A 1965 film depicting the impact of a nuclear strike on Britain, banned because it was "too horrifying", was finally aired 40 years ago before going on to win an Oscar.
Filmmaker Peter Watkins recruited about 350 amateur actors from Kent to make the BBC documentary drama The War Game, but the broadcaster initially refused to air it.
The film won an Oscar in 1967 before the BBC eventually screened it on 31 July, 1985.
"I quickly realised I was in the presence of a genius," said Michael Banks, an extra in the film. "Peter Watkins was an innovator."
The War Game presents a hypothetical future where war breaks out and a nuclear missile airbursts over Kent, overwhelming hospitals and creating food shortages.
