Berlin

The fall of the Berlin Wall was one of the 20th century's most significant moments. It signalled the end of the Cold War and was a symbolic act of people power. But as the wall came down, a terrifying truth emerged about the dictatorship that ruled in the East. This programme reveals what life was like in the shadow of the wall, unveiling the sinister world of the Stasi, the secret police who controlled every aspect of life in the East. We hear powerful stories from people who risked their lives to escape the Communist regime; journalists who endured years of surveillance and censorship; people who were imprisoned for no reason other than for wanting freedom and democracy. We trace its development from a barbed wire barrier into a menacing, deadly edifice known as the Death Zone. With gripping interviews, rarely seen archive footage and access to the Stasi Museum and Archives, this documentary uncovers how the wall is continuing to affect the people of Berlin.