Introduction

Jonathan Dimbleby travels to Belsen with survivors, liberators and locals, following in the footsteps of his father Richard Dimbleby, whose 1945 radio report shocked the world and unmasked the true horror of the concentration camps.

Outline

This new landmark documentary fronted by journalist Jonathan Dimbleby focuses on the horrors of Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, marking 75 years since it was liberated by Allied troops.

The 60-minute programme features Jonathan retracing his father’s footsteps. Richard Dimbleby was the first broadcaster allowed into Bergen-Belsen after it was liberated.

Jonathan visits the site in Germany where a reported 70,000 Jews, gay men, gypsies and foreign prisoners died. It was eventually burned down by British troops to avoid disease spreading – and now principally consists of memorials, mass graves, along with a remembrance museum.

Joined by a survivor and the daughter of a survivor, Jonathan explores the grim history of what became one of the last concentration camps to be liberated in 1945.

The radio reports his father Richard sent back are now ingrained into the British consciousness as a document of the systematic mass murder undertaken by the Nazi regime.

Alongside powerful archive and Jonathan’s thoughts and recollections, the film includes emotional reactions from survivors and family members to what has happened in the 75 years since it was liberated, and reflections on the recent rise of antisemitism as a prominent issue.

Production & Filming Details

• Presenter(s): Jonathan Dimbleby.
• Production: MultiStory Media.
• Distributor(s): ITV.
• Release Date: 07 April 2020.
• Running Time: 60 minutes.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.