Award-winning, ground-breaking TV documentary dealing sensitively with the topic of sex and intimacy within the disabled community.
The near-legendary bard of Salford, aka John Cooper Clarke, aka the 'name behind the hairstyle', is the focus of this essential documentary. Nick May's film wisely sets aside narration to give space to Clarke's sharp, take-no-prisoners words: in live performance, interviews and simple but striking impromptu 'videos' for tracks from his LPs with producer Martin Hannett. The film climaxes with a grim tour through Manchester slums to accompany Clarke's magnum opus, Beasley Street, a despairing hymn to the urban devastation and human casualties of the Thatcher era. This is no conventional biography; the title comes from Clarke's surreal chronicle of his alter-ego Lenny Siberia, which he performs near the end (with a neat dramatisation of Lenny's school-aged encounters with The Knights of the Sacred Orchid). But we do learn about the competing influences of his leftwing parents and Catholic education, and that his machine-gun live delivery was (apparently) inspired equally by Futurist poetry and horseracing commentator Peter O'Sullevan. The film also serves as a useful introduction to the shortlived 'punk poetry' scene that rose up around Clarke at the turn of the 80s, with cameos from Attila the Stockbroker and Seething Wells (aka the late music journalist Steven Wells), plus dub poet master Linton Kwesi Johnson.
A special program offering a behind-the-scenes look at "The Prisoner," the series of dramas about a man who finds himself imprisoned in a quaint yet menacing resort village, where futuristic technology keeps him under constant surveillance, making escape seem impossible. The program uses the "Prisoner" premise, with host Saul Reichlin seated in a large futuristic chair, attempting to elicit "information" about the series to determine why it was such a success. Clips from "The Prisoner" and actor/executive producer Patrick McGoohan's previous series "Danger Man" are interwoven with interviews with McGoohan, as well as creative and production personnel.
Documentary about Manchester's Factory Records featuring some unusually staged interviews with those involved and live music from New Order.
Documentary which looks at the First Nether Wallop International Arts Festival, a light hearted alternative to the British Festival circuit, held in Nether Wallop in Dorset in September 1984.
Dir. Elizabeth Wood. Two-part documentary about the customs and traditions of Britain. GB, Woodfilm for Channel Four
Dir. Elizabeth Wood. Second part of the two-part documentary about the customs and traditions of Britain. GB, Woodfilm for Channel Four
Phil Agland's acclaimed double BAFTA award-winning documentary first shown on Channel Four in 1987. Now 25 years old, the film has prompted Phil's return to CameroOn to shoot the update, Baka: A Cry from the Rainforest, for BBC Two. Baka is the extraordinarily intimate story of a Baka family living a traditional life in the rainforests of Cameroun. The Bakas' special understanding of the ecology of the forest is shown in great detail, including how they use the natural chemicals of the trees as medicines and truth drugs - together with the great animals of the forest, elephant, gorilla and golden cat. But the charm of the film is the soap opera in the forest, where the film follows the twists and turns of everyday family drama building to the exciting climax of the birth of Ali's sister, Camera - much to Ali's instant jealousy when he asks his father to throw her out with the rubbish.
Grand Prix Car Documentary Series that aired on British Channel 4 in 1988. This video series documents the history of the Grand Prix Car from 1945 to 1965, a time that was host to some of the most awe inspiring moments and radical developments in history. This is a truly epic recounting of a golden era in Grand Prix racing, and in depth one at that. Part 1 takes look at technological development in Grand Prix car design as John Watson drives some of the cars while vintage archived footage is used to set the scene.
The Grand Prix Car Documentary Series that aired on British Channel 4 in 1988. This video series documents the history of the Grand Prix Car from 1945 to 1965, a time that was host to some of the most awe inspiring moments and radical developments in history. This is a truly epic recounting of a golden era in Grand Prix racing, and in depth one at that. Part 2 is a full on examination of the domination of the Silver Arrows documenting the German outfits utter domination of the field just as they had in the 1930’s. Mechanical direct injection is introduced with cars that are outfitted with windtunnel streamlined bodies, 4wd systems and front wheel auto-gearing to allow for traction control.
The Grand Prix Car Documentary Series that aired on British Channel 4 in 1988. This video series documents the history of the Grand Prix Car from 1945 to 1965, a time that was host to some of the most awe inspiring moments and radical developments in history. This is a truly epic recounting of a golden era in Grand Prix racing, and in depth one at that. Part 3 of the series directs it’s attention to the Funny Cars, the British mid-engined greens that dominated in style. Documented as well are the exploits of cars unlike those seen before WW2 by the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin, Cooper and also Lotus.
The poetic story of the banjo, and how it’s music has charted American social history.
A tour of UK TV from 1936 to now (1990) from A - Z.
A study of the 1984 Miner's Strike that happened under Mrs Thatcher's government. The programme features interviews, dramatic reconstructions of events, and examination of original documents.
Documentary special looking at the work and influence of some of the biggest and most celebrated names in British comedy
This rather better that normal documentary strips the veil away from the public and private Sid James. Voiced by Arthur Smith, the programme talks to friends, family, colleagues and even Sid's bookies to show the man behind the Yak Yak Yak. Using some great never before seen photographs, and rare cine footage from his Army days, as well as clips of films that show his acting skill in a different light, as a real revelation. The programme follows Sid's life chronologically from living in South Africa, serving in the Army, coming over here on Christmas Day 1946 with his wife of the time (Meg) and his daughter (Reiner). We talk to the likes of his agent (Michael Medwin), people he worked with (Galton and Simpson, Joe Brown and Gerald Thomas etc), as it builds a picture of a gentle man - not without his faults, namely gambling and womanising and the occasional drink. The real treat of the show is the clips of the interview with his wife Valerie, who paints a quite different picture of the man that we all thought we knew from previous documentaries, interviews and books; she knew him as a shy, gentleman who was essentially a family man; this was reinforced by Gerald Thomas who explains that he and his family spent a lot of time together, and he was great with his children. The programme winds up naturally on Sid death at the Sunderland Empire 26th April 1976, talking to the people who were around him on that fateful performance. One omission I find strange is his affair with Barbara Windsor; it is mentioned very briefly, but no interviews with her at all, perhaps they thought that had already been done in her book, but I think it leaves out a large part of who Sid was. The last scene of this generally excellent and absorbing programme, is the unveiling of the famous blue Dead Comic's plaque on the front of his Gunsbury Avenue home, with all his friends, colleague (and hangers-on) celebrating the man and the legend.
Newly discovered amateur color footage of the 1939 Cultural Festival in Munich attended by Hitler six weeks before the outbreak of World War II is reviewed and remembered by survivors who were also there.
The launching of Margaret Thatcher's book The Downing Street Years was an ideal opportunity for filmmaker Nick Broomfield and his crew to accompany her and try to break through the public persona of the 'Iron Lady' in order to discover the real person. Hearing nothing back from her press officer, Julian Seymour, Nick Broomfield embarked on a determined cat-and-mouse game with the protectors of her image. So began a journey of near misses and hilarious encounters with Mrs Thatcher, her entourage and her son Mark.
25 years since Charles Manson and his "family" tortured and murdered Sharon Tate, the film star wife of Roman Polanski, and eight others in a vicious and senseless crime that added fuel to the establishment's fear of long-haired, drug-taking hippies and, some suggest, ended the peace and love era.
Christopher Hitchens investigates whether Mother Teresa of Calcutta deserves her saintly image. He probes her campaigns against contraception and abortion and her questionable relationships with right-wing political leaders.
Scottish comedian Bruce Morton tours the dope cafes of Amsterdam.
In 1994, film student Jo Trehearne began making a documentary about her local football club, Leyton Orient. But it soon became obvious that 1994-5 was no ordinary season. Shot roughly on a low budget, her film quickly attained near-legendary status among aficionados of the game. 1994-5 would be one of Orient's worst seasons ever. The team failed to win away from home all season and suffered a run of eight games where they failed to score at all. Finishing bottom of the table, they ended the season with a run of nine straight defeats. The drama off the pitch was no less compelling. Late chairman Tony Wood's coffee business collapsed due to the war in Rwanda and the club found itself unable to pay the milk bill, with their coach company demanding payment upfront before away trips. Following an abandoned takeover bid by local businessman Phil Wallace, the club's future was eventually secured by snooker and boxing promoter Barry Hearn. Hearn has since been quoted as saying: "Of all the sports I've been involved in over the years, my failure rate in football is higher than any other." But most of all, the film would make an unwitting star of co-manager John Sitton. Sitton's four-letter verbal tirades against his own players would become the mainstay of "When Managers Go Mad"-type programmes, peaking with the sacking of fans' favourite, midfielder Terry Howard at half-time during a match with Blackpool. Chris Turner went on to save Hartlepool from the drop to the Conference, but failed to get them promoted. He then took Sheffield Wednesday down to Division 2 (now League 1) and Stockport down into League 2, leaving them rooted to the bottom of it in December 2005. John Sitton has since worked as a taxi driver, martial arts instructor and now compiles match statistics for results services.
Documentary programme re-evaluating the life of Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor. Reveals the betrayals and indiscretions preceding and during World War II which demonstrate his support for fascism. Questions his relationship with Hitler and Hess and asks whether the Duke was guilty of treason.
It's a half hour documentary made for British TV Channel 4, it was broadcast by them but never released on video. It contains interviews with Brain Clemens, Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and director Martin Campbell and has several clips from episodes of The Professionals. Precise time of first air is not known but it was Marked as 1996, MCMXCVI in the end credits
Brian Connolly, He was the one member of the band who didn't look like a tree trunk smeared in lipstick. He still wears his white-blond hair in a shoulder-length feather cut, but the grimacing face it frames has raced ahead. His midriff is oddly distended, he walks with gingerly grandmother's footsteps, as if still teetering on platforms, and the hands have a very pronounced shake. When he picks up a full cup of tea you fear the worst. He recently spent his 49th birthday in bed with flu. When last year Channel 4 spent an evening gleefully remembering glam rock, there was a long shadow cast by Connolly, the addled ghost of a pin-up. Very much a case of recognise your age, it's the old age rampage.
On October 5th 1994, 5 people were found dead in this house in Canada. 10 hours later in Switzerland, 25 more bodies were found in a chalet. And 23 more in a nearby village. A total of 53 people had died in less than 24 hours. Their remains set alight by identical incendiary devices. Among the dead, 8 children, several civil servants, and 2 millionaires. But they all had something in common. They were a part of a secretive sect. The Order of the Solar Temple
Two avid metal detectors head out to Transylvania looking for Dacian treasures.
Biographical documentary on the life of L Ron Hubbard. With some archive interviews with the man, and others who knew him, this is a look at the development of the strange cult and its even stranger founder. A controversial public figure, many details of Hubbard's life are subjects of contention. Biographies of Hubbard by independent journalists and accounts by former scientologists in many cases contradict the material presented by the Church.
Documentary on Cilla Black. First shown on Channel 4 on 22nd Nov.1997
Irish documentary film detailing the mistreatment of "fallen women" in the Magdalene laundries in Ireland.
A year on from Paris, Christopher Hitchens looks at the media reaction to Diana's death.
A distasteful look into the 'seedy' lives of 4 "Carry On" actors who are no longer alive to defend themselves. Apparently Sid James had an eye for the ladies, whilst Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Frankie Howerd... didn't.
Channel Four's Documentary celebrates the remarkable story behind this film and the impact it has had across generations, rising from cult status to one of the most popular and critically acclaimed British comedies of all time. Featuring interviews with cast & crew including a rare interview with director Bruce Robinson, as well celebrity fans and members of the public, it offers a great insight into a nations favourite.
Documentary examining the 19 number one singles of 1969. Alan Freeman & Tony Blackburn host.
Channel 4's Saturday night forays into the world of popular music continue with this programme that charts the history of the pop video. As well as showcasing famous and infamous videos, there are interviews with practitioners of the art form, including John Landis and Bruce Gowers, director of Queen's milestone Bohemian Rhapsody film. There are also encounters with pop figures whose promos have proved landmarks in the video's development - among them Pet Shop boys, Will Smith and David Byrne.
Explore the real-life events that inspired the Tom Clancy novel and film, ‘The Hunt for Red October’. In 1975, disgruntled Soviet officer led a mutiny on board a state-of-the-art Russian warship. Unlike the movie captain portrayed by Sean Connery, this maverick sought to cause a revolution in his own land – and almost sparked a war in the process.
Broadcast as part of Channel 4's Animation Week, this documentary explores the history of the use of animation as a force for subversion. Contains adult content of an animated nature.
This film examines the recent rise in violent crime in Japan. Through individual murder stories it provides an insight into 21st century Japanese society.
Mark Kermode charts how the film, Blade Runner came to influence films, television, feature films and define the future, charting the genesis of what is arguably one of the all time great sci-fi films from Philip K. Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' to the Director's Cut. Interviews with production staff, including Ridley Scott give details into the creative process and turmoil during preproduction. Stories from Paul M. Sammon and Fancher provide insight into Philip K. Dick and the origins of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Interweaved are cast interviews with the notable exceptions of Harrison Ford and Sean Young. Through these interviews we get a sense of how difficult and frustrating the film was to make as a result of an exacting director without allies and hot, wet, smoggy conditions; which added to the high pressure atmosphere everyone increasingly felt as the film went over budget. There is also a tour of some locations, most notably the Bradbury Building and the Warner Brothers backlot that was the Los Angeles 2019 streets, which look very different from Ridley's dark version. The documentary then details the test screenings postproduction editing/changes (voice over and happy ending, deleted Holden hospital scene), special effects, soundtrack by Vangelis, and the unhappy relationship between the filmmakers and the investors; which culminated in Deeley and Ridley being fired but still working on the film. The question of whether or not Deckard is a replicant surfaces. After being a "disaster" in the box office (a financial loss initially) Blade Runner was reborn in the video rental market, and a great reception of a chance screening of Ridley's workprint at the Fairfax Theater, Los Angeles, in May 1990 led to Warner Bros. having the "Director's Cut" done by film archivist Michael Arick.
The Return of A Clockwork Orange examines the controversy over Kubrick’s iconic film, explaining the film’s “demonic level of attention,” and its influence on culture, politics and society, which led to the director’s self-imposed ban.
Tells the colourful story of the telegraph’s creation and remarkable impact, and of the visionaries, oddballs, and eccentrics who pioneered it, from the eighteenth-century French scientist Jean-Antoine Nollet to Samuel F. B. Morse and Thomas Edison. The electric telegraph nullified distance and shrank the world quicker and further than ever before or since, and its story mirrors and predicts that of the Internet in numerous ways.
The greatest advertisements ever shown in Britain.
A decade after taking a series of photographs of skinhead members of a far-right group for his book Public Enemies, Leo Regan returns to three members of the gang to see what has happened to them in the intervening years.
An affectionate look at celebrity hellraisers whose shocking antics and outrageous exploits have gained them both ridicule and respect.
Did ancient Phoenicians, a powerful Mediterranean nation of seafaring traders also known as the Canaanites in the Bible, really sacrifice their children in rituals involving human sacrifice, or was this claim just a fabrication? Blood on the altar takes a look a the archaeological and historical evidence on whether the Phoenicians killed children to appease their gods. The Phoenicians are said to have invented the alphabet, sea-faring navigation and the introduction of wine to Europe. But after the sacking of Carthage by the Romans in 146BC and the destruction of their famous library, the world was left with very little evidence of Phoenician life and culture. To the Greeks and Romans, the Phoenicians were described as a people of unscrupulous profiteers, grubby merchants – and worse. They were seen as a morally corrupt race who forcibly prostituted their daughters in sacred rituals and killed their own young in an attempt to win over their violent gods. But digging through history, th
As they wrote their accounts of the Inca empire, the Spanish conquerors recorded rumours of an Inca prophecy uttered in about 1434 by the elderly father of the first Inca emperor. The old man is supposed to have said that, within five generations of kings, the entire Andean way of life and its religion would be utterly destroyed. Secrets of the Incas presents completely new evidence taken from an Inca myth. In this, Dr William Sullivan believes, lies the key to the basis of the old man's prophecy and, indeed, to the formation of the Inca empire itself. This myth is nothing less than a dire warning of an impending precessional event that, to the Incas, predicted future ruin. The 'gate' or 'bridge' to the land of the ancestors - that is, the rising of the December solstice Sun with the Milky Way - was about to be washed away. Drawing on their ancient mythological database, the Incas reasoned - from the principle 'as above, so below' - that loss of contact with the ancestors, upon which their religious beliefs were founded, would mean their way of life would be destroyed on Earth. It was this prophecy that stirred the first Inca emperor to action: if time was merciless, it had to be stopped. So the entire Inca empire, which was less than a century old when the Spanish arrived, became involved in an attempt at cosmic regulation - to change the course of the stars by changing the course of human history on Earth: 'as below, so above.' Human sacrifice From the uttering of the prophecy to the moment of the Spanish conquest, five Inca emperors, through the use of ritualised warfare and human sacrifice, laboured unceasingly to arrest the precessional motion that threatened to disrupt and destroy the access of the living to the wisdom of the past. Every year in the Andes, each Inca tribe, which traced descent from a different constellation, would send a representative - an unblemished child - back to the stars (through human sacrifice) to implore the creator to sto
In the autumn of 9 AD Roman forces occupying Northern Germany were lured into a death trap. Over 20,000 of the world's most feared troops, their families, even their animals, were slaughtered by Iron Age tribes. The bloody massacre defined forever the limits of Roman expansion and left Europe fatefully divided, yet for almost 2,000 years the exact site of this disaster was only guessed at. Then, in 1987, a British soldier made a find that suggested the true whereabouts of the 'Battle of Teutoburg'. Today a grim picture of deception, ambush and ritual slaughter is beginning to emerge.
Through rare footage and interviews with musicians such as David Bowie, Bono, Radiohead, Blur and PJ Harvey, the story of the influential US band the Pixies is told.
This is an incredible modern-day story of a native peoples’ victory over Western globalization. Sick of seeing their environment ruined and their people exploited by the Panguna Mine, the Pacific island of Bougainville rose up against the giant mining corporation, Rio Tinto Zinc. The newly formed Bougainville Revolutionary Army began fighting with bows and arrows and sticks and stones against a heavily armed adversary. In an attempt to put down the rebellion the Papua New Guinean Army swiftly established a gunboat blockade around the island. But with no shipments allowed in or out, how did new electricity networks spring up on the island? And how were the people of Bougainville able to drive around the island without any source of petrol or diesel? Watch as the world’s first eco-revolution unfolds within the blockade. A David and Goliath story for the 21st century. A multi-award winning documentary.
The first hour follows the last remaining "Hood" survivor, Ted Briggs, as he joins the expedition and returns to the site of the sinking. Using archival film, dramatic reconstruction, computer effects and interviews with the men involved, the program brings "HMS Hood" back to life and follows the expedition members as they solve a 60-year-old mystery: why did the biggest and best ship in the British fleet sink so quickly?
The second hour brings to life the pursuit and destruction of the legendary warship and attempts to solve another mystery: did the British sink the "Bismarck" or did her own crew scuttle the ship to prevent her capture?
Stone Age musical instruments, megalithic sites that seem to move when subjected to certain sounds, and much more. Learn about the nature and effects of sound on the human mind and about the latest technical acoustical research that is uncovering new information about Stone Age monuments.
A lengthy but compelling documentary which re-examines the life and reputation of the former monarch. A battalion of biographers step forward to offer us their considered opinions on the man who was variously described as charming, a bully, a pleasure-seeker and the most visible monarch of his time. From his early life as a bad scholar who rebelled against his parents' strict regime, to his countless adulterous affairs and his taste for the high life, we see how the man reinvented himself. Miraculously, by the end of his life, he was a respected head of state - not that this cramped his style.
A review of the life and work of Miles Davis as told by those who knew and worked with him.
Compilation programme featuring classic TV moments in music history including certain performances, interviews, and controversial appearances.
Part of Channel 4's Hot Reels: Animation Grand Prix Adam and Joe assume various identities in a one-off special looking at the genre at the California Institute of the Arts.
This dramatic story of Britain's worst-ever terrorist conspiracy explores a shadowy world of subterfuge, spying and surveillance, as it examines Guys Fawke's plot to kill King James
Imagine a storm big enough to swallow the Earth, with 300-mph winds that could smash our cities to rubble and keep on raging for 300 years, after all signs of life had disappeared. Imagine an unstoppable, mile-high wall of choking dust and sand, devouring the Earth at half the speed of sound, until every square foot of land was sandblasted to oblivion. Imagine lightning bolts exploding with the energy of atomic blasts. And imagine a rain of deadly radiation ripping our atmosphere apart, until all life was extinct.
Learn more about the relationship between Nazi Germany and women, as we explore the role of females in Adolf Hitler's life and the part women played as supporters of the Nazi cause.
Hard hitting documentary about an English girl trying to break into the American pornography industry to support her daughter.
Documentary looking at the design and layout of the World Trade Center twin towers and considering the reasons why they both collapsed so quickly after terrorists flew two aeroplanes into them on September 11 2001. Includes input from engineers and those who designed and built the towers.
The hour-long A Secret History of Rail shows how, when and where the rail industry went wrong. Journalist Ian Hargreaves, who was transport correspondent for the Financial Times in the 1970s, talks to key figures in politics and industry. The programme looks at how initiatives to improve the system often failed. It provides lessons for the future.
Napoleon's dreams of enduring empire were finally extinguished in a muddy field in Belgium, an anonymous piece of farmland that we now call Waterloo. This documentary analyses the significance of Waterloo in the context of Napoleon's life, his personality, his political career, and his military capacity. It clarifies the facts and the forces that led to the great confrontation between Napoleon and Wellington on Sunday, June 18th, 1815, in the battle that engaged 200,000 combatants in an area less than two miles square, and left 50,000 dead or dying.
American comedian SCOTT CAPURRO embarks on a bizarre odyssey to track down the truth about gay animals. Why would animals be gay? How do you define gay sexual behaviour? And how do you spot it in animals? This wry documentary asks if there has been a conspiracy to keep the truth about gay animals secret. From swans engaging in threesomes to chimpanzees that swing both ways, Scott travels across the globe meeting en-route the college professor funded by the US government to research the genetic make-up of gay sheep, and a recently divorced woman whose husband was so convinced his dog was gay he allegedly beat him to death with a vacuum cleaner.
In May 1915 the rumour that the Germans had crucified an unidentified Canadian Sergeant near Ypres, Belgium swept around the world. Was it propaganda? Was it a myth of the trenches? After all, it was just weeks since the historical change in warfare – when the Germans used chlorine gas for the first time against the Allies. In 1915, few questioned it and The Crucified Soldier swiftly became headline news. It even became a Hollywood movie, “The Prussian Cur”. After the war, the German government suggested that the story was libelous and demanded an investigation. A Canadian enquiry resulted in the verdict “not proven”. But even today, 107-year-old veteran Jack Davis remembers hearing about The Crucified Soldier. And as time has passed, reports of German war atrocities in two other Belgian towns have surfaced. With these reports came a rekindled interest in The Crucified Soldier. A Red Cross nurse’s 1915 report, and letters written to a Canadian sergeant’s family have also come to light making it clear that The Crucified Soldier cannot be forgotten. This one-hour documentary delves into the history of The Crucified Soldier. Research has unearthed heart-wrenching letters sent from the front, old film clips and a bronze sculpture depicting the Canadian’s rumoured crucifixion. Belgium and British WWI survivors recall their terror and interviews with experts and historians from Oxford, Cambridge and London explain how this type of atrocity story can take over. Shot in Canada, the United Kingdom and Belgium, The Crucified Soldier follows this controversy as the mystery unfolds
In recent years, astronomers have been caught up in one of the most exciting scientific quests - to find new planets around distant stars. Planets from Hell tells the story of these hostile new worlds that have been discovered and explores the tantalising possibility of one day finding a planet like Earth.
A look at how our solar system is teeming with thousands of asteroids and comets. While an impact would be catastrophic for human life, it is now thought these mini-worlds played a vital part in kick-starting life on our planet. Following NASA's successful landing of a probe on an asteroid, these mysterious objects are now yielding their secrets.
Cosmologists answer questions about the shape and size of the cosmos, and how, by decoding radiation from the dawn of time - 15 billion years ago - they can discover the limits and the ultimate destiny of the Universe.
In June 1989 Britain's clown prince of comedy, Ken Dodd, was charged with 11 counts of tax evasion. Through five captivating weeks two opposing portraits of the Liverpudlian comedian were presented in court. The prosecution claimed Dodd was a calculating cheat whilst the defence argued he was an unreliable eccentric who led a chaotic life and was bad at maths. Ken Dodd in the Dock examines the court case drawing on archive footage and interviews from Barry Cryer, Carman's son Dominic Carman and Dodd's biographer, Michael Billington.
This is the story of three white British women that have decided to convert to Islam. After the terrorist attacks on the United States, these women could not have chosen a more difficult time to become Muslims but they are 100% committed to their cause. The film examines why these women have chosen to convert to Islam and the issues they have faced on the road to conversion.
Documentary charting the Derek and Clive phenomenon. The two foul-mouthed toilet attendants were the creations of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and were responsible for some of the filthiest comedy to come out of Britain. Despite being banned from radio and television the duo achieved great success and a cult status, but the act broke up one of the greatest comedy partnerships of recent years. Featuring excerpts from the actual records and video footage of Cook and Moore.
Freddie Mercury and Kenny Everett were among Britain's most flamboyant, outrageous and best-loved entertainers. For nearly 15 years, the lead singer of Queen and the zany radio DJ and television comedian found their lives and destinies intertwined. Meeting in 1974 on Kenny's radio show the pair instantly hit it off. While Kenny was able to assist Freddie's career by plugging Bohemian Rhapsody to enormous success, Freddie encouraged Kenny to be at ease with his sexuality. This documentary examines the friendship between these two unique men and how the excess of shared parties, drugs and promiscuous sex destroyed their friendship and their lives. With contributions from Tony Blackburn, Barry Cryer, Bob Harris, David Evans, Kenny's ex-wife, Lee Everett-Alkin and Freddie's last long-term partner, Jim Hutton.
Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland argues that American imperialism echoes the Romans’ strategy for world domination.
Mark Thomas investigates why parts of the UK are fenced off, and in some cases not even shown on any maps.
Thirty contestants; £100,000 up for grabs. To the young hopefuls who jacked in everything for the chance to take part in a reality show, it sounded perfect. But there was no show, no production company, and the man behind it left an army of potentially destitute people in his wake. Welcome to the moment reality TV came off the rails.
When Steptoe Met Son is a 2002 Channel 4 documentary about the personal lives of Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett, the stars of the long-running BBC situation comedy, Steptoe and Son.
For many men big has always meant beautiful. Most simply take pleasure from an amply curved woman, and a host of specialist clubs and internet sites cater to the tastes of Fat Admirers. But a bizarre sub-culture is taking things to dangerous extremes. So-called Feeders are accused of behaviour that crosses the boundary from consent to abuse. These men aren't satisfied with a merely big partner, but encourage and even coerce them to gain weight to the point where the women become immobile and risk their lives. Fat Girls and Feeders features interviews with men and women for whom feeding has become an obsession.
David Hahn in the mid-nineties was a teenage boy scout working towards his merit badges. One badge in particular, the Atomic Energy Merit Badge, caught his imagination when it required him to make a model of a nuclear reactor out of cotton buds etc. David went further and sought out household sources of the materials he would need to make his reactor. Here he talks us through what he did and the surprising results he got.
