ENTIRELY NEW FORMS OF LIGHTNING HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED UP TO 1000 TIMES BIGGER THAN ANY BOLT PREVIOUSLY SEEN. WHILE NORMAL LIGHTNING FIRES DOWN BELOW CLOUDS, THESE GIANT BOLTS SHOOT UP, STUNNING EXPERTS WITH IMAGES OF LIGHTNING 80 KILOMETRES HIGH. THIS LIGHTNING, SIX TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN PASSENGER PLANES ARE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND, MAY BE THE REAL KILLER IN A SPATE OF BAFFLING AIR DISASTERS. Camera takes photo. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME WE CAN REVEAL THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT SPARKED A SECRET NASA ENQUIRY. WAS THIS THE PROOF THAT A HIGH ALTITUDE LIGHTNING STRIKE CAUSED THE CRASH OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA? Title card: MEGA-LIGHTNING NARRATOR: EACH DAY, THE EARTH IS SHAKEN BY 8 MILLION BOLTS OF THE SKY'S MOST POWERFUL FORCE: LIGHTNING. Bolt of lightning. NARRATOR: ENERGY FROM ONE BOLT EXPLODES IN SPLIT SECOND, BUT COULD POWER A HOUSEHOLD FOR HALF A YEAR. AT ANY TIME, 1800 STORMS PUMMEL OUR PLANET. EACH ONE IS A GIANT BATTERY. INSIDE A STORM, WATER TURNS TO HAIL. FAILLING ICE CRASHES ON RISING DROPLET, CREATING STATIC ELECTRICITY. CHARGES OF UP TO 100 MILLION VOLTS BUILD UP. ARCS OF ELECTRICITY FIRE OUT. THIS IS LIGHTNING. MORE THAN 90 PERCENT OF ALL BOLTS FIRE WITHIN CLOUDS. BUT A HIGHLY CHARGED STORM WILL FIRE A CASCADE OF ELECTRICAL CHARGE TO EARTH, DRAWN TO THE HIGHEST POINT. A TREE OR A BLADE OF GRASS CAN TRIGGER LIGHTNING, OR EVEN A PERSON. EACH YEAR, 100O PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD DIE FROM DIRECT HIT. A LIGHTNING BOLT IS ONLY 3 CM WIDE. BUT AT 33,000 DEGREES CELCIUS, IT IS HOTTER THAN THE SURFACE OF THE SUN. CGI lightning. NARRATOR: THIS HEAT EXPANDS THE SURROUNDING AIR, WHICH EXPLODES OUTWARDS AS THUNDER, THE SOUND OF LIGHTNING. CGI lightning strike. NARRATOR: A LIGHTNING FLASH TRAVELS AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT; IT'S THUNDER TRAVELS MUCH SLOWER. THE SHORTER THE TIME BETWEEN THE FLASH AND THE THUNDER, THE CLOSER THE LIGHTNING BOLT. FEW CLOUD TO GROUND STRIKES ARE LONGER THAN THREE KILOMETRES. AND TEXTBOOKS SAID NO LIGHTNING COULD EXIST ABOVE THE CLOUDS. Cloud to ground lighting with measuring rod. Walt Lyons on balcony. NARRATOR: BUT THEN WEATHERMAN WALT LYONS AIMED HIS CAMERA ACROSS THE COLORADO PLAINS ON JULY 6, 1993. Mountains through Walt's eye glasses NARRATOR: WHAT HE SAW OVERTURNED 200 YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC CERTAINTY IN AN INSTANT. Green sprites images. NARRATOR: HE FILMED THESE VIDEO IMAGES. THEY SHOW LIGHTNING 80 KILOMETRES HIGH AND 40 KILOMETRES WIDE FIRING ABOVE THE CLOUDS. THEIR EXISTENCE HAD BEEN DISMISSED AS FANTASY. THEIR DISCOVERY SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON WHAT HAS BEEN CAUSING AIRPLANES TO FALL FROM THE SKY. Sunrise. Stuart Beecher lights a pipe. NARRATOR: THE DISCOVERY OF MEGA-LIGHTNING BEGAN WITH ORDINARY PEOPLE SEEING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS. Stills of Beecher in name separated by light flashes. NARRATOR: IN 1969 STUART BEECHER WAS DEFENDING A MORTAR PIT OUTSIDE SAIGON IN SOUTH VIETNAM, WHEN A STORM BROKE. Stuart Beecher: There was this giant flash of lighting that reached from the ground through the base of the cloud, completed illuminated the cloud, and out the top from the ground, in this beautiful double helix