Fire in the Night

On the 25th anniversary of one of the world's worst offshore oil disasters, this documentary chronicles the tragic events that occurred on the Piper Alpha rig on the 6th of July 1988. It was a cataclysm that killed 167 men and left only 61 survivors, each of whom had to fight for their lives to escape the huge, labyrinthine structure and the flames that were consuming it. The film will also look at life on-board Piper Alpha before the explosion and also hears from survivors on how their life changed after the explosion. This 90-minute documentary will detail the experiences of the men who found themselves in the midst of an inferno that destroyed a rig which was, at one time, the world's single largest oil producer. There will be testimonies from those who survived, many of whom have never spoken publicly about the events before. The programme will also feature newly released recordings of the coastguards and emergency services as they reacted to the disaster. Some drama reconstructions will show how the disaster unfolded and the horror the men of Piper Alpha had to endure. Piper Alpha: Fire In The Night is an STV Productions film for BBC Scotland.