The Rise and Fall of a Persian Empire
Of the Seven Sisters, the giants who controlled the world's oil supplies for half a century, five are all-American, one is mainly Dutch. But one sister is British, through and through. She is British Petroleum, the country's biggest corporation by far and, as taxpayers, we own 46 per cent of the business. How did she manage to survive and grow rich in such a ruthless and predatory family? This, the first of nine films, traces the history of BP from its birth in the Persian desert, through its oil-rich days, to the Arab takeovers in the Gulf; and it introduces some of the men who must carve a future for the company.
Assistant producer JONATHAN CRANE
Written and produced by TREVOR PHILPOTT (Repeat. The Lift to the 30th Floor tomorrow at 6.20 pm)