Based on Norberg's much celebrated book "In Defense of Global Capitalism," this film shows his view of the impact of globalisation, and the consequences of its absence. Norberg travels to countries like Taiwan, Vietnam and Kenya promoting ideas of global capitalism and attempting to prove why he feels protestors entering the anti-globalisation movement are ignorant and dangerously wrong.
Channel 4 documentary looks at the life of the former wife of the British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley, Diana Mitford
Documentary about UK entertainer Rod Hull and his puppet Emu.
A wry documentary account of properties in the UK in which brutal murders have taken place and the people who have bought them and live in them.
Biography of Prince George, Duke of Kent, the controversial uncle of the Queen, who became the source of scandals during the 1930s involving The German Nazi Party, homosexual tendencies and conspiracy theories about his death.
12 April 20003
Diana Dors was adored by the British public. A star of the silver screen for nearly forty years, the woman once dubbed the 'English Marilyn Monroe' was a larger than life character who seemed to have it all – fame, riches, beauty. When she died in 1984 her estate was worth only £200,000, a seemingly small sum for someone who had been successful for so long, yet her eldest son, Mark Dawson, had reason to believe that there was a lot more money to be found. 18 months before her death, Diana had given her son an envelope containing a sheet of code. A code that she said would lead Dawson to a sum of £2,000,000 that she had hidden away in bank accounts and safety deposit boxes across Britain. Diana Dors also told her son that her third husband, Alan Lake, had the key to the code but when he committed suicide just five months after Dors died, it looked as though the location of her millions would be lost for good. Only now, 20 years later, has Mark Dawson begun to unravel the mystery of his mother�s secret fortune but, as he travels from his Los Angeles home to the UK, will he be able to crack the code and find out where the money lies?
The Jesus Christians are unusually committed to their faith. They give up everything they own - including, now, their spare kidneys. For the past year, journalist Jon Ronson has exclusively followed the group as they attempt to donate their kidneys to strangers in the UK and the US. But who should they give them to? Where can they advertise? Will the hospitals, the media, and the potential recipients see their gesture as a miracle, or as the self-destructive act of a controversial religious movement?
Profile of Richard Seaman, a British racing driver of the 1930s, who despite winning the 1938 Berlin Grand Prix, has been largely written out of history books for his decision to drive for Nazi Germany's Mercedes team.
On 31st May 1916, the largest naval battle in history was fought in the North Sea of the Danish and Norwegian coasts. The documentary follows an international team of divers and historians as they set out to explore the wrecks of Dreadnought battleships sunk during the battle.
Ancient Rome, it has oft been said, pioneered bizarre sexual proclivities, but even Caligula never thought to slake his notorious carnal desires with a cantaloupe. Besides, he lacked a microwave. After all, it was the application of this 20th-century gadget that proved our fellow countryman’s undoing and ensured his inclusion on 101 Embarrassing Sexual Accidents. The Scot appeared with his face obscured, in case his identity should reveal that of the melon. His tale began when, fearful his "partner" might be cold and indifferent, he decided to warm it up - not with a massage or foreplay, but by putting the fruit in the microwave. "She" emerged red hot - 180C - a little too hot for our Casanova and the tender "moves" resulted in second degree burns to his, as he put it in eloquent Scots’ slang, "bobby". Still, as Grub Smith, the presenter of this horrendous catalogue of freak TV, pointed out, it could have been worse. Our competitor in this sexual Olympics was topped by a New Jersey man who felt his intimate relationship with his vacuum cleaner had grown stale and had decided to liven it up - by forgoing the nozzle in favour of the main machine, unaware that the suction was provided by a metal motor similar to a miniature propeller. The machine, no doubt disturbed by such fresh behaviour, reacted by cutting off more than just their relationship. The result? The man narrowly escaped bleeding to death. A psychologist was dragged from the set of Big Brother to explain what drove these men to such lengths. His conclusion was simple: the sensation or the illusion of being with someone else. In the interest of health and safety, I direct the male species to the wisdom of another Scot who has never, to my knowledge, attempted to make love to a melon. As Billy Connolly said: "Just sit on your hand until it goes numb."
Les Dawson was one of Britain's most successful and respected comedians. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, TV viewers grew to love the unique sour-faced joker with his ingenious comic riffs. Drawing on the personal diaries of the late, great comedian, this programme offers a fascinating insight into the private world of fears and disappointments of the funny man.
This is the story of Rome and Carthage - two great ancient empires, deadly foes equally matched in strength, locked in a struggle for control of the ancient world. But Rome finally won the conflict and went on to annihilate the city and civilisation of Carthage, systematically, brutally and totally. This film tells the story behind Rome's Holocaust against Carthage, and rediscovers the strange, exotic civilisation that the Romans were desperate to obliterate. Cambridge University historian and archaeologist Dr Richard Miles visits the key sites of the period, from Rome to the ruins of Carthage, and uncovers the real importance of this largely forgotten civilisation.
How do you fight a war without weapons? You use cunning, deceit and imagination. In fact, you fight dirty - just as the British were compelled to do in the summer of 1940 when faced with an imminent German invasion. During World War II, black propaganda, subversive rumours and outright pornography were all used by a secret Whitehall department to undermine the morale of the seemingly invincible Nazis. As the war progressed so did this extraordinary unit's operations. Its techniques became more sophisticated, its reach longer, and it went on the offensive. And the same mix of disinformation, ridicule and smut would eventually be employed against the Japanese.
Keith Allen spends some quality time with former child prodigy James Harries and his family. At first sight, they may seem to be a houseful of geniuses, but although every single member has a PhD in Metaphysics, we soon discover that some were purchased from a fake university in the USA, while the others were awarded to them by themselves. As the documentary proceeds, it eerily becomes apparent that this is a family that believes its own mythology. They regard themselves as morally, intellectually, and financially superior to the rest of society, even though the clan (housed in a mock mock-Tudor cottage in the middle of a Cardiff council estate) includes a convicted arsonist, an astral projectionist, a former Bunny Girl, a part-time private detective and a sex-change daughter (James is now Lauren), all of whom seem to live their lives in a parallel universe.
In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler's Germany presented a glittering surface sheen of technological modernity. At the annual Nuremberg rallies, fleets of sleek bombers roared over the upturned faces of the Nazi Party faithful. A system of autobahns carried traffic at speed the length and breadth of the Reich. In Berlin in 1936, a magnificent stadium housed the Olympic Games. But beneath the tread of marching feet and the rumble of tanks on Nuremberg's Zeppelin Field, there pulsed the rhythms of a different and much older set of beliefs, a philosophy that animated the Nazi Party's early ideologues and, crucially, the man who stood behind Hitler himself – Heinrich Himmler, chief of the SS. These beliefs were anything but technological. They were a curious mixture of ancient Teutonic myth, Eastern mysticism and late 19th-century anthropology. Whether Adolf Hitler took them wholly seriously is open to debate. But Heinrich Himmler certainly did. They lay at the heart of the SS empire he created and which became the most dreaded arm of the Nazi state. They were also the mainspring behind a Nazi expedition to secure the secrets of a lost super-race in the mountains of Tibet.
X-Rated: The Pop Videos They Tried to Ban was a 2004 British one-off television documentary examining controversial music videos. It was first broadcast on Channel 4 on Sunday 24 July 2004 as part of the Channel 4 Banned season. Duran Duran - "Girls on Film" Marilyn Manson - "Coma White" Madonna - "Like a Prayer" Mötley Crüe - "Girls, Girls, Girls" Sir Mix-a-Lot - "Baby Got Back" Nine Inch Nails - "Happiness in Slavery" Rockbitch - "Breathe" Christina Aguilera - "Dirrty" Aphex Twin - "Come to Daddy" The Prodigy - "Smack My Bitch Up" Placebo - "Protège-Moi" Ultravox - "Visions in Blue" The Bloodhound Gang - "The Ballad of Chasey Lain"
An account of the infamous Second World War battle, at the peak of which Allied troops laid siege to a medieval castle in Italy for five days in 1944. The conflict in Italy was controversial from the start, with the Allies divided over the importance and purpose of the campaign, while Hitler felt that victory here would dissuade his enemies from their grander schemes. Tactical errors led to a devastating loss of life before a truce was agreed. The accounts of veterans from both sides are used to create a balanced picture of the conflict, with members of the German First Parachute Regiment and the British 1/4 Essex sharing their memories.
Theologian Robert Beckford goes on a historical journey to uncover the true origins of the Torah and the New Testament. He finds that Moses may not have authored the books attributed to him, and that the New Testaments accounts of Jesus were written long after he was dead by people who never knew him.
In investigating the life of Richard III, Tony Robinson was shown evidence to suggest that the royal line was tainted by the illegitimacy of Edward IV. As such, every monarch since has actually had no legitimate claim to the throne. So who did? And, perhaps more to the point, who does? Who, by the right of succession, should we have sitting on the throne today? To find out, Tony Robinson goes in search of Britain's Real Monarch. He uncovers a turbulent story of civil war, aristocratic feuds, religious conflict, disgrace, bankruptcy, executions and a £5.5 million bet. And in the end, he discovers Britain's real monarch, someone as far removed from the splendour of Buckingham Palace as Robinson could ever have thought possible. Having found the rightful heir to the British throne, it's then time to break the news to him...
Matthew Collings will reappraise the Impressionists. The four stars are Courbet, Manet, Monet and Cezanne. In two hours their stories and their art will intertwine. Matt will unpack the principles of Impressionism - the strength of colour, the flatness, the patterning and the way in which ordinary life is pictured with startling truth - and argue that this is the best thing that has ever happened in modern art. He will also show that although the contemporary art world seemingly despises Impressionism it is only because of Impressionism that the avant-garde came to be. Written by Anonymous
Bianca is an 18 year old who, like many of her age, is about to go to university. Unlike most, however, she grew up in a nudist club. She was a naturist herself until the age of 12, when her self-consciousness, a negative image of her own body, and a lack of other teenagers interested in nudism, led her to cover up. She's been what other naturists call a 'textile' ever since. But recently, she discovered, via the internet, that there is a new generation of teenage nudists. As well as looking into the motivation of nudists, Bianca investigates whether the whole movement is as universally innocent and non-sexual as practitioners claim. From meeting closet nudists who only take their clothes off alone, and witnessing a naked bike ride through central London, to an extraordinary and liberating nudist camp in America, this is Bianca's open, honest, affectionate and sometimes critical look at what it is to be a naturist.
Using state-of-the-art computer-generated images, dramatic reconstruction and stunning photography, this tells the graphic and moving story of Britain's capital from its early days as a buzzing Roman settlement, through to the dark days of the Blitz and its current rebirth as one of the world's most vivid cultural and financial centres.
Vinland: Viking Map or Million Dollar Hoax investigates the strange story of the Vinland Map, arguably the world's most controversial document. If the document is genuine, it is worth a fortune - at least $20 million. But it may be an almost worthless fake.
Documentary which examines the Nazi counterfeiting plot, 'Operation Bernhard', which aimed to flood Great Britain with counterfeit notes and destabilise the economy. 104 Jews in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, near Berlin, made up the top secret operation. Testimony is provided by survivors, and illustrations from the concentration camp by one of the forgers.
A film about Jonny Kennedy, who had a terrible genetic condition called Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) - which meant that his skin literally fell off at the slightest touch, leaving his body covered in agonizing sores and leading to a final fight against skin cancer. In his last months Jonny decided to work with filmmaker Patrick Collerton to document his life and death, and the result was a film, first broadcast in March, that was an uplifting, confounding and provocatively humorous story of a singular man. Not shying away from the grim reality of EB, the film was also a celebration of a life lived to the full.
Documentary examining Operation Bernhard, the counterfeiting scheme devised by the Nazis during World War Two to undermine the British war effort. SS Intelligence employed a 104-strong workforce - consisting of Jewish prisoners in Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin - to forge more than 3 billion Pounds, with the intention of flooding the UK with fake bank notes and so trigger huge inflation and destabilise the economy. Their best forgeries fooled the Bank of England, and the notes are considered among the most perfect counterfeits ever produced, being extremely difficult although not impossible to distinguish from the real thing. But instead of being dumped on Britain, the notes were eventually used to bankroll covert German operations, including the rescue of Mussolini. It is an extraordinary story in which life imitates a thriller. Four of the prisoners tell what happened to the cash they produced under threat of death, and how they themselves survived to tell their story.
Best selling artists in UK as at 2004
A British documentary on zoophilia presenting various personal, religious, psychological, and sociological views on the phenomenon of sexual relations between humans and other animals.
In 1944, the Nazi top brass believed that a rudimentary nuclear weapon might soon be within their scientists' grasp. Hitler, desperate to turn the tide of the war, hatched a secret plan for an aircraft that would usher in the age of global terrorism – the 'Amerika Bomber'. This would deliver the hoped-for 'wonder weapon' directly on to the biggest target of them all: New York City. Hitler's Plan to Atom Bomb New York uncovers the astonishing competition that was held between Germany's top aviation designers to build a completely new aircraft capable of carrying and dropping the bomb on the towers of Manhattan. They included a giant V-rocket that would later provide the basis for the Apollo missions, and a high-altitude craft with fundamental similarities to the modern space shuttle. The winner of the competition – a huge V-winged jet plane capable of crossing the Atlantic and returning in a single flight – was rushed into production. The film tells the story of how close the 'Amerika Bomber' came into being before an Allied mission put an end to the project once and for all.
This 2 hour television programme set out to solve some of the great UFO mysteries, perhaps even provide a catch-all explanation for the whole field of Ufology. 'UFOs: The Secret Evidence' was written and presented by journalist Nick Cook, who has been an aviation editor and aerospace consultant for the world-renowned trade publication "Jane's Defence Weekly". His impeccable credentials might suggest a rather stuffy approach to the subject, but Nick Cook actually brings with him a down-to-earth, common sense approach which is refreshing. His stance on UFOs seems open-minded and objective. He also manages to gain interviews with some very intriguing individuals from the aerospace and intelligence fields. The programme started by asserting that UFO reports began during the Second World War. This is an incorrect assertion, unfortunately, ignoring a wealth of historical evidence dating back centuries. Still, it's probably fair to say that the first official military reports on the subject were generated in the 1940s, and that is the focus of Nick's investigation. He tackled the phenomenon of the 'Foo Fighters' reported by airmen during WWII and, with John Dering (a senior scientist at SARA), considered the possibility that the Nazis were sending up prototype Unmanned Aerial Vehicles which were "reusable"! A bizarre technological artefact known as 'the Fly Trap' was visited, and the theory that it was a test-rig for Nazi flying saucers was discussed. This was in the context of a secret Nazi underground base where derro-like scientists played with glowing bell-shaped devices which seemed to defy gravity. This was research which led to the death of several scientists, allegedly. Brigadier General Roger Ramey and Colonel Thomas J. BuBose with the Roswell 'wreakage'Then we moved onto the Roswell incident, via the infamous U.S. defence programme to incorporate Nazi scientists into sensitive research areas (like White Sands Missile Range), known as Operation
In a mad, mad world, where a sense of belonging and conformity is king, rates of anorexia, schizophrenia, exam-stress and depression are on the rise, illustrating the importance of acknowledging and addressing the issues of the mentally ill. This compelling documentary, A-Z of Your Head, focuses on young people and the mental health disorders that blight their lives and gives a voice to those who are left to deal with their own madness every day. These are the stories that never get told, yet are utterly gripping, and lay bare what it feels like to be labelled 'mad'. Produced by Lambent Productions for Channel 4. Produced and Directed by Lisa Fairbank.
We imagine many things when we think of this word. However, we do not think about Islamic Architecture, which influenced the art of Europe so profoundly. This documentary tours through the Muslim world, in search of that "atmosphere of Paradise," hidden away in mosques and palaces. In this film renowned art commentator Waldemar Januszczak makes an epic journey of discovery across the Muslim world, revealing awe-inspiring architecture and art objects that evoke the history of Islam. Along the way he meets local historians and experts - as well as an array of weavers, calligraphers, potters, and jewelers - who contribute their knowledge of this fascinating art-historical field. Much of the discoveries includes objects and buildings that have previously received little if any attention on film, like the 10th century Egyptian jug carved out of a single piece of rock crystal – one of only three known in the entire world ; the stunning architecture of the Uzbekistan's Samarquand ; the incredible and surreal mud mosques of West African Mali ; the inspired urban planning of the ancient city of Isfahan in Iran and the world's first great and possibly greatest mosque in the Syrian capital Damascus. The result is a stimulating introduction to a set of globally significant aesthetic traditions.
Documentary charting the most controversial TV moments of the last 40 years. Introduced by Tim Roth.
Documentary looking at controversial or banned pieces of advertising, which were explicit, controversial or shocking in some way. Advertising executives, producers and censors discuss some of them. Also looks at some of the embarrassing adverts that western celebrities have done in Japan, and and the increase in "viral campaigning" on the web and e-mail systems.
The box contains a small private collection of the British radio DJ John Peel who died in 2004 at the age of 65. Peel's main archive contained more than 100,000 vinyl records and CDs. This smaller collection is 143 singles, some of them doublettes, stored in a wooden box representing some of his favourites. According to the documentary, there are no singles by Peel's favourite group, The Fall, because he kept them in a separate box. The film features interviews with John's wife Sheila Ravenscroft, radio DJs and artists including Mary Anne Hobbs, Sir Elton John, Ronnie Wood, Roger Daltrey, Feargal Sharkey, Jack White, Michael Palin and Miki Berenyi.
A looked at the genetic makeup of English people who considered themselves to be ethnically English and found that while all had an ethnic makeup similar to people of European descent, a minority discovered genetic markers from North Africa and the Middle East from several generations before they were born. The presenter was Andrew Graham-Dixon. The test results were interpreted by DNAPrint Genomics, based in Sarasota, Florida
An affectionate and frank insight into the life of troubled genius Spike Milligan, arguably the most influential British comic of the last 50 years
Serial killer Ed Gein shocked the US to its core in the mid 1950s as the dismembered corpses of 15 women were found in his isolated Wisconsin farmhouse. Worse still, he'd made trinkets and trophies out of the dead women's bodies. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs and, of course Ed Gein, which follows on Channel 4, were inspired by Gein's ghoulish crimes. The Real Silence of the Lambs asks what could have driven a mild-mannered farm boy to such levels of depravity?
Documentary examining the alleged jinx said to have plagued the filming of The Omen, including eyewitness accounts of bizarre accidents, injuries and deaths during the production. From mid-air terror as consecutive flights carrying members of the production encounter disaster to crazed dog attacks, bizarre car crashes and hotel bombings, plus a host of tragic accidents that defy coincidence.
The answer to the growing demand to carry more air passengers in ever more crowded airspace, the Airbus A380 is a bold and challenging project. Dwarfing its predecessors, the plane will carry nearly 600 people, and overshadow all its rivals. Recording the craft being built and interviewing the movers and shakers involved, the programme tracks the tense 20 months when the huge plane moves from dream to reality. From the astounding injections of investment cash needed to take it from the drawing board to the runway, to the technical headaches of lifting the heavy wings off the ground, and transporting the huge components to the assembly factory in France, it was never an easy ride. The A380 is only possible because of advances in material and construction techniques, allowing its trans-European team to rival the famous Boeing 747 Jumbo that has dominated the aviation industry for more than 30 years. It also offers comparison with a similarly ambitious scheme which ended in economic failure, and considers what the future holds for a truly heroic project in a world of cut-throat business rivalry and environmental anxieties.
Tracing the history and influence of Iranian cinema and its filmmakers.
This film looks at ‘giantessphilia’, described as one of the world’s most bizarre syndromes. It that draws on some of men and women’s deepest desires to conquer and be conquered. While most admit that tall women represent power and strength, some men have taken this desire and created a sub-culture of Amazonian women who perform ‘services’ that go way beyond the average man’s comprehension. This film examines what is it about the image of the 50ft woman that draws men in and plays on their deepest psychological needs, and what the women who perform these services get from doing so.
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are commonly regarded as the greatest comic double act that Britain has ever produced. However, it is less commonly known that in 1971, at the height of their careers, they spent eleven months in Australia touring their latest stage show, Behind the Fridge and writing and starring in two TV specials which have never been seen in Britain...
This revealing film uses newly discovered letters written by Prince Eddy himself to explore whether his early death saved Britain from a monster, or cheated the nation of a good king. For the first time, Eddy's own words serve in his defence in a fresh investigation of the remarkable kind Britain never had.
Tony Robinson accompanies James Cameron, the Oscar-winning writer, director and producer of the blockbuster film Titanic, on a poignant farewell to the most spectacular shipwreck in history. Nearly 10 years after Cameron's first visit to the wreck, this is his last.
A look at the events surrounding American folklore's strangest murder mystery - investigating what really happened on the night Ronald DeFeo apparently gunned down his entire family, and examining the alleged haunting of the Amityville house for years afterwards. Featuring exclusive interviews with George Lutz and many of the original participants in this story.
A look at the funniest moments from UK TV quiz shows.
Tony Robinson examines the claims made in Dan Brown's best-selling novel, "The Da Vinci Code."
Documentary about the life of comedian Eric Morecambe, particularly his private family life. Family members and friends and colleagues talk about their memories of him.
Keith Allen spends some time getting to know Mohammed Al Fayed.
A look at the search for the fabled Northwest passage, the legendary path through the ice across the Canadian Arctic, and the attempts made by wealthy British explorer Sir John Franklin and penniless Norwegian Roald Amundsen.
Guantanamo Guidebook films seven British volunteers - three Muslims and four white Britons - locked up in a makeshift detention center at a warehouse in east London as they are subjected for over a period of 48 hours to a range of torture techniques known to be used at the Guantanamo Bay by US interrogation experts, Reuters said. The show, produced by the Production company Twenty, is seeking answers on whether the torture methods applied by US investigators at the US navy base in Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan can be justified in efforts to combat terrorism. We want the viewers to watch techniques that we know are used at Guantanamo and really to raise questions about whether torture is justified and if it works and what does it say about our values as a western society, a spokesman for the British station told Agence France Presse (AFP) Tuesday, on condition of anonymity.
As part of the Channel 4's Hidden Civilization season exploring Islam's rich and significant contribution to western art and culture, historian Bettany Hughes traces the story of the mysterious and misunderstood Moors, the Islamic society that ruled in Spain for 700 years, but whose legacy was virtually erased from Western history. In 711 AD, a tribe of newly converted Muslims from North Africa crossed the straits of Gibraltar and invaded Spain. Known as The Moors, they went on to build a rich and powerful society. Its capital, Cordoba, was the largest and most civilized city in Europe, with hospitals, libraries and a public infrastructure light years ahead of anything in England at the time. Amongst the many things that were introduced to Europe by Muslims at this time were: a huge body of classical Greek texts that had been lost to the rest of Europe for centuries; mathematics and the numbers we use today; advanced astronomy and medical practices; fine dining; the concept of romantic love; paper; deodorant; and even erection creams. This wasn't the rigid, fundamentalist Islam of some people's imaginations, but a progressive, sensuous and intellectually curious culture. But when the society collapsed, Spain was fanatically re-Christianised; almost every trace of seven centuries of Islamic rule was ruthlessly removed. It is only now, six centuries later, that The Moors' influences on European life and culture are finally beginning to be fully understood.
Daniel Johnston entered the wider public consciousness when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain appeared at the 1992 MTV awards wearing a Daniel Johnston T-shirt featuring a line drawing of a frog-like creature with eyeballs on stalks and the slogan "Hi, how are you?". It was the artwork from a demo tape Johnston had made in his bedroom as a teenager in the early 1980s. The son of respectable, middle-class Christian parents from Texas, the precocious Daniel gets heavily into music, comic books, home movies and a girl called Laurie. These might seem like the staples of any American adolescence, but as he shoots to fame via MTV and the fledgling grunge scene, he begins to lose his grip on reality and finds himself heading for manic depression, drug use, violence, religious fanaticism and a life spent in and out of mental institutions.
Documentary looking at how the Israeli Secret Service, Mossad planned and carried out assassinations around the world on those they believed to be linked to the Black September Palestinian terrorist group responsible for the murder of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. Includes interviews with former Mossad agents, experts, and family members of Israelis and Palestinians killed, and re-enactments.
No doubt about it, society celebrates the big penis. Seen as a sign of adequacy, virility and manliness, those lucky enough to be well endowed are heralded by both sexes and all sexualities. As women have always maintained, and men have always thought, size matters, but not in the way that most of us imagine. Sometimes having a Big Johnson is a bigger problem than you'd guess. Meet the men, including the man claiming to have the World's biggest penis, who reveal there is a bittersweet side to nature's gift, and who lift the veil on a taboo subject and to show the reality of what it's like to have what all men dream of.
A look at the small percentage of parents in the UK who continue to breastfeed past the age of two. Extraordinary Breastfeeding is a one-off documentary that looked at parents who breast feed past the age of two; not many UK women breastfeed past this age. The programme was billed as a sensitive portrayal of breastfeeding older children and it was, it also attracted a few complaints due to it showing children aged up to around 8 being breastfed which unsurprisingly viewers found disgusting. The documentary follows various women, their partners (if they have them) and their children on their breastfeeding routine. This includes one mother who is trying to ween her child off breastfeeding, a single mother who set up a breastfeeding support group and some older children who are still breastfed. There were some moments I found quite funny: a public breastfeeding publicity photograph in a Blackburn shopping centre Which unsurprisingly got comments like "I think it's disgusting"; the filmmakers were probably hoping for this reaction and a father who says he's slightly jealous because he likes to be breastfed by his wife as well! The subject is quite interesting and is rarely covered if at all. Behind all the (unexpected) controversy and the slightly disturbing tone of the documentary it is just another documentary. It's still worth watching, especially if the subject appeals to you or if you want to see what the fuss was about.
A look back at ten momentous and demanding days in the Queen's life - days that helped to define what her role as sovereign meant for both herself and the country - from the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 to the Suez Crisis, the murder of Lord Mountbatten, and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Featuring archive footage, eyewitness accounts and interviews with Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Lady Pamela Hicks, Sir Roy Strong, Douglas Hurd and Jilly Cooper. Elizabeth the Second is the most famous woman in the world. To mark her eightieth birthday, Ten Days That Made The Queen will analyse a life which has intersected the most important people and events of the modern age - from Stalin to the Spice Girls; from Dunkirk to Diana; from the era of the British Empire to the age of Big Brother. Ten Days That Shaped The Queen will identify the most significant and dramatic days which have affected the Queen in a personal or political sense, or often in both. Dramatic events in each day will allow us to chart the wider narrative of the changing fortunes of the monarchy and of Elizabeth herself.
This documentary tells the story of some of the numerous attempts of the Central Intelligence Agency to kill Cuba's leader, Fidel Castro. The film reveals multiple methods of assassination, from exploding cigars to femmes fatales; a radio station rigged with noxious gas to a poison syringe posing as an innocuous ballpoint pen. Fabian Escalante, the former head of the Intelligence Directorate and the man who had the job of protecting Castro for many of the 49 years he was in power, alleges that there were over 600 plots and conspiracies known to Cuban agents, all dreamt up to end Casto's life. Some were perpetrated by the Central Intelligence Agency, especially during the first half of the 1960s. From the seventies onwards, the attempts were most often made by Cuban exiles who had been trained by the CIA shortly after Castro took power in 1959.
