The Crash

This three-part series is a narrative account of the extraordinary events that have shaken the world's financial and political systems over the last two years.

It aims to capture what it was like for those involved at all levels in the financial world, government and the wider community.

Programme One will be looking more closely at the turbulent financial events in the autumn of 2008. What were the key moments that led to these events and what happened in the aftermath?

In September 2008, the collapse of Lehman Brothers tipped the world into recession. A cast of contributors including national leaders, finance ministers and CEOs describe the tense negotiations in New York and London as the investment institution headed towards bankruptcy.

Gordon Brown, Tim Geithner and Alistair Darling reveal the dilemmas they faced and the decisions they took.

One year on, the programme explains why the collapse of one bank had such disastrous consequences for the world's economy.

First broadcast on 21 September 2009.