Assisted Suicide Televised in British Documentary Film

A documentary that appears to show the moment when a man dies after going through with an assisted suicide was strongly criticised yesterday by anti-euthanasia campaigners and a television watchdog.

The film, which is being screened on the Sky Real Lives channel tonight, seems to show the moment when 59-year-old Craig Ewert, who had motor neurone disease, died. It is believed this would be the first time the instant of the a person's death in an assisted suicide has been shown on British television.

Both the documentary maker, Oscar winner John Zaritsky, and Sky insisted that the film, Right to Die? is an important contribution to a vital debate.

Dr Peter Saunders, a director of the Care Not Killing alliance, branded the film "macabre death voyeurism". He said: "This is taking us a little further down the slippery slope. It seems there is a macabre fascination in this death tourism.

"It's creating the impression that there is a huge demand for this. There isn't. There are only a very few people going over to use this service but an inordinate amount of media coverage. It's all part of a calculated campaign to get the issue back before parliament."

Dominica Roberts, of the Pro-Life Alliance, said the programme sent out the message that some people's lives are "worthless", adding: "It is both sad and dangerous to show this kind of thing on the television."

Zaritsky said filming Ewert's death was the most difficult moment in his 26-year career. "When we were filming it we all had to remain very professional and just concentrate on doing our jobs," he said. But he insisted: "I want the film to be controversial and I want people to debate it strongly."

The veteran documentary maker Roger Graef, who has made more than 80 films, said: ""If someone has allowed the filming to happen I don't see a problem with that. We don't have to watch it. We know it's a film about euthanasia. I think it informs the debate."