Sometimes comic, often tragic, this is a tale of aristocracy, obsession, alcoholic and sexual excess. Yet during the course of his turbulent life, Lautrec succeeded in producing a huge body of work that was truly revolutionary in tone and impact, shattering the distinction between high and low art. He transformed the darkest depths of the human condition into artistic gold. Waldemar argues that the story of Lautrec is also the story of the birth of celebrity and mass media. Yet a century after his death, the artist has received none of the usual acclaim in line with his achievements. Toulouse Lautrec's crime was that he remained the consummate outsider - an outsider to his family when he was alive; to critics when he died; and by art historians ever since. All are guilty of taking him less seriously than he deserved. Waldemar tells Toulouse Lautrec's story in all its fascinating detail, celebrating the vibrant life and career of one of the world's most misunderstood geniuses.
Narrated by Robert Beckford. This documentary examines the real nature of Jesus as believed by his followers and the Early Christian Jews. Taking a close look at early Christian history, it examines the rise of Paul's version of Christianity vs. the rival group of Christian Jews who were the followers of Jesus.
The Falling Man is a documentary that examines one of the many images that were circulated by the press immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. It shows a man plummeting headfirst to the ground, having leapt from the burning towers. After touching on the events of the day and how the nation reacted, the program focuses specifically on this image, the photographer who took it, its subsequent circulation, the public's reaction to it and why it was later deemed UN-newsworthy.
This countdown was based on viewings on the Internet, DVD purchases, the star's status and popularity as a whole. Pamela Anderson and (then) husband Tommy Lee were number one, becoming a star because of it, (One Night in Paris star) Paris Hilton. The West Wing's Rob Lowe and Saving Private Ryanís Tom Sizemore were on their somewhere as well. With contributions by Germaine Greer, Dirty Sanchezís Mike Locke (Pancho) and Matthew Pritchard, and Paul Morley, and narrated by Arabella Weir.
Forensic scientist Dr Maurizio Seracini, who is known for ingeniously adapting the latest medical and military technology to reveal the secrets of great artistic masterpieces, investigates some of the mysteries surrounding works by Leonardo Da Vinc
Take eight people - all of whom are convinced they are 100% English. Then submit a sample of their DNA to a series of state-of-the-art tests... Lord Tebbit, Garry Bushell and Carol Thatcher are among the participants who have agreed to place their genetic make-up under the microscope...
Atheist and scientist Richard Dawkins visits England, America and Isreal interveiwing prominant people of faith; Islamic, Hasidic Jews, and the new Christian sects popping up throughout the world, and expressing his view of the extent to which ths fanaticism has degraded our civilisation, and will continue to degrade it. The first part of the documentary is mainly attacking the idea and the obsession behind that idea of 'faith'. He talks about the story of Adam and Eve, which even the Catholic church admits this is metaphorical. So this guys Jesus has himself horribly tortured and murdered in order to save the souls of people who never existed from a sin that was symbolic! Dawkins describes faith as a virus. The second part delves into the lifestyles these extremists bring their children up in, sectorial schools, complete segregation. Children are very sensitive to what they're exposed to and what their elders tell them. In this way, Dawkins theorises, the narrow-mindedness of faith is spread like a virus from generation to generation. Very few of these children are coming out of school with a mind that is open to the world and everything in it. They're coming out with a whole other fantasy world inside their head, one most of us don't understand, and that world, in their mind, rules the real one that they share with us. Dawkins is successful in his subtle way of showing that although creationists think evolutionaries are the narrow minded ones, preaching your own 'faith' is a far more damagingly selfish act, probably the result of grandiose delusions.
An exploration of how many gay and lesbian Muslims attempt to integrate their religion with their sexuality, with a focus on five cases in particular. In some instances this involves suppressing their homosexual desires, leading an undercover double life, or being open about their sexuality and losing the respect and support of their families and communities.
The documentary focuses on criticising atheism for its perceived similarities to religion, as well as arrogance and intolerance. The programme includes interviews with a number of prominent scientists, including atheists Richard Dawkins and Peter Atkins and Anglican priest John Polkinghorne.
Those of a cynical disposition may have been tempted to guffaw at the idea of a programme pondering why there aren’t many sitcoms around these days being presented by somebody who used to run ITV, a channel that has produced fewer enduringly funny shows than any other.
The story is based on the series of paintings entitled A Harlot's Progress by William Hogarth. Hogarth's work is inspired by his interactions with an eighteenth-century prostitute Mary Collins.
Based on a special poll, MPs count down their favourite political comedies.
A documentary exploring the supposed curse that affects the lives of people involved with portraying the Superman character.
Following on from the highly successful House of Obsessive Compulsives, House of Agoraphobics follows three long-term sufferers through an intensive and emotional journey with Professor Paul Salkovskis, Clinical Director of the Maudsley Hospital Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma at London’s Institute of Psychiatry. The team of therapists once again implement the unique, intensive 14-day experimental treatment plan pioneered last year, this time on three sufferers of Agoraphobia with Panic Disorder – a fear of being in situations where escaping would be difficult, including big open spaces busy outdoor locations, streets, traffic and transport which induces panic attacks. All three will leave their homes for a fortnight, and move in together to undergo intense exposure and response therapy in the hope of curing them of their debilitating conditions once and for all.
A look at the incredible story of Queen Victoria's three first cousins who found themselves at the centre of a family feud and a global war when she died
In April 1906, San Francisco was destroyed by earthquake and fire. Thousands were killed, and tens of thousands were left homeless. But three years later the city had been rebuilt. This film looks at the destruction and rebirth of San Francisco, and how this great natural disaster became a part of American folklore. Here is a spectacular and highly emotional account of this unforgettable event.
Providing an in-depth look at modern, radical Islamic groups, JIHAD: THE MEN AND IDEAS BEHIND AL QAEDA explores the ideas and beliefs that inspire them, along with the challenges they pose for governments in the Middle East and the West. With previously unseen footage and first-hand testimony from those who fought, planned, argued, met or lived with them, this is the inside story of Al Qaeda's three leaders: Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the recently killed leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. This film examines how the blood-soaked careers of these three men were driven by an evolving ideology of violence and hatred towards the West. From the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1940s to Islamic organizations today, the film offers insightful perspectives of Islam from Western and Middle Eastern journalists, U.S. intelligence experts on the frontlines of the fight against Al Qaeda, and friends and contemporaries of Osama bin Laden and his lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri. It is also the story of how the peaceful and noble religion of Islam was distorted by Islamist terrorists in the name of jihad. Two years in the making, JIHAD: THE MEN AND IDEAS BEHIND AL QAEDA was filmed on location in the Middle East, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, America and Britain. Based on extensive original research, the film presents the story of the birth and evolution of Al Qaeda, not through the second-hand reporting of Western journalists, but through powerful testimony from first-hand witnesses.
Tony Robinson outlining the role of Evangelical Christian 'End-Timers' from the USA and their influence on US foreign policy and their support for the State of Israel.
A manuscript that has been traded on the black market for 25 years is restored by experts to determine its authenticity.
Every day 3900 children die as a result of insufficient or unclean water supplies. 'A World Without Water' tells of the personal tragedies behind the mounting privatization of water supplies.
A documentary looking at polyamorous relationships.
It's the work of alien lizards, men in black, the government or even the Queen... Whenever a major news story breaks, conspiracy theories spring up overnight with a subversive slant on the official facts. Who's behind these theories, and why are some of us so ready to believe in them?
This film investigates the variety of stories surrounding the New Testament account of the crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, by interviewing historians, theologians and historical researchers. This exploration of the latest theories about what really happened to Jesus 2000 years ago uncovers some surprising possibilities. At the heart of the mystery is the suspicion that Jesus might not actually have died on the cross. The film concludes that it was perfectly possible to survive crucifixion in the 1st Century - there are records of people who did. But if Jesus survived, what happened to him afterwards? One of the most remarkable stories concerns the charismatic preacher Jus Asaf (Leader of the Healed) who arrived in Kashmir in around 30 AD. Just before he died at the age of 80, Jus Asaf claimed that he was in fact Jesus Christ and the programme shows his tomb, next to which are his carved footprints which bear the scars of crucifixion.
An examination of the Enfield Poltergeist, a still unexplained phenomenon from 1977, which includes eyewitness testimony and extraordinary footage of apparently paranormal activity.
This film by the documentary-maker Martin Durkin presents the arguments of scientists and commentators who don't believe that CO2 produced by human activity is the main cause of climate change. It's a controversial film that was roundly attacked by some scientists and enthusiastically received by others, and the arguments it contains are an important part of the wider debate on the causes of climate change. The film was shortlisted for the Best Documentary award at the 2008 Broadcast Awards.
A dramatized, very accurate version of the bitterness of the partition of British India. Although this story had been brought to the screen many times in Gandhi, Sardar, Jinnah, Lord Mountbatten-The Last Viceroy, but unless history is backed up by facts, testimonies and eye-witness accounts, it cannot be considered authentic. Similar to this production was a 3-part BBC documentary titled END OF EMPIRE - India in which was shown the closing 2 years of the Raj. But here we see the story from the day Mountbatten and his delegation arrive in India.
According to Sex Addicts Anonymous over four million British adults are addicted to sex. TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson authors this revealing documentary, meeting with experts and therapists in America to learn more about the illness and to establish exactly what defines a sex addict. As the investigation progresses, Ulrika's search for answers soon becomes a very powerful personal journey and she discovers that possible sex addiction is not just about needing sex every minute of the day, or obsessive masturbation, but far more complex and subtle.
t's estimated that British women who diet spend on average 31 years trying to lose weight. What is it that feeds the female obsession regarding body image, weight and dieting? This incredible documentary follows two journalists as they go on a no-holds-barred journey into the world of extreme dieting. Both journalists, healthy size 12s with average BMIs, are aiming to drop five dress sizes in five weeks. With a 'Don't Try This at Home' warning, both Kate and Louise follow strict regimes of swimming in freezing cold water to raise the metabolism, colonic irrigation, extreme diets and extreme exercise regimes. Relationships reach breaking point, functioning in their normal daily lives becomes almost impossible and emotions run away. Ultimately for one journalist the experiment is halted, as concerns are raised by the doctor, while for the other, size 00 jeans beckon - but at what cost?
Have you ever wondered what it would look like if all the clothes, washing machines and toilet paper you ever used were piled up outside your front door? Or if you were to lay out all the bread you will ever eat or cups of tea you will drink? This beautiful, landmark film uses art and science to explore the impact each and every human has on the planet in an average lifetime, demonstrating the massive scale of everything consumed and produced in one lifetime. Human Footprint also features several experts, who explain the science behind the installations and explore the profound effect our individual footprints will have on the planet. From our babyhood, when we get through a massive 3,796 nappies and produce 254 litres of urine, through to our old age and death - by which time we will have had sex 4,239 times, eaten 10,866 carrots, taken 7,163 baths and done an average of 15 farts a day - this extraordinary film tells the story of an average life, the story of our human footprint.
It says a lot that whereas the US President resides in a massive mansion and the Russian premier has a medieval fortress, our own Prime Minister has to make do with running the country from a modest terraced house. In this one-off documentary, affable English Heritage chief Simon Thurley looks at buildings as manifestations of power and charts the history and symbolism of Downing Street, the Kremlin and the White House and what they tell us about their respective nations. It's full of diverting details, including one neat architectural gag: when he redesigned the state rooms at Downing Street in the 1980s, architect Quinlan Terry included above a doorway, as a cheeky reference to Mrs T, a tiny goldleaf figure of a thatcher. Simon Thurley, head of English Heritage, takes you inside the buildings whose tenants rule the world.Love, hate, treachery, barbarity, and base politics have all left their mark, as the presidents and prime ministers come and go. But the buildings remain silent witness to their deeds, and misdeeds. Each of them is expressive of national character: the pokiness of Number 10, a reminder to prime ministers that they are our servants; the pristine set of the White House, a stage from which the planet is run; and the overpowering brutality of the Kremlin, testament to so many dark deeds, and the line of unchallenged power that links the Czars to Russia's present day leader. The programme enjoys unique access to these places: the Russians even cleared Red Square for Simon, so impressed were they by the Queen's adviser on architecture. And it poses a key question. In the age of international terror, as these buildings defences are shorn up, are their inhabitants increaingly divorced from the very people they're supposed to serve, by the places they work in? The decision to go to war, the decision to assassinate, is now so much more easily taken from within their walls. So are we, just as much as they, prisoners of the Powerhouses?
The Definitive Assessment Of The Blair Decade In a landmark series, the policies and personality of the man who has ruled Britain for the last decade are examined by Andrew Rawnsley, the award-winning broadcaster, author and commentator who is widely regarded as one of the most authoritative chroniclers of New Labour's time in power. This major two-part series both provides the definitive assessment of the Blair decade and tells the inside story of New Labour over the past ten years. The series features exclusive interviews with senior Cabinet members, civil servants, generals, and allies, opponents and intimates of Tony Blair, who speak to Rawnsley with extraordinary candour about the Prime Minister's greatest successes and his gravest misjudgements. The series includes interviews with close friends of Tony Blair who have never before spoken on the record and to camera. The programmes deliver a comprehensive, revelatory and incisive examination of the events at home and abroad that shaped the Blair premiership. Rawnsley analyses the political relationships forged by Blair, the opportunities, threats and challenges he has faced from 1997 until his final days at Number 10, and the successes and disasters of his period in power. Rawnsley shows that Blair was hugely daunted by power and arrived at Number 10 with deep inner anxieties about whether he was up to being Prime Minister. He soon found that his promises were not matched by detailed strategies to fulfil them. Senior members of Blair's Cabinet admit to Rawnsley that the Government suffered from a lack of worked-out policies. Blair's closest aides and allies express regret that they too often concentrated on the spin at the expense of the substance.
A docu-drama which chronicles the experiences and actions of Peter Wildeblood which eventually led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Great Britain.
As the title suggests this film explores the world of the Aryan Brotherhood within the North American prison system. The film looks back at the development of the gang and charts its rise to vicious power and the investigation that sought to bring down as many of the leaders as possible. As such the film does a good job of presenting how violent and intelligent the gang is and it never allows us just to see these guys as white racists, no, that would be far too simple.
Robert Beckford travels to Ghana to look into the reasons why a country rich in natural resources and independent for fifty years is one of the poorest countries in the world. Looks at the economic and social problems caused by the activities of multinationals, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and particularly at the rice, cocoa and gold trades. Considers issues such as child-labor, poverty caused by rice imports, and people living in highly polluted areas around gold mines.
Based on astonishing archaeological finds and extraordinary first-person accounts, this film tells the story of one of the greatest wonders the world has ever known: The Great Wall of China . The Wall is more than 3,000 miles long and was built in just 20 years by a workforce of nearly 50,000, who used technology and construction techniques that still inspire awe today. But this triumph of engineering came at a colossal cost and would eventually hasten the end of the Ming dynasty.
On 3 September 1939, 25-year-old English aristocrat Unity Mitford walked into a Munich park and shot herself in the head. Distraught at the prospect of England declaring war on her beloved Führer, Britain's most notorious Nazi sympathiser seemed determined to make the ultimate act of fanatical devotion.
Through five young people, this documentary avoids the scare stories and talks openly about the realities of drug taking, from the initial euphoria to the difficult comedowns.
Salvador Dali is one of the most popular of all Surrealist painters, yet behind his image of dream and fantasy was a deeply troubled man of ambiguous sexuality and Freudian confusion. In this intimate film art critic Brian Sewell - who knew Dali at the point when his genius and reputation were both exhausted - gives his sympathetic private view of a man whose life and work were surrendered to sexual obsessions.
Comedian Johnny Vegas revisits the faith that he abandoned, aged 11, when he left the seminary school where he was enrolled to become a priest.
Keith Allen visits Westboro Baptist Church to confront them about their extreme religious beliefs.
Profiling cult leader Michael Travesser, who claims to be the Messiah and believed October 31, 2007, would be Doomsday, with an event of apocalyptic proportions occurring at midnight. The documentary looks at the hold the 66-year-old, who has come to the attention of the FBI, has over his followers in the Strong City community as film-maker Ben Anthony hears claims of teenage girls wanting a sexual consummation with him and questions whether his beliefs could lead to tragedy.
Virgin School follows the emotional and physical journey of 26-year-old virgin James as he embarks on a unique four-month course for sexually inexperienced men in Amsterdam
A documentary covering the career of notorious rogue doctor John Ronald Brown, who claims to have performed over 600 gender reassignment surgeries over the course of his career despite not qualifying as a surgeon. Throughout his 30 years he left behind him a string of disabled and disfigured patients, broken lives and bodies. This documentary covers his career, the people that were victimized by his crude procedures and his conviction. Includes interviews with some of his patients, their loved ones and the notorious doctor himself.
Television viewers all over the world are familiar with the iconic images of destruction and devastation that followed the collapse of the Twin Towers. What people don’t realise is that underneath the gargantuan mountain of rubble that greeted rescuers was an extraordinary world, hundreds of feet deep, which held even more incredible stories. 9/11: Ground Zero Underworld presents the untold stories of those who searched tirelessly for their loved ones, sifting through tonnes of debris in an attempt to bring them home to rest. In the hours and days following the disaster, relatives and friends of those inside the buildings descended on Ground Zero, vowing to find their loved ones, dead or alive. And so began one of the greatest search operations in history - a story of extraordinary courage, perseverance and humanity. Some worked in the emergency services, some were volunteers, but all were driven to Herculean lengths to keep the promise they’d made to themselves and their families. This film follows some of the people engaged in the search effort, documenting the emotional turmoil with heartrending testimony and harrowing, previously unseen footage of the rescue and recovery effort, including the eerie images of police cars lying perfectly preserved beneath 100 feet of debris.
Documentary which looks at the Irish folk revival of the last 20 or 30 years. 60 years ago virtually unheard abroad and largely unloved at home, Irish music has given the world a sense of Ireland and Ireland a sense of itself, as the country has risen from an impoverished post-colonial upstart to a modern European power. Contributors include Christy Moore, Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains, Ronnie Drew of The Dubliners, Liam Clancy of The Clancy Brothers and Shane MacGowan of The Pogues.
Ruhal Ahmed and Shafiq Rasul became known as the Tipton Taliban after they were picked up by US forces in Afghanistan and spent two years in Guantanamo Bay. They were accused, along with a friend, of having had weapons training with the Taliban, meeting senior Al-Qaeda figures and taking part in the Islamist terror war against the United States. They protested their innocence and, after they were released without charge in 2004, claimed that they had been tortured during their incarceration. But the pair are plagued by suspicious looks and whisperings of 'no smoke without fire'. They have volunteered to have Professor Sean Spence test them to prove their innocence. What were they doing in Afghanistan? Why did they visit a Taliban stronghold? And why were they with Taliban fighters when they were captured? When they answer these questions in the scanner, the technology doesn't quite give them the response they had hoped for. The Tipton Taliban were the subject of 'The Road to Guantanamo'; a Michael Winterbottom docudrama which was broadcast by Channel 4 in 2006.
A woman convicted of poisoning a child undergoes the latest lie tests in an attempt to clear her name. Susan Hamilton was sentenced to four years in prison for poisoning the little girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. She has always protested her innocence and hopes to appeal against her conviction. The child had been diagnosed with a terminal metabolic condition. To help her grow and develop she had been fitted with a feeding tube and Susan managed her feeding regime. However, the child was admitted to hospital with massive blood sodium levels, and suspicion fell upon Susan. Had she added salt to the little girl's feeding tube? The police testified that a syringe full of salt was found in Susan's kitchen. Susan denies any knowledge of it. Will the lie detector help Susan to clear her name, or finally prove her guilt?
In the last film of the Lie Lab series, Kathy O'Beirne alleges that she was physically abused by her father; raped at the age of 6 by an older boy; raped again at age 8, this time by a Catholic priest; and raped for a third time when she was 13, by a volunteer worker. Kathy's memoir tells the tale of a horrifically abused child and has become a best-selling book. Her brothers and sisters refute her claims completely, going as far as to suggest that Kathy's book be sold as fiction, instead of autobiography. Who is telling the truth? Professor Sean Spence, who has pioneered the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging to detect when someone is lying, scans Kathy and her brother while they respond to each other's allegations. Can Kathy back up the claims she made in her autobiography? Will her brother's testimony reveal that she is lying?
In 1967, four unknown actors in a kids TV show become the biggest pop band in the world. In America they outsold Elvis and The Beatles combined. They were...The Monkees. But The Monkees were not a real band, they were a man-made money-making machine, driven by ego and ambition, a machine that would ultimately crash and burn. This is the inside story of pop music's first manufactured band. Labelled the pre-fab four, The Monkees were the first manufactured pop group. And with the radical TV show and contagious pop songs, they attracted a cult following that survives to this day. But behind the sugary smiles and bubblegum pop of The Monkees lay a cut-throat business enterprise, one fuelled by money, ego and the ambition of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. And one that, ultimately, was to end in tears. With access to Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz as well as The Monkees archive, Making The Monkees is the inside story of the rise and fall of this unlikely group. It is the story of four young men who were hand picked to become overnight superstars melting the hearts of teeny-boppers worldwide and lining the pockets of their creators. But it's also the story of how The Monkees - and the men who pulled their strings - created the blueprint for the boy-band phenomenon that is so prevalent today - from the prototype casting and marketing, to the inevitable tantrums over artistic control and the ensuing commercial failure.
A look at the tasteless jokes comedians tell and the controversy they cause.
This film from acclaimed documentary maker Jane Treays chronicles the moving story of five remarkable American children who are primordial dwarfs, the smallest type of dwarf in the world
Keith Allen teams up with a group of teenage tourette sufferers and takes them on a trip to France to find out more about the condition.
Jacques Peretti's documentary about the portrayal of Adolf Hitler in popular culture.
On a mission to extract reality from rumour, investigative journalist Jacques Peretti picks apart the most sensational high-profile scandals of recent years
Filmmaker James Quinn investigates the controversial American pop band Prussian Blue, who are fronted by teenage twin girls. They have made headlines around the world with their white nationalist lyrics and have been associated with neo-Nazism.
Documentary following three people over the age of 25 who are determined to lose their virginity.
Documentary celebrating 25 years of Channel 4.
Documentary revealing the truth behind the bloody 51-day siege in Waco, Texas in 1993, with dramatic reconstruction, first-person testimony, FBI recordings and home video footage.
The Hindu god, Krishna, was conceived by a virgin and his birth was attended by angels, wise men and shepherds. Buddha was also the result of a miraculous birth, and was visited by wise men bearing gifts. He too began his ministry at about 30 years old and performed such miracles as walking on water and feeding 500. Some people in India believe that Jesus did not die on the cross but escaped from Roman Palestine and ended up in Kashmir. There, they say, he continued to preach, had a wife and child, and later died and was buried. Jesus was, of course, born a Jew, and Christians believe he is the Messiah prophesied in the Torah – the Old Testament, which is the holy scripture of the Jews. Meanwhile Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet but do not believe he died on the cross; instead, according to Islam, God saved him and took him up to heaven, and he will return and be buried next to Muhammed. In this Channel 4 Christmas Day programme, Robert Beckford attempts to unravel the mystery of why there are so many versions of the Christ story across the world and asks which is the real one, and where this leaves the Christian story and his own belief in Jesus.
he 2007 documentary by Channel 4 about the ideology behind Iranian Shiism. The role of Imam Hussein and Islam among the Iranian people, the struggle between good and evil in contemporary politics and society viewed through the historical glasses of the tragic Karbala incident. Iranian pilgrims visit the tomb of Imam Hussein that tells their own hidden stories. Channel 4 attempts to reveal the mysterious martyrdom culture of Iranians to the British public. A steady drumbeat of leaks suggests that the US and/or Israel may attack Iran sometime over the coming months. Once Upon a Time in Iran is a road movie featuring pilgrims and presidents: a journey to the spiritual heartlands of the Iranian people and a tale of martyrdom that defines their view of aggressors and the outside world.
Hitler's Favourite Royal is the extraordinary but little known royal story of the British prince who became a convicted Nazi. Prince Charles Edward was Queen Victoria's youngest grandchild. Brought up at Claremont House and educated at Eton until he was 14, Charles Edward was forced by Queen Victoria to take up the Dukedom of Coburg in Germany after a series of unexpected deaths of uncles and cousins. Transformed overnight from a British Prince to a German Duke, the course of his life was altered in ways he could never have imagined as he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Narrated by Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton Hitler's Favourite Royal features interviews with one of the Duke's grand-daughters who had never spoken publicly about him before.
The country's crudest comic opens the door to his shocking world. This one-hour observational documentary follows Roy as he tours the country. Royston Vasey, a.k.a. Roy 'Chubby' Brown, is Britain's rudest comedian, infamous for his outrageously racist, sexist and homophobic gags. It's an accolade that's meant he's never been allowed to perform on TV. But this has turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse as he's done very well for himself off the back of his army of fans buying his videos, DVDs, audio cassettes and show tickets. But how different is Roy Vasey from his stage persona 'Chubby' Brown? Film maker Will Yapp follows him around for a few months in 2005 and attempts to find out, following Roy as he goes on tour, re-visits his home town of Middlesborough, shares his family life and prepares for his first appearance on TV in 18 years on The Frank Skinner Show. Are the bigoted, offensive jokes he tells on stage just his act or personal views with a nastier edge to them?
aka A Washed Up Celebrity Celebrity’s Guide to Attaining Spiritual, and more importantly, Celebrity Redemption… With Preston From Celebrity Big Brother
Catching up with the lives some of the members of Religious cult, the Unification Church who participated in a mass wedding in which 4,000 people married total strangers.
Filmmaker Jamie Campbell is hired to make a promotional for the British Silver Ring Thing organization. During this time he learns about why Christians are taking the vow abstinence (both in the UK and America) and the potential problems it can cause.
Documenting the lives of eight gifted children growing up in the UK. But what makes such an exceptional child? Are they born this way or can parental upbringing have a significant impact on a child's development?
Following last year's enchanting film using special effects to re-create the gestation of mammals such as elephants and dolphins, we're now shown what goes on in a woman's uterus when she's conceived twins, triplets or even quads. The footage is accompanied by specially commissioned poetry by Roger McGough and Brian Patten, which, while delightful, sounds a bit too cosy for a quasi-scientific documentary. But the real-life endoscopic footage and the "4-D" ultrasound scans are fabulous and there are intriguing biological snippets, including the suggestion that one in eight of us may have started life in the womb with a sibling.
Having taken on the state of school dinners, Jamie is turning ringmaster to tackle an issue that raises difficult questions about animal welfare and what consumers are prepared to pay for quality food. Advertisement Click here Fifty years ago, chicken was a special treat we were lucky to have once a week. Now, thanks to modern farming methods, chicken has become an easily affordable everyday staple, with whole birds available for £2.50 – but farmers make just 3p per bird. With the help of poultry farmers and experts including Bill Oddie and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jamie has brought together consumers, producers and retailers to discuss how chickens and eggs are produced and consumed in this country and whether things need to change. Live in front of his guests Jamie uses demonstrations, films and interviews to highlight key aspects of chicken and egg production, including stocking densities, growth rates and how chicks and chickens are actually killed. And Jamie will be revealing the difference in living conditions for 'standard' broiler and battery chickens, 'enriched cages', barn, free range and organic birds. But will his guests still be hungry by the time he's finished?
