Discovery tells the inside story of 'Argo'

Discovery will air a special showing the true story that inspired the Oscar winning film 'Argo'.

The special 'Argo: Inside Story' airs on 31 March at 8 pm.

The Oscar winning film had chronicled the Central Intelligent Agency's (CIA) attempt to rescue six Americans during the 1978 Iran hostage crisis. The film, which won the Best Picture Award, is based on real-life events.

Discovery's special gains access to the top players involved in the crisis to hear their side of the story, including the CIA's "chief of disguise", Tony Mendez, who was called upon to devise the rescue plan. The one-hour special narrated by actor Bray Poor, gives an inside look at the dramatic escape and how Mendez forged identity documents and elaborate disguises to get past the security agents at the Tehran airport.

The CIA had to come up with a convincing reason for the six people being in Tehran in the first place, and devise a way for them to leave without arousing suspicion. The operation became an elaborate scheme involving fake identification cards, a phantom movie production and unprecedented cooperation between the United States and Canada.