Description: During the late phase of the Cold War, in the early 1980s, an increase in tensions between the Soviet Union and the West meant the threat of a nuclear war seemed much more real. Contemporary apocalyptic newspaper headlines set the scene for the ‘Beat the Bomb’ game in which the contestants "have to learn to love to lose". The Brown family compete in rounds such as the Arms Race - which includes running rings round the sleeping public, gagging the press and mugging the taxpayer, or the Shelter Game, in which the contestants 'win' a chance to survive the nuclear wipe-out with the aid of a government DIY kit that includes three old doors and a pile of sandbags. They race to stockpile bombs, which are replaced by balloons in the game. The contestants hit the display paper-mache statues on the field.

Interspersed between footage of the game are street interviews with various locals in Brighton who almost unanimously conclude that there can only be losers in the arms race. Many interviewees believe that a nuclear war is coming soon. One interviewee criticises the global powers for allocating all their research and resources to building ‘the means of destruction’. The film ends on the final, hardest and hottest round of the game which is called "It's a Wipe-out". This segment is filmed in colour. In it, the presenter asks a series of hard-hitting questions to ‘John’ who represents the USA and NATO, and outsmarts the contestant into pressing the button, launching missiles that lead to nuclear annihilation. The game ends with a brief visual simulation of the aftermath, with the game show's Joker character revealing the fact that "they didn't know they didn't have to play."