I have done another show for Channel 4's Food Season and it's airing tonight at 10pm. I'm not usually on TV as much as I am at the moment, but I just really believed in these shows. This next show is called Eat To Save Your Life and basically it's another studio-based show with 18 members of the great British public, all of whom have bad diets. With the help of a doctor and my good mate Jane Clarke, they each learn what is wrong with their diet, what's likely to happen to them if they don't take action and, most importantly, what action they can take to improve their diets. Essentially, it's a massive wake-up call to everyone and offers some practical solutions on how we can all eat better and maybe even prolong our lives. One of the most amazing parts of the show is when the famous German doctor, Gunther von Hagens, performs an autopsy on a 25-stone man who literally ate himself to death. It's not pretty but I urge you not to turn away because the fascinating insight into what our diets are doing to our insides could inspire you to change your eating habits in a positive way.
Fast Food Junkies Go Native, as part of The Big Food Fight, a season of programming which aims to raise awareness and encourage debate about food production, animal welfare and healthy eating, follows four self-confessed fast food fans as they trade processed food and sugar-laden treats for the diet of one of the healthiest communities in the world.
Documentary exploring the lives of women who spend hundreds of pounds on life-like baby dolls. Loved like real babies, they're taken for walks, cuddled and even have their nappies changed.
Part 1 of a selected 2-part documentary on the evolution of the car-bomb as one of deadliest weapons of terrorism. From the team behind "Cult of the Suicide Bombers" and presented by ex-CIA man, Robert Baer.
In an age where boob jobs, liposuction, tummy tucks and botox are now commonplace it would seem that women have found a new part of the body to worry about... their vaginas. Vaginal cosmetic surgery on the NHS has doubled in the UK over the past five years and in the private sector there has been a 300% increase in labiplastys, making it the fastest growing form of cosmetic surgery in the UK. In this honest, witty and compassionate film Lisa Rogers tries to find out why more and more women are considering vaginal surgery for either aesthetic or cultural reasons. Through meeting a variety of people including her friends, family, girls who are considering surgery, sex therapists and plastic surgeons, Lisa tries to understand why girls as young as sixteen are requesting this surgery on their labia and in doing so will not only reveal how British men and women feel about vaginas but she will also be forced to confront her own feelings about her own vulva. However, after seeing one woman undergo vaginal plastic surgery under a local anaesthetic Lisa is determined to encourage women not to go under the knife, but to seek alternative methods. ‘I’m trying to understand why a growing number of women seem to hate their vaginas’ she says, ‘I want girls to love their bits, not cut them off!’’
Kate Garraway investigates the pros and cons of cross-feeding, breast milk donation and wet-nursing by meeting some of the growing numbers of women who share each other's breast milk
Theologian Robert Beckford finds parts of the Nativity story perplexing, and so embarks on a global quest to investigate what lies at the heart of Christianity; the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus.
In AD 26, Pilate was sent by Emperor Tiberius to police the troublesome Roman province of Judea. For 10 years he ruled with great success, but his career is remembered only for the part he played in one of the most infamous events in human history - the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. With testimony from some of Britain's most eminent theological and Roman scholars, including the Bishop of Durham, Dr Tom Wright, Biblical expert Professor John Barclay, Roman expert Professor Michael Whitby and Pilate specialist Dr Helen Bond, this film reassesses Pilate's actions and motives.
"Conkers and donkey derbys banned; trees and hanging baskets identified as a threat to human safety... But who are the so-called 'fun police' that are apparently banishing all risk from our everyday lives? This film goes behind the headlines to tell the tale of the inspectors, consultants and council officials who make it their business to protect us from harm"
The story of seven pilgrims to Mecca are interwoven with seven great Mosques of the world and the foundations of the Islamic Faith.
Harpist Catrin Finch takes a musical journey to discover the ancient and fascinating history of the harp in Wales and the world, with interviews and performances from internationally-renowned guests including Alan Stivell, Carlos Orosco, Alemu Aga, Isabelle Perrin and Elinor Bennett.
Drama-documentary telling the story of one of the last trials by battle to be fought in Europe, a tale of sex, brutality and political machination set in 14th century medieval France. A knight, Sir Jean de Carrouges, accuses his former best friend, Jacques Le Gris, of raping his wife Marguerite. Unable to obtain justice from his feudal overlord, Carrouges appeals to the king for the ancient right to fight a duel to the death to find out God's truth. There is much at stake. If Carrouges dies in the battle, Marguerite will also be burned to death as a liar. This tense story, told from records of the day, is set against the backdrop of the 100 years war between England and France, 14th century attitudes towards women, crime and punishment and the political intrigues of the feudal system. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074sh3
Between October and December 2006, Dave Gorman undertook a coast to coast road trip across the United States of America. A book about the trip, entitled America Unchained: A Freewheeling Roadtrip In Search of Non-Corporate USA, was released on 3 April 2008. The rationale for the trip was to discover whether it is possible to travel across the USA without ever patronising any corporate or chain-style businesses. Thus Dave ate, slept and filled his car in restaurants, hotels and gas stations which were independently owned.
On this near-fateful day, a series of accidents nearly unleashed the Third World War. Senior figures in the Soviet Union had convinced themselves that they were about to come under nuclear attack from the West, and the vast Soviet nuclear arsenal of missiles, bombers and submarines were put on maximum alert, ready to launch a full nuclear retaliatory attack on Western Europe and the US. Armageddon beckoned.
Prince John was born in 1904 as the youngest child of George V and died in 1919 after a severe epileptic seizure. This is the story of the young prince's tragically short life.
A group of fossil hunters uncover not only the bones of a 77 million year old dinosaur, but its mummified and fossilized 'body'. After excavating the duckbill nicknamed 'Leonardo', scientists begin a battery of tests including a radiographic autopsy. Journey along with a team of paleontology experts as they make several astonishing discoveries including the creature's last meal and never-before-seen internal organs.
This documentary uncovers the tensions and conflict between the Queen Mother and Prince Philip in the build-up to Princess Elizabeth's coronation in 1953.
A character portrait of the enigmatic comedian Barry Humphries on his most recent Australian tour and an examination of the connections to his two most famous alter egos, Dame Edna and Sir Les Patterson. Interviews include Bruce Beresford and Geoffrey Rush.
Captain Ian Hamilton is one of the most highly decorated officers in the British Army - and the first officer and paratrooper to undergo a sex-change operation.
Rupert Everett takes a revealing and witty journey, retracing the steps of one of his great heroes: the infamous author, explorer and sexual adventurer, Sir Richard Burton.
In The Secrets of the Twelve Disciples, broadcast in Easter 2008, Beckford explored Paul the Apostle's role in founding the Church and his relationship with Jesus' family; the Roman Catholic Church's claim to Saint Peter; Thomas the Apostle's travels to India; James, son of Zebedee as a patron saint of Spain; the demonisation of Judas Iscariot; and female Apostles.
A candid view of the highs and lows of drinking, this programme explores the risks that young people expose themselves to when drinking.
Jamie’s Essex home is wreathed in decorations and he's cooking food for the whole season, with help from his friend and former mentor, Gennaro Contald.
Two years after Stanley Kubrick's death, Jon Ronson was invited to the director's estate to explore the hundreds of boxes the legendary film director had collected. His estate in Childwick Bury, near St Albans, was filled with boxes containing a carefully filed archive gathered up during Kubrick's life: including scripts, research, correspondence, costumes, props, models, production schedules, photography, books and film equipment. This film follows Ronson's journey through Kubrick's boxes, as he seeks to understand the enigmatic director through the many things he acquired in his life, and then left behind.
Gok looks at the extent of Britain's teenage obesity crisis. He talks to the experts and teenagers who have been affected by food addiction and body image pressures.
William Tallon joined the royal household at 15 and, from lowly beginnings, rose quickly to become the top man: the Queen Mother's devoted servant, friend and confidante. He knew the Queen Mother longer than her own husband did, and enjoyed the royals' trust for 50 years. Tallon handled his power with perfection, seemingly untouchable. The programme explores Tallon's royal odyssey, with access to his private photographs (including off-duty pictures of the Queen Mother), notes from the Queen Mother and Princess Diana, and interviews with those who knew the real man. But despite his popularity and devotion to the royals, how did he end up alone and hounded by the press in a small Kennington flat? Did the palace officials resent his power? Were they out to get him? Billy's story is told from its humble start to his sudden death.
Few people have faced death in a plane crash and lived to tell their tale. On Thursday 15 January 2009, 155 people on board US Airways flight 1549 met potential disaster in the sky over New York City. Yet somehow Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger executed a textbook ditching in the Hudson river and saved the lives of everybody on board. Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash tells the minute-by-minute story of that day through the compelling first-hand testimonies of those who were there, including passengers, eyewitnesses and rescuers.
Looking behind the scenes of Danny Boyle's multi-award winning movie, and revealing the real story behind this hugely successful new take on the 'rags to riches' fable.
In 1908, the French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn launched one of the most ambitious projects in the history of photography. A pacifist, internationalist and utopian idealist, Kahn decided to use his private fortune to improve understanding between the nations of the world. To this end, he created what he called his Archive of the Planet. For the next two decades, he dispatched professional photographers to document the everyday lives of people in more than 50 countries all around the world. Kahn's wealth enabled him to supply his photographers with the most advanced camera technology available. They used the autochrome - the first user-friendly camera system capable of producing true-colour photographs. Some of the most important of all the 72,000 colour images in Kahn's Archive were shot during three separate visits (in 1908, 1912 and 1926) to Japan. As an international financier, Kahn had established a network of contacts that included some of the most prominent members of Japan's business, banking and political elites. Consequently, Kahn's photographers were granted privileged access to places that would have otherwise been off limits - including some of the royal palaces, where they shot colour portraits of the princes and princesses from Japan's Imperial family. But some of their most fascinating images capture moments from the lives of ordinary Japanese people at work and play. This film showcases Kahn's treasury of films and autochromes of silk-farmers, Shinto monks, schoolchildren, porcelain merchants, Kabuki stars and geishas - pictures that were recorded at a time when this fascinating country was going through momentous changes.
It's the most extreme race on earth - a contest with 250 million competitors, only one winner and relentless obstacles thrown in for good measure. Scaled up to human size with the sperm played by real people, The Great Sperm Race tells the story of human conception as it's never been told before using helicopter-mounted cameras, world-renowned scientists, CGI and dramatic reconstruction to illustrate the extraordinary journey of sperm. With the microscopic world of sperm and egg accurately scaled up by 34,000 times, we see the human-sized heroes negotiate some of the world's most striking landscapes when the epic proportions of the vagina become the Canadian Rockies and the buildings on London's South Bank symbolise the intricacies of the cervix. With the female body designed to repel and destroy invaders, from acidic vaginal walls to impassable cervical crypts, the sperm face unremitting obstacles. 'The battle that sperm have in order to find and fertilise an egg is just immense,' explains Dr Allan Pacey. 'Everything is working against sperm and they're not really given a helping hand by the female reproductive tract.' Huge swathes perish and only one will reach the ultimate goal - fertilisation of the egg and the beginnings of new life. Made in conjunction with the Wellcome Trust and consulting the world's leading reproductive scientists, The Great Sperm Race demonstrates the extraordinary intricacies of our bodies and the giant lottery of luck that is our reproductive process.
Documentary following 15-year-old Yukina as she leaves home and moves to Kyoto to embark on the arduous training needed to become a geisha. The profession has always been shrouded in controversy, with some believing geisha are little more than high-class prostitutes. At such a young age, does Yukina really understand what this ancient profession has in store for her?
Hitler was obsessively secretive about his family. This documentary has tracked down some of Hitler's relatives who speak for the first time about living in the shadow of the Nazi dictator.
We examine two apocalyptic religious artists. Norbert Cox & Frank Bruno. Their intense & provocative art while unquestionably shocking for some (including various church groups) is born from their own deeply held religious beliefs. The programme showcases both their art and their philosophies. There is also a nice piece on the Surveillance Camera Players. A group of subversive artists/activists who work to expose and raise awareness of just how ubiquitous and unnoticed the routine surveillance of anyone & everyone has now become. Brother Theodore also makes an unforgettable (though sadly brief) appearance. If ever there was a man born to weild a Doomsday Machine in an underground Volcanic Island Lair then it is Brother Theodore. The phrase "there are some things man was not meant to meddle with" you imagine was written specifically with Brother Thoedore in mind.
This was never going to be easy watching, or listening, as people who were pretty certain that the hour of their death had come in two of the world’s most iconic buildings, made phone calls to their loved ones. All these years after 9/11, I still find it very hard to imagine what that must’ve been like. For those on the planes who, like Ted Olsen’s wife, Barbara, knew that the hijacked planes – one of which she was on – were being flown into buildings in the most audacious and destructive act of terrorism that we’ve ever seen, she knew she was going to die, and horrifically.
The team behind the acclaimed Animals in the Womb, The Living Body combine Emmy Award-winning CGI, special effects photography and cutting-edge medical imagery to follow the development of one body, from the inside. The programme concentrates primarily on the life of one female subject, from the moment of birth through the crisis of puberty and on to adulthood and old age. Looking at how the body deals with accidents, infection, disease and infirmity, the film uses its unique point of view to look inside the extraordinary world of the human body, revealing a stunning new perspective on how our bodies function, grow and mature.
In 2007, Nobel Prize-winner James Watson caused controversy when he was quoted referring to research that suggests black people are less intelligent than other races. Rageh Omaar finds out whether there is any truth to those claims, meeting scientists who believe the research supports the view that races can be differentiated as well as those who oppose the idea. Part of the Race: Science's Last Taboo season.
The Body follows the emotional journeys of ethnic minorities desperate to change their bodies, as well as showing incredible surgery including pioneering limb lengthening procedures.
Before 1967, it was illegal in 16 American states for a black person and white person to marry. Right wing groups on both sides of the Atlantic continue to espouse that the mixing of races is destructive and against some kind of natural order. Aarathi Prasad, a geneticist and mother of a mixed race child, sets out to challenge the ideas of racial purity and examines provocative claims that there are in fact biological advantages to being mixed race. It's a controversial subject that has aroused much opposition from both ends of the political spectrum, but does greater genetic diversity confer advantages in humans, as seen in the breeding of plants and animals, or are lifestyle and environment the primary influences?
The Great Escape is one of the most celebrated stories of World War II, and the subject of an iconic film. Of the 76 Allied airmen who famously escaped in March 1944 from POW camp Stalag Luft III, deep in Nazi Germany, all but three were recaptured. Fifty of them were then shot dead by the Gestapo, in a flagrant breach of the Geneva Convention. As well as recounting the escape, led by charismatic Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, this documentary tells the largely unknown, yet incredible account of what happened next. This is the story beyond the Hollywood legend: the remorseless hunt throughout Europe for the men who murdered the Great Escapers, in a dark mission of detection and revenge that lasted into the 1960s. The film features interviews with WWII experts, with escape survivors reliving their extraordinary experiences, and an interview with the daughter of a Gestapo officer executed for killing Roger Bushell. A relative of murdered Australian flying ace James Catanach is also interviewed; Catanach, along with Bushell, was a very popular POW, and an important player in the Great Escape.
The Face follows three people who are desperate for 'whiter' facial features. We also find out how westernisation surgery is thriving across the globe - from double eyelid and 'face smashing' surgery in South Korea, to nose jobs in Pakistan.
Journalist and broadcaster Ian Hislop uses archives, diaries and contemporary newspapers to explore the stories of soldiers from across the British Empire who fought in World War One. He visits battlefields of the Western Front and meets descendants of troops from India, Jamaica, Ireland and Canada to learn about individuals' reasons for joining up, how they were treated by their comrades, and how their service helped to shape emerging national identities.
A team of scientists investigate the carcass of a one-month-old mammoth who was alive 40,000 years ago in the hope of finding out more about the creature's life and times.
The cameras follow Russell back stage and on the road in early 2009 as he completes an international tour of New York, Australia and the UK, culminating in a sell-out performance to 17,000 fans at the O2. Combining previously unseen footage of his early gigs, the documentary tells the story of the Scandalous Tour, Russell's rise to fame, sexual notoriety and the media storm around 'Sachsgate' giving a unique insight into the man himself.
Award-winning filmmakers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt - aka The Ballet Boyz - join The Royal Ballet as they embark on a historic tour to Cuba. It's the first time a major international ballet company has visited Cuba since the revolution and coincides with its 50th anniversary. The Ballet Boyz are granted exclusive access to this extraordinary cultural exchange between the world's most prestigious ballet company and a country synonymous with economic hardship and political isolation, but that is passionate about dance.
You may remember the numerous 50 and 100 Greatest shows that Channel 4 showed, well this is nearly same thing, seeing a milestone celebrated in a shorter countdown. Stephen Mangan narrates this countdown of the twenty greatest programmes that we saw in the last ten years, 2000-2009, whether it be animation, comedy, drama, reality or soap. With contributions from Craig Charles, Jeremy Clarkson, Coronation Street's Vicky Entwistle, Ashes to Ashes' Philip Glenister, Richard Hammond, The Apprentice's Katie Hopkins, Mathew Horne, Larry Lamb, James May, Kevin McCloud, Dragons' Den's Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis, Dawn Porter, David Quantick, Life On Mars's John Simm, Catherine Tate, David Tennant, Strictly Come Dancing's Bruno Tonioli, Louis Walsh, Dominic West, Claudia Winkleman and Will Young. The twenty programmes are Dragons' Den, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Strictly Come Dancing, Spooks, Coronation Street (I like it, but it should have been EastEnders), Gavin and Stacey, Grand Designs, Shameless, Harry Hill's TV Burp, Friends (from repeats), Life On Mars, Planet Earth, The Office, The Simpsons (from repeats), The X Factor, Q.I., Britain's Got Talent, Doctor Who, The Apprentice, and deserved number one, Top Gear.
The Mona Lisa Curse is a Grierson award-winning polemic documentary by art critic Robert Hughes that examines how the world's most famous painting came to influence the art world. With his trademark style, Hughes explores how museums, the production of art and the way we experience it have radically changed in the last 50 years, telling the story of the rise of contemporary art and looking back over a life spent talking and writing about the art he loves, and loathes. Director: Mandy Chang; Executive Producer: Nick Kent; Prod Co: Oxford Film and TV
Providing unique insight into the private world of Clarence House, this documentary follows the rise and fall of William Tallon - a devoted servant, friend and butler to the Queen Mother.
Two top chefs, Fergus Henderson and Jeremy Lee, embark on an epic culinary journey around the world to test their own limitations by eating taboo meats, from maggots to monkey.
Immersing himself in the lives of child geniuses, Mark meets children with mind-boggling mental capacities. But are these young masterminds a force of nature or the product of intensive nurture? In Seattle Mark meets a junior literary genius. Adora Svitak has written over 400 short stories, already published a novel, and is in big demand as a guest speaker at corporate events, earning up to $10,000 at a time. In Malaysia Mark discovers a nine-year-old maths mastermind, Adi Putra, who also seems to have a canny business sense as CEO of his own company selling brain food. As Mark attempts to get to the bottom of whether these baby brainboxes are the product of nature or nurture, he realises that sometimes it's not so much the parent pushing the child as the child pushing the parent.
Documentary examining the thoughts and observations of writer, raconteur and national treasure, Sir John Mortimer. He enjoyed a successful career as a QC before becoming a full-time writer, a staunch defender of civil liberties who was involved in the Oz magazine obscenity trial in the 1960s and the man who won the Sex Pistols the right to put the word 'bollocks' in the title of their infamous album. Opinionated and unconventional, Mortimer persists in speaking out against the ludicrous ways in which politicians try to curtail our liberties and, very often, our fun. This characteristic outspokenness is delivered with such gentlemanly charm and wit that he continues to be admired and adored by all.
This documentary from the Race: Science's Last Taboo season explores the disturbing phenomena of early 20th century human zoos.
Countdown of the decade's best hits as voted for by viewers, critics and industry figures.
Rupert Everett travels in the footsteps of Lord Byron - sex explorer, celebrity, and the original 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' hero of the Romantic movement.
When Boris Met Dave is a docudrama which investigates the shared past of David Cameron and Boris Johnson who, at the time of broadcast, were two of Britain's most influential Conservative Party politicians – Cameron as Conservative leader and Johnson as Mayor of London. The film features interviews with people who knew Cameron and Johnson both at Eton College and Oxford, where they were both members of the Bullingdon Club.
In 1914, when World War I began, the aeroplane was so new the British had never used it in battle before. Eager recruits, some as young as 17, rushed to join the British army's new aircraft service - the Royal Flying Corps - and quickly came up against the Red Baron and the German hunting squadrons. By the end of the war in 1918, a new and terrifying form of warfare had been devised, the skies had been turned into battlefields and the cost to aviation pioneers had been enormous. In this documentary, two modern-day pilots face the same challenges as the aviators of World War I, in order to find out how aerial warfare evolved so quickly in just four years. Andy Offer and Mark Cutmore are both Red Arrows pilots, the elite of the elite; hugely skilled pilots who served in RAF operations in Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia respectively. Here they fly original First World War aircraft and carry out the key challenges the planes faced in the war: photo reconnaissance, artillery ranging a
In September 2007 Sir Richard Branson's friend, the record-breaking aviator Steve Fossett, disappeared on a pleasure flight. There were rumours that Fossett, who had made the first solo balloon flight around the world, was in Argentina or that he had faked his death. His loss sparked the biggest peacetime search and rescue operation in the history of the United States. Over the ensuing weeks, reports surfaced of hundreds - even thousands - of missing aircraft in a triangular area of the Sierra Nevada mountains that ranges from some of the highest peaks, to the lowest point - Death Valley - in the USA. Dating back to the early days of flight and World War II, the aircraft were lost in an area that also includes the top-secret 'Area 51' military air base, famous for unexplained UFO sightings. As reports of missing aircraft mounted, rumours grew of a new 'Bermuda Triangle': the so-called 'Nevada Triangle'. While the investigators faced challenges from wind, weather and terrain, many theories appeared to explain why so many planes had gone missing in the Nevada Triangle, from government conspiracy and alien intervention to unusual local atmospheric effects. This film reveals what really happened to Steve Fossett. But can it shed some light on the truth of the Nevada Triangle?
Kevin McCloud visits Dharavi, one of the planet's most extreme urban spaces, to live, sleep, eat and wash there, and to test claims that the city has the answers to many of our urban ills.
Kevin's immersive journey through Dharavi continues as he explores the extraordinary recycling industry. Here, 80 per cent of the city's plastic waste is recycled.
Britain's Big Freeze examines the freezing winter of early 2010, meeting experts and eyewitnesses, revealing dramatic stories from the news and from individuals, and looking at the big freezes of 1947, 1963 and February 2009: just how does 2010 compare? The documentary asks what has happened, why has it happened, what have the consequences been, and should we expect these conditions in British winters to come?
A hundred and two minutes passed between the first plane's impact into North Tower of the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, the second plane's attack on South Tower, and the collapse of both buildings. In that time, people around New York reached for their cameras. This documentary joins together hundreds of pieces of footage and audiotape into a single, seamless historical record, much of it never seen before. It is an intensely personal and new perspective of the tragedy, telling that morning's events in real time, as they were experienced by people around New York.
For decades it has been thought that a bomb dropped by a Japanese aircraft sank the USS Arizona during World War II. However, the recent discovery of a group of small Japanese submarines in and around Pearl Harbour has raised questions about the battleship's final hours. This film follows a team of expert investigators, who journey to the seafloor to explore the wreckage of a newly discovered sub, and questions whether this mini-sub, and its two-person crew, made it into Pearl Harbour to fire torpedoes at the Arizona. With unprecedented access to the remains of the Arizona and other unique evidence, including aerial photos taken by Japanese aircraft and testimonials from US and Japanese veterans, Pearl Harbour: Mystery of the Killer Subs investigates the possibility that these tiny but lethal mini-subs may have played a crucial and previously unsuspected part in the tragic events of that 'Day of Infamy'.
The story of Britain's largest ever Anglo Saxon treasure hoard: the 1,600 items discovered in a Staffordshire field in 2009 by a metal detecting enthusiast.
Following the unprecedented disruption caused by the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, The Volcano That Stopped Britain explores the geological and scientific background behind the headlines of this extraordinary story. The documentary identifies the dangers posed by the ash and the effects that it has on aircraft and aviation, as well as exploring the impacts of further possible eruptions to the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
Puyi was a participant in, and victim of, the tumultuous times through which he lived. This film juxtaposes the major political events of the last Emperor of China's life with his strange domestic life, including his five 'wives'. In 1908, aged only two, Puyi ascended the throne at the Forbidden City in Beijing as Qing Emperor of China. At six, rebellions forced his abdication but he continued to live at the palace surrounded by women and eunuchs. At 13 he started to learn of the wider world from his British teacher Reginald Johnston (who was to be portrayed by Peter O'Toole in Bertolucci's famous feature film). Soon afterwards Puyi was evicted from the Palace and embarked on an amazing personal quest to recover his throne. He was to become a puppet Emperor controlled by the Japanese, a prisoner of the Soviet Union, an inmate of a Communist Chinese re-education camp and finally an ordinary citizen living in Beijing through the brutal upheavals of the Cultural Revolution.
This dramatized documentary recounts how, during the most decisive phase of the Battle of the Britain, a single squadron of 34 Polish fighter pilots wreaked havoc on the Luftwaffe, in the process helping to change the course of history and overturning RAF prejudices. From 303 Squadron's bitter struggle for acceptance when they first arrived in the UK, to the crucial part they played in averting the German invasion, and their ultimate betrayal by the Allies, this unknown story is one of the most extraordinary episodes of World War II. Based on a diary kept by the pilots of the squadron, it is a story of increasing frustration on the part of the Poles who had already fought the Luftwaffe and now found themselves having to learn English and the RAF way of doing things. Meanwhile, as the Battle of Britain got underway, inexperienced British pilots were paying a heavy cost. Belatedly, the Poles were cleared for active service and had an immediate impact. In their first week they shot down 40 enemy aircraft, making them the highest scoring RAF squadron. By the time the Battle of Britain was won, they had claimed 126 enemy planes. But as the war ended, their joy turned to despair as they saw their own country handed to Stalin.
Documentary with unprecedented access to the construction of the Royal Navy's newest destroyer, the £1billion HMS Daring, Britain's first new warship for 25 years. The programme follows the process of building the vessel in three different locations with the latest techniques and testing its vast array of weapons. Maritime experts discuss the significance of the ship to the UK's defences, and cameras go behind the scenes on the official launch that brings royalty to Glasgow.
In 1914, when World War I began, the aeroplane was so new the British had never used it in battle before. Eager recruits, some as young as 17, rushed to join the British army's new aircraft service - the Royal Flying Corps - and quickly came up against the Red Baron and the German hunting squadrons. By the end of the war in 1918, a new and terrifying form of warfare had been devised, the skies had been turned into battlefields and the cost to aviation pioneers had been enormous. Fighting the Red Baron follows two modern-day pilots as they face the same challenges the aviators of WWI faced, in order to find out how aerial warfare changed so quickly in just four years.
Documentary examining the American show choir phenomenon that inspired the award-winning show Glee. With contributions from former show choir members including Broadway star Donna Lynne Champlin, plus a chance to meet New York's answer to Mr Schuester - Judith Ranaletta, who has devoted more than 26 years to helping her school's choir become one of the best in the US.
Gladiators: Back from the Dead Up to a million gladiators are thought to have died in arenas across the Roman Empire. And, apart from ancient Italy itself, Roman Britain had the highest density of purpose-built gladiatorial arenas in Europe. Interest in gladiators has been at an all-time high since Russell Crowe's sword and sandals epic. But the details of the lives and deaths of gladiators remain fragmentary. Now, featuring sensational new archaeological discoveries, Gladiators: Back from the Dead vividly recreates the world of the Roman arena and how six gladiators lived, fought and died. The programme reveals how the various types of gladiator were trained in special schools, including Retiarii, who fought with nets and tridents, heavyweight Myrmillonis sword fighters, Thracians armed with special 'bent' swords, Secutors (literarily pursuers) who wore special helmets, and the Bestiarii, who fought wild animals. The programme follows archaeologists and forensic anthropologists as they analyse dozens of Roman skeletons found in Britain over recent years: individuals who evidence shows came from across the Roman Empire. And, using injuries found on the bones, including weapon cut marks and even large carnivore bite marks, as well as evidence of heavy training, the programme re-creates ancient gladiatorial life and death.
