The Real Chernobyl, a documentary by Sky, shows what really happened at the site of the nuclear disaster in 1986.
Following the interest created by HBO miniseries Chernobyl, documentary-makers have gone to Russia over 30 years after the incident to meet some of the real people involved in dealing with it.
The special documentary, which aired on Tuesday, takes a very personal look at the tragedy from the perspective of the actual survivors, following the highly-acclaimed dramatisation of some of the characters.
It also uses genuine footage from the site of the disaster, including the helicopters sent to fly over the eye of the storm in 1986, right up to today, where filmmakers revisit Pripyat.
Among those interviewed on-screen are Oleksiy Breus, a control room operator at the plant, and Igor Pismensky, who was at the site of the accident.
TV drama Chernobyl, which aired throughout HBO last month, attracted unprecedented interest in the events – and the aftermath – of a nuclear test at Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant that went wrong on 26th April 1986.
It has even turned Chernobyl into a major tourism spot, with authorities reporting a 30% increase in the number of visitors to the site in Ukraine.
As many as 150,000 people are expected to go this year, 33 years after an estimated 115,000 people died of radiation-related illnesses such as cancer.
The accident itself killed 31 people instantly and forced tens of thousands to flee.
Craig Mazin’s five-part TV mini-series was designed to bring the ‘untold true story’ of Chernobyl to the world, based on first-hand accounts of survivors in Soviet Ukraine.
From scientists and firefighters to political officials, played by the likes of Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, and Paul Ritter, many of the characters were based on the lives of real people.
Some characters were fictional, the most notable being scientist Ulana Khomyuk. Played by Emily Watson, Ulana was a composite character representing the numerous men and women who investigated the disaster and reported its effects.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Russia’s NTV channel had commissioned their own adaptation of the events.
Theirs will instead be based on a conspiracy theory – whereby a US CIA agent is dispatched to Pripyat to gather intelligence on the nuclear power plant.
The Real Chernobyl airs on Sky News on Wednesday 19 June at 9pm.
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