A NEW documentary to air on BBC Four next week is set to lift the lid on the secretive work that takes place at Porton Down.

Inside Porton Down will explore the controversial history of the site and reveal the hazardous work being done by scientists to respond to the threat of chemical and biological weapons.

The programme goes behind the scenes and under the microscope to learn more about some of the most hazardous chemical and biological agents of our age. It was at Porton Down that the research scientists confirmed sarin as the nerve agent used on the Syrian population in 2013, triggering a worldwide response.

Presenter Dr Michael Mosley is also given access to watch the distillation of one of the most dangerous chemical agents today, VX, which is made at Porton Down to test British military protective equipment. Inside Porton Down will also take viewers inside some of the site’s most secure biological research labs, where scientists have been tasked to find out how Ebola – potentially one of the biggest public threats facing us today – has the power to spread.

Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor of BBC Four, said: “Inside Porton Down will take viewers right into one of the most significant research laboratories in the UK, with unprecedented access to explore some of the biggest biological and chemical threats to human life in the world today.

“Following on from the success of Britain’s Nuclear Secrets: Inside Sellafield in our BBC Four Goes Nuclear season last year, BBC Four continues to invite audiences to consider the crucial influence that scientific developments can have on our everyday lives.

“Telling the story behind such groundbreaking and terrifying work is vital.”

The show is going to be broadcast on Tuesday at 9pm on BBC Four and will be available on the the iPlayer.