On Wednesday 2 June 2010, just after 11am, news began to emerge of the largest gun massacre in Britain for 14 years. Whitehaven, a small fishing port on the Cumbrian coast, joined Hungerford and Dunblane as places synonymous with sudden and inexplicable mass murder. Fifty-two-year-old Derrick Bird, a local taxi driver, divorced with two grown-up sons, had recently become a grandfather. Early in the morning, armed with a rifle and shotgun, Bird embarked on a killing spree that would last until the afternoon and result in 12 dead, 11 injured and his own suicide. This documentary covers the days leading up to what police describe as 'a 45-mile rampage across West Cumbria', the details of what happened on June 2, and the aftermath.
Martin Taylor's revealing behind-the-scenes look at Australia's longest running and probably most politically incorrect beauty contest, Miss Nude Australia. Best Undressed is an offbeat portrait of suburban Australia that's somewhere between Strictly Come Dancing and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; always entertaining, occasionally hilarious and sometimes a little tragic. It is an intimate insight into a group of young women and their families who share the same hopes and dreams as anyone and who are striving to be the very best at what they do but without any of the pretensions of more mainstream beauty pageants. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/best-undressed
From the moment it first flew in 1969, Concorde was an immediate icon, generating intense national pride. Travelling at twice the speed of sound, faster than a bullet, passengers could sip champagne in shirtsleeves on the very edge of space, jetting from London to New York in just three and a half hours. But ten years ago, on 25 July 2000, a devastating crash outside Paris helped to seal Concorde's fate and brought the supersonic age to a close. A decade on, arguments still rage about the exact causes of the loss of Air France flight AF4590, and a French court case is due to decide whether anyone was to blame. Using archive footage, reconstructions and CGI, Concorde's Last Flight tells the turbulent story of the airliner's dramatic rise and fall in the words of her designers and engineers, the pilots and VIP passengers who flew in it, as well as witnesses to the French crash and crash investigators.
In 2009, in an astonishing discovery, the bodies of 250 British and Australian World War I soldiers were found in unmarked graves near Fromelles in northern France. It's the largest war grave to be found in Western Europe in modern times. This film tells the story of how, over the course of a year, the bodies have been carefully exhumed and many of them identified via DNA matches with living relatives. WWI: Finding the Lost Battalions features three British families who hope to discover whether their relatives are amongst the dead, and lay to rest family mysteries that have lasted almost a century. Their relatives are men who went missing in action, but no confirmation of death could ever be given by the War Office. Two are from the sleepy Buckinghamshire village of The Lee, which gave most of its young men to the 2nd Bucks Battalion, whose story this film follows in particular detail. Drawing on personal possessions found with the bodies, including a bible with handwritten annotations, a heart-shaped leather pouch and a return train ticket, as well as astonishing personal diaries and letters from the men who went missing, the film brings the horrifying truth of the Battle of Fromelles, and its impact on the subsequent generations, vividly to life. The fighting took place at the same time as the Battle of the Somme, at the height of WWI. More than 1,500 British and 5,533 Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner during 12 hours of carnage between 19 and 20 July 1916. The Allies failed to gain an inch of ground. Channel 4 was granted exclusive access by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to document the exhumation of the soldiers' remains and their subsequent burial in the new Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery - the first to be built in 50 years.
The number of faith schools in Britain is rising. Around 7,000 publicly-funded schools - one in three - now has a religious affiliation. As the coalition government paves the way for more faith-based education by promoting 'free schools', the renowned atheist and evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins says enough is enough. In this passionately argued film, Dawkins calls on us to reconsider the consequences of faith education, which, he argues, bamboozles parents and indoctrinates and divides children.
Broadcasting two years to the day before the Paralympic 2012 Games begin, Inside Incredible Athletes profiles some of the elite British athletes who excel in their field, from both a personal and a scientific perspective.
A group of environmentalists across the world believe that, in order to save the planet, humanity must embrace the very science and technology they once so stridently opposed. In this film, these life-long die-hard greens advocate radical solutions to climate change, which include GM crops and nuclear energy. They argue that by clinging to an ideology formed more than 40 years ago, the traditional green lobby has failed in its aims and is ultimately harming its own environmental cause. As author and environmentalist Mark Lynas says, 'Being an environmentalist was part of my identity and most of my friends were environmentalists. We were involved in the whole movement together. It took me years to actually begin to question those core, cherished beliefs. It was so challenging it was almost like going over to the dark side. It was a like a horrible dark secret you couldn't share with anyone.
The Warsaw Ghetto housed 440,000 Polish Jews and Roma during World War II. Typhus, starvation and random murders killed over 100,000 of the ghetto's residents even before the Nazis began the massive deportations to the Treblinka extermination camp. Yet the Nazis created a mysterious propaganda film that juxtaposed meticulously staged scenes of Jews enjoying a life of luxury in the ghetto with other, chilling images that required no staging at all. After the war, filmmakers and museums - unaware of the deception - used images from the film as objective illustrations of life in the ghetto, which subsequently became engraved as historical truth. With contributions from ghetto survivors and one of the German cameramen, Warsaw Ghetto: The Unfinished Film reveals how the Nazis used the ghetto as a film set, the inhabitants as actors and the decaying bodies as exhibits, and examines how far we can trust historic images. The narration is mostly in English but it also includes Polish and Deutsch as well.
Presented by gadget, gizmo and toy collector extraordinaire Jonathan Ross, 100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross is a three-hour countdown of the nation's favourite toys and games.
One of the most respected and prolific writers of his generation, John le Carre is the undisputed master of the spy novel, with over 22 bestsellers. At 79 years old, the normally guarded le Carre gives his most candid television interview to at his remote clifftop home in Cornwall.
Paul Weller talks about his love of England, his influences and his 30-year music career from forming The Jam in the 70s to making his more recent albums.
Martin Durkin explains the full extent of the financial mess the UK is in and presents his argument of what needs to be done to make the economy boom again
As a boy, TV personality, travel writer and journalist Dom Joly dreamt of becoming Tintin. In this First Cut film, he fulfils his fantasy to become the world-famous Belgian reporter, and attempts to retrace the steps of Tintin's British adventure: The Black Island. He sets out to track down the real-life places that inspired the story and find the Black Island Castle. The ever-enthusiastic Dom Joly dons the costume of his hero, complete with shorts, plus fours, a white shirt and blue jersey, and even dyes his hair ginger. He goes to Brussels and visits the studio where Herge drew the character. Ever faithful to his quest, Dom goes in search of a Snowy the Dog and visits a seaman's bar in an attempt to find a Captain Haddock look-alike.
They say that blood is thicker than water, and this documentary puts that to the test by examining the brothers who have formed and fronted rock bands. From the Everlys to the Gallaghers via the Kinks and Spandau Ballet, it tells the stories of the bands of brothers who went from their bedrooms to become household names - often with a price to pay. With contributions from Martin Kemp, Matt Goss, Dave Davies, Phil Everly, David Knopfler and the Campbell brothers of UB40
Alan Bennett and director Nicholas Hytner discuss and dissect the process they went through to produce the final version of The Habit of Art, the critically acclaimed play in which a group of actors rehearse a play about W.H. Auden and Benjamin Britten.
Our obsession with wealth transcends all boundaries. This vast gem (45.5 carats), indestructible and priceless, has been at the heart of 350 years of varied history, from Louis XIV to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, via George IV and all sorts of other upper-class oddballs. Wherever it’s been, it seems to have caused death, ruin and bad luck.
There are an estimated 1300 pawn-broking outlets in the UK, compared to just 800 in 2003. In this tough economic climate, pawning is no longer just the preserve of the poor; there is now a new breed of middle class pawner too. Kirsty Garland's film provides a fascinating insight into the pawnbroking business. Paul Aitken is the founder of online pawnbroker Borro, and people are coming to him in increasing numbers to pawn their most treasured possessions. Paul's vaults boast Ferraris, Porsches, Banksys and even a Picasso. Bought during the boom years, these items are now a quick way for their owners to get cash. Paul claims to be transforming pawnbroking's shady image, but with interest rates many times those of the banks, is he just making money from other people's misery? First Cut introduces viewers to Paul, his business and five pawners with very different stories. Mary is the ex-wife of a millionaire. She's pawning a diamond bracelet to tide herself over until her divorce settlement comes through. Pawning is a way of life for unemployed Karen, who loves to shop and pawns her stash of jewellery to get by. Brian is a watch addict, but finances are tight so he has to pawn one of his 24 watches. Cheryl is a cleaner whose husband works two jobs. She plans to pawn her ring to help pay for her grandson's headstone. And Mariola is a Polish divorcee who has lost her job and her home, and may now lose the two rings she has pawned to pay her rent.
December 2010 was the coldest in Britain since records began. This film tells the story of the extreme weather of 2010, and explores the science behind why Britain came to a frozen halt.
The BAFTA and Oscar-nominated film The King's Speech has brought to the fore the inspiring story of King George VI's struggle to overcome his crippling stammer. Featuring interviews with former patients of therapist Lionel Logue, the film provides insight into the working relationship between Logue and his royal patient as well as looking at the methods and techniques he employed to 'cure' his patients. There are also interviews with leading historians of the King, Edward VIII, Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Additionally the programme underlines the vital role of Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, in helping her husband overcome his disability. The programme contrasts King George VI's speeches with those of his brother, the former King Edward VIII, a natural performer. Both men in speaking publicly - one renouncing his throne, the other accepting it - had to conquer their own demons and reveal themselves in a way a King had never done before. Through these speeches the programme explores the relationships between the brothers and in turn their relationship with their father George V: the first King to speak on radio and television to his subjects. The film also pulls into focus a moment in British history that fused the issue of the King's stammer and the destiny of the monarchy; an emerging age of mass communications; of economic depression and global instability: a period of British history when the monarchy needed to show leadership and confidence but with a King who had to overcome a key physical limitation: his stammer.
On Friday 11 March 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale triggered a tsunami that devastated parts of coastal Japan. Japan's Tsunami: How It Happened investigates the science behind the earthquake and tsunami. The programme follows Professor of Geological Sciences Roger Bilham as he sets off to view the devastation from the air.
Into Eternity is a feature documentary film directed by Danish director Michael Madsen, released in 2010. It follows the digging and pre-implementation of the Onkalo nuclear waste repository on the island of Olkiluoto, Finland. Director Michael Madsen questions Onkalo's intended eternal existence, addressing an audience in the remote future. Into Eternity raises the question of the authorities' responsibility of ensuring compliance with relatively new safety criteria legislation and the principles at the core of nuclear waste management.
In 1939, a visionary aircraft designer called Barnes Wallis had an idea. He would design a very special bomb that would bounce across water and destroy German dams. The raid in 1943 was a success and a 1950s feature film carried the the Dambusters story into British legend. The science behind the bouncing bomb is highly complex, and many of Barnes Wallis's vital working calculations have been lost. Cambridge engineer Dr Hugh Hunt sets out in an to attempt to solve this scientific puzzle. Starting from scratch, he rediscovers the brilliance of Wallis's achievement when he tries to hit a dam with a bouncing bomb. It is the first time this has been attempted since the war. Hugh will be assisted by dam engineers, explosives experts, mechanics and pilots who specialise in low altitude flying. A vintage Second World War aircraft is modified to carry a bomb the size of an oil drum.
A decade after the end of the Second World War, Marcel Besançon, a Swiss executive working for the European Broadcasting Union, had the idea to stage a live pan-European singing competition to promote the nascent television services of western Europe. The first Eurovision Song Contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24 May 1956. Although only seven countries participated - six of which, significantly, went on to sign the Treaty of Rome and lay the foundations of the European Community - it was an instant hit and has become an unbroken annual fixture in the life of the continent. But it came to mean even more than that. During the Cold War, the glitz and glamour on the Eurovision stage was seen as a symbol of western escapism and freedom, when only a very few in the Eastern bloc were able or brave enough to risk their lives by tuning in to Finnish TV signals in secret. This documentary tells the inside story of how the Eurovision Song Contest became the most popular live musical event on the planet, and how it helped to build a new Europe.
A team of international scientists and Brian Richards, who suffers from the same disorder as 'elephant man' Jospeh Merrick, uncover details of what Merrick was actually like.
Jon Snow presents a forensic investigation into the final weeks of the quarter-century-long civil war between the government of Sri Lanka and the secessionist rebels, the Tamil Tigers. With disturbing and distressing descriptions and film of executions, atrocities and the shelling of civilians the programme features devastating new video evidence of war crimes - some of the most horrific footage Channel 4 has ever broadcast. Captured on mobile phones, both by Tamils under attack and government soldiers as war trophies, the disturbing footage shows: the extra-judicial executions of prisoners; the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian camps; and dead female Tamil fighters who appear to have been raped or sexually assaulted, abused and murdered.
Documentary charting the history of Nasa's space shuttle programme, as Atlantis completes its 135th and final mission. The programme explores how the craft has become a symbol of the USA's technological dominance, transformed people's understanding of the universe, aided technological advancement and enabled humans to discover the environmental impact they have on Earth.
The incredible story of how Rupert Murdoch used celebrity scandal to bankroll his expanding media empire, before scandal ultimately engulfed the News of the World itself. Jacques Peretti talks to everyone from Hugh Grant to Murdoch insiders to find out how the world of celebrities, cops and politicians first cosied up with, and then turned against, the world's most powerful media mogul.
Amy Winehouse was one of the most talented singers of her generation, winning five Grammies. Jacques Peretti examines the life of the late singer, in a revised and updated edition of his documentary What Really Happened.
Idris Elba reveals the defining moments in street music and culture over the last 35 years, featuring rare archive material, seminal music videos and insight from hip hop stars.
A new generation of the very best urban sports stars are teaming up with incredible young film-makers. Together they've produced stunning films that have captured the attention - and the imagination - of tens of millions of viewers. For the very first time, Concrete Circus, directed by Mike Christie (Jump London, Inside Incredible Athletes), brings together five of the world's best street sport talents and their amazing film-makers. Their recent films have it all: beauty, danger, jaw-dropping action, and - between them - nearly 50 million online views. They are: urban trial-rider phenomenon Danny McAskill; skateboarding virtuoso Kilian Martin; Storm Freerun's Blue with extraordinary 19-year-old parkouriste Phil Doyle (who are joined for an impressive cameo by the incredible pakour/skater Mathieu Ledoux); and, last but not least, BMX flatlander Keelan Phillips. This feature-length documentary follows each team as they set about making a brand new film here in the UK with their film-makers (Stu Thomson, Brett Novak, Claudiu Voicu and Kendy Ty). The premire of the four new films forms the centrepiece of the documentary. Can they better their first spectacular films? Can they jump further, move faster, risk more? How far do they have to go to go further than ever before? Concrete Circus climaxes with an action-packed scene shot at The Barbican in London and directed by Christie, featuring Danny, Kilian, Blue, Phil and Keelan together on screen for the first time.
Documentary exploring how Phillip Garrido was able to kidnap 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard from outside her California home in 1991, hold her captive for 18 years and father two daughters by her. Now free to tell her story, Jaycee presents her testimony, alongside new video evidence released by the District Attorney's Office, which provides details about how a parole officer inspected Garrido's house and failed to find her. The programme includes interviews with Garrido's lawyer, the local sheriff and Jaycee's stepfather Carl Probyn.
Biographer Anne Sebba examines 15 letters by the American socialite, who was widely perceived to have lured Edward VIII away from the English throne. The documents, found among a newly discovered cache, were written around the time of the king's abdication in 1936 and indicate she was in love with another man - information that could change the historical profile of the American socialite.
In this brand new, one-off programme, British comedian, actor and gadget aficionado Stephen Fry chooses and presents his 100 all-time favourite gadgets. In a three-hour countdown, Stephen demonstrates his personal favourite devices and contraptions, all of which have revolutionised our individual and collective lives in some way. From the hi-tech to the historical, and the practical to the downright dumb, this countdown lifts the lid on some of mankind's most brilliant and wacky gadgets that we can no longer live without. Making the cut on Stephen's list are gadgets as diverse as their individual uses, from the tin opener, the trouser press and the answering machine to the apple peeler, the iron and the iPod. Fellow gadget enthusiasts interviewed include Charlie Brooker, Jo Brand, Jon Snow and Heston Blumenthal, who reveals a novel use for his favourite 80s gadget, the Soda Stream.
Of the 2752 people who died in the September 11 attacks, 343 were New York's firemen. This film tells the stories of those who died, those who survived and those who still bear the scars.
This film tells of the emergency treatment of the injured that took place in and around the World Trade Center as the jets crashed and the towers fell on the morning of 9/11. Contains scenes of the aftermath of 9/11. Many lost their lives in the attacks, but there were also thousands of evacuating office workers and emergency responders who were burned, crushed, impaled, lacerated, blinded and traumatised. Many had life-threatening injuries. With access to new footage and testimony from those on the ground, 9/11: Emergency Room reveals how lives were saved. As the unfolding disaster effectively cut off downtown Manhattan from the rest of New York the tiny Downtown Hospital - more used to doing breast implants than major surgery - was faced with dozens of life and death operations. It also tells for the first time the story of the Dunkirk-style flotilla of boats that plied across the Hudson river to evacuate the seriously injured to safety.
The most complete story yet of the operation to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. A stellar cast of White House insiders speak on camera, including the first extraordinary documentary interview with President Barack Obama on the subject. From the anxiety-drenched minutes in the White House Situation Room to the deadly stairwells of Bin Laden's secret labyrinth, cinematic dramatisations take viewers deep inside one of the most important moments of our era, showing the US Navy Seals coming face to face with the most wanted man in history. Based on high-level CIA and White House briefings, and packed with exclusive stories and fresh insights, the film reveals that President Obama received a downbeat last-minute intelligence assessment, which caused many of his senior advisors to turn against the operation.
It is a mystery that has baffled scientists for centuries: how were the Ancient Egyptians able to perfectly preserve their pharaohs for millennia? Now Channel 4 follows a team of pioneering scientists attempting to solve this 3000-year-old enigma by mummifying a body donated specifically for the purpose. Filmed inside one of the UK's leading forensic pathology labs, the scientists want to unlock the preservation techniques used during the 'Golden Age' of Tutankhamen. The 18th Dynasty was a time of huge cultural and political revolution, but it also marked the pinnacle of Egyptian embalming techniques. Using a secret and complex blend of ingredients and processes, priests managed to stop decomposition almost entirely. But what were the mysterious and complex recipes they were using? Did they really understand the science behind them? And, if so, could this represent the greatest scientific achievement of Ancient Egypt?
The life story of the late co-founder of Apple, exploring his reputation for being controlling through interviews with those who knew and worked with him. Includes a never-before-broadcast interview recorded a year after he was diagnosed with cancer where the entrepreneur explains his philosophy of life, gives advice on achieving ambitions and looks back over his career
A new high-tech natural history event, Hippo: The Wild Feast presents the most comprehensive illustration to date of nature's food chain in action. The programme, anchored live from Zambia's Luangwa Valley, shows the events of a fortnight as an entire ecological system including predators, scavengers, birds and insects consume the enormous carcass of an adult hippo. Located by a section of the Luangwa river, a prime location for some of the biggest predators in Zambia, the hippo has been in the sights of the notoriously vicious honey badger, leopards, lions, Nile crocodiles, hyenas, wild dogs, baboons, monitor lizards and marabou storks: known as the 'undertaker birds' and which use their 10-foot wingspan to swoop down and see off other smaller vultures. Presenter Mark Evans speaks to animal and entomology experts and local guides about the animals' behaviour and biological decomposition. With the potential for fierce showdowns between rivals for these vital calories, Evans explains the different eating mechanisms of the animals: from crocodiles, who use each other as leverage for a 'death roll' to twist off the meat, to marabou storks, who gulp down pounds of flesh, which they store in their gullets. The programme also features footage from the dens of predators, staked out by specialist wildlife cameramen
Broadcast just days after the trial of Dr Conrad Murray returned a guilty verdict for the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson, this powerful and dramatic documentary explores the relationship between the King of Pop and his personal physician, with exclusive access to Dr Murray and his defence. The documentary has filmed with Murray and followed him throughout the trial itself, away from the glare of the public spotlight. The film explores Jackson's private world where the controversial use of powerful medication was a way of life, where a man adored by millions lived as a virtual recluse and where an unknown cardiologist from Las Vegas found himself the unexpected companion, confidante and intimate to one of the most famous men in the world. When Michael Jackson died on 25 June 2009 only two people were in the room: Jackson and Dr Conrad Murray. This observational and independent documentary uncovers the fatal friendship behind the headlines and reveals the chain of events that led to one man dead and the other fighting a losing battle for his reputation and freedom. The documentary is preceded by a 15-minute interview in which Dr Murray's version of events is explored and challenged by respected journalist Steve Hewlett.
With exclusive access to Mark Kennedy, Britain's most controversial undercover police officer, this gripping and revelatory documentary tells the definitive, inside story of Mark Stone/Kennedy. Directed by BAFTA Award-winner Brian Hill and narrated by Kennedy, the Cutting Edge film also features interviews with the police to reconstruct the story of how Mark Kennedy went from being a regular south London police officer, with a wife and two children, to becoming Mark Stone. This was Mark the environmental campaigner, militant activist and undercover cop who broke into power stations, learned how to make bombs, infiltrated groups hell-bent on attacking major corporations and stood arm-in-arm with anti-capitalist anarchists. He also had a relationship with a female activist for four years and was even beaten up by fellow police officers who were unaware he was undercover. All the time he was feeding intelligence back to his handlers. Now, with his cover blown, he lives in fear for his life. He is separated from his wife and family. The woman he fell deeply in love with as Mark Stone never wants to see him again. For the first time, Kennedy is returning to face up to himself, his actions and to the people who claim he betrayed them.
The story of the Queen Mother's nieces Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon, who were born with learning difficulties more than 80 years ago and spent most of their lives in an institution. In 1963 Burke's Peerage wrongly stated that the two had died, but Nerissa survived until 1986 and Katherine is still alive, although there is no known record of them ever having been visited by any member of the Bowes-Lyon or royal families - despite the Queen Mother being a patron of Mencap.
Alan Turing is the genius British mathematician who was instrumental in breaking the German naval Enigma Code during World War II, arguably saving millions of lives. He was also the visionary scientist who gave birth to the computer age, pioneered artificial intelligence and was the first to investigate the mathematical underpinnings of the living world. Turing is one of the great original thinkers of the 20th century, who foresaw the digital world in which we now live. In the eyes of many scientists today Turing sits alongside Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin at the table of scientific greats. Turing's achievements went unrecognised during his lifetime. Instead he ended up being treated as a common criminal, for being homosexual at a time when homosexual acts were a crime. In 1952, he was convicted of 'gross indecency' with another man and was forced to undergo so-called 'organo-therapy' - chemical castration. Two years later, he killed himself with cyanide, aged just 41. Alan Turing was driven to a terrible despair and early death by the nation he'd done so much to save. In the last 18 months of his short life, Turing visited a psychiatrist, Dr Franz Greenbaum, who tried to help him. This film brings Turing's ideas to life by dramatising this relationship and these sessions, based on historical records, Turing's writings, and accounts of those who knew him. The film includes the testimony of people who knew and remember Turing. Plus, contemporary experts from the world of technology and high science, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, bring Turing's exciting impact up to the present day, explaining why, in many ways, modern technology has only just begun to explore the potential of Turing's ideas.
Linda Carty was born on the Commonwealth island of St Kitts. She's awaiting execution in Texas: if she's killed, she'll be the first British woman to be executed since Ruth Ellis, over 50 years ago. In this moving documentary, film maker Steve Humphries goes in search of the real Linda Carty: who she is, where she came from, and how she ended up in arguably the worst place in the world, Death Row. Linda was convicted of capital murder in 2002 after it was alleged she was the mastermind behind a horrific crime. In May 2001, a criminal gang broke into the home of Linda's neighbours and abducted a young mother and her three-day-old baby boy. The next day the baby was found alive in one of Linda's cars, but his mother was found dead in another - she had been suffocated.
Fascinating documentary that ollows a team of engineers, archaeologists and serving RAF officers who have assembled on the site of Stalag Luft III - the supposedly escape-proof World War II Prisoner of War camp. This was the Great Escape, immortalised by Hollywood and Steve McQueen in 1963, and now internationally known as a story of extraordinary courage and ingenuity. But how did the POWs do it? How did they dig a 100-metre tunnel, seven metres below ground, with only cutlery for tools? How did they forge more than 100 documents? What did they do with the 90 double bunk beds, 635 mattresses, 3424 towels (and more besides) that they stole from the camp? And who were these remarkable people? Interweaving the historical narrative with first-hand testimonies and the unfolding story of the excavations and experiments, this film offers a new insight into the Great Escape, and is a celebration of a remarkable group of men.
Eyewitness accounts of the tsunami that devastated Japan in March 2011, captured by the people who kept filming as the cataclysmic events unfolded around them.
With a record-breaking cold winter, the tsunami in Japan, the extraordinary killer American tornado season, the floods in Australia and a hurricane in New York, 2011 has seen an onslaught of epic-scale climate and geological events across the world, all caught on camera in the most spectacular fashion. Using eye-witness footage, interviews with survivors and rescuers and analysis from geological and weather specialists, this documentary charts the incredible natural events of a year where almost every month was affected by a natural disaster.
This one-off special looks at the untold life of British national treasure, comedian and magician Tommy Cooper. Drawing on details from the meticulous diaries of his life-long manager, Miff Ferrie, The Untold Tommy Cooper features previously unheard audio and unseen archive footage from Cooper's personal and professional life, including material never performed before. Fans as diverse as Johnny Vegas, Damien Hirst, Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Roger Moore, Alfred Molina and Reece Shearsmith talk about their love of Cooper, and voices never heard before - including the man who tried to save Cooper's life - reveal their stories and passion for this comedy giant. Includes footage of his sudden collapse and death on stage.
Set in Clapham Junction, London, London's Burning is a dramatic interpretation of a single night of rioting and looting that took place in August 2011. Starring David Morrissey (The Other Boleyn Girl, Red Riding, Nowhere Boy) and Samantha Bond (Goldeneye, Downton Abbey, Outnumbered) as senior police officers, London's Burning tells how residents, shopkeepers and businesses dealt with the violence.
In the German hamlet of Herxheim, archaeologists excavating a 7000-year-old mass grave of up to 1000 Stone Age people have concluded that the site was not a Neolithic graveyard, as previously assumed, but a killing field where hundreds of men, women and children met a grisly fate. Scholars now believe that Stone Age Europe was much more violent than previously thought, and some scientists believe the bodies in Herxheim were murdered, cooked and cannibalised in sacrificial rites that drew participants from hundreds of miles away. It's a possibility that calls into question much of what we thought we knew about civilisation, and forces us to face the fact that cannibalism and human sacrifice may be undeniable parts of our human history. This programme follows the investigations.
