Channel 4's new documentary The Experiment is leaving viewers 'deeply unsettled' before it has even aired, with the bold social experiment set to test whether the British public could be persuaded by Nazi-era propaganda about disabled people.
The programme, which airs tonight (October 21) at 10pm, is fronted by disability rights activist and TV presenter Sophie Morgan alongside actor and writer Mat Fraser. It will see members of the public confronted with ideologies from the Nazi regime, but delivered under the guise of a glossy - and fake - care facility.
Fake Care Facility and Hidden Cameras
SegriLife is presented as a progressive haven for disabled and neurodivergent adults. Its residents are all actors, but the members of the public that tour it are real. Sophie and Mat watch what unfolds via hidden cameras beamed to a control room as visitors are asked about their views on the facility and its methods.
The pair released a joint statement: "It was important for us to finally bring the catastrophic history of Aktion T4 and the Nazis' persecution of disabled people to our television screens, but more importantly we wanted to test whether the British public could be persuaded by similar propaganda today, to believe that disabled people are disposable, or less deserving of a place in society."
Reactions and Trailer
They continued: "These are extremely disturbing times for our community, with disability rights under threat in the UK and around the world. It is reminiscent of a time many of us would rather forget, but this programme shows that the chances of repeating the past are far higher than we think. Peering behind the veil of the public perception of disability isn't for the faint-hearted, but this is essential viewing."
Sophie called The Experiment "the most important documentary I've ever made" in an Instagram post ahead of its release. She continued: "Whether we were peering back into the past…or staring the present straight in the face….I don’t think I will ever unsee what we saw. It was terrifying."
A seconds-long trailer has been released ahead of the documentary's debut, which shows brief glimpses of the facility and touts its methods as being "tried and trusted techniques developed by revolutionary scientists," before posing the question: "Care or cruelty?"
One person penned underneath the trailer: "I don’t know what’s about to go down here but I’m deeply unsettled already. This is going to be good." Meanwhile a second remarked: "Not sure I can watch this as the parent and carer of two severely physically disabled adults." A third inquisitive viewer added: "I’m so curious about how this was pitched to the people taking part."
The Experiment airs tonight at 10pm on Channel 4.
