Crime and Punishment: The Story of Capital Punishment

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Timeshift

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Factual: History

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history.

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.

BBC Four

Crime and Punishment - The Story of Capital Punishment

Francis Welch

Ben Southwell

Michael Poole

Denis Lawson

Timeshift: Series 10: Episode 9: Crime and Punishment: The Story of Capital Punishment

Episode 9

Episode 9: Crime and Punishment: The Story of Capital Punishment

Series 10

BBC Four - Timeshift, Series 10, Crime and Punishment: The Story of Capital Punishment

Documentary using archive footage to trace the story of the ultimate sanction.

Documentary tracing the story of the ultimate sanction, examining such matters as the protocols of the public execution and the 'science' of hanging.

Timeshift digs into the archive to trace the extraordinary story of the ultimate sanction. At the beginning of the 19th century you could still be hanged in Britain for offences such as stealing a sheep or shooting a rabbit. Even children as young as seven were sent to the gallows. The last hanging in this country took place as recently as 1964.

By opting for a dispassionate history rather than staging the usual polarised debate, the programme breaks new ground with its fascinating attention to detail, such as the protocols of the public execution or the 'science' of hanging. With contributions from both sides of the argument, it provides an essential guide to a subject that still divides us.

Timeshift: Series 10

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Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past

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Episode 9: Crime and Punishment: The Story of Capital Punishment

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