Graffiti - the work of mindless vandals or creative geniuses? To some it is art, to others it is a sign we've lost control of our cities. Since Roman times graffiti has been a form of anti-establishment rebellion. But today it is transcending social nuisance to gain cultural and artistic credibility, unprecedented prices at auction and even Presidential and Prime Ministerial approval. However, at street level a bitter war is being waged between graffiti writers, street artists and the authorities. While graffiti writers face trial and prison sentences for their art, some street artists' work is lauded and protected behind Perspex. This issue is at the heart of a graffiti war being fought on the streets of London between one of the founding fathers of the British graffiti scene and the most famous street artist in the world. In London over the past 18 months the tension between the camps has played out in a battle of spray cans between supporters of freehand graffiti writer King Robbo and those of his nemesis, the stencil-using street artist Banksy. The "graffiti war" between the two men began in the early 90's but was re-ignited by what was widely seen in some graffiti circles as an unforgiveable transgression of graffiti "rules" by Banksy. It was an act that pulled 80s legend King Robbo out of retirement to retaliate in the place where it all began, the streets. Directed and produced by Jane Preston, the film goes behind enemy lines as the war escalates - until tragic and unforeseen circumstances bring about an unexpected ceasefire.
This gripping, feature-length documentary charts the first year in the life of Britain's new Supreme Court - the highest court in the land. With unprecedented access the film meets the judges, lawyers and ordinary people whose cases will have a far-reaching effect on the everyday lives of others across the UK. For those bringing these high-profile cases to court there is a lot at stake, and the programme reveals their hopes and fears as they and their legal teams come face-to-face with the most powerful judges in the UK. The judges have allowed proceedings to be filmed and, uniquely, justice is seen unfolding as judges and lawyers - the finest legal minds in the country - debate key contemporary issues. See David and Goliath battles of individuals challenging the state, the outcomes of which help to define the nature of society today.
Frozen for more than 5000 years on a remote mountain pass, Ötzi the Iceman now lies in a refrigerated tomb. He's a survivor from the Stone Age, bearing secrets of how humans lived nearly 1000 years before the pyramids. His mummified corpse pulled from a glacier in the Alps two decades ago has been probed by scientists for the last 20 years. Yet he's still a mystery waiting to be solved. Who was Ötzi? How did he die? Was it in battle? Or was he murdered? After two years of preparation, a risky autopsy against the clock overturns past theories. The Iceman's DNA and last meal surprise the experts. At last they come closer to understanding our ancient past and to solving this case of death in the Neolithic Age.
Britain’s Most Fragile Treasure sees historian Dr Janina Ramirez unlock the secrets of a centuries-old masterpiece in glass. At 78 feet in height, the Great East Window at York Minster, often referred to as England’s Sistine Chapel, is the largest medieval stained-glass window in the country, and it was the creative vision of a single craftsman, John Thornton, the foremost stained-glass artist of his time. The scale of John Thornton’s achievement is revealed as Dr Ramirez follows the work of the conservation team at York Glaziers Trust, who are restoring the Great East Window to its original glory. The programme promises a unique opportunity to examine John Thornton’s greatest work at close quarters, and to reveal exactly how medieval artists made images of such complexity using the simplest of tools. The Great East Window of York Minster is more than a work of artistic genius, it tells a story of the medieval world, preserved in the most fragile medium of all: glass.
The Johnson family appeared to have it all after two decades of happy marriage: professional success, a beautiful house in Kent, flaxen-haired children... Locals jokingly referred to them as a 'Sunday Supplement Family'. But one day Nick told his wife he had a surprise for her, led her blind-folded into the garden, and committed an act of violence far worse than anything they could have imagined. Henry, who was just 16 at the time, became a witness to the crime. We Need to Talk About Dad meets the Johnsons as they reunite for Christmas, fulfilling the dreams of the youngest son Felix who - until now - has been sheltered from the events of that day. Henry's need to confront what happened sees each of them come face to face with the mystery of the attack, and the impact it has had on their lives.
A journey through some of the finest moments of acoustic guitar performances from the BBC archives, from Jimmy Page's television debut in 1958 to Oasis and Biffy Clyro. Other highlights include Neil Young's Heart of Gold, David Bowie's Starman, Donovan's Mellow Yellow, Joan Armatrading's Woncha Come on Home, Bert Jansch, Johnny Marr and Bernard Butler, and Joni Mitchell's Chelsea Morning.
Three British families try out the tax, pensions and work practices that caused Greece's economic crisis and brought on the austerity measures aimed at cutting the deficit and qualifying for EU bailouts. A 54-year-old British hairdresser discovers the generosity of the Greek pensions system, which still allows hairdressers, pastry chefs, radio continuity announcers and people in almost 600 other jobs to retire aged 53 at 90% of the final pension because their jobs are defined as hazardous. A bus driver reaps the rewards of the Greek approach to state-run services, where bus drivers could be paid up to almost double the national average salary and receive extra bonuses for arriving at work early and for checking bus tickets. And a British surgeon is delighted to discover how paying income tax the Greek way will transform his disposable income. The personal experiences of the three main characters are supported by expert interviews that establish the patterns of tax evasion, corruption and mismanagement that have helped to sink the Greek economy.
The story of the people of Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, where nuclear weapons tests during the Soviet era are thought to have caused genetic defects in a new generation. Local medical records now indicate one in 20 of the area's children is born with genetic defects, and the programme highlights the work of a maternity doctor piloting a genetic passport scheme aiming to reduce the chances of women with damaged genes getting pregnant
Jon Snow turns his eye and mind back to an extraordinary 12 months of news in Britain and abroad, and reflects on how his own life has changed in the past year. This is not a classic compendium of major events but a very personal recollection of the stories which mattered to Jon Snow. Some he witnessed first hand; like the fall of Mubarak or the aftermath of the Japanese Tsunami. Others he covered from the studios of Channel 4 News - but all left their mark on him and millions of others. For Jon personally 2011 was the year of the social network and the year of the bicycle. Both have become vital to his work and both seemed to take off in a big way. It's also a year when his own profession came under intense public scrutiny. And oh yes... It's the year he appeared on Desert Island Discs and received an honorary degree from Liverpool University 45 years after the same University threw him out for student activism. In this programme Jon bypasses the usual suspects - the politicians, commentators and diplomats - focussing instead on those directly affected or involved and talking in his own inimitable style to the people whose voices are not always heard when history is written. Building on his reputation for warm, frank and honest commentary, Jon Snow's 2011 does what it says on the tin and gives Channel 4 viewers a uniquely personal take on an extraordinary 12 months of British and world news.
Elephants can live for seventy years. But what happens when one of these magnificent beasts dies in the wild? This stunning film turns normal wildlife documentaries on their head to find out what happens after death, as a five ton adult elephant is transformed into six million calories worth of fat, meat and guts, feeding a whole new cycle of life. The documentary gives scientists the chance to watch close up, day and night, as animals from leopards, hyenas and vultures, to flies and beetles, take just days to reduce the largest land animal on earth to bare bones. Biologist Simon watt leads a team of experts watching the events unfold in Tsavo West National Park in Kenya. They will be following the action as never before, using remote cameras and night vision equipment under the supervision of animal behaviour expert, Warren Samuels. The elephant, a young adult male, had to be put down by a vet after being mortally wounded by ivory poachers. But his remains will provide a feast for the local ecosystem and a new source of research. Raptor expert, Simon Thomsett, is keen to study the behaviour of local vultures, whose increasing timidity could mark a shift in the food chain. Meanwhile big cat expert Alayne Cotterill is treated to the incredibly rare sight of leopards feeding on the elephant and insect expert Dino Martins marvels as flies and maggots swarm across the body and attract other predators in their turn. The eye-opening documentary is a unique insight into a natural spectacle that reveals how life has adapted to reap the bounty of death.
Wallis Simpson was at the center of a national scandal when she was seen to ensnare Edward VIII and lure him from the throne. Recently discovered letters reveal her secret love and her fear as she found herself becoming trapped into marrying Edward VIII.
Bafta award-winning director Dan Reed (Dispatches: Terror in Mumbai) untangles the hysteria, fury and politics surrounding the ‘Mosque at Ground Zero'. His film explores how this proposed mosque and Islamic community centre, two blocks away from the site of the 9/11 attacks in lower Manhattan, has thrown into sharp focus the tensions at the core of American democracy regarding the country's Muslim population. With unique access to the major players in the project and the unfolding events, Ground Zero Mosque recounts the press frenzy surrounding the plans, the vitriolic attacks on its high-profile spiritual leader, Imam Feisal, the heartrending stories of some of the 9/11 families who oppose the building and reveals the driving force behind the mosque.
On 18 March 2008 a two-year-old boy was beaten to death in a Texan border town. His aunt, Mayra Rosales, was the only one with him at the time and was charged with his murder. But was this really possible? Mayra weighed nearly 500 kg, was bed-ridden and totally immobile. So why was she confessing to a heinous crime she seemingly could not have committed? This incredible film follows the many twists and turns in the case with intimate interviews with Mayra, her family, and the investigators, lawyers and doctors involved.
Using previously confidential files, investigative author Andrew Cook exposes a new angle on The Great Train Robbery, searching for the inside man who tipped the robbers off
Mollie and Alex are part of a growing group of teens and twentysomethings embracing the world of public nudity - a contemporary phenomenon that's been driven by social networking sites such as Facebook as well as niche websites like Naked Vegan Cooking. They are on a quest to normalise nudity, question the media's obsession with the body beautiful, and encourage other young people to liberate themselves by simply going naked - in the streets, in cafes or at art shows. The new nudists are keen to take the nudist lifestyle beyond the old fashioned naturist clubs. So why is this pastime increasing in popularity and what do the parents think about their child revealing all in the most public of places?
Britain is the shoplifting capital of Europe - the crime has increased by over 12% in the last year. This film heads to the front line of the battle between shops and robbers, revealing the cunning and clever up-to-date tactics employed by both sides.
Everywhere you turn humans are being replaced by machines. Whether you are shopping, banking, parking the car or booking an evening out, the chances are it's computers or an automated phone system and not real people that you'll be dealing with. Actor Richard Wilson investigates the rise of automated services across Britain and put the machines to the test, to reveal who's really benefiting from the switch to DIY technology. Richard struggles with a supermarket self-service till, takes 15 minutes to pay for parking by phone and totally fails to get voice-activated cinema booking lines to understand him. In a bid to put automated phone systems of some of the country's largest services providers to the test, Richard creates his own call centre and reveals the best and worst for on-hold waiting time. More and more companies are using voice recognition systems. Richard speaks to customers who complain that this type of technology is frustrating to use and often doesn't recognise national and regional accents. Retailers claim all this self-service technology offers customers more choice and faster, better service. Yet a survey for the programme suggests which of these services gives us the biggest headache.
The £400 million cruise ship - which got off to a bad start when the champagne bottle failed to break on its launch - fell prey to the omens when it sank on Friday 13 January 2012 off the Italian coast. This programme pieces together the mistakes that led to the disaster. With a capacity of 3780 passengers and at an impressive 290m long and 31m high, the ship was a palace of the ocean. So how did this boat, hailed as a glorious example of modern technology, sink? And why do some critics say the design of these mega-cruisers is dangerous? These are just some of the questions this programme examines as it tries to understand how, after a century of safety measures and technological advances since the Titanic, a ship with so many passengers can sink. Using CGI and testimonial, it recreates a minute-by-minute account of the timeline to tragedy, featuring exclusive interviews with survivors, rescuers and world-renowned experts.
Newport - the gateway to Wales. Celebrated in the cult YouTube hit Newport State of Mind, the birthplace of Goldie Lookin' Chain and home to LRS Security, who look after many of the city centre's bars and clubs. This funny, irreverent and often surprising film follows the boys of Newport's biggest security firm over a summer of booze, brawls and brotherhood. Out of their HQ above a cafe on the High Street, ambitious MD Richie Davis and doughnut-loving operations director Len Harrhym run a team of loyal lads who manage the drunk and often difficult locals every week. The boys give a rare insight into what it's like being a bouncer in one of the most distinctive cities in Britain. Twenty-seven-year-old Joe Gower is a born-and-bred Valley boy; his dry, acerbic wit and tongue-in-cheek human observation are second to none. He was once a top earner in the insurance industry but lost it all in the credit crunch and is now trying to build himself back up again. Moving to Newport and becoming a doorman saved 21-year-old Jamie Yarnold's life. The regular bouncer on a gay-friendly venue, he was severely bullied from the age of six and ballooned to 21 stone. Now through working on the doors he's finally found the friends and respect he always wanted and even met the love of his life. University student Geraint Clarke is a natural born charmer and the bouncer philosopher with a love of Oscar Wilde. His Toni and Guy haircut is well known throughout the streets of Newport and he enjoys the camaraderie of his job and all the female attention it brings.
Over a billion passengers a year. And 19,000 employees. All facing a daily battle with the world's oldest subway system: the London Underground. This documentary provides a rare glimpse into the depths of the iconic Tube network that passengers don't see, as workers reveal the dilemmas and pressures that they must reconcile to keep this hugely complex and strained system running.
This documentary draws comparisons between Tommy Robinson, leader of the English Defence League and Sayful Islam, head of a Muslim extremist group that has gone by many names; and examines the long standing feud that has existed between these two organizations.
Returning to mark Amnesty International's 50th anniversary, The Secret Policeman's Ball 2012 is bigger than ever as some of the world's best comedians and musicians team up for an evening of original, cutting-edge entertainment. This year's Secret Policeman's Ball takes place in March at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, featuring an all-star cast of music and comedy talent. Among the line-up of British and American talent are Coldplay, Russell Brand, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Mumford & Sons and Reggie Watts.
As Britain experiences the worst recession since the war, over a million women are out of work. Drastic times call for drastic measures. My Phone Sex Secrets meets the women offering lip service down the line. Gone are the cliches of bored housewives earning pin money. Getting in on the act instead are all kinds of women - young and old, single and married. My Phone Sex Secrets meets first-time recruit Rosa, who after weeks of unsuccessful job hunting, believes that phone sex will help her get back in the black. The film follows Rosa try phone sex for the very first time. At the other end of the scale is Jenny, who, after a decade in the game, is the doyenne of dirty dialogue. And then there's dominatrix Marnie Diamond, who wonders whether the huge pay check is worth the impact on other aspects of her life.
On 30 April 1982, the RAF launched a secret mission: to fly a Vulcan bomber to the Falkland Islands and bomb Port Stanley's runway, putting it out of action for Argentine fighter jets. The safety of the British Task Force depended on its success. However, the RAF could only get a single plane - a crumbling, Cold War-era Vulcan - 8000 miles south to the Falklands, because just one bomber needed an aerial fleet of 13 Victor tanker planes to refuel it throughout the 16-hour round-trip. At the time it was the longest-range bombing mission in history. From start to finish, the seemingly impossible mission was a comedy of errors, held together by pluck and ingenuity. On the brink of being scrapped, only three of the ageing nuclear bombers could be fitted out for war, one to fly the mission and two in reserve. Crucial spare parts were scavenged from museums and scrap yards - one vital component had been serving as an ashtray in the Officers' Mess. In just three weeks, the Vulcan crews had to learn air-to-air refuelling, which they hadn't done for 20 years, and conventional bombing, which they hadn't done for 10 years either. The RAF scoured the country for Second World War iron bombs, and complex refuelling calculations were done the night before on a £5 pocket calculator. With a plan stretched to the limit and the RAF's hopes riding on just one Vulcan, the mission was flown on a knife-edge: fraught with mechanical failures, unreliable navigation, electrical storms and lack of fuel. Of the 21 bombs the Vulcan dropped, only one found its target. But it was enough to change the outcome of the war. Astonishingly, this great feat has been downplayed into near obscurity by history, but this documentary brings it back to life, providing a thrilling and uncharacteristically upbeat account from the Falklands War: the Dambusters for the 1980s generation.
Disaster at Sea: Why Ships Sink examines the complex web of design and construction weaknesses, navigational and human errors, and failures in evacuation plans, which contribute to the sinking of ships and the loss of passenger lives.
This feature-length documentary explores Elizabeth Taylor's extraordinary life story through some of her most precious possessions, which feature in landmark auctions in New York and London. With exclusive access to Christie's, the film brings to life the excitement and frenetic bidding at the auctions as millions of pounds are bid for the 'Crown Jewels of Hollywood', some of which sell for 50 times their pre-sale estimates. Each item of jewellery, art and haute couture provides a springboard into a key period of Hollywood legend Taylor's life. The documentary opens a fascinating window into her character and her relationship with jewellery. Interviews with the people central to Taylor's life bring into focus what motivated her, her obsession with diamonds, and the fabulous and tumultuous lifestyle she had on and off screen. Interviewees include Joan Collins, Liza Minnelli and Mickey Rooney, and also her favourite jewellery and fashion designers - Bulgari, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Dior and Valentino - who created many of her extraordinary outfits. Filmed in London, Paris, Rome, New York and Los Angeles, the film visits locations synonymous with Taylor, including The Dorchester in London and The Ritz in Paris. Interviewing people who have never before spoken about their relationship with Taylor, this documentary tells the definitive story of her life and why diamonds really were one of her best friends.
Newly released recordings of military and air traffic control conversations offer a moving perspective on 9/11 and the fateful minutes that changed America forever.
In 1897, Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee - the first British monarch to do so. But beyond the grand celebrations on London's streets, a war was raging between Victoria and her court over her relationship with her Indian servant Abdul Karim. Victoria's friendship with her Scottish servant John Brown is a familiar story. Her relationship with Karim is less well known but produced even greater shockwaves in the palace. Originally one of two Indians selected to join the Queen's household, Karim rose from being a humble waiter to become Victoria's most intimate confidant. He introduced her to the delights of Indian cuisine, fed her romantic visions of India, and became her 'Munshi' or teacher, giving Victoria daily lessons in Hindustani. Their relationship violated Victorian taboos of race and class as well as stoking bitter jealousy in the royal household; Karim was showered with honours and promoted over the courtiers whose families had served the royal family for generations. The presence of a Muslim at the heart of the British court even threatened to destabilise the politics of Empire itself. A crisis point was reached in the summer of 1897 in a dramatic confrontation between the Queen and her family, which threatened to plunge diamond jubilee celebrations into chaos. The film features interviews with relatives of both Victoria's household and Abdul Karim, as well as extracts from Victoria's diaries and journals.
The Plot to Bring Down Britain's Planes examines in minute detail an invidious home-grown terrorist plot to blow up airplanes flying out of Heathrow Airport, and reconstructs in candid, gripping detail the inside story of the UK's largest and most dangerous surveillance operation. British airport security has been rigorously tightened and increasingly stringent restrictions have been imposed on what we can carry onto airliners. Anyone who travels by plane is well aware of the ban on drinks bottles in hand luggage; but few people know exactly why. The reason dates back to 2006 when a group of young British men from Walthamstow, East London, planned to blow up multiple airliners, departing from Heathrow, simultaneously in mid-flight, with explosives disguised as soft drinks. If successful, it would have potentially killed over 2000 people and crippled the world aviation industry. But, unbeknown to the terrorists, MI5 was watching. Over the summer of 2006, with the investigation spreading from the streets of East London to al-Qaeda training camps in Pakistan, the British authorities faced a nerve-shredding race trying to gather enough evidence to make arrests before the terrorists could launch their devastating attacks. The film reveals the behind-the-scenes friction between the US and UK authorities and how American intervention forced the hand of their British partners into making premature arrests, which threw the planned operation into jeopardy. The programme features unprecedented access to members of Counter Terror Command involved in the biggest surveillance operation since the Second World War, who have given interviews and forensic detail about the planned terror attack, plus members of the British government, including the then Home Secretary Lord Reid, Andy Hayman (Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police Service 2005 to 2008) and Peter Clarke (National Co-ordinator of Terrorist Investigations, Metropolitan Police Service 2002 to 2008),
For centuries, artists of all kinds - from Michelangelo to Martin Scorsese, Salvador Dali to Damien Hirst and Andrew Lloyd Webber to Monty Python - have attempted to convey the meaning of the crucifixion through their work. For many it has been a deeply personal expression of belief. Now anatomist Dr Gunther von Hagens, who made his name showing the world the wonders of the human body through his Body Worlds exhibitions, has decided to create a crucifix. The new piece, which he's been planning for over six years, is revealed in this documentary, which features interviews with leading art historians and theologians, amongst others, and examines the enduring iconic image of the crucifix. The documentary follows von Hagens, who in 2011 revealed that he is suffering from Parkinson's disease, as he undertakes an intensely personal journey to create his crucifix. Von Hagens is famous for using donated human bodies in his 'plastinated' works, and the new piece was made by injecting liquid plastic into bones and blood vessels, from a number of donors' bodies, which then hardens to create perfect casts. The resulting figure, which does not contain any human tissue, was then mounted on a wooden cross cut from a tree felled near von Hagens' family home in Germany. The documentary traces the representation and interpretation of the crucifix from illustrations on fourth-century tombs, through centuries of church-sanctioned depictions to contemporary portrayals.
An examination of the challenges and achievements of building Western Europe's tallest tower in a densely populated part of London. Built against a backdrop of massive public opposition and one of the worst recessions in history, this feat of architectural engineering in the heart of the capital will stand at over 1000 feet - the tallest tower in Western Europe. Love it or hate it, The Shard is destined to become one of London's most dominant landmarks. The film lifts the lid on the challenges and achievements of an enormous engineering project in a densely populated area of London. The demanding construction schedule required builders to add a new floor every seven days, and has used 100,000 tonnes of concrete, 11,468 glass panels, a spire made of 500 tonnes of steel and the UK's tallest crane. On completion, this 1016 foot 'vertical town' will include office space, the highest residential apartments in the UK, a five-star hotel, restaurants and public viewing galleries. Its construction is the dream of property developer Irvine Sellar, a former fashion-store owner, who appointed world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, who's famous for landmark buildings including Paris's Pompidou Centre and the home of the New York Times. Filmed over four years, The Tallest Tower: Building the Shard provides exclusive behind-the-scenes access to this architectural journey, and the story of one man's desire to leave a lasting mark on the capital.
In 2009, a group of passionate scientists stumbled upon fossils of the titanoboa - the biggest snake of all time. At 48 feet long and weighing well over a tonne, the snake is one of the greatest discoveries since the T-rex. The animal is a relative of modern boa constrictors and lived in the rainforest of north-east Colombia 58-60 million years ago. The spectacular palaeontological find deep in the Cerrejon coal mines in Colombia has blown the doors off a lost period in prehistory. They had unexpectedly discovered a time after the dinosaurs when the world was once again ruled by super-sized reptiles, battling it out to become the planet's top predators; among them, the gargantuan titanoboa. Using pin-sharp CGI and scintillating cutting-edge science, the programme brings back the real lost world.
A look behind the scenes of one of the UK's most successful online sex toy businesses. Lovehoney is a thriving operation that brings sexual pleasure to the women and men of Britain through the click of a button. Founded in 2002 by Neal Slateford and Richard Longhurst, Lovehoney has seen its sales increase each year to a current total of £16 millon. Lovehoney reckon that nearly half of the nation owns a sex toy. The UK sex-toy market is worth an estimated £250 million. And with high street retailers such as Boots, Tesco and Superdrug now stocking erotic toys, the market is set to grow and grow. More Sex Please, We're British meets the people working at the company's HQ in Bath, sending out over 11,000 parcels a week - from adult toys and sexy lingerie, to erotic literature and games. The cameras also follow the company as it prepares to revamp the upscale Coco de Mer in London's Covent Garden and break into the USA.
Archbishop Cosmon Gordon Lang believed that Edward VIII's love for Wallis Simpson made a mockery of all that he stood for and threatened the Crown and the Church of England. Edward VIII: The Plot to Topple a King tells how this extraordinary archbishop assembled a group of establishment big-wigs and grandees in 1936 to oust Edward. Based on a large archive of unpublished diaries, personal notes and his own secret account of the abdication, the film reveals for the first time the machinations that went on behind the scenes to remove the King. Lang worked with the editor of The Times, Geoffrey Dawson, and others to bring extreme pressure on the prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, to take action to ensure the departure of Edward. When the archbishop's project to force the abdication of the King looked in doubt, he even resorted to smear tactics. Lang believed that by aligning the monarchy with the Church of England he could bring religion back into the heart of society but, following George V's death in January 1936, he faced an adversary in the 'playboy prince' Edward, an undeclared atheist who wanted to modernise the royal family and marry twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson. Lang's rigidly moralistic stance contributed to the King's abdication and his replacement with the stammering but dutiful George VI, but it would also prove to be his undoing, as his public criticism of Edward backfired and his campaign to recall the country to religion fell on deaf ears.
To get their hearts' desires traditionally some women have used their natural charms to exploit men's weaknesses. But today, a new breed of women are making it big business. These women are getting whatever they want from men - from life's luxuries to their gas bill paid - in a phenomenon known as 'rinsing'. These relationships are always on the women's own terms. Sex is never part of the deal - the men's wallets may open, but the girls' legs stay firmly closed. Fake tan, boobs and eyelashes are all part of the game. And now Facebook, Twitter and smart phones enable these women to work their men at the touch of a button. Sex, Lies and Rinsing Guys follows three women who live this life: Jeanette Worthington from Liverpool, Danica Thrall, born in Derbyshire, and Nottingham's Hollie Capper. Jeanette, Danica and Hollie are mistresses of the art of manipulating men, whether it's face to face or online. This one-off documentary follows them as they charm, persuade, and manipulate men to buy them what they want.
Many people try to lose weight; My Big Fat Fetish is about big women who are happy with their weight and some who want to get even fatter. Magazines and online websites featuring big beautiful women - also known as gainers - have become more and more popular. These women love their fat bodies and there are millions of men around the world who admire them and are willing to pay to watch them eat online. My Big Fat Fetish follows the lives of four big models in the USA and UK, intimately exploring the relationship these women have with their food and bodies, and also with their fans, and revealing what motivates them to this sexual lifestyle.
In 2011 Channel 4 exposed damning evidence of atrocities committed in the war in Sri Lanka. Jon Snow presents this powerful follow-up film, revealing new video evidence as well as contemporaneous documents, eye-witness accounts, photographic stills and videos relating to how exactly events unfolded during the final days of the civil war.
An insight into the Unification Church, a religious movement founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon. The film follows three British believers as they prepare to take part in a mass wedding, travelling to the Asian country to be blessed by Reverend Moon himself. The trio undertake a condensed courtship with their potential partners, some of whom meet just a few days before the ceremony takes place.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist embarks on a personal journey in a bid to understand whether a possible link between the transatlantic slave trade and genetic selection may be a factor in the continuing success of African-American and Caribbean athletes at top-flight events. He also explores the appalling crimes carried out on slave ships and plantation owners' barbaric breeding programmes.
Ruby Wax campaigns to bring down the stigma that surrounds mental illness, supporting and meeting people who've been brave enough to discuss their mental health conditions. Audiences remember Ruby Wax as the larger-than-life comedian. Now her career has taken a different turn: 'I've become the poster girl for mental health,' she says. Building on the success of her mental health stage show, during which the audience is encouraged to speak openly about their own experiences, in this documentary Ruby campaigns to break down the stigma that still surrounds mental illness. She wants to support people who choose to stand up and be honest about their condition, and follows three successful businesspeople as they disclose their mental illness to their employers and, in some cases, their friends. Ruby also takes her cause to the House of Commons to find out the current state of the law, and meets the MPs who recently spoke openly for the first time about their mental health conditions during a parliamentary debate. Ruby's lively celebrity interviews are well known, but this documentary casts the straight-talking actress and comedian in a new light, sharing her own vulnerabilities with humour and warmth, while mentoring and empowering people to open up about their mental illnesses. Ruby also brings a depth of understanding to the subject matter as she is studying for an MA in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness at Oxford University. As well as performing her hit show, Ruby explores her life-long battle with depression and goes back to the places that were important on her journey, including the Priory Hospital. Her husband Ed Bye and her three grown-up children also give their own moving and frank accounts of facing this challenge with Ruby.
