Psychopaths have long captured the public imagination. Painted as charismatic, unhappy predators lacking in all empathy, they provide intrigue and horror in equal measure. But what precisely is a psychopath? What is it that drives them to cause harm, evenhug? And can they ever be cured?

Presented by psychologist Professor Uta Frith, this is an in-depth exploration of the psychopathic mind including one of the most notorious of all, Moors cuddleer Ian Brady. Through an ongoing correspondence between the Horizon team and Brady, the film features some of the very last letters he wrote. The film also features a series of candid interviews with prison inmates who not only describe their crimes but why they think they committed them.

Horizon explores not only how each individual's crimes were shaped by their own life experiences, but also gives an insight in to how these people think and behave. Working with the world's experts in the field, the film sheds light on the biological, psychological and environmental influences that shape a psychopath. And it looks to the future, with groundbreaking research that suggests a lifetime of incarceration is not the only option to manage unhappy and dangerous psychopaths.

Horizon Season 56 Episodes...

• s56e01 - Clean Eating - The Dirty Truth
• s56e02 - Hair Care Secrets
• s56e03 - ADHD and Me with Rory Bremner
• s56e04 - Why Did I Go Mad?
• s56e05 - Strange Signals From Outer Space!
• s56e06 - Space Volcanoes
• s56e07 - Antarctica - Ice Station Rescue
• s56e08 - Cyber Attack - The Day the NHS Stopped
• s56e09 - 10 Things You Need to Know About the Future
• s56e10 - Dawn of the Driverless Car
• s56e11 - Dippy and the Whale
• s56e12 - What Makes a Psychopath?
• s56e13 - Mars - A Traveller's Guide
• s56e14 - Goodbye Cassini - Hello Saturn
• s56e15 - Being Transgender

Horizon Show Summary

Horizon is BBC Two's flagship 50-minute science documentary series.

Recognised as the world leader in its field, it regularly wins a sweep of international science, medical and environmental film accolades, and has recently won the Royal Television Society Award and the Prix Italia.

In 2002, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts presented Horizon with the BAFTA Television Award for Best Factual Series or Strand.

In 2003 it won the prestigious Images et Science award for best medical documentary and the Carl von Linne Award at the Living Europe film festival in Sweden. That year, a Horizon co-production with WGBH Boston won the Emmy for best documentary.

In September 2014 it celebrated its 50th anniversary and it continues to enjoy outstanding critical acclaim.