They were Cobblers, Salesmen, Barbers
and Landlords. Working men. But they were anything but ordinary.
They were the state's part-time killers.
PART 1: THE HANGMAN
From 1868 to 1964, their work was shrouded
in mystery, conducted, as the state euphemistically put it,
in 'private'. And behind prison walls these common working-men
refined the process of judicial executions from an agonising,
brutal death to one of the most swiftest and most certain anywhere
in the world. What did they do? Why did they do it? And what
did it do to them?
This is the story of The Private Executioners... a unique history
of British capital punishment, seen through the eyes of those
who dispensed it.
PART 2: DYNASTIES OF DEATH
A typical 19th century wedding photograph.
The guests well groomed. Eminently respectable. There is nothing
to distinguish it from others. But it tells the very darkest
story of French history.
The groom, Henri Desfourneaux, is a killer. To his left, Anatole
Deibler Desfourneaux, another. Two rows back another... Between
them, they would kill more than a thousand men. But they were
not criminals nor soldiers. They killed for money. But were
not volunteers. They had no choice. They were the "bourreau"
- the executioners. And they lived their lives apart from ordinary
men - in the shadow of the Guillotine...
PART 3: STATES OF DEATH
In Britain it was the rope, In France
the Guillotine. But in tis short history the Unites States of
America has experimented with a bewildering array of execution
methods. And continue to do so.
This programme examines the history of
the 5 principal methods: Hanging, Firing Squad, Electric Chair,
Gas Chamber and Lethal Injection. And the reasons behind their
development have often been as shocking as the results, from
corporate wars to so-called 'religious' sensibilities.
But perhaps the most overlooked aspect
of of American execution protocols has been the role of the
executioner. Whereas British and French executioners were invariably
well-known and truly responsible for the execution, even to
the extent of supporting the condemned in their final moments,
American executioners (with a few notable exceptions) have been
altogether more shadowy figures.
NO
SURRENDER
Kamikaze
attacks by Japanese pilots are familiar to almost anyone
with even a passing knowledge of World War 2...
Alba
are pleased to announce details of their exciting releases
available September 2006 which include:
SECRET
AIRCRAFT OF THE SUPERPOWERS.
This award winning 4 part series, currently breaking
viewing records on the Discovery Channel, will be available
as individual volumes on September 4th.
