0:00:02 > 0:00:03Ordinary people.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05- Look at that.- Tsunami!
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Extraordinary stories.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10It was one of the most amazing days of my life.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14It just felt like being part of a moment in history.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Bonds forged amid triumphs...
0:00:17 > 0:00:19..and tragedies.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21She came to help people,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24so to me, she is an angel, she is a great person.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26It would mean an awful lot to me
0:00:26 > 0:00:29to be able to say thank you to the firemen that saved me.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33They shared a past, then faced a future apart.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35I just hope I recognise them.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36Brought together by fate.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38It's going to be very emotional.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Separated by time.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44# Rap 'er to bank, me canny lad. #
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Real Lives Reunited.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53In today's programme...
0:00:53 > 0:00:55terror in the sky.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58There was a sound like loud peals of thunder.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01But instead of them dying away,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04they sort of coalesced into a roar.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08The Lockerbie locals who saw their town on fire.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11It's that confusion in the first few minutes and hours.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And it can get scaled up from a contained incident to getting
0:01:14 > 0:01:16bigger and bigger and bigger,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19with more and more casualties and death around it.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23And Riverdance reunited!
0:01:23 > 0:01:27The Lords and Ladies of the dance line up for one last encore.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32- These are the shoes I wore in Eurovision.- No way!- There is no way!
0:01:35 > 0:01:39# But I would walk 500 miles
0:01:39 > 0:01:42# And I would walk 500 more
0:01:42 > 0:01:45# Just to be that man
0:01:45 > 0:01:47# Who walked a thousand miles
0:01:47 > 0:01:50# To fall down at your door
0:01:50 > 0:01:51# When I'm working
0:01:51 > 0:01:53# Yes, I know I'm gonna be
0:01:53 > 0:01:55# I'm gonna be the man
0:01:55 > 0:01:57# Who's working hard for you
0:01:57 > 0:01:59# And when the money... #
0:02:00 > 0:02:03On December 21st 1988,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06at 6.25pm,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Pan Am Flight 103 left London's Heathrow Airport
0:02:09 > 0:02:11en route for Detroit.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17243 passengers were on board,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19most returning home for Christmas.
0:02:19 > 0:02:2138 minutes into the flight,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23a bomb exploded.
0:02:29 > 0:02:3331,000 feet below, in the Scottish town of Lockerbie,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35John Gair heard the explosion.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40There was a sound like loud peals of thunder.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42But instead of them dying away,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46they sort of coalesced into a roar.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50And then the hall was lit up with a sort of red light.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53So we realised something strange had happened.
0:02:57 > 0:03:0118-year-old police rookie Colin Dorrance was off duty.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06He too saw and heard the explosion and immediately reported for work.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Not knowing what had taken place at the time,
0:03:10 > 0:03:16I drove into the town to see what the explosion actually was.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21And very quickly it became apparent this was a huge incident.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24People were running towards the area which seemed to be
0:03:24 > 0:03:25on fire.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Police Inspector George Stobbs also reported for duty.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34There was a pile-up of traffic on the road.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37They were being stopped and I couldn't get through.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42So I dumped my car, started to walk in towards the town centre.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I was picked up by a patrol car that came up behind me.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51And as I went over the fly-over, I could see a great pile of smoke.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Even as the car was driving along the road,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I could smell aviation fuel.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03The jumbo jet had crashed into the heart of a built-up
0:04:03 > 0:04:06residential area in Lockerbie.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11News of the disaster started to spread.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Randolph Caughie, a photographer, had finished work for the year.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Or so he thought...
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I was in the car, driving home, actually.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23And got a call from one of my bosses in London.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25And he says that a plane had gone down.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28It was just as simple as that - a plane had gone down in Lockerbie.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30He says, "Can you get there?" I said, "Sure."
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Randolph found himself as the first photographer
0:04:35 > 0:04:38at a scene he will never forget.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40It was like...a field of death.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44It was pretty horrific, I've got to say.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48There was a lot of people lying there.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50There was nothing... What can you do?
