The Hitler Family

Series 1 | Episode 1 | The Hitler Family

Hitler

Hitler was a master maker of myths, and one of his most lasting legacies is the legend of a 'Führer without a family'. It is a myth that persists to this day.

To maintain a show of strength and invulnerability he kept his relatives hidden and even tried to destroy evidence of their existence. This documentary reveals who the Führer's family really were.

There was Alois, the shady half-brother, a Berlin inn keeper who tried to profit from his name wherever he could. Then there was Angela, his half-sister, who was in charge of housekeeping at his Berghof retreat and had the neighbours at the Obersalzberg chased away. And there was his niece Geli, with whom he was obsessed, but she called her uncle a 'jailer' and committed suicide.

Hitler's 'favourite nephew' was educated at an elite Nazi school and volunteered to fight on the Eastern front against the Soviet Union. Hitler's sister Paula wanted to marry a surgeon and mass murderer. But his most insolent relative was his English-born nephew William Patrick, who lived the life of a playboy in Berlin and extorted money from the Führer by threatening to expose family secrets.

The Nazi regime was founded on a fanatical myth of racial purity. Every German had to provide a spotless lineage and the fate of those deemed 'racially inferior' is well known. But Hitler was obsessively secretive about his own less-than-flawless lineage. This documentary has tracked down some of Hitler's living relatives who speak of what it means to live in the shadow of a dictator.

