Iran 1953: A very British coup

"Document" reveals the true extent of Britain's involvement in the coup of 1953 which toppled Iran's democratically elected government and replaced it with the tyranny of the Shah. Iran had just nationalised the very oil fields that had powered Britain through two world wars. Downing Street wanted them back. London paid Iranian agents to sow seeds of dissent in Tehran. Then, to win American support for a coup, the men from the Ministry fanned fears of a Russian invasion. Even the BBC was used to spearhead Britain's propaganda campaign. In fact, Auntie agreed to broadcast the very code word that was to spark revolution. Around a decade ago the American government apologised for its role in the coup. Yet despite current concerns over oil scandals, regime change and the cost of meddling in Middle East politics -- Britain has remained silent.

The award-winning investigative series returns, in which Mike Thomson takes a document as a starting-point to shed new light on past events.

Mike Thomson worked in national radio, television and newspapers. He presented the Breakfast show on the former Radio 5, worked as a reporter for Sky News and World Service Television and wrote regularly for The Daily Mail, The Independent and The Observer. Mike joined Today in the mid 1990's as a reporter and covered stories across the globe.

Mike has won a number of prestigious awards throughout his career. These include: the Texaco Award for 'Industrial Journalist of the Year' in the early 1990's; a Gold Sony Award in 2002 for Best News Programme: Document: The Day They Made it Rain (which he wrote and presented for Radio 4); shared a Sony Silver Award in the same year for his contribution to Today's coverage of the race riots in northern England; and won another Sony Gold Award in 2003 for Best News Coverage following his reports for Today on the latest famine to hit Ethiopia.