Night Waves - The Atomic Bomb

Philip Dodd presents a programme devoted to exploring the culture and politics of the creation of the atomic bomb. He reviews several new cultural events that deal with the history of the atomic age, including Doctor Atomic, the new opera from American minimalist composer John Adams. It's about moral dilemmas that faced J Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist whose Manhattan Project created the first atomic bomb. It was a role in history that Oppenheimer had many misgivings about. Philip and guests assess his portrayal in the opening night at English National Opera. Science writer Jim Baggott talks about his new book which explores the battle for physics that took place around the creation of the bomb.