On TV

First Shown

Date Time Channel
Saturday 30 May 2009 8PM Channel 4

Last Shown

Date Time Channel
Saturday 30 May 2009 8PM Channel 4

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Comments

  1. Does anybody from channel 4 read these?
    Posted by A on 10/11/2009 20:36:09
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  2. whats the point in soending 40 minutes searching for a documentary that peak the interest only to learn you can't watch it???? it's a bloody good job we're not paying for this 'service'.
    Posted by lilbexi on 31/08/2009 22:06:02
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  3. yeah,. awesome,. I'd rather not know about good shows that I can't watch, this site is a big carrot dangling on the end of long fishing pole
    Posted by rob mcnally on 21/08/2009 13:43:52
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  4. Oh dear
    Posted by Tim Dinch on 15/08/2009 17:56:38
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  5. You should have definately kept the old 4od service, which i prefered using in contrast to the bbc iplayer... however the bbc iplayer is much better than this online service and will now be using that, judging by most of the comments here a lot of other people will too.
    Posted by Alice on 13/08/2009 00:43:19
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  6. Agree with comments on here, why cant we watch all programmes listed? this site is a poor excuse compared with the old one.
    Posted by russ on 10/08/2009 21:33:07
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  7. for a split second i thought this sight was going to be amazing..and then i realized i couldnt watch most of the programmes....lame. what a waste of internet space
    Posted by Adam on 09/08/2009 15:42:56
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  8. whats the point in having programmes on here that you just can not watch?
    Posted by trish on 08/08/2009 18:03:22
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  9. What is the point of listing this programme - and many other programmes - that you cannot watch? I'm not interested in a list of programmes I can only read the programme summary of.
    Posted by Robert on 07/08/2009 00:01:29
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  10. PLEASE bring back the original 4OD site! This new one is terrible, it's really hard to use and everything i've tried to watch so far i've been unable to do so.
    Posted by Tom on 06/08/2009 13:42:41
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  11. Wow...I clicked on the link to this programme thinking I would be able to watch it...I'm really dissapointed and don't really see the point of it being listed on here if you can't watch it?
    Posted by RubyLulu on 31/07/2009 17:51:47
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  12. This site defies logic; the old 4OD site was the best in the business and you replace it with THIS?
    Posted by Jody on 31/07/2009 04:26:35
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  13. Have you ever heard the expression "if it ain't broke don't fix it" ? The previous application for 4OD was much better than this poorly designed site. I think you need to go back to the drawing board and simply try harder.
    Posted by Assunta on 30/07/2009 19:13:12
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  14. 4od has definately gone downhill since the last time I was here. Everything is so long winded and frustrating, and a lot ot the programmes aren't even available even though they are listed, like this one. I'm very dissapointed as I thought this update would make the site better, butcit seems to have made it worse.
    Posted by Adel on 30/07/2009 18:52:53
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  15. As a huge documentary fan i was severly dissappointend when prompted by advertisment to use the 4od service only to find that the programmes that interest me were not available..i don't understand why they would be advertised on here if they are not watchable..as a working woman i do not always get the opportunity to watch the programmes that i would like to and thought 4 od was the answer..i shall adhere in returning to this site in the future unless a change is made.
    Posted by Samantha on 29/07/2009 11:59:54
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  16. extremely disappointed with c4s on demand service,you have the best documentries yet none of us can watch them.the new site is very poor and i would appreciate listings that we can actually watch,have a look at the bbcs player and take notes!
    Posted by neil on 27/07/2009 20:45:35
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  17. Agree with the general consenses that this new site is significantly harder to navigate. At least allow us to filter only those programmes that are available to watch on 4OD. Please!
    Posted by Jerry on 20/07/2009 21:29:48
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  18. I can only agree with the many complaints about this new service. How can you go from a superior site to one so awful? This looks like a cheaper, earlier prototype of the former site. Only finace can have influence you. You have abandoned all style and efficiency.
    Posted by Drew Quayle on 20/07/2009 18:14:24
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  19. As a long time user of 4od i feel i shoiuld point out how lousy this new system is the old system worked a treat and to tempt us with programmes we cannot watch shame on you channel 4 you had the best on demand/archive player available and now you have thrown it all away
    Posted by stephen on 16/07/2009 11:14:07
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  20. I can't see how such a badly designed system got through initial scrutiny. The user needs to see what programs he CAN watch.
    Posted by graham on 12/07/2009 18:05:33
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  21. gotta agree with everyone this a poor format compared to the old one, one step forward and ten back im afraid, you have messed up folks get it sorted!!
    Posted by confused? on 11/07/2009 01:12:57
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  22. So, I wade through 4 pages of 'documentaries', finally find something worth watching . . . the money shot factor.
    Posted by Simon Stevans on 06/07/2009 18:08:17
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  23. I agree, its like teasing us with programmes we cant actually watch!
    Posted by Lou on 03/07/2009 23:47:50
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  24. I dont get it, why do u list programmes when they are not available online? what is the point? I think i stick to BBC iplayer.....much much more use friendly
    Posted by what's the point? on 02/07/2009 22:41:19
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  25. I am new 2 Chanel 4s 40d service and am having some trouble. Why cant i watch programs such as Hitlers Family and other stuff shown?. how do you do it? do i have to register or what? Please help as you got some stuff that interests me. Kind Regards Ray Kely
    Posted by ray kelly on 21/06/2009 20:36:05
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  26. Please either broadcast this again on More 4 or make it available online
    Posted by Andrew on 09/06/2009 15:40:08
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  27. I would have recorded both this documentary and the 2nd part of Hitler:The Fall of Evil, if I had realised that Channel 4 were going to randomly, and without warning, decide not to add these programs to 4OD. It is a pity that you don't value your viewers, maybe you should highlight when programmes will not be available through 4OD so that viewers can make an informed decision and not miss something that will be difficult to find elsewhere. Please do something/anything to make amends for this omission and respond to the multitude of comments regarding this issue.
    Posted by MarkedCollins on 08/06/2009 19:09:17
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  28. please put this online?
    Posted by rachelsmith on 05/06/2009 00:02:07
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  29. I sadly missed this one, please put online. Thanks
    Posted by bruce on 04/06/2009 16:03:13
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  30. C4 please make it available online. I too was out voted at home when it was on TV. TEN THOUSAND THANKS.
    Posted by maako on 03/06/2009 15:57:37
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  31. Please put this online, I was looking forward to watching this programme.
    Posted by george on 02/06/2009 18:30:24
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  32. channel 4. you are the best channel of them all why on earth can't i watch this on 4 od put on a few adverts in it and bob's your uncle you can make a bit of momey. i second third forth and fith the comments below. put it up on line
    Posted by Aaron Cunningham on 02/06/2009 17:53:53
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  33. where is it? is there any where where i can watch this?
    Posted by kirsty on 01/06/2009 20:57:58
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  34. why it no work?
    Posted by startreknerd11011011 on 01/06/2009 15:38:01
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  35. I would like to second all the comments below. Seeing the programme was on on saturday and clashed with something else I wanted to watch, I decided I would watch this on the catch up service as the catch up was far superior to the other channel's additionally I was intending to watch this as part of my revision for my exam on the Nazi party next week. I agree with the others that it is frustrating that it is not available. It seems without reason as well, as last weeks Churchill documentary was available on the catch up service.
    Posted by Lee on 01/06/2009 09:38:33
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  36. Someone's actually put this documentary up by part on youtube.
    Posted by Rebecca on 01/06/2009 08:45:20
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  37. Well, I smell a DVD box set coming up and that is why it not posted online for all of you to watch. There is always another way...
    Posted by Anthony on 01/06/2009 08:41:21
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  38. Stopped recording half way through, wonderful Sky. I thought i know what, watch it on 4OD. Why's it not available ?
    Posted by John on 01/06/2009 05:28:42
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  39. why can't I catch up?
    Posted by davis on 01/06/2009 01:51:01
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  40. Totally frustrating that they have not put this up on the site to watch...it's only 'Come Dine With Me' drudge and other such vagaries of modern junk, made available. C'mon Channel4!!
    Posted by June on 01/06/2009 01:18:58
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  41. Missed it. Would like to see it. Why not?
    Posted by Dave Gelly on 01/06/2009 00:28:51
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  42. oh yeah err, by 'the cause' i mean getting channel 4 to make this docco available online!! (not any kind of errrr...well anything bad...)
    Posted by jon on 31/05/2009 19:46:51
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  43. yeah, i mean it might help the cause - i missed it too and would like to see it online! come on channel 4!
    Posted by Jon on 31/05/2009 18:10:53
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  44. I missed this domentary and reallly frustrated that i am unable to watch it on your website for catch ups. Is it made unavailable deliberately or am I doing something wrong here? I have noticed that the decent programmes such as the one about the while bloke on trial in Kenya are not on 4oD, could someone please explain to me the rational behind this. Thank you
    Posted by MOHAMED ADEN on 31/05/2009 17:58:34
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  45. Why can i not play this ???????
    Posted by mike on 31/05/2009 17:31:11
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  46. I missed this and would love to see it on 4OD.
    Posted by Jane on 31/05/2009 16:09:01
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  47. hi why cant u watch this episode online?
    Posted by Sim on 31/05/2009 15:45:38
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  48. Why isn't this on 4oD?
    Posted by john on 31/05/2009 11:24:32
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Saturday 30 May

8PM, Channel 4

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