0:04:51 > 0:04:55We decided that we weren't going to photograph them, um,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57because it wasn't nice to see.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01It wasn't nice to photograph. So we just concentrated doing what was left
0:05:01 > 0:05:02of the plane.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07By now, the small town was swarming with emergency services.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The fire and rescue service were very busy.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13There was between a dozen and two dozen houses where
0:05:13 > 0:05:16they were either on fire or at serious risk of fire,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18including the petrol station.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22The emergency service response was massive by any standards,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24then and even now.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33It wasn't until sunrise that the true scale of the disaster
0:05:33 > 0:05:35became clear for all to see.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56As far as I know, I've lost my brother-in-law,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58my sister-in-law...
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Their house is just...it's just...a 30-foot crater.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Where their house was, I can't even find the house.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07It's gone, like.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12All 259 people on board had lost their lives
0:06:12 > 0:06:16as well as 11 people on the ground.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I mean, there was the ghastly problem of collecting
0:06:19 > 0:06:21all of these bodies.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24They started, I think, taking them to the town hall, but
0:06:24 > 0:06:27eventually, they were taken to the ice rink.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Which was an extremely sensible place to take them.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32It seemed like chaos at times,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36but I think it was mostly very well organised.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Colin, now a sergeant in the area,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47was just an 18-year-old rookie that night 26 years ago.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52He has never really talked about it - before today.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I'm looking forward to meeting the other people today
0:06:55 > 0:06:59because you know you've been there. And sometimes, trying to discuss
0:06:59 > 0:07:03and describe what took place is very difficult to get across.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05And there's a certain...
0:07:05 > 0:07:07frustration, almost.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11They're meeting in Lockerbie Town Hall,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15which was used as a temporary resting place for the victims.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Hello, John. Nice to see you again.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Mr Gair, you were living amongst all this.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28What was your recollection of it as someone who lived in the town
0:07:28 > 0:07:29at the time?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32A small town where nothing much had happened
0:07:32 > 0:07:36was in the middle of a horrible international tragedy.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40People were coming from all over the world, saying,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43you know, "Where did this happen? When did that happen?"
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- And I drew up a wee map... - So this is your own map?
0:07:46 > 0:07:47This is my own map, yeah.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50And all I did was put down the strategic places.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54And I tried to explain to them that the wind was blowing across
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- that way and it took all the... - That's what you were saying.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01You had to reverse engineer everything from the finishing point
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- back to up in the sky to understand how it all...- Yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It was. It was a very strong wind that was blowing that day.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09And it just took everything.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11I mean, we were recovering stuff from the North Sea,
0:08:11 > 0:08:1360 miles away.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Photographer Randolph saw at first-hand how the local
0:08:17 > 0:08:21community and emergency services helped each other that night.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24What you guys did... When I hear all these stories,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27when they say it on the outside, you know, being a journalist...
0:08:27 > 0:08:30The police were fantastic doing their tasks as well.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Just amazing. They kept us in touch with what was going on
0:08:34 > 0:08:36and they were very helpful.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37The service was amazing.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41The thing I remember most about this was being stood out
0:08:41 > 0:08:44in some of these areas where the engines were
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- or, in the early days, where some passengers still were.- Uh-huh.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50And people coming out of their homes at two o'clock in the morning
0:08:50 > 0:08:51with flasks and sandwiches and...
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Even give you the key to the house so that you could use the toilet.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58The openness and the support was second to none.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02If there's some consolation out of this, it was to see
0:09:02 > 0:09:04- the very best of human nature.- Yes.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Good people came to the front and did their duty.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13In the years that followed, a joint investigation
0:09:13 > 0:09:17between Scottish Police and the FBI resulted in the arrest, conviction
0:09:17 > 0:09:21and imprisonment of the Libyan intelligence officer
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26In August 2009,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29he was released on compassionate grounds.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31He died in May 2012,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36remaining the only person to be convicted of the 270 murders.
0:09:39 > 0:09:45Today, the four men are visiting the Lockerbie Air Disaster Memorial.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I think a community the size of Lockerbie,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54where most people know each other.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56A community like that will always pull together,
0:09:56 > 0:10:00irrespective of what is thrown at them.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Some of these have got a nice...
0:10:05 > 0:10:08It's a difficult subject matter and
0:10:08 > 0:10:12nice to meet these three gentlemen
0:10:12 > 0:10:15who have reflected on things over the years as well.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18And you realise you're not alone with your own memories
0:10:18 > 0:10:20of what took place.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26Coming up...