pattern, that seemed to just go on forever. It was just like it was going straight into space. Amateur photo of above cloud lightning. STRAPLINE: Photograph: Tudor Williams NARRATOR: THERE HAD EVEN BEEN PHOTOGRAPHS. THIS WAS TAKEN AT MT ISA IN AUSTRALIA, IN 1968. SCIENTISTS HAD IGNORED THE SIGHTINGS. Skeet Vaughan flying. NARRATOR: SKEET VAUGHAN, A SENIOR NASA ENGINEER, MET A WITNESS WHO HAD SEEN GIANT LIGHTNING IN 1981. AS A TRAINED PILOT, VAUGHAN TOOK THE SIGHTING SERIOUSLY. STRAPLINE: Skeet Vaughan - NASA Engineer 1959-96 Skeet Vaughan: I wrote an article in one of the flying magazines, and asked pilots to tell me if they'd seen any unusual lightning, or anything out of the ordinary. A number of pilots, about 19 of them, sent me letters telling me about this kind of a thing. Pilot walks to letterbox. NARRATOR: PILOT LARRY PARTRIDGE WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO WROTE TO VAUGHN, REVEALING THAT HE'D SEEN GIANT LIGHTNING ABOVE THE CLOUDS GOING UP, AND NOT DOWN. STRAPLINE: Larry Partridge, pilot. Larry Partridge: All of a sudden, POW! Just a split second, this huge bolt of lightning came out of the top and disappeared into deep blue space. The captain turned to me and said, wide eyed, and said did you see that? And so I said yes, and so we turned and told the flight engineer, and he said, that's impossible. Lightning doesn't go up. CGI blue jet. Pilot Robin May flying. STRAPLINE: Robin May - pilot Robin May: A Strike of lightning appeared to come from the top of the cloud, went straight up, bright white, for ten or 15 thousand feet, then broke up into a lot of little fingers that went through the different colours of the spectrum, and disappeared off into space. CGI of sprite to show what Larry sees through window of plane. Skeet Vaughn: But most of the pilots had said they'd never talk to people about this, they were somewhat reluctant to, in the case that they

FIVE TONS OF CASH Brothers reveal the secrets of Britain's biggest cash heist. Directed & Produced by David Monaghan Co-produced by Pete Sawyer Based on the book Gotcha! The Untold Story of Britain's Biggest Cash Robbery, by Ronnie Knight, John Knight, Det. Supt. Peter Wilton with Pete Sawyer. THIS IS THE STORY OF TWO EAST END BROTHERS, JOHN AND RONNIE KNIGHT. Ronnie and Barbara Windsor outside pose for photos. RONNIE KNIGHT RAN CLUBS - BUT KEPT A LIFE OF CRIME SECRET FROM HIS MOVIE STAR WIFE. John Knight sits in car with sunglasses. HIS YOUNGER BROTHER JOHN MASTERMINDED BRITAIN'S BIGGEST CASH ROBBERY. Ron runs across road in Spain. RONNIE ESCAPED TO SPAIN WITH STOLEN MONEY AND DEFIED BRITISH JUSTICE FOR A DECADE. John contemplates pool table and smokes cigar. NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME, JOHN KNIGHT TELLS THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW HE STOLE FIVE TONS OF CASH. Pile of cash. John Knight at back projection of safe. John Knight: We didn't know it was gunna be this easy but it was. Robbers enter vault. TITLE STRAP: FIVE TONS OF CASH John Knight against backdrop of money. John Knight: It is nice to have money, plenty of money because you can buy anything, a new car, a lovely house, a villa abroad, an apartment, anything, with money. STRAPLINE: John Knight, Convicted armed robber. Music under - Tangerine. Exterior Fox Pub. Pan down Fox pub sign. Money is going into till in pub. Cabaret host singing song Tangerine. John Knight moves forward to