​​Documentary On The Real Story Behind Chernobyl Airs Tonight ​On Sky

Viewers were captivated by mini-series Chernobyl and now Sky Atlantic is following up the drama with a documentary on the 1986 nuclear disaster, which is set to air tonight (Tuesday, 18th June) at 9pm.

On 26th April 1986, a test at Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant went catastrophically wrong near the now-abandoned town of Pripyat, in northern Ukraine.

A steam explosion caused a cloud of radioactive smoke and dust to be carried on the wind around Europe, and Pripyat residents were evacuated from the town.

Four decades later, and the Pripyat is still as ghost-town with exclusion zones being put in place for the public.

And now documentary The Real Chernobyl sees Sky News travel to Ukraine to meet some of the people who were involved in dealing with the atrocity and it's sure to be an eye-opening watch.

The filmmakers speak to Oleksiy Breus, a control room operator at the plant, who was travelling to work on the bus with no knowledge of the tragedy that had unfolded hours earlier, likening what he saw to "a mass grave".

Helicopter navigator Igor Pismensky also appears in the documentary. He too witnessed the devastation in the wake of the explosion when he was sent to spread decontamination materials over the site.

Sky Atlantic's latest documentary comes following the success of miniseries Chernobyl, which starred Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, and Jessie Buckley.

The joint Sky Atlantic and HBO production premiered on the 7th May.

The series featured five episode-long series that focused on the brave men and women, who sacrificed themselves for the future of Europe, and their unbelievable stories of strength to limit the scale of the disaster.

Apple Tree Yard star Emily Watson played nuclear physicist Ulana Khomyuk who wanted to find out exactly what caused the explosion.

Meanwhile, Stellan Skarsgard portrayed Soviet Deputy Prime Minister, Boris Shcherbina. The critically acclaimed series was written by Craig Mazin and directed by The Walking Dead's Johan Renck.

Watch The Real Chernobyl on Sky Atlantic Tuesday, 18^th June at 9pm.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Wiki

Topics: TV News, Real, TV Entertainment, Chernobyl, Real Life

Lisa McLoughlin

Lisa is a freelance journalist working for Tyla and the team's token Dubliner. After graduating with a MA in PR and Digital Marketing from D.I.T., she worked for MailOnline, Sun Online, Irish Independent and broadcaster RTÉ. Got a story of interest or want advice on how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness? Then email her at [email protected].

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