Arena Season 1, Episode 421

Six Degrees of Separation: a New York Tale · BBC Four · Friday, February 21

In 1983, David Hampton was arrested for pretending to be the son of actor Sidney Poitier and conning his way into the homes of some of New York's most powerful and influential families. Seven years later this case became the inspiration for the critically acclaimed Broadway play Six Degrees of Separation. Now Hampton is using Richard Golub , one of New York's best-known lawyers, to sue the playwright and the play's producers for millions in a precedent-setting case to see if anyone retains the rights to their own life.