A trilogy of documentary series about the conflict in Northern Ireland – Provos, Loyalists and Britons. Tracing the history of the IRA and Sinn Féin over the past 30 years, the BBC documentary series, produced by journalist Peter Taylor, offers a detailed account of the lives of Royalist paramilitaries and the role of the British Army in Northern Ireland.
Provos: Born Again. Documentary about the change and rise of the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland since 1969. Examining the civil unrest events of the late 1960s, and the ideology and actions of IRA leaders following the attacks of the Royalists and B-Specials, there were major changes for Catholics and Nationalists and their homeland. Explore the background to the deployment of British troops and how they were initially welcomed but later viewed as enemies. Contains interviews with a number of older IRA members who talk about their motivations and goals and the escalation of shootings and bombings, especially in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday.
Provos: Second Front. Examine what was discussed in secret meetings between the British authorities and the provisional IRA in the 1970s, and how the British might have supported withdrawal from Northern Ireland. Examine Sinn Féin’s emergence as a political force and the bombings in the province and the British mainland. Prison protests and hunger strikes at Maze Prison, and the impact of the deaths of Bobby Sands and other hunger strikers, are also examined.
Provos: Secret War. Focuses on the 1980s and the resurgence of the IRA movement after the deaths of hunger strikers. Consider the increase in heavy weapons purchases and the IRA’s funding and supply lines and willingness to procure surface-to-air missiles to shoot down military helicopters. It also details the emergence of IRA whistleblowers and “superweeds” and their impact on operations.
Provos: Endgame. The final episode focuses on how the military standoff of the late 80s created the backdrop for Sinn Féin’s leadership to be able to convince the IRA Army Council that the final stage of the struggle had to be political. It also shows how the impasse paved the way for a remarkable series of secret talks between the government and the IRA that made possible the 1994 ceasefire. The show also describes how, despite the end of the ceasefire and the subsequent bombings in Canary Wharf and Manchester, behind-the-scenes peace efforts continued, leading to a renewed IRA ceasefire and current party-wide negotiations.
Loyalists: No Surrender. A documentary series by Peter Taylor about the origins and development of the Royalist paramilitary movement in Northern Ireland.
Loyalists: Returning the Serve. In the late 1970s, the conflict in Northern Ireland reached new levels of brutality. Among those involved in the violence was UVF member Billy Giles, who retaliated for an IRA operation by murdering a Catholic colleague.
Loyalists: War and Peace. Former Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) prisoners Gerry Spence and Bobby Philpott claim the Royalist violence in the early 1990s made the IRA realize they could not win . Peter Taylor exposes the true colors of royalist paramilitaries and assesses the prospects for peace amid ongoing sectarian tensions.
Brits: The Secret War. The program focuses on the period 1969-1975. When the IRA terrorized in the early 1970s, the UK realized that intelligence gathering would be key to countering their threat. This section contains revelations about the clandestine operations carried out by the Army, including the story of how security services found out that the IRA had been bugging Army headquarters in Northern Ireland and how they arrested key IRA figures involved in the hacking.
Brits: Shoot to Kill. Investigate a series of events in the mid-1970s in which security forces responded swiftly and aggressively. Members of Special Services, MI6 and the Army discuss the threat to life in the war with the IRA. In their attempts to fight fire with fire, have royal agents sometimes gone beyond what is reasonable in a democracy?
Brits: Holding the Line. The third and final installment in the series on British covert operations in Northern Ireland. Shows how pressure from British intelligence helped bring the IRA to the negotiating table. Also look at the prospects for lasting peace.
