The first episode investigates the penetration of freemasonry into the very fabric of British society - from the police force through the judicial sytem to Parliament itself, where two lodges operate. A little known Royal connection further establishes that freemasonry's influence extends all the way from kings... to convicts.
With policemen and convicted criminals fraternising in the same lodges, freemasonry stands accused as a vehicle for corruption: a firm within a firm, where the public interest rarely coincides with masonic self-help. True case histories cast a disturbing light on the conflicts that can lead to social exclusion and even suicide.
Evidence suggests that the original principles of freemasonry - brotherly love, relief and truth - are being replaced by less worthy ideals altogether. Despite the craft's carefully cultivated image as a charitable organisation, case histories infer that the interests of the ordinary lodge member come a poor second to the whims and wishes of the hierarchy.
When local government and freemasonry combine, the spectre of corruption is inevitably present. This video investigates the patterns of patronage in several key boroughs and asks if public service can ever be reconciled with loyalty to the craft - or whether the masonic temple casts a sinister shadow along the corridors of power.
The mysterious death in London of Italian banker Roberto Calvi raised many questions. Was it suicide - or was his symbolic and connected with the influential P2 lodge to which he belonged? New evidence helps piece together a picture of P2, a private government wielding untold power behind Italy's fragile democracy.
Allegations of corruption in a London borough brought a fraud squad investigation. But was the removal of a leading policeman from the case justified by his incompetence - or a sign of sickness in the Metropolitan Police? The smokescreen surrounding the sidelining of Chief Inspector Brian Woollard conceals a web of masonic connections.