Oscar-winning World War 2 ‘masterpiece’ is on TV this weekend | Films | Entertainment

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the first use of a nuclear weapon in war.

During World War 2, US President Harry Truman ordered the detonation of an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima and three days later, on Nagasaki.

The result was the deaths of between 150,000 to 246,000 people, mostly civilians. The Japanese surrendered to the Allies six days after the latter bomb, which was the last time a nuclear weapon was used in a conflict.

The atomic bombs were produced in secret during the Manhattan Project, which was directed by nuclear physicist J Robert Oppenheimer.

After reading the 2005 biography American Prometheus, Sir Christopher Nolan adapted his life into the three-hour epic Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy in the titular role.

Hailed a “masterpiece” by The Telegraph, Oppenheimer went on to be nominated for 13 Oscars and won seven, including Best Actor for Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr. Most notably, it was the first time Nolan won an Academy Award, taking home two for Best Picture and Best Director.

Oppenheimer is on BBC Two at 9pm this Sunday and will be streaming on BBC iPlayer afterwards.