Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal

Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal
TV Show · Documentary · Special Interest

Eugenics was the abhorrent theory that humans could be improved by selective breeding. So-called ‘faults’ could be bred away; any 'detrimental' elements eradicated. Its origins lie with well-respected British medical practitioners; the Nazis put the hideous ideas into practice. Science expert Angela Saini and disability rights activist Adam Pearson look at the history and legacy of Eugenics.

2019 · 59m
Starring Angela Saini, Adam Pearson
Director Andrew Smith

Season 1

  • Episode 1
    EPISODE 1
    Episode 1
    Eugenic beliefs, considered abhorrent today, permeated the British establishment at the start of the last century. This led to eugenics influencing government policies, resulting in thousands of disabled people being locked up for decades. It shaped immigration law, education and even town planning. How did eugenics eventually feed into the racist ideologies of Nazi Germany?
    59m
  • Episode 2
    EPISODE 2
    Episode 2
    It’s thought that eugenics disappeared after the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust, but eugenic practices, such as the sterilization of the poor, continued on a global scale for many more years. Do eugenic-style attitudes towards the poor and disabled continue? And could breakthroughs in medicine, such as screening and gene editing, plus prejudice against the disabled, bring a form of eugenics back?
    58m

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Cast & Crew

  • Angela Saini
    Host
  • Adam Pearson
    Host
  • A‌S
    Andrew Smith
    Director
  • P‌S
    Paul Sen
    Producer

About

Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal

Documentary

Eugenics was the abhorrent theory that humans could be improved by selective breeding. So-called ‘faults’ could be bred away; any 'detrimental' elements eradicated. Its origins lie with well-respected British medical practitioners; the Nazis put the hideous ideas into practice. Science expert Angela Saini and disability rights activist Adam Pearson look at the history and legacy of Eugenics.

Information

Studio
bbc_four
Released
2019
Rated
TV-14
Region of Origin
United Kingdom
© 2019 Furnace TV

Languages

Original Audio
English (United Kingdom)
Subtitles

English (United States) (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

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