Original release 15 janvier 2008
Previous episode S2007E11 - Everest: Doctors in the Death Zone (2)
Number S2008E01
Country United Kingdom
Genre Documentary
External links TheTVDB page
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Last update 9 mai 2022 - 19:11
on 11 databases

How to Kill a Human Being

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Michael Portillo looks at the science behind executions.

Former Conservative MP, Michael Portillo pushes his body to the brink of death in an investigation into the science of execution.

As the American Supreme Court examines whether the lethal injection is causing prisoners to die in unnecessary pain Michael sets out to find a solution which is fundamentally humane. To do so he examines the key methods of execution available today: he discovers why convicts can catch on fire in the electric chair, learns how easy it is to botch a hanging and inhales a noxious gas to experience first hand the terror of the gas chamber.

Armed with some startling evidence Michael considers a completely new approach. Will it be the answer? There is only one way of finding out - to experience it himself.