BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds will launch a ten part series titled The Hitler Diaries Scandal on Monday 14 September. The series is part of The History Podcast and is presented by Andrew Hunter Murray. The production examines the 1983 forgery of Adolf Hitler's diaries, which were originally authenticated by historian Hugh Trevor-Roper and published by the German magazine Stern and The Sunday Times.
The narrative focuses on journalist Gerd Heidemann, who spent millions of Deutschmarks to acquire the documents. Murray interviews individuals involved in the event to reconstruct the roles of the forger, media executives, and historical experts. The series includes recordings from the former yacht of Hermann Göring to document the trade in Nazi memorabilia.
Daniel Clarke, Factual Commissioning Editor at BBC Radio 4, commissioned the series. The production details the origins of the diaries, which were claimed to have been recovered from a plane crash during the final days of the Second World War and smuggled from East Germany.
The original forgery was announced by Stern on 25 April 1983.