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Randolph reunites with reporters who covered
0:10:29 > 0:10:34the disaster - one of the most emotional stories of their careers.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36I don't think it prepared me
0:10:36 > 0:10:38for what I was going to see.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41But, um... Phew! It's, uh...
0:10:43 > 0:10:44It brings it all back.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53# It's written in the wind
0:10:53 > 0:10:55# Oooh
0:10:55 > 0:10:58# Everywhere I go
0:10:58 > 0:11:00# Yeah
0:11:02 > 0:11:04# So if you really love me
0:11:04 > 0:11:06# Love me, love me
0:11:06 > 0:11:10# Come on and let it show. #
0:11:11 > 0:11:14April 30th 1994,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and The Point Theatre in Dublin was getting
0:11:16 > 0:11:20ready to host the Eurovision Song Contest.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22300 million people tuned in to watch,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26and as usual, Sir Terry was on great form.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30'Well, nobody could accuse those two of underselling this.'
0:11:30 > 0:11:32What no-one bargained for, however,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35was they were about to witness the birth of an act that would
0:11:35 > 0:11:38break theatrical records all around the world.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41Riverdance!
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Just a few months before Eurovision, however,
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Riverdance was barely a trickle of an idea.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04The concept - to transform Irish dancing, a discipline associated
0:12:04 > 0:12:09with stiff arms and ringlets into something cooler and sexier.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Michael Flatley and Jean Butler were on board as lead dancers,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17but a chorus line had yet to be found.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19My father took the phone call from RTE
0:12:19 > 0:12:23to say that somebody had passed on my name for
0:12:23 > 0:12:25the interval act for the Eurovision.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27But my father, God rest him, said,
0:12:27 > 0:12:28"You must have the wrong Emer O'Grady,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30"because she doesn't have a note in her head."
0:12:30 > 0:12:32He thought it was singing.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35So they rang back a day or two later and spoke to my mum and they said
0:12:35 > 0:12:37it was an Irish dancing act.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Scores of young dancers gathered to take part in a highly
0:12:41 > 0:12:44secretive selection process,
0:12:44 > 0:12:45all under the watchful
0:12:45 > 0:12:49eye of a man who would soon become a dancing legend.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And Michael Flatley came in, and we all had to do our steps
0:12:54 > 0:12:55for Michael Flatley.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And we just had to do it again and again and again...
0:12:58 > 0:13:00It was just...
0:13:00 > 0:13:01I was over the moon, like,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03when we were picked cos we were told,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06"Yeah, you're doing the Eurovision." It was like, "Oh, my God!"
0:13:06 > 0:13:10With selection over, rehearsals got under way.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13It was quite intense - very, very hard work.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16But enjoyable because you were learning something new.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18And you were working with Michael and Jean.
0:13:18 > 0:13:24But it was worth it, as another of the line-up, Dara, remembers.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27The producers, they came to see it one night,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29the finished product. And there was definitely excitement
0:13:29 > 0:13:31in the rehearsal hall.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34It really became apparent that this was something big.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39With weeks of intense rehearsals complete, the big night arrived.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43For the Riverdance chorus line, the excitement was palpable.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47The atmosphere backstage was just, like... It was electric.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Like, we were just... It was like,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51"Oh, my God, this is happening. Wow!"
0:13:51 > 0:13:56This is just something totally new to us.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57This is...brilliant.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00As Eurovision reached its interval,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03usually a chance for viewers to have a cup of tea,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Riverdance was unleashed
0:14:05 > 0:14:07onto an unsuspecting world.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It was an unforgettable performance,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25for those watching at least.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29I couldn't tell you one thing about the actual performance that night.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31I actually don't remember.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33I know before I went out on stage,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35I was just praying that I'd stay on my feet
0:14:35 > 0:14:37and I wouldn't slip on live television.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I just danced.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Dara however knew
0:14:49 > 0:14:50just how special it was.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52It's a hard number to do. You know,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54that...keeping that line straight
0:14:54 > 0:14:57and keeping it all in sequence and that, you know. It's a hard thing to
0:14:57 > 0:14:59do. But it went brilliantly, yeah.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:15:05 > 0:15:08'Good grief! That brought the folk memories out.'