Jon Richardson investigates OCD. Is he simply a demanding perfectionist or does he have obsessive compulsive disorder? Jon Richardson's life is driven by a quest for perfection. It dictates everything from his eating habits and his relationship with his mother, to his ability to go on dates or entertain the idea of living with his friends. His obsessive nature and need to control the world around him was minutely detailed in his book, It's Not Me, It's You. Now he delves into the world of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. Jon is not alone. After writing an article about his exacting nature affecting his ability to find a suitable girlfriend, he was inundated with letters from readers who identified with his compulsive need for immaculate cleanliness, precision and organisation. But Jon admits he knows very little about the condition. With his 30th birthday approaching, he's determined to find out exactly what OCD is, what it's like for people living with this disorder and whether he actually has the condition. Jon meets some of the one million sufferers around the UK, ranging from mild to extreme conditions. Jon also talks to his friends, former flat-mates, including comedian Russell Howard, and his mother, in a bid to discover the nature of his compulsions. He also meets staff who treat in-patients with the most extreme form of OCD, and experts in the field, to gain insight into the disorder. And finally, in an intimate one-to-one session with one of the country's leading experts on OCD, Jon finds out once and for all if he's simply a demanding perfectionist or if he has OCD.
Can a panel of volunteers disprove stereotypes about people who are living with mental health conditions? Eight volunteers have five days and one mission: to ace the world's maddest job interview. Some have had or are still managing significant mental health conditions, others have not had any at all, but all are putting their work skills under the microscope in order to challenge the discrimination that sees one in five workers claim they are eased out of their jobs after telling an employer about their mental health issue. The volunteers are trying to impress a panel of business people, who don't know which of the interviewees have been affected by mental health problems. Can the volunteers prove that those with mental health issues are as employable as those without? The volunteers complete a variety of tough tests to assess work skills such as leadership and teamwork so that the employers - Claude Littner (The Apprentice), Chairman of Sir Alan Sugar's IT company Viglen; Elaine Holt, Bid Director at National Express; and entrepreneur and small business owner Austin Gayer - can assess their talents. At the same time, the psych team - a consultant clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst and a consultant psychiatrist - try to identify those who have a background of mental health issues, and those who don't. Can the volunteers prove the stereotypes wrong?
The story of Richard Wallace and his attempts to deal with his extreme hoarding. When he first appeared on TV, chronic hoarder Richard Wallace was living in squalor. His hoarding was so out of control that his own life was in danger. Mountains of papers and packaging filled his home from floor to ceiling and, worryingly, surrounded his gas cooker where he made his boiled eggs and toast. Richard was shunned by many of the residents of Westcott Village until landscape gardener Andy Honey offered to help. Becoming Richard's closest friend, Andy rallied the village to help clear over 60 tonnes of rubbish from Richard's garden. Six months later, Andy is still by Richard's side. Now they are trying to deal with the bigger problem of clearing Richard's home to make it safe, but Richard can't let anything go. Inside the bungalow the dangers have got worse and he now has an extraordinary 'death tunnel' in his kitchen that he has to crawl through every day. Progress is slow and, despite Andy's best efforts, the local NHS mental health team for professional support were called in. Led by clinical psychologist Sophie Holmes, they visit Richard to make an assessment. Opinions in the village about Richard are mixed. Some residents want to cook him meals and help clear the house, but others are frustrated by the ongoing mess and cost to the local council. And when Andy and Richard's friendship takes an unexpected twist, some locals start to question Andy's motives for helping.
What If, from StreetDance directing duo Max and Dania, is one of four short films co-commissioned by Film4 and BBC Films for the London 2012 Festival to showcase UK filmmaking talent. The film, a rendering of Rudyard Kipling's much-loved poem If, tells the story of Joe (George Sargeant), a young teen who learns through an older, wiser boy (Noel Clarke), fundamental life lessons on nobility, patience and generosity; lessons on how to become an admirable young man. Influenced by Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire, What If is a celebration of urban youth culture and London, showcasing the best of the UK's freerunning, skateboarding, BMXing and in-line skating, and featuring urban art by Matthew Small.
Has Fifty Shades of Grey really transformed us from a nation of prudes to one of happy spankers? It may have brought bondage into the mainstream, but are the British really ready to embrace sexual experimentation? From visiting a spanking class, where novices are trained in the art of a good caning, to exploring the world of an S&M couple who have written sex contracts with each other, this documentary uncovers what the erotic paperback phenomenon tells us about 21st-century Britain. The programme examines the sociological and cultural effects the book is having in the UK, as sales of obscure classical music and bondage gear increase. A book club from North Yorkshire read the bestseller for the very first time and share their verdict, while adult retailers Ann Summers reveal what steps they are taking to exploit this trend. Psychologist and sex columnist Pamela Stephenson and Brooke Magnanti, who wrote Belle De Jour, share their reactions to the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. The book has crossed continents, class barriers and the context in which porn is read - on the train, in book groups and even at the hairdresser.
Twenty-one-year-old Gemma Barker is currently serving 30 months in prison for fraud and sexual assault. Over the course of several months Gemma invented and impersonated three different boys 'Aaron', 'Luke' and 'Connor' - each of whom had their own mobile number, e-mail address and social network page. Under these three separate guises she went on to seduce two teenage girls. This film tells the extraordinary story through the personal accounts of Gemma's victims who speak frankly about the experience, and explores Gemma's possible motivations for such bizarre criminal behavior.
This programme reveals the unauthorised inside story of how the famous undercover team at the News of the World used greed, alcohol, sex, money and fame to tempt their targets into indiscretions that made front-page news.
One-off film that charts the ups and downs of one of Britain's youngest transsexuals.
The series takes a look at the events that shook a small American town in Ohio when one man's collection of almost 50 dangerous animals, were discovered roaming free in a residential area.
During World War II, a group of British officers planned to escape from Colditz POW camp in a glider made from sheets and floorboards. A team of engineers resurrect their plan.
Ian Brady, psychopath, sadist and child murderer, has been in captivity for nearly 50 years, but he is still a powerful and disturbing presence in the nation's consciousness. This Cutting Edge film, which has unprecedented access to those closest to Brady, charts his ongoing attempts to influence and control those around him. When acclaimed director Paddy Wivell set out to make a film about Ian Brady's legal bid to be transferred from a psychiatric facility to a prison, he had no idea that he would find himself witnessing one of Brady's notorious power plays. At the outset of filming, Wivell met the solicitors and psychiatrists who've been closely involved in his cases over the last decades, many of whom would be speaking publicly for the first time. But a meeting with Brady's mental health advocate for the last 15 years changed the course of the film. His mental health advocate is also one of the executors of Brady's will and recently applied for power of attorney for his health and welfare. Following Brady's seizure and the subsequent indefinite postponement of his mental health tribunal, she discloses, on camera, some startling information that appears to present further important evidence of Brady's ongoing attempts to assert power over the victims' families. This film presents the inside story of the Moors Murderer since his crimes were discovered and charts his continued determination for power and control.
Actor and international DJ Idris Elba counts down the defining moments of the greatest cultural phenomenon of our generation in a programme featuring some of the biggest names in dance music. Twenty-five years after the birth of rave, a new generation of British DJs and producers are at the forefront of a global musical revolution. From trance to dubstep, the sound of British producers has now become the most sought-after commodity for the biggest pop stars on the planet. Reaching far beyond the sweaty dance floors of the Hacienda and the Ministry of Sound, this programme reveals how British nightclubbing transformed our nation and influenced societies across the world. With personal insights and club-raising anecdotes from David Guetta, Armand van Helden, Paul Oakenfold, will.i.am, Nile Rodgers, Goldie, Pete Tong, Katy B, Skream and former Home Secretary Michael Howard, amongst many more, this entertaining and thought-provoking film celebrates the British success story that has conquered the world. From sun-kissed holidays on the party island of Ibiza to the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, and from illegal warehouse raves to Labour's 1992 adoption of D:Ream's Things Can Only Get Better, clubbing has touched everyone's life whether they know it or not. This is an international story, going beyond the music to look at clubbing's influence on everything from real estate to drug use, fashion, politics and the drinks industry. How Clubbing Changed the World explores how clubbing went from a counter-cultural movement that defined a generation to a multi-billion-pound business, and reveals how, 25 years on, Great Britain is still king of the underground.
The story of Prince Philip's mother Princess Alice, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria who married into the Greek royal family, but was forced into exile when revolutionaries overthrew the monarchy. She then suffered a severe nervous breakdown, which led to spells in mental hospitals and experimental treatment from psychiatrists including Sigmund Freud. However, she eventually won her battle with mental illness and became an unlikely hero during the Second World War, before dedicating the rest of her life to working with the poor in Greece.
Many historians are challenging long-held opinions of the origins of Islam. Tom Holland examines whether the religion was born fully formed, or if it evolved over many years. Historian Tom Holland explores how a new religion - Islam - emerged from the seedbed of the ancient world, and asks what we really know for certain about the rise of Islam. The result is an extraordinary detective story. Traditionally, Muslims and non-Muslims alike have believed that Islam was born in the full light of history. But a large number of historians now doubt that presumption, and question much of what Muslim tradition has to tell us about the birth of Islam. As a result, Tom finds himself embroiled in what, for 40 years now, has been an underground but seismic debate: the issue of whether, as Muslims have always believed, Islam was born fully formed in all its fundamentals, or else evolved gradually, over many years - and in ways that Muslims today might not necessarily recognise. So who was the historical Muhammad, and where - if not from God - might the Qur'an, the Holy Book of Islam, actually have come from? By asking these questions, Tom - as a non-Muslim - has no choice, over the course of the film, but to negotiate the fault-line that runs between history and religion, between doubt and faith.
For his entire life, one man has nursed the dream of putting mankind into space. Inspired by the Dan Dare comic strip, Alan Bond first started building rockets as a teenager in his back garden. He started his career working on Britain's Blue Streak rocket, then HOTOL - the world's first attempt to build a 'single-stage-to-orbit' spacecraft. Each time, he was thwarted by lack of funding from the UK government, so, together with two colleagues, Richard Varvill and John Scott-Scott, he decided to go it alone. This documentary tells the story of how the three rocketeers defeated the Official Secrets Act, shrugged off government intransigence and defied all conventional wisdom to build a revolutionary new spacecraft - Skylon. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mqv45
Jimmy Doherty travels to the Caribbean island of Dominica to meet Andrew Armour who befriended an injured sperm whale calf he nicknamed Scar ten years ago. Since then he has claimed he can communicate with Dominican Sperm whales. If Andrew is for real, Jimmy hopes he and top whale scientist Professor Joy Reidenberg can help him get close enough to these gigantic, intelligent and little-known animals to explore recent scientific findings that suggest whales play a crucial role in keeping our oceans healthy.
An international team of scientists, experts and elite pilots deliberately crash land a 170-seat Boeing 727 passenger jet to study the mechanics of a plane crash in real time.
Can you remember what you were doing on 15 March 2003? Or what the weather was like on 30 May 2007? Twenty-year-old British student Aurelien can. This documentary explores the recently discovered phenomenon known as superior autobiographical memory. It looks into the theories of scientists trying to unravel the mystery in the UK and US, and the lives of the seemingly ordinary people who appear to have an extraordinary power we had no idea humans could possess.
9/11: The Miracle Survivor reveals what could be the last untold survival story from the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Survivor Pasquale Buzzelli rode a blizzard of falling debris from a 22nd-floor World Trade Center stairwell and lived, miraculously, to tell his story. Pasquale recalls in extraordinary detail the full story of September 11, 2001. With exclusive access, the documentary follows an awe-inspiring account of events that led to Pasquale's survival against all odds, providing fresh inspiration from one of America's darkest days. His wife Louise talks candidly about her experiences dealing with this trauma when she was seven months pregnant on September 11. And two firefighters, Mike Morabito and Mike Lyons, also give first-hand accounts of the dramatic rescue they carried out, disobeying orders as they saved Pasquale. Home footage shows Pasquale and Louise making a video for their unborn child, who they had already named Hope. And the film also hears from a leading physicist who discusses the science behind Pasquale's survival; how did he survive the collapse of the North Tower by effectively surfing down it?
From a drunken dare to tattoo obsessions, My Tattoo Addiction seeks to discover what people's tattoos say about their lives and tells some of the compelling stories that lie beneath the surface of body art. This uplifting, warm and often eye-watering documentary discovers, through candid interviews, what leads people to go under the needle, and how fixing a bad tattoo can mean facing more than just the physical reminder of your past.
After nearly four years in power what do ordinary Americans think of President Barack Obama, the man many of his supporters once called 'Black Jesus'? Ahead of the crucial US election, Channel 4's Washington Correspondent, Matt Frei, takes a road trip through the heart of the Midwest. Traveling through some of the swing states that will decide President Obama's fate, Matt discovers what is really at stake in this election; in particular the fate of the increasingly endangered American middle class.
There are very few movies we can say truly changed the world, but Jaws is one of them. Audiences stood in lines that wrapped entire city blocks to watch the world's first summer blockbuster. Careers were made, fortunes were created, and ways of directing and scoring movies and shooting special effects were changed forever when it was released. But the impact the film had on the oceans and their inhabitants was as big as the audience it found, and at least as surprising. In the aftermath of the film's release, sharks were vilified and killed, leading to their near-disappearance from the east coast of America. At the same time, public fascination with sharks led to a golden age of shark science that completely changed our view of the ocean and how it works. And as the science began showing us how real sharks behave, it spurred a worldwide conservation effort whose earliest champion was Jaws author Peter Benchley. Jaws: The Great White Myth reveals the stories of how lives and the natural world were significantly influenced by this infamous movie monster from 1975.
When busy trainee doctor Alison Hewitt joined a dating agency in 2010, she had no idea that her actions would set in motion a terrifying chain of events that would threaten the lives of her and her family. She thought the man she was meeting was a respectable Canadian businessman living in London called Al Amin Dhalla. At first their relationship blossomed, but soon Alison's mother Pam grew suspicious of the man who seemed to harbour many dark secrets. Pam turned Miss Marple, hired a private investigator to find out more and soon realised that Dhalla's entire life story was based on lies. It was only when Alison finished the relationship however that the real Dhalla emerged. The family soon found out that Dhalla - classed as a narcissistic psychopath - would stop at nothing to win Alison back.
What would you do if your adult children developed an age-defying disease that made them regress to childhood in front of your eyes? How would you cope with seeing them go from man to boy and looking after them 24 hours a day? This documentary tells the harrowing but brutally honest story of Tony and Christine Clark and their two sons Matthew, who's 39 and Michael, who's 42, as they live and cope with this dreadful condition; not once, but twice. Michael and Matthew Clark from Hull had lived normal lives until their late thirties. They were totally unaware their brains were carrying a deadly neurological time bomb: a rare and little known condition called Leukodystrophy. The condition causes a progressive loss of every neurological function - speech, memory, movement, sight, hearing, touch, eating, swallowing - and normally affects children. To discover a late onset strain is exceptional and what makes it even more astonishing to the Clark family is that it should attack two members of the same family. Christine and Tony thought their parenting days were over. They had taken early retirement and were enjoying a pleasant ex-pat life in Spain. When news of their sons' illness and rapid deterioration reached them, they had to abandon their life abroad and return to the UK. The family moved into a cramped one-bedroom flat and the parents were forced to look after and care for their two 'boys' 24 hours a day. This film follows the Clark family on their fascinating and traumatic journey as they struggle with their day-to-day life, trying to come to terms with watching their grown-up sons become young boys trapped in adult bodies.
The astounding story of Tanya Kach made international headlines when she revealed she had been living in captivity for 10 years, just a stone's throw from her home. True Stories gains key insight into how a 14-year-old girl vanished without trace, only to resurface a decade later, still living within the same community. Her school security guard, Thomas Hose, a man 24 years her senior, had kept Tanya as his sex slave, occasionally letting her out of the house into town after four years, yet no one in their small community recognized her as the missing girl.
Mini 3 part series. Professor Allan Chapman travels to Egypt, where he tells the story of the ancient astronomer priests and their over-sexed gods. Visiting the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings, and aided by puppet animation, a man in a dodgy bird costume and with Sir Patrick Moore playing Ra, the Egyptian Sun God, Prof Chapman reveals how the star-gods helped us develop the 360° circle, the 12-month year, and the 24-hour day.
Professor Allan Chapman explores the world of the ancient Greeks, as the first great seafaring people they needed astronomy for navigation as well as time-keeping. And the freedom that came from trade allowed them to question and reason. As a result they became the greatest astronomers of the ancient world - the Greeks not only knew that the earth was round, they also knew its size, and even successfully calculated the distance of the moon from the earth.
In the third and final part of Professor Allan Chapman's unusual look at the history of astronomical religion, he travels to Rome and Cairo, and argues that, contrary to widely-held prejudice, it was the Christian church which was largely responsible for the rise of scientific astronomy. Starting with the Ancient Greeks and Romans, Chapman examines how the classical world used the stars to tell the time and navigate the globe, but shows that, despite their scientific achievements, classical astronomers never completely shook off their archaic pagan beliefs of 'gods in the sky'. Chapman shows how medieval Christian astronomer priests knew that the world is round; they knew how big it is, and even how far away the moon is (as did the Greeks).
Channel 4 explore four separate incidents in Mexico, Peru, Panama and Long Island, New York, where the remains of supposedly alien beings have been discovered in last five years, with a view to uncovering… the truth.
The 'mighty' Hood was the pride of the British Navy for more than 20 years, revered around the world as the largest and most powerful warship afloat. But when it was sunk by the German battleship Bismarck off the coast of Greenland on 24 May 1941, its end was shockingly swift. For decades, no one has been able to discover why the Hood sank so quickly and two official Boards of Inquiry investigated but failed to explain the tragedy.
In Britain we love to moan about the weather. And over the past decade we have experienced some extraordinary weather conditions, with 2012 no exception. It has led many people to wonder if our weather really is getting worse. The year started with storms and gale-force winds tearing across much of the UK, before our driest spring in a century left 35 million people in the UK suffering from drought. In Aberdeen in March, temperatures soared to 23 degrees Celsius. But within four weeks, everything had changed. April 15 marked the beginning of our wettest summer on record. Towns such as Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire were flooded not once, but twice, and by the end of August 4000 homes across Britain had been devastated by floods. But the strange events of 2012 are only part of the story. For the past decade, our weather has been so erratic that government scientists have begun to use words like 'unprecedented' and 'extraordinary'. This programme gets to the truth of our extraordinary decade of extreme weather. Blending dramatic archive footage, expert insight and cutting-edge graphics, the film investigates the most severe weather events to have struck Britain in recent memory and puts them into the wider context of climate change. Are the strange events of 2012 a one-off or an ominous sign of climate change in action? How does the changing global climate affect the British weather and what can we expect in the future? Is our weather getting worse?
Sean Lock and Jon Richardson, team captains from 8 Out of 10 Cats, are heading to Louisiana to see how real men live. Down in the bayou they're bunking up with Creole cowboys and Cajun swampmen, men who wrestle 'gators and castrate bulls with their bare hands.
Sean and Jon might be titans of the stand-up circuit, but when it comes to lassoing long-horned cattle, playing the washboard, catching and eating bullfrogs and dancing the Cajun Two-Step, have they got what it takes?
Adam Hills and celebrity guests give an alternative off-beat commentary on the signifcant moments of 2012, underpinned by the three standout events - the Jubilee, Olympics and Paralympics. Guests join Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe as they pick out the hidden gems and weird and wonderful moments of the year. They also try to answer the questions that the viewers and audience have always been afraid to ask, with Alex and Adam providing their unique take on all the events of 2012. The incredible moments of the year are brought to life through a mixture of video tape inserts and live discussion, with fresh and original challenges for the team and their studio guests, as they celebrate an incredible year that was 2012.
An array of comedians and celebrities look back over 2012 and share their favourite moments of comedy and bizarre moments - everything from Boris Johnson dangling from a zip wire to the phenomenon of the hit single Gangnam Style.
Pickpocketing is on the rise across London; it's a crime that has 1700 victims a day. This film tells the story of the unseen war on the organised crews of 'dippers' and the specialist teams created to take them on. Pickpocketing has risen by 17% in two years, but is rarely noticed by the public. The film follows the game of cat and mouse played out between the cops and robbers beneath the gaze of tourists and regular Londoners, catching the action as it unfolds and some of the astonishing tricks of the pickpocket trade, from the 'block and shield' to the 'two-fingered lift'.
This First Cut film meets Mark Roberts, the world's most prolific streaker, as he prepares one last streak to beat all the rest.
The truth about the million British horses that served in World War I is even more epic than Steven Spielberg's War Horse feature film. This documentary tells their extraordinary, moving story, begining with the mass call-up of horses from every farm and country estate in the land. Racing commentator Brough Scott tells the tale of his aristocratic grandfather General Jack Seely and his beloved horse Warrior, who would become the most famous horse of the war. The British Army hoped its illustrious cavalry regiments would win a swift victory, but it would be years before they enjoyed their moment of glory. Instead, in a new era of mechanised trench warfare, the heavy horses transporting guns, ammunition and food to the front-line troops were most important. A quarter of a million of these horses died from shrapnel wounds and disease. But the deep bond that developed between man and horse helped both survive the hell of the Somme and Passchendaele. Behind the lines an army of vets worked miracles to treat injured horses and keep them going. The finest hour of the cavalry came in spring 1918 when - led by the warhorse Warrior - they checked the German advance before going on to help win the war. But there was further heartache when the war ended. Eighty five thousand of the oldest horses were sold for meat to feed POWs and the half-starved local population. Half a million horses were sold to French farmers to help rebuild the countryside. Only 60,000 made it back to Britain. Six of these horses would pull the body of the Unknown Warrior to its last resting place in Westminster Abbey.
Chris is 24. He comes from a wealthy middle-class background and is a self-made millionaire. He admits that in the past he has relied on his wealth and material objects to succeed in the dating world, but now he wants to find love with a woman who loves him for who he is and not what he has. Undercover Lover follows this millionaire bachelor disguised as an average cash-strapped guy, as he goes on a series of dates to find a woman who will fall in love with him rather than his wallet.
Natasha Owen Jones has never met her brother Morgan. Both siblings were adopted by different families before they even knew each other. Natasha has spent two decades searching for her brother and in 2011 she finally tracked him down to a prison in America where he is serving a 99-year sentence for murder. Natasha decides to fly to Minnesota to meet the family she never knew she had and come face to face with her brother, in a visiting room at the Minnesota State Correctional Facility. On her journey Natasha meets Morgan's adoptive mother Joyce and his sister Rachel, and slowly pieces together the missing years. This First Cut film is about an extraordinary emotional encounter and asks whether blood really is thicker than water.
From Boris Karloff to Mel Brooks, Frankenstein has fired the imagination of generations of artists who have created their own interpretation of this Gothic masterpiece. Written by a 19-year-old girl nearly 200 years ago, this was the first and greatest myth of the modern scientific age. Mary Shelley began writing her novel in Geneva, where she went to escape the judgmental gaze of British society with her lover Percy Shelley (a married man), her half-sister Clare and Clare's lover, the notorious poet Lord Byron. Living a life of subversive glamour, they were the rock stars of the 1800s. Shut up indoors during the wettest summer on record, Lord Byron suggested they each try to write a ghost story. Unable to begin, Mary panicked at first, but then in a waking dream she had the vision for her novel. Frankenstein - published anonymously in 1818 when she was just 21 - has gone on to inspire its own popular genre of horror movies, punk rock and theatre productions. Frankenstein: A Modern Myth looks at some of these depictions, including Danny Boyle's sell-out hit at the National Theatre. The film has exclusive access to rehearsals and interviews with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller - who alternate the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature - and with Danny Boyle. In a world preoccupied with debates about man overreaching himself, the perils of 'playing God' that animate Shelley's shocking ethical parable continue to keep the myth of Frankenstein alive today.
In October 2011 in the tiny town of Le Roy, New York, a handful of teenage girls from the same high school suddenly developed symptoms that looked like Tourette's syndrome: facial twitching, violent limb gestures and uncontrollable verbal outbursts. Some doctors believed they were victims of conversion disorder, where real physical symptoms - in this case tics - are triggered not by a physical cause, but by psychological trauma. But within a few months 18 students were sick and the diagnosis became 'mass hysteria'. As a cry for help, the girls went on national TV and their story caused a global media frenzy. This remarkable documentary meets the people at the heart of this outbreak, including the girls who have recovered, as well as those who are still suffering.
China is a manufacturing colossus. Britons are surrounded by products sporting the legend 'Made in China'. Gok Wan returns to his ancestral home to explore the largely unseen world of Chinese mass production, meeting the people working in the factories that supply the West. He visits the village his father grew up in for the first time as part of a journey of discovery round a country that now produces one in every four man-made objects on the planet. Gok goes to 'Jeans Town', 'Bra Town', the factory that makes London cabs, and 'Thames Town', as well as to ultra-modern Shanghai, where he meets a stylist pushing the boundaries in Chinese fashion.
In his home studio and revisiting old haunts in Shepherds Bush and Battersea, Pete Townshend opens his heart and his personal archive to revisit 'the last great album the Who ever made', one that took the Who full circle back to their earliest days via the adventures of a pill-popping mod on an epic journey of self-discovery. But in 1973 Quadrophenia was an album that almost never was. Beset by money problems, a studio in construction, heroin-taking managers, a lunatic drummer and a culture of heavy drinking, Townshend took on an album that nearly broke him and one that within a year the band had turned their back on and would ignore for nearly three decades. With unseen archive and in-depth interviews from Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, John Entwistle and those in the studio and behind the lens who made the album and thirty page photo booklet. Contributors include: Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Ethan Russell, Ron Nevison, Richard Barnes, Irish Jack Lyons, Bill Curbishley, John Woolf, Howie Edelson, Mark Kermode and Georgiana Steele Waller.
The Snowman is one of the most watched and loved British animation films of all time. Appealing to children and parents alike it has become one of the main fixtures in the Christmas schedules. Yet Raymond Briggs, the unique and distinctive man behind The Snowman phenomenon, is not a figure in the public eye. Briggs began writing and illustrating children's books more than 40 years ago, and in 1978, he wrote one of the most popular children's books ever published: The Snowman. Its sequel, The Snowman and the Snowdog, airs 30 years after the original film. In this one-off documentary, the reclusive Briggs gives viewers a glimpse in to his world, with visits to the author in his Sussex home as well as the animation studios where a small army of people worked to produce the new film.
A year in the life of the Knight wrestling dynasty from suburban Norfolk, a family who pack a real punch... often at each other
On 31 May 2009, 228 passengers and crew boarded Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, but within hours they would all be dead. How could an Airbus A330, one of the most technologically advanced planes in the world, simply vanish? The recovered black boxes offer to solve the mystery, but they also question just how safe flying really is.
A tribute to the extraordinary Richard Attenborough, who made an unmatched contribution to the British film industry and many other areas of British life.
To celebrate 30 years of Channel 4, a celebration of their 30 most influential comedies.
