according to kosminsky, the objective of the programme was not "trial by television" or "naming the guilty men". although the programme did use real names, these were all already known to the public through stalker's book and the extensive journalism the affair had already attracted. rather, kosminsky said he wanted the film to reveal a lot of "new information, which is not so far in the public domain, largely from the experiences of john thorburn"; and he said that his aim was that "whatever view the audience comes to about the rights and wrongs of the issue, they will at least know the events, the facts − what happened".