A Dangerous Dynasty: House of Assad

The final episode gives the view from the presidential palace as the country descends into civil war, charting the moral lines crossed over the past seven years. Bashar al-Assad has been president of Syria for a decade, while his wife Asma is enjoying her role as first lady, pushing charity drives and encouraging schoolchildren to discuss democracy. As a glamorous profile of Asma appears in Vogue magazine, the Arab Spring protests reach Syria. Bashar must decide whether to concede to their demands for greater freedom or follow in his father Hafez's hard line steps. What unfolds shocks the world in its brutality. As the chaos of civil war rages, the so-called Islamic State emerges and it looks like Bashar is on the brink of losing the Assad dynasty's control of Syria. Then a saviour emerges, turning the war back in his favour.

Episode one follows Bashar and Asma's journey to become president and first lady of Syria against the backdrop of a troubled and suspicious family. Bashar's father Hafez, an old-fashioned Middle East dictator who saw off six US presidents, had Bashar's older brother in mind as the next president. When he died in a car accident, a completely unprepared Bashar was the next in line for the job.