dance inside Fox pub. IN 1983, BROTHERS JOHN AND RON KNIGHT WERE AT THE HEIGHT OF THEIR SUCCESS. JOHN KNIGHT WAS A GARAGE OWNER MAKING MONEY ON THE SIDE FROM THE FOX PUB IN LONDON'S EAST END. Still shots and dancing with Diane. RONNIE KNIGHT'S CAREER AS A SOHO CLUB OWNER WAS BOOSTED BY THE FAME OF HIS WIFE. Ronnie Knight: Well 'cos my name was Ronnie Knight, I was married to Barbara Windsor, so that made me more famous. If I wasn't married to Barbara Windsor, no one would know, I'd be like anybody else. Rostrum: Knight wives Diane Knight and Barbara Windsor. THE BROTHER'S WIVES HAD BECOME FRIENDS. Diane Knight: Barbara was very good to me in her own way. We used to have a giggle, like mates have a laugh. Barbara from Carry On Camping exits door and runs down corridor. THE COUPLES SHARED HOLIDAYS AT VILLA LIMONAR, THE SPANISH LUXURY RETREAT RONNIE AND JOHN KNIGHT HAD BUILT TOGETHER IN 1974. Wide of villa on hill. Still of Ronnie and Johnnie. Still of Babs and Ron in water. John in basement of Fox. BUT THE WIVES DIDN'T KNOW THEIR HUSBANDS' HUNGER FOR THE GOOD LIFE IN SPAIN WOULD LEAD TO A SIX MILLION POUND ROBBERY. John Knight walks down stairs of cellar of Fox. Heist recreation with hostage to safe door. Guard twiddles combination. Vault hinge opens. THE INSIDE STORY OF BRITAIN'S BIGGEST CASH HEIST HAS BEEN BE A SECRET BETWEEN BROTHERS - UNTIL NOW. Into Fox pub. Band leader sings final bar of Tangerine. Exterior Fox pub night. THE KNIGHT FAMILY GREW UP IN HOXTON IN LONDON'S EAST END. STRAPLINE: Tom Mayo - Knight family friend. Tom Mayo: They was a known family, you know, no one could take a liberty with them. They was well liked. RONNIE GOT TO KNOW THE LOCAL GANG LEADERS. John Knight: As time went by my brother was very close to Ronnie and Reggie Kray. Ronnie Knight: Every night I used to go out with Ronnie and Reggie. IN 1958, RONNIE KNIGHT DROVE THE GETAWAY CAR WHEN THE KRAY TWINS BEAT UP RIVALS. Ronnie Knight: So when Ronnie and them got out, they was koshed up with hammers choppers and everything you could think of and they smashed the door right in. Just walked in and says who wants trouble now, we're the Kray twins. Who wants it? BUT PRIOR TO MEETING THE KRAYS, RONNIE HAD RECRUITED HIS YOUNGER BROTHER AS HIS PARTNER IN CRIME. John Knight: My first crime I ever did was when my brother Ron come to me and asked me to get in a small fan light over a top of a door and take the cash drawer till out and pass it out of the fanlight. Ronnie Knight: I was too big for that so I thought the only person who could do that was my Johnnie 'cos he was a lot younger'n me and lot smaller'n me. He come out with a prize. Photo John Knight as young boy. John Knight: I took to crime because I used to see the old villains very smart looking, dressed, and everyone was ducking and diving about, there was loads of rascals, so perhaps I'd join the band robbers. Trucks in 1960s. ALTHOUGH TWO YEARS YOUNGER THAN RONNIE, JOHN KNIGHT SOON SURPASSED HIM IN ORGANISING CRIME. John Knight: By the time I was twenty, I was doing a lot of things. Looking for lorry loads, taking and driving away lorry loads. I could always ask Ronnie for a helping hand if he wanted to earn some extra money. Ronnie Knight: We trusted one another and I would never leave him and he would never leave me. Vintage truck cutaways. Ronnie Knight close up. Ronnie Knight: You knew what kind of lorry was holding good stuff and you took it, a