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Standing there, listening to that applause
0:15:10 > 0:15:14and everybody cheering - absolutely amazing.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16The hairs stood up on the back of your neck.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Kind of looking at each other as if to say, you know,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21"Oh, my God, this is really good," like.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23You feel this ovation coming towards you and it was like
0:15:23 > 0:15:26a tsunami, you know, of appreciation.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27And, um...
0:15:27 > 0:15:30And it was just...you were filled with this kind of unbelievable sense
0:15:30 > 0:15:33of...achievement.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35The whole place erupted.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Tears, laughter, everything. The whole lot.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40It was brilliant. Brilliant.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Although meant to be just a one-off,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47the clamour for more Riverdance was overwhelming.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Within months, it was expanded into a full-length show
0:15:50 > 0:15:52and toured the world.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55For the dancers, nothing was ever the same again.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00Something that I absolutely loved and was my life became my career.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03I actually was studying to be an accountant,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05and that all went by the wayside. I never...
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I never worked as an accountant for a day in my life.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Looking back at Riverdance now, I'm extremely proud at having been
0:16:11 > 0:16:14part of it. It changed things for all of us and it changed things
0:16:14 > 0:16:16for Irish dancing as well. I mean,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19people take Irish dancing seriously now.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23# Beautiful day... #
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Today, after 20 years, the four dancers are heading back
0:16:27 > 0:16:30to their old watering hole, The Hairy Lemon in Dublin.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Today is really special cos we haven't really had a reunion
0:16:35 > 0:16:38to hear how it's affected everyone's life.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40I think it'll just be like old times,
0:16:40 > 0:16:41just as if we haven't been apart.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Going back to The Hairy Lemon will bring back a lot of memories.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- Nice to see you.- Great to see you.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Oh, my God! Hello!
0:16:53 > 0:16:55All grown up.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59It's amazing to walk in through the doors.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01It was a... "Wow, we're here."
0:17:01 > 0:17:03It brings back so many memories, doesn't it?
0:17:03 > 0:17:05I remember you being quite a personality.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07But you kind of made a point of getting to know people.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- Yeah...- Gosh, you didn't have to stand beside her.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13- LAUGHTER - Are you saying I talked a lot?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16So what are your strongest recollections of doing the show?
0:17:16 > 0:17:17I think it was all a blur.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19I remember walking on.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22And I remember it being over. And the light kind of came on
0:17:22 > 0:17:27all of a sudden and I felt this wave of atmosphere and energy
0:17:27 > 0:17:28coming off the audience.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31You forget the specifics of the dancing, the rehearsals,
0:17:31 > 0:17:32but the bonding and the friendships
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- at that time, it was so intense. - Yeah.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36What are the elements
0:17:36 > 0:17:38that made it the success that it was?
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Just Riverdance took it that step that showed it to the whole world.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43We were doing all these things, do you know what I mean?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45But it was behind closed doors.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- Absolutely.- Riverdance just put it on that world stage
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and it just blew it all open.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Catch-up complete, Emer, Breandan, Joan
0:17:54 > 0:17:58and Dara are off to a nearby dance studio to see
0:17:58 > 0:18:02if they can recreate the iconic steps from that amazing night.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- These are the shoes I wore in the Eurovision.- No way!
0:18:05 > 0:18:08My only worry about putting the shoes on is that
0:18:08 > 0:18:10the rest of them would be any better than me.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Hopefully, yeah, I'm definitely better than the rest of them now...
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- Still. - HE LAUGHS
0:18:16 > 0:18:201998 would have been the last time we performed together, so...
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Yeah, it could be great fun doing it now again.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14THEY LAUGH Jesus!
0:19:14 > 0:19:18It's been a wonderful day for these former Riverdancers -
0:19:18 > 0:19:20retracing their old footsteps.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24It was just a great reunion with old friends.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27And just to rehash it all out and share the memories
0:19:27 > 0:19:29and go back to The Hairy Lemon.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31It was just really special.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34- WOMEN:- Whoo!
