Over the course of almost 5 years of filming across the United States, Britain, France & Germany, director Vicki Lesley interviewed a vast array of writers, historians, scientists, engineers, politicians and campaigners about the rollercoaster history of nuclear power. Some of the important players in the nuclear story featured in the film include:
TONY BENN
A legendary figure in British politics, Tony Benn was the minister in charge of nuclear power in Britain, first as Minister for Technology in the 1960s and later as Energy Minister in the 1970s.
BERNARD INGHAM
Best known as Margaret Thatcher's press secretary, Bernard Ingham worked in the Department of Energy under Tony Benn in the 1970s. A passionate supporter of nuclear power, he was Secretary of the advocacy group Supporters of Nuclear Energy (SONE) until 2007.
HAROLD BOLTER
Originally a journalist, Harold Bolter was a director at British Nuclear Fuels Ltd from 1975 until 1993. His time at Sellafield included the controversial push into nuclear reprocessing following the Windscale Inquiry and a number of safety scandals in the 1980s.
PETE WILKINSON
As director of Greenpeace UK in the 1980s, Pete Wilkinson went into battle against British Nuclear Fuels with a series of direct actions attempting to stop the discharge of nuclear waste into the Irish Sea from Sellafield.
RALPH NADER
Remembered for his presidential candidacy against George W. Bush in 2000, Ralph Nader is one of the most high-profile advocates for public and consumer safety in America and has been involved in anti-nuclear campaigning since the 1970s.
MIKE McCORMACK
A chemist at the US Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s, Mike McCormack later moved into politics, serving in the US Congress from 1971 to 1981 and becoming the first chair of of the House Subcommittee on Energy.
WILLIAM MAGWOOD
Now head of the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency, William Magwood was previously director of nuclear at the Department of Energy under George W. Bush and Commissioner at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission until 2014
JUERGEN TRITTIN
A Green MP in the German Bundestag, Juergen Trittin entered politics in the early 80s, inspired by his involvement in the anti-nuclear protest movement. From 1998 to 2005, he was Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation & Nuclear Safety in Gerhard Schroeder's government
MICHAEL SUESS
Engineer Michael Suess has worked at numerous high-profile German companies. From 2006 to 2014 he worked for Siemens, rising to become CEO of the manufacturing giant's Energy Sector, overseeing its withdrawal from nuclear power after Fukushima.
MARCEL BOITEUX
As head of Electricite de France, the French state power company, from 1967 to 1987, Marcel Boiteux was one of the chief architects of the major expansion in nuclear power undertaken in France after the 1973 oil crisis.
