The Day I Died

BBC 2, 5 February at 9 pm

Does the whole of your life really flash across your mind in an instant as you lose consciousness while drowning? Most of us must have wondered what it is like to die since death is one of the two certainties in life, along with taxation. It might be supposed that we can never know. However, there are many people who have recovered after losing consciousness in situations in which most others would have continued to death, and it is reasonable to suppose that their last thoughts might be the same as those of patients in similar situations who do not recover.

These are commonly described as “near death experiences.” Some of these, which are recalled subsequently, are surprisingly clear and detailed.

This programme is based on a number of anecdotal accounts of …