0:19:34 > 0:19:36It was really nice to kind of see the three girls.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38I think it made me think about doing something
0:19:38 > 0:19:40like this a little bit more often - reconnecting.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43What happened back in those days was very special. It was historic.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- ALL: Cheers! - Slainte!- Slainte!
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Today was absolutely super, brilliant. One of the best days.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Nearly as good as the night of the Eurovision.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12The world awoke on the morning of December 22nd 1988
0:20:12 > 0:20:15to find out the news that Pan Am Flight 103
0:20:15 > 0:20:16had come down over the town
0:20:16 > 0:20:18of Lockerbie,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22causing massive fatalities and serious causalities.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24'The victims on the jumbo jet -
0:20:24 > 0:20:26'258 people died,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28'most were Americans.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31'At least 13 adults and four children from this small Scottish
0:20:31 > 0:20:34'town are dead or unaccounted for.'
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Throughout the night, journalists, broadcasters
0:20:38 > 0:20:40and photographers had worked tirelessly,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44piecing the story together in the midst of chaos and confusion.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Photographer Randolph Caughie was first on the scene
0:20:48 > 0:20:53and took the iconic photo that came to symbolise the tragedy for many.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Today, he will return to the field
0:20:57 > 0:21:00where he captured that image for the first time.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05When I go around the places, like where the nose cone was,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07I'll have my moments,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10um, to reflect.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14You know, I stood here 25 years ago at these places and photographed
0:21:14 > 0:21:16what happened.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19That night, Randolph was joined by rookie photographer
0:21:19 > 0:21:21John Paul.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23When they arrived at the crash site,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25it was still pitch-black.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27We drove up this country lane.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30And you could see just as you crested
0:21:30 > 0:21:31the top of the rise,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33there was a police car sitting in the middle of it.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37And it was the most amazing site I'd ever seen.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Out of the gloom,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44this thing was just...the front of an airplane... It was huge!
0:21:44 > 0:21:46..looming out of the field.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48It was like, "Wow!
0:21:48 > 0:21:50"What is that?"
0:21:50 > 0:21:52From a photographer's point of view,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55it was the most amazing sight.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58CAMERA CLICKS
0:22:01 > 0:22:05If images showed the immediate horror of the tragedy,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07putting what had happened into words
0:22:07 > 0:22:09would be another challenge altogether.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15That task fell to others, like newspaper journalist Tony Brooks,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18who travelled to Lockerbie from Stoke-on-Trent that evening.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22The journey took about three hours.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25And I should say that it was probably among the most stressful,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27from a work point of view, of my life.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29You didn't really know what was going on.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31There was... Obviously, the radio was on in the car.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35The enormity was not fully explained,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37so I didn't really know what to expect.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46And when I did arrive, that area of Lockerbie was still in flames.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Quite stunned. Quite stunned.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58With phone lines down, mobiles not working
0:22:58 > 0:23:03and without the internet technology we take for granted today,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Lockerbie became a black hole for communications.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09For broadcasters like Bert Houston,
0:23:09 > 0:23:13it was hard to separate fact from fiction and accurately report
0:23:13 > 0:23:16the disaster to a public desperate for information.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22It's difficult to really convey a story
0:23:22 > 0:23:27over the radio and give details when you do not know
0:23:27 > 0:23:29what had happened.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35I had been told that it was a Pan Am jumbo jet and yet couldn't see it.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37It was very, very difficult
0:23:37 > 0:23:40to give the true significance of what had happened.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46Despite all this, you do have to do the job and...you have to do it
0:23:46 > 0:23:48pretty quickly because of the time.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51If it had happened much earlier in the day, you've got more time
0:23:51 > 0:23:54to collect your thoughts, but you have the news desk screaming for
0:23:54 > 0:23:58copy before you've even got out of your car.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00It was just virtually impossible
0:24:00 > 0:24:03trying to find from witnesses what had happened.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05People were dazed. They didn't know
0:24:05 > 0:24:09what it was or to what extent it was.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11All they knew was that something
0:24:11 > 0:24:13terrible had happened.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17It was a night the men would never forget.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20But until today, they've never had the chance to reflect on it
0:24:20 > 0:24:21together.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Well, this is Lockerbie. We've just arrived.
