1944: Should We Bomb Auschwitz? (BBC2, 9pm)
In April, 1944, the Allies became aware of the true horror of the Holocaust thanks to the testimony of two prisoners who had escaped from Auschwitz. But with the knowledge came one of the biggest moral dilemmas of the 20th century – should they bomb the death camp? Combining dramatic reconstructions of the debate with first-hand testimony from survivors, archival material and expert voices, this documentary explores the huge decision the Allies had to make. The outcome of the Second World War was hanging in the balance and destroying Auschwitz would mean diverting troops. There were questions about how many civilians and prisoners would die in the bombing raids and how the Nazi propaganda machine would respond to an attack.
The Cameron Years (BBC1, 9pm)
David Cameron’s autobiography is published this week, which may explain why he cropped up in an interview on ITV on Monday and is also the subject of this new two-part BBC documentary. But it could also be because Britain is still dealing with the fallout from the EU vote, which happened while he was in Number 10. The first episode begins by looking at how Cameron was apparently riding high after his 2015 election victory only to be offering his resignation just a year later. It then goes back to explore the pressures that led to him making a commitment to the Brexit referendum in 2013, finding it was a response to both the Euroscepticism in the Conservative party and the country at large and the impact of the Eurozone crisis.
Billy Connolly’s Great American Trail (STV, 9pm)
Billy’s final leg begins in Virginia on the trail of bootleggers dealing in moonshine before he hears the story of the amazing woman who led hundreds of slaves to their freedom. He stops off at a farm where he encounters bizarre heads of all the US presidents, learns about the opioid crisis – the biggest epidemic in American history – and visits the backroom of flamboyant designer Manuel Cuevas, who was responsible for dressing rock stars including Elvis, Cher and the Beatles.
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