... Mark Heap
Bettina ..... Ayesha Antoine
Wolfie ..... Chris Pavlo
Rudi ..... Mark Edel-Hunt
Hanne ..... Hannah Arterton
Monika ..... Rhiannon Neads
Landau ..... Sam Dale
Avram ..... David Acton
Conny ..... Jane Slavin
Shopowner ..... Stephen Critchlow
Audience member ..... Tom York

The full story of the concert is told in the book 'Rocking The Wall', by Erik Kirschbaum.

Director: Jonquil Panting

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2015. Show less