Johannesburg, 13 June 2025 — National Geographic has unveiled the highly anticipated trailer for The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking The Truth, an unflinching new docuseries premiering across Africa on National Geographic (DStv 181 and StarTimes 220) from 15 June 2025 at 21:00 (CAT). The first two episodes air as a gripping double-bill.

This three-part investigative series — directed by Juliette Eisner and produced by the Emmy®-winning Muck Media — reopens the psychological crime scene of 1971’s Stanford Prison Experiment. It finally amplifies the voices of the original “guards” and “prisoners,” many of whom have never publicly shared their experiences — until now.

A 50-Year Narrative Unravelled

More than a half-century later, the documentary confronts the unsettling reality that the official narrative was largely controlled by one man: Dr. Philip Zimbardo. In one of his final interviews, Zimbardo — alongside his wife, Dr. Christina Maslach — revisits the ethical firestorm and personal notoriety that followed.

Director Juliette Eisner notes, “I was struck by how few participants had spoken out in fifty years. Their stories revealed a dense web of secrets and contradictions that challenged the experiment’s apparent simplicity about human nature.”

Unearthing Forgotten Truths

The series turns into a high-stakes psychological thriller, blending archival footage with modern testimony. In a provocative twist, surviving participants reunite on a replica set of the original Stanford basement, seeking not just reconciliation but consensus on what truly happened.

Each episode interrogates uncomfortable truths:

• “The Hallway” introduces never-before-heard accounts, reconstructing the descent into chaos.
• “The Unravelling” questions the accuracy of long-held claims, exposing inconsistencies unearthed by a persistent French researcher.
• “A Beautiful Lie” sees Zimbardo defend his experiment amid a reunion that reshapes the myth.

Power, Mythmaking, And The Cost Of Silence

This is not just the dissection of an experiment, but a study in how narratives are built, manipulated, and weaponised. The series challenges viewers to reflect on what we accept as truth and the forces that dictate which stories survive.

With its timely release following Zimbardo’s recent passing, The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking The Truth stands as both an exposé and an unsettling reminder: the difference between truth and myth is often a matter of who gets to tell the story.

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