Former Conservative MP, Michael Portillo pushes his body to the brink of death in an investigation into the science of execution.
As the American Supreme Court examines whether the lethal injection is causing prisoners to die in unnecessary pain Michael sets out to find a solution which is fundamentally humane. To do this, he examines the primary methods of execution available today, and he discovers why convicts could catch on fire in the electric chair, learns how simple it is to mess up a hanging and inhales a poisonous gas to experience first-hand the terror of the gas chamber.
Armed with some startling evidence Michael considers a completely new approach. Will it be the answer? There is only one way of finding out – to experience it himself.
