Narco Bling airs March 24 at 8 and 11 p.m. ET/PT
The Spies Who Fooled the World airs March 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
The Man Behind the Throne airs March 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
CBC News Network’s THE PASSIONATE EYE presents three new documentaries that reveal the powerful and notorious men behind the headlines.Narco Bling exposes Mexican drug lords’ lavish lifestyles and goes behind-the scenes in the fight against the deadly drug cartels. The Spies Who Fooled the World, the inside story of the Iraqi informant, known as “Curveball,” unravels the worst intelligence failure in modern memory. Senior intelligence officials reveal the wishful thinking and lies that led to the war in Iraq, ten years after the invasion. And The Man Behind the Throne explores the fascinating life and career of the choreographer behind the legendary dance moves of Michael Jackson and Madonna.
Sunday, March 24 at 8 and 11 p.m. ET/PT on CBC News Network
Narco Bling explores Mexican drug lords’ lust for luxury. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at some of the world’s most wanted criminals, their opulent lifestyles and how Mexico is fighting a battle against a rich and powerful enemy - the drug cartels.
With access to the seized riches and weaponry of the drug lords, Narco Bling reveals a world of astonishing wealth and extravagance. It’s a world dominated by the Sinaloa Cartel and its leader, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, one of the world’s most powerful criminals. Expert accounts of the cartel’s trafficking networks, and a boots-on-the-ground perspective of law enforcement on both sides of the border, show how Mexico’s drug cartels have become a $40 billion a year global industry and why the war to stop them has no end in sight.
Narco Bling is produced and written by Philip Niddrie for National Geograhic.
Sunday, March 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBC News Network
The Spies Who Fooled the World tells the inside story of “Curveball,” the Iraqi informant whose spectacular lies about weapons of mass destruction duped the world’s most sophisticated intelligence agencies and sent the world into a war in Iraq that cost tens of thousands of lives and more than a trillion dollars.
Ten years after the invasion of Iraq, The Spies Who Fooled the World investigates how key aspects of the secret intelligence, used by Britain and the U.S.A. to justify the war, were based on fabrication, wishful thinking, and lies. BBC reporter Peter Taylor talks to senior intelligence officers and original sources including the Iraqi defector codenamed “Curveball.” And he reports on the remarkable story of how, in the months before the war, two highly placed sources close to Saddam Hussein talked secretly to the CIA and MI6. The intelligence said Iraq did have an active WMD program, but the information was simply dismissed. The film reveals how sparse the intelligence was and how none of the handful of human sources had direct knowledge of weapons of mass destruction.
The Spies Who Fooled the World is a BBC/ZDF Co-Production, directed and produced by Mike Rudin.
Sunday, March 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBC News Network
Michael Jackson and Madonna’s best dance moves were created by one choreographer. Now, for the first time, he shares his personal rehearsal videos, private photos and favourite stories of working with the superstars.
The Man Behind the Throne offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how hard pop music icons work to pull off their ground-breaking dance performances. Although millions of people have seen his work, choreographer Vincent Paterson is barely known outside of the music world. “I’ve always appreciated and made the choice of being the man behind the throne,” he says. “I like being behind and whispering in their ear.”
The Man Behind the Throne is a film by Migma Film, co-produced by Swedish Television, and is directed and written by Kersti Grunditz.
For more information on THE PASSIONATE EYE, visit our website at cbc.ca/passionateeye, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/cbcdocs.
To view past episodes and other CBC programming, visit CBC Player, download the CBC app for your mobile devices, and download CBC podcasts.
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About CBC’s New In-House Publicity Team
CBC’s new team of in-house publicists are delivering a comprehensive publicity service for all CBC programming and events. For a complete list of publicity contacts and for more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the new CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre.
For further information, or to request interviews, contact:
Corey Black, News and Current Affairs publicist, CBC
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