The Discussion

Exposed: the truth about Britain's nuclear guinea pigs

Rev. Bill Crews Season 3 Episode 5

Between 1952 and 1967, 39,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen witnessed 45 nuclear bomb tests in Australia and the Pacific. 

Now survivors report devastating health impacts – cancers, birth defects, generational disabilities – yet their medical records remain classified or missing. 

In this episode of The Discussion, investigative journalist Susie Boniface discusses allegations of a decades-long cover-up, reclassified blood samples, and sanitised archives. With veterans now in their 80s and 90s, she examines why the truth about Britain's nuclear testing programme remains one of the state's most closely guarded secrets.