0:24:27 > 0:24:2926 years since I've been here.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Last time I was here was that fearful night.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39It was completely lined with fire engines and police cars,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41ambulances...
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Mixed emotions, really.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Exciting, in a way, to meet
0:24:48 > 0:24:53old colleagues. But also sad to recall
0:24:53 > 0:24:56what actually happened here.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Randolph and his former protege, John Paul, are first to meet.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- You good?- Better for seeing you.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05- How are you?- Randolph.- Tony.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07How nice to see you.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Hello, Bert, how are you? Nice to see you again.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13You must have been one of the first on the scene, then.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Yes, one of the first.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19I mean, because I had the call... I as on duty at BBC Radio Cumbria.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Got the telephone call
0:25:21 > 0:25:23more or less when it happened.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27It was quite tricky for us to work out what had actually happened.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- Where to go.- And where to go, yeah.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Because there wasn't anything physical that you could say,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35"This is a plane crash."
0:25:35 > 0:25:37It wasn't until we actually
0:25:37 > 0:25:39went up to the nose cone.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43I didn't know about the nose cone, of course, when I did my first piece.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45There were lots of problems,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47the biggest one being communication.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49So tell me, Tony, when did it first sort of get to you
0:25:49 > 0:25:51as a journalist, as a writer?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53I think it dawned on me pretty quickly as I was hurdling up
0:25:53 > 0:25:58the M6 and getting news flashes on the car radio.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I don't think it prepared me for...
0:26:00 > 0:26:03for what I was going to see, but...
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Phew! It's, uh...
0:26:06 > 0:26:08It brings it all back.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13My mind has blanked an awful lot of those details.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17- Seeing the pictures is bringing it back.- I think many of us were
0:26:17 > 0:26:20in a sort of zombified state, almost.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It's so unreal.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I've found, Tony, that if you had a camera in front of you,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28it sort of acted as a sort of
0:26:28 > 0:26:31blind to what was going on, you know, because you had
0:26:31 > 0:26:34a fairly focused view of what was going on.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37How did that work for you guys? Because you didn't have that
0:26:37 > 0:26:39object to hide behind, that sort of...
0:26:39 > 0:26:42No, you didn't. And that's why I think it was...
0:26:42 > 0:26:44it made it for me even more overwhelming.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- Yeah.- The new guys would find it. - Yeah.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49There we are. Such is life.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Whoo!
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Wow.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56The reunion has given the men an opportunity to
0:26:56 > 0:26:59share their feelings about one of the most emotionally
0:26:59 > 0:27:01challenging nights of their careers.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Before going their separate ways,
0:27:03 > 0:27:08they visit the field where Randolph and John photographed the nose cone.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14This is where it was, 26 years ago.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Looking across an empty field now,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18but there was a nose cone there.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21If it hadn't been for the police car
0:27:21 > 0:27:24lighting that nose cone up, we probably would've come up this road
0:27:24 > 0:27:26and driven on, cos we don't know where we were.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29What did you think when you first arrived?
0:27:29 > 0:27:30My first thoughts were...
0:27:30 > 0:27:32"Where's the rest of this plane?"
0:27:32 > 0:27:36All you could see was that looming out of the field.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39So as far as we knew, the whole aircraft was sitting there.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42And it wasn't till the next morning when the light started to break
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and we stood and watched
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and then we realised we're parked at a church with a cemetery in it.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- Yeah, right next to it. - Which was very ironic
0:27:50 > 0:27:54when this was just a field of...horror.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55It's a sight that I don't think
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- either you or I will ever forget. - No, no, no.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Even for hardened newsmen, the trip back to Lockerbie has been
0:28:04 > 0:28:06a bittersweet occasion.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08'It's great to see old colleagues again,
0:28:08 > 0:28:13'but...I would have preferred it to be in other circumstances.'
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Much more fun to see them somewhere
0:28:16 > 0:28:18which hasn't been blighted by tragedy.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I don't think I'd want to come back to Lockerbie
0:28:22 > 0:28:26and think about what happened then again,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28but it was an interesting journey.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Brings back sort of sad kind of memories, but happy memories
0:28:34 > 0:28:36that I can talk to these guys about what we did
0:28:36 > 0:28:3926 years ago. Very interesting indeed.