Michael Caine starts the series with a tragedy involving hundreds of men stationed on the Piper Alpha oil rig in the cold and forbidding waters of the North Sea. It was an accident that went beyond anyone's worst nightmares. 

In 1988, the doomed oil rig exploded, sparking gas and oil fires that tore through the giant structure. Michael follows the stories of the brave men, who in the face of a catastrophic disaster, worked fearlessly to rescue and save the lives of those on the burning rig and in the freezing North Sea.

Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was well known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and criticism of Vladimir Putin.

Despite constant death threats, imprisonment and even a mock execution, Anna worked tirelessly to expose human rights abuses committed by her own state and the Chechen leaders. Michael explores Anna’s bravery, unbreakable spirit and her refusal to stop reporting, despite knowing the potential consequences. She was assassinated in 2006, paying the ultimate price for her work in speaking truth to power.

Michael tells the inside story of the heroic efforts to rescue the 33 Chilean miners left trapped and cut off hundreds of feet underground in the 2010 mining accident in the Atacama Desert in Chile. 

With international support from organisations around the world, including NASA, and with the backing of the Chilean President, it’s a desperate race against time to reach the miners alive and bring them back safely to the surface and to reunite them with their distraught families.

As war raged in Bosnia in the 1990s, Sally Becker, who at the time was an artist with no training as an aid worker, crossed borders to rescue children injured by explosions and acts of war. 

Shot at, held captive and often criticised by the British Media, Michael uncovers the true spirit of humanitarianism through Sally’s heroism, with accounts from people she saved and campaigned with. 

Michael tells the story of four brave teachers, who when caught up in a school shooting massacre, kept their cool and put their own fears aside to lead their students to safety.

The horrific events at Parkland in 2018 resulted in the death of 17 pupils and staff with another 17 injuries, though the casualty rate could have been so much higher but for the bravery and heroic efforts of those working at the school.

Erin Brockovich was a penniless single mother working in a small town law firm, who investigated water poisoning in Hinkley, deep in the California desert. It doesn't sound like obvious Oscar winning material, but a film based on her life story won an Academy Award and Erin is now a worldwide household name due to her heroic struggles for justice on environmental issues.

Hearing from Erin and the people she worked with, Michael reveals how her determination and fighting spirit make her a true hero.