The army psychologist assigned to Nuremberg Prison has a never-to-be repeated chance to examine evil, close-up. What made these 22 men capable of such horrific acts? He spends time with them, he runs tests - what will it reveal?

Seen through the eyes of Gustav Gilbert, German-speaking US psychologist assigned to examine and watch over the defendants. In turn, they valued the chance to speak to him. He then wrote up copious notes of his conversations and also reported back to the Prison Commandant. Would he find the mystery of human evil?

And when the Defence case opens, Hermann Goering is first into the witness box but he seems unashamed, proud of what the Nazis achieved. He doesn’t pretend to be ignorant of what happened or claim that his signature was faked. He is proud of what the Nazis achieved for Germany and intends to go down in a blaze of Wagnerian martyrdom.

This wrong-foots Jackson during his cross-examination but, when Maxwell-Fyfe steps up, he forces Goering to admit to the shabby, gangsterism of the Nazi machine.

Cast:
Gustav Gilbert - ED STOPPARD
Robert H Jackson - JOSEPH MYDELL
Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe - FORBES MASSON
Sir Geoffrey Lawrence - NICHOLAS WOODESON
Hermann Goering - NIGEL LINDSAY
Alfred Seidl - HARI DHILLON
Julius Streicher - HENRY GOODMAN
Douglas Kelley and other roles - ILAN GOODMAN
Otto Kranzbühler and other roles - MARK EDEL-HUNT
Admiral Nimitz and other roles - NATHAN WILEY
Joachim von Ribbentrop and other roles - JASPER BRITTON
Ernst Kaltenbrunner and other roles - JONATHAN CULLEN
Hans Frank and other roles - ANDREW WOODALL

Sound Designer - ADAM WOODHAMS
Studio Manager - MARK SMITH
Casting Director - GINNY SCHILLER
Original Score - METAPHOR MUSIC
Writer and Director - JONATHAN MYERSON
Producer - NICHOLAS NEWTON

A Promenade Production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds Show less