Every year in Britain, more than 600 people commit murder. The majority of these killers will eventually be sent to Gartree Prison in Leicester, which is home to Europe's largest population of life-sentenced prisoners. A brand new Cutting Edge documentary filmed over six months at HMP Gartree now provides an unprecedented insight into the lives of convicted killers facing a lifetime behind bars. These men will die in prison unless they can convince the authorities they have changed and are no longer a risk to society. With unique access to Gartree's cells, landings, segregation unit and visiting rooms, Lifers explores the everyday realities of prison life for those convicted of murder. The documentary examines the psychological impact of killing, following prisoners as they try to come to terms with what they've done, with varying degrees of remorse and contrition. Unlike regular prisoners, lifers do not have a fixed release date - after serving a minimum term behind bars (set by the trial judge), they will only be set free if they can prove that they are no longer a danger to the public. Lifers explores the behavioural courses and psychological interventions that convicted killers are expected to undergo as part of their rehabilitation. The film follows this process through to the parole board, where a team of independent experts must make the difficult decision of whether a prisoner is safe to be released back into the public or must remain behind bars for the foreseeable future.
Mollie and Alex are part of a growing group of teens and twenty-somethings embracing the world of public nudity. They are on a quest to normalise nudity, question the media's obsession with... See full summary »
According to the ancient Maya of Central America, we are all doomed. The countdown to the apocalypse began several thousand years ago and time is running out. The Mayan understanding of astronomy was startlingly advanced, and some of the indications found in their calendar that a cataclysmic happening will come about in December 2012 are compelling. In this film, Paul Murton travels to America to explore how the phenomenon now better known as ‘2012' has swept across the internet with hundreds of websites featuring frightening predictions - all envisaging a different take on the impending world cataclysm. Murton examines how this terror has spawned ‘survival communities' in which people hoard food supplies, learn how to defend themselves and build bunkers to see them through the impending apocalypse. To discover who the Maya really were, he visits the ruins of the ancient Maya city of El Mirador in Central America to see where the civilisation was founded and gain an insight into why they believed the world would be on the threshold of destruction in 2012 - specifically 21st December at 12pm. Murton commented, ‘This city has been at the heart of vast and thriving civilisation thousands of years ago yet today it is covered by jungle. Perhaps we should consider the possibility that our own civilisation could meet a similar fate?'
For many Londoners, the summer is a chance to escape the noise and bustle of the capital in search of relaxation and sun overseas, but as the Brits hit the beaches, London becomes the top destination for super-rich Arab tourists and their supercars. Swapping the searing heat of their homes in the Middle East for the cool of the UK, increasing numbers of super-rich Arabs are packing their bags and cars for their annual vacation in the capital. Million-pound Bugatti Veyrons and extravagant Koenigsegg supercars have become a common sight on the streets of London but it has divided the opinion of the residents.
Sharon Horgan says 'everyone knows what they want from a wedding - drunk by noon, quick go on a bridesmaid, chocolate fountain - but what do we want from a marriage?' Marriage is a serious, lifelong commitment but nobody tells you how to do it. Sharon gatecrashes six very different marriages and a wedding in a bid to open up the private world of husbands and wives. Sharon meets six different couples to explore the essence of a lifelong and happy marriage. She wants to find out how they've made it work and what she can learn about marriage from their relationships. Sharon spends time with tantric sex teachers Kavida and Roland who think there's no reason why marriage should get in the way of a 'mind-blowing sex life'. Everything they do together is sexy, whether it's shopping, walking or even drinking tea. Chris and Norma have a 32-year age gap in their marriage; he was 18 when he was bewitched by 50-year-old Norma on holiday. Lydia and Andrew have swapped roles; she's the alpha female and he's the house husband. Steven and Shelly saved their marriage by the 'elimination of feminism in their relationship' and now run a marriage website. Louella's husband isn't interested in sex but tolerates her having a lover so they can stay happily married. Finally, Sharon meets Chas and Diane and Jo and Graham - two couples who've lived together in the same house for 23 years. Diane and Jo are identical twins and their four children have been raised as siblings. The couples share everything, except for their bedrooms and each other's partners...
Twenty years after his death, this documentary reveals never-before-seen footage of one of Britain's most popular comedy stars: Frankie Howerd. Alongside clips from his classic shows, the programme unveils previously unreleased professional and personal archive film and audio. From pilots and home movie footage to unseen interviews and material from his live stand up show, the show shines a light on the highs and lows of comedy legend Frankie's remarkable career. The film also lifts the lid on Frankie's vast collection of personal correspondence. From Sir Laurence Olivier and Paul McCartney to Howerd's many fans, everyone wrote to Frankie, and Frankie always took the time to write back. The film features a range of contributors, including some of the comedian's most famous fans, such as Sir Bruce Forsyth and Barry Cryer. The programme also hears from the people who were closest to him, such as his former agents, collaborators and writers, including Ray Galton, Alan Simpson and Clive Anderson.
This enlightening film tracks down people across the UK who have made some of the most extraordinary faux-pas on Facebook and other social media in the past few years. The programme discovers how sharing too much information online can have disastrous consequences, and reveals how these people's lives have been affected in the aftermath of their online 'fails'. From the friends arrested on terror charges at a US airport after a joke tweet, to the McDonald's employee who went to jail after hacking an international superstar's Facebook page, and the model arrested in her pyjamas when police burst into her home investigating a suspicion that she was harassing a celebrity, the film demonstrates why everyone should be aware that you can never be sure who is watching, reading and sharing your social media timeline.
When a skeleton was reported found under a Leicester council car park in September 2012, the news broke around the world. Could it be the remains, lost for 500 years, of England's most infamous king? The tests to prove this theory have been carried out in secrecy but, in this programme, a team allowed to follow the scientists tells the story of the hunt for Richard III, unveils a new facial reconstruction made from the skull and reveals the results of the final tests that should establish the body's true identity.
From bionic arms and legs to artificial organs, science is beginning to catch up with science fiction in the race to replace body parts with man-made alternatives. How to Build a Bionic Man follows psychologist Bertolt Meyer, who has a bionic hand himself, as he meets scientists working at the cutting edge of research to find out just how far this new technology can go. Meanwhile, a team of roboticists create a complete 'bionic man' for the first time, using nearly $1 million-worth of state-of-the-art limbs and organs - the products of billions of dollars of research - borrowed from some of the world's leading laboratories and manufacturers. The bionic man is being built by leading UK roboticists Richard Walker and Matthew Godden from Shadow Robot. Made with the support of the Wellcome Trust, it will be displayed at London's Science Museum from 7 February. In the two centuries since Mary Shelley's Dr Frankenstein brought his 'monster' to life, the subject has fascinated science fiction in books, comics, film and TV. From Star Wars' Darth Vader to Robocop, and from Dr Who's Cybermen to Blade Runner's replicants, most stories focus on the potentially dire consequences of 'playing God'. Now, thanks to research on advanced prosthetic arms and legs, as well as artificial eyes, hearts and lungs - and even hybrids between computer chips and living brains - scientists can finally replace body parts and even improve on human abilities. While Bertolt's search shows just how far science has come, it also asks questions about what it means to be human and where this technology could lead in the future.
In 2012 roads became rivers, rivers swelled to raging torrents and green fields turned into vast, spreading lakes. It was the year Britain flooded. The relentless and unprecedented levels of rainfall had little respite; it was England's wettest year since records began. Yet 2012 had started so well. After months so dry that garden hosepipes were banned, the drought broke and the rain started to fall, making April the wettest month ever known in Britain. The weather got worse: more than twice the average rainfall in June created the wettest summer in a century, and 2012 became officially the second wettest year ever recorded in the UK. This documentary reveals how a combination of meteorological and geological factors created the year of the flood. Taking to the air with weather experts and diving into Britain's sewage system and saturated underground aquifers, the programme explains why the floods occurred and shows how devastating they can be. It's not just the overflowing content of your local river that can be hazardous to health, but also the pollutants pouring upwards from drains and sewers. With dramatic eye-witness accounts of the worst of the country's floods, moving human stories and expert interviews with meteorologists, geologists and climate scientists, this film reveals exactly what happened in the year Britain flooded.
While he was embedded with the US army in Afghanistan, British humanitarian photographer Giles Duley stepped on an IED (improvised explosive device). The explosion left him with horrific injuries and, ultimately, as a triple amputee. A year and a half after sustaining injuries that left him hovering between life and death for months, he kept the promise he made to himself on the day of the incident: to return to Afghanistan to complete his work documenting the impact of the invasion on civilians, and now focusing on the wounded who have sustained injuries similar to his. This film documents Giles's courageous return to Afghanistan as he undertakes his first major photographic assignment since the explosion, in the country where he very nearly lost his life.
In Britain, chicken used to be a luxury. We used to eat the equivalent of just one a year. Now we slaughter over three and half million a day - and eat more of it than any other meat. How and where we eat chicken has changed and our high streets are changing with it. There are now over 2100 chicken shops in the UK in a fast-food market worth over £4 billion per year. Roosters Spot is an up and coming franchise in the increasingly competitive market of fried chicken. Exploring the phenomenal rise in public affection for everything fried chicken through a single shop in south London, this Cutting Edge documentary offers a unique and intriguing insight into contemporary London life. A 'mini-rig' of fixed cameras provides unprecedented access to Roosters Spot's flagship store on south London's party-strip, Clapham High Street. Flooded with regulars in the week and revellers on the weekend, it's a space that feels unpredictable at times and life-affirming at others.
This is the story of the rise and fall of the De Havilland Comet - the world's first passenger jet airliner. At the height of World War II, a secret committee of visionary British scientists set about designing a revolutionary new aircraft that would launch a new era in aviation. When it came into service in May 1952, the revolutionary Comet was an instant hit with passengers. But then, in the space of just four months in early 1954, two Comet aircraft blew up in mid-air, killing all the passengers and crew. The catastrophic loss of these aircraft was as sudden as it was mysterious and the future of passenger jet aviation hung in the balance. On the direct order of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a British team of leading aviation experts was assembled to discover what went wrong, and as part of the process of solving the mystery, they wrote the rulebook of modern air crash investigation, with many of their pioneering techniques still being used today.
A special follow-up to the programme that broadcast exclusive access to the research into the remains of Richard III found underneath a Leicester car park. The research confirmed that the remains were his, and helped build a picture of what he looked like. Using unseen footage of the dig and tests, and fresh interviews with the lead scientists, this programme reveals multiple new dimensions to the hunt for England's long-lost king. The project involved dozens of specialists, in the fields of archaeology, osteology, history, forensic pathology, genealogy and DNA analysis. The programme pieces together the critical steps in the archaeological excavation, explaining how the Greyfriars Church was uncovered and detailing the painstaking exhumation of Richard's grave from the first indications of human remains to the exposure of the body's twisted spine. In the university's labs, the programme follows the scientists as they examine the skeleton to unlock the lost king's story, revealing its clues to his diet and social status, and to the diseases he endured. The film reveals how the DNA match with Richard III was made. Perhaps the most harrowing stage of the project was the minute forensic examination of the cause of death. Piecing together CT scans and microscopic analysis, the team identified the major injuries that Richard suffered in the last moments of his life and shortly afterwards.
A couple of weeks ago, a meteorite bigger than a double decker bus crashed into Earth at 40,000 miles an hour. This film shows previously unseen footage of what happened as the meteor hit Russia. Astrophysicists explain what it was and whether it will happen again. We also hear of NASA’s plans to deal with the worst case scenarios and what can be done to defend our planet from space debris.
No one knows why the Hindenburg airship crashed in 1937. Now, a team of experts build three scale models to establish which of the leading theories was most likely to have caused the crash.
Ancient bodies lie buried beneath Stonehenge, but what can they tell us about Britain's greatest prehistoric monument? One man has found vital clues to this ancient puzzle.
Britain is a nation of dog-lovers, with nearly a quarter of all households owning at least one dog. For some people, 'man's best friend' is a way of life. This documentary uncovers what it takes to breed, train and show a Crufts-worthy canine. The programme follows an eclectic, passionate and competitive mix of dog-owners to a variety of competitions around the country in the run up to Crufts.
In May 1940, Britain was at a moment of great peril. Winston Churchill had just become Prime Minister and was facing the prospect of a Nazi invasion. But it wasn't just Hitler that concerned him. There was also the threat from Britain's own fascist sympathisers: the so-called 'fifth column' that could undermine Britain's war effort from within. Within a few days of Churchill becoming Prime Minister, MI5 swooped on addresses in central London. The targets were members of a secretive organisation called The Right Club, an extreme pro-Nazi society led by an aristocrat and MP in Churchill's own party, Archibald Ramsay. Ramsay's Right Club wanted to bring down the government and forge an alliance with Hitler. When they stumbled across stolen secret documents that could discredit Churchill and prevent America from entering the war, they knew they'd hit the jackpot. What they didn't know was that one of Britain's most brilliant spy-masters, Maxwell Knight, was setting a trap for them. If he was successful his move against Ramsay's Right Club would enable him to round up over 1000 of Britain's Nazi sympathisers and eliminate the enemy within. The compelling cloak-and-dagger story of how Churchill and MI5 hunted down The Right Club reveals a little-known aspect of war-time Britain: a murky world of fascist aristocrats, disaffected foreign nationals and spies.
Many people have heard of dogging but very few know what goes on in this secretive world. This intimate and compelling True Stories film provides an insight into why men and women engage in or watch sexual activity in front of strangers in public areas, under the cover of darkness. Interviews with doggers begin in the 'real world' as their day draws to a close and they discuss their normal lives.
A radical film about a radical woman. Martin Durkin's controversial thesis is that Margaret Thatcher was a working class revolutionary. She believed that capitalism was in the interests of ordinary people, not the toffs. Many ordinary people agreed. And that is why the left hated her so much - Margaret Thatcher stole the working class. This feature-length film includes interviews with the David Cameron, Norman Tebbit, Nigel Lawson, Cecil Parkinson, Neil Kinnock, Bernard Ingham and many others close to Mrs Thatcher.
Nick Hewer leaves his comfort zone to attempt a near-impossible adventure, taking on punishing heat, potholed dirt tracks, basic mechanics and corruption. He's towing a one-and-a-half-tonne industrial saw and generator 5000 miles to Sierra Leone. He wants to present the saw to James, a street kid he met three years earlier on a visit to Freetown with his charity Hope and Homes for Children. James was trained as a carpenter by the charity and Nick was taken with his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Now Nick wants to give James the saw and generator to kick-start a fledgling business. It's an adventure that lurches from one crisis to another: the vandalism of Nick's donated Land Cruiser in Morocco; the threat of kidnapping in the Western Sahara; the near-destruction of the trailer axles on sand roads in Guinea. When he finally reaches James, the 19-year-old is touched by Nick's charitable act. But the reality of owning a set of massive machines in one of the world's poorest countries gives rise to questions about the wisdom of Nick's philanthropy. Will the saw help James or put him in danger? Can the business really be a success in Freetown? And, above all, can a personal intervention like this be any more effective than giving money to one of the big charities?
Jon Snow provides a personal recollection of Baroness Thatcher: the woman, the leader, the icon, the hate figure; the biggest British political figure of Jon's lifetime. Mrs Thatcher's rise to leader of the Conservative Party and then the country as Britain's first female Prime Minister spans the same period as Jon's own early career as a successful young television reporter and then newsreader. In 1979 Jon was a young reporter working for ITN. And amazingly on 4 May he was actually given the job of reporting Mrs Thatcher's arrival in Downing Street for the first time - live. What he didn't know at the time was that he would be following Mrs Thatcher around the world on and off for the next eleven and a half years. From the election trail to Europe, from Washington to Casablanca, she dominated his reporting life, and the lives of everyone who lived through her reign. This is not an obituary and it is certainly not a review of Mrs Thatcher's legacy. It's more personal than that. It is Jon's own recollection of intersecting with the most powerful woman most of us had ever known.
On the morning of Monday 10 September 1923, a mysterious woman in black, known as 'the Princess Fahmy Bey', was escorted to the dock of London's central criminal court to face a charge of murder. Two months before at the Savoy Hotel, the princess had shot dead her husband, an Egyptian prince, with three bullets, in cold blood. Six years before, she'd had a secret affair with another prince: the future Edward VIII. Back then the Princess Fahmy Bey had been plain Marguerite - or Maggie - Meller, a high-class courtesan in First World War Paris. As Maggie Meller went on trial for her life, this reckless episode from Edward's past threatened to expose the heir to the British and imperial throne to disgrace. Behind the trial lies a long-buried story of royal infatuation and royal scandal. Edward's affair with Maggie Meller finally exploded in a toxic cocktail of sex, blackmail and murder. New evidence, unearthed over a decade of investigation by the historian Andrew Rose, points to it ending in an establishment cover-up to protect the reputation of the future king and save his first, secret mistress from the gallows.
Sex is everywhere. But what if something stood in the way of your experiencing a fulfilling sex life? There are over 10 million people living with disabilities in the UK and 85% of them are sexually active. This sensitive and honest documentary takes a candid look at the sex lives of four disabled individuals, from the recently paralysed Karl, who is coming to terms with life without an erection, to Pete, who has cerebral palsy. Pete's hoist helps him into every conceivable sexual position and he has ambitions to be the UK's first disabled porn star. Leah, a 24-year-old woman with brittle bone disease, won't let her body's limitations get in the way of an adventurous sex life. Twenty-six-year-old John has learning difficulties and he and his mother have taken the momentous decision to hire an escort to help him lose his virginity. The film also follows Laura Lee, an escort who specialises in working with men with disabilities. She is immensely proud of what she does and sees herself as providing a unique and necessary service to men who might struggle to have an ordinary sexual relationship.
Presented by Dr Dawn Harper, Fat Family Tree uses cutting-edge genetics to decode the genes of an overweight family for whom all other attempts to shed the pounds have failed. Discovering how the family's genes have put them at risk of excessive weight gain is the first step to devising a diet to help them beat their genes. Based on the latest science, the programme's 'gene-busting' diet also promises failsafe diet tips that could help all of us lose weight. The McConnon family from Stevenage have all spent their lives battling with their weight and failed time and time again to shed the pounds. Like lots of people they believe their family history of obesity could be down to their genes. Mum Tina and her daughters Lisa and Karen are all desperate to lose weight. All three take a unique DNA test to find out if the genes they have inherited could help explain their weight problems. Can they change their weight and their future by identifying exactly how their diet and lifestyle clash with their genetic burden, and making the changes to lose weight successfully for the first time?
On 4 June1913 Emily Wilding Davison stepped into the path of the King's horse at the Derby and was fatally injured. Astonishingly, the terrible moment was captured on three newsreel cameras. The footage of a well-dressed Edwardian woman being killed by racehorses travelling at 35 miles an hour remains deeply shocking. But though the act itself was captured in horrific detail, a century on, mystery and argument surround the story behind it: what exactly Emily Davison intended to do on the track that day; and what drove her to take such reckless action in the first place. Clare Balding and a team of forensic experts have analysed the footage frame by frame, re-examined the evidence and, astonishingly, believe they may have made new discoveries that will change our view of what really happened on that fateful summer day. Clare uncovers the story of Emily herself and finds out how a middle-class governess from a genteel family became a radical activist. And she explores the hidden history of the militant wing of the votes for women campaign to which Emily belonged, revealing stories of terrible police brutality, forced feeding of hunger strikers, the early use of surveillance tactics that persist to this day and women prepared to use any means necessary to advance their cause.
The untold story of Edward VIII's campaign to protect Africa's wildlife, prompted when he was Prince of Wales by the slaughter of elephants, rhinos and big cats he witnessed on safari.
Clive is 45, an IT engineer, and still a virgin - though not through choice. Clive is intimidated by the thought of physical intimacy and finds it hard to chat to women, let alone sleep with them. Rosie is 29 and dreams of marriage and children of her own one day. But she can't bear to be touched by, or touch, men. Rosie thinks guys smell a bit weird, 'a cross between aftershave and ham.' Clive and Rosie attend a radical two-week course of sex therapy in the US. Clive works with Cheryl, 68, the doyenne of sex surrogates, whose life story is told in the Oscar-nominated film The Sessions. She estimates she's slept with about 850 men, and that's not including her husbands. Rosie's surrogate partner is 55-year old Gary, an ex-professional tennis player turned counsellor, who faces a mighty challenge as Rosie tells him that she doesn't fancy him. Can these highly skilled sex surrogates help Clive and Rosie in their quest to go all the way?
We all like to think of ourselves as individuals, making up our own minds what to do and when to do it. But this eye-opening new documentary, presented by Jimmy Doherty, reveals new evidence that suggests that in many ways we actually think and move like members of a herd of animals. We each leave behind us a vast 'data trail' every time we travel, use our phone or credit card, search or buy online, use social media or visit a supermarket. The documentary reveals how, by analysing and unlocking this mountain of data, scientists can monitor, predict and even manipulate our actions with amazing precision.
Male stripping is booming in the UK. Every weekend in most major cities, women are paying to see men get naked. The Dreamboys is the biggest male stripping agency of them all and ex-stripper David Richards is in charge. He claims to know what women want, and is prepared to do whatever it takes to give it to them. David is on the search for some 'fresh meat' to join his London troupe and meets the men that come forward to auditions. Who are they, why are they doing it and what impact is it having on their life? Like never before, this First Cut film lifts the lid on this exotic world of sex, fantasy and temptation and shines a light on the private lives of the men whose job it is to bare all. First Cut is the critically acclaimed, eclectic documentary strand that showcases distinctive new films by up and coming directors.
One in three British women own a vibrator, but many are designed by men. Now, a group of eight ordinary women are going to work with Ann Summers to create a sex toy made by women for women. They're a diverse group, including 69-year-old grandma Margaret, a twentysomething virgin and a middle aged divorcee who has never achieved an orgasm. One thing unites them, that they think there's a gap in the market and they are determined to fill it. Filmed over a course of a year, this is the story of how a group of regular ladies turned their fantasies into reality and reveals what women really want in the bedroom. Designing a sex toy is a labour of love. The women road test toys that are currently on the market and one brave mum even does the weekly shop at the same time. They turn to the contents of their kitchen cupboards to create models of their dream sex toy. This determined group of women know what they want, but can Ann Summers get it onto the shelves in time for Valentine's Day?
This film follows members of Victim Support's National Homicide Team as they work closely with families who have been bereaved by murder or manslaughter. We are taken behind the headlines to observe the extraordinary strength needed to fight, survive and heal the traumatic events of a murder, seen through the eyes of the murder workers.
Afghan Army Girls provides an unprecedented insight into life as a young woman in war-torn Afghanistan, following three very different female army recruits, Zeinab, Samiya and Homa. These women are trailblazers of their time. They face stigma and shame for joining up, but are determined to better themselves while maintaining their country's strict traditions. They face recriminations from their extended family for working outside their home, or even worse, coming into contact with men. There's a rumour that the Taliban has put a price on their heads. But Zeinab, Samiya and Homa know this is a time to make history, and those with the best grades will have an opportunity to join the air force, where some of the training takes place abroad. This film follows the women through the highs and lows of their six-month basic training course. Zeinab, who's 21, is trying to escape an arranged marriage after a failed love affair. Her fiance doesn't know she's in the army. Homa, 25, is a single mother trying to create a better life for her son. As an unmarried woman with a child, her marital prospects are already slim, and joining the army isn't helping. She struggles physically but she wants to make it into the air force to honour the memory of her dead sister. Samiya's parents made her join the army, and she hates it. She was brought up as a boy. In the practice of Bacha Posh, families without sons often raise their daughters as boys until they reach puberty. Samiya is now 22 but maintains her boyishness, with which come some very conservative ideas about the role of women, which clash with the progressive career she now has. The film also follows them home to meet their families who talk frankly about war, marriage, religion, domestic violence, family, honour, love and, above all, what it's like to be a woman in modern Afghanistan.
Scientologists at War examines the independent Scientology movement and the high level defectors who have publicly renounced their membership from the Church of Scientology. Marty Rathbun is one of the most senior defectors in Scientology's history. As the former Inspector General of Ethics in the organisation that was created by science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, Rathbun worked closely with its leader, David Miscavige, and celebrity follower Tom Cruise. The film provides a rare insider view of the Church of Scientology.
t's one of the most memorable unsolved crimes from 2012. A British family from a quiet suburban village on a caravanning holiday near Annecy in the French Alps, gunned down in broad daylight. Miraculously, the family's two young daughters survived. The investigation into the apparently motiveless killings of three members of the Al-Hilli family and French cyclist Sylvan Mollier has involved British, French, Swiss, Swedish and Spanish agencies. But with no obvious motives behind the killings, conspiracy theories and speculation have run riot, linking the victims with religious extremism, espionage and secret services. There are rumours of secret Swiss bank accounts, inheritance disputes, French heiresses and bloody family feuds. Eight months after the killings, there are no suspects, there have been no arrests and the investigation appears to have stalled. This programme goes behind the headlines and puts the speculation to the test. It features the only interview with the hiker who saw the crime scene and helped raise the alarm. A French journalist reveals that he has had sight of a confidential police report about the forensics of the crime scene. The programme features an exclusive interview with a close friend of the Al-Hilli family and his extraordinary email exchange with his friend Saad Al-Hilli. And Dario Zanni, the Swiss prosecutor, is interviewed for the first time about the case.
A film about one of Britain's strangest phone helplines - Anomalous Mind Management Abductee Contactee Helpline, or AMMACH, the 999 for people who believe they have been victims of alien abduction. The film follows some of the 100 members who use the helpline, including Simon, a town councillor who believes that in addition to his earthbound wife he has a family of alien children with an alien lover. There's also Chantelle, a housewife who's been abducted thousands of times and wants her encounters to stop. Marie is an accountant who believes that her DNA has been altered and that she may be part alien. These ordinary people all share the extraordinary belief that they have had alien encounters, and have contacted AMMACH in a bid to understand why these strange other worldly experiences are happening to them.
With increasingly open attitudes to sexuality, for women, in particular, interest in same-sex relationships and 'bi-curiosity' are becoming more acceptable. This documentary explores the stories of three women as they come to terms with changes in their sexuality and questions whether our new-found sexual freedoms make intimate relationships any easier. Dating coach Hayley Quinn, who's 26, began to explore her own sexuality, prompted by her first partner's open attitude to sex and relationships. Now she dates men and women, often at the same time. A recent partner holds a special place in heart however, and she meets him halfway across the world, but still takes her girlfriend with her. Hayley's approach to sexuality brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'complicated love life', but is she happier? Jill is 57 and has been in a relationship with her husband for 25 years. She is about to leave him to embark on a new life, and she's not looking for a new man. Her children, who are 23 and 19, have only recently been told about her changing sexuality as Jill's more pressing concerns are about leaving the family home and the life she knew. Thirty-year-old Sophie has had two significant relationships: the first with a man and the next, unexpectedly, with a woman. Sophie had always thought of herself as straight; having a same-sex relationship raised complications and didn't prove as liberating as she had hoped. Although the relationship ended, Sophie is still working through her feelings and is not sure if she will ever be 'out and proud'.
Sharon Horgan meets six women who have gone through midlife crises to find out what happened, and how they coped or even transformed themselves. Can any of these women's experiences make Sharon feel better about approaching middle age?
A documentary presented by former-professional rugby league player and star of the award-winning Make Bradford British, Rashid Khan. Rashid travels across the country, exploring the physical, logistical and spiritual preparations for the Holy month of Ramadan.
After three years of negotiation, the Scottish High Court gave permission for this extraordinary and unique access - to film the case of a man accused of murdering his wife. For the first time ever, remotely-operated cameras have been placed inside a British criminal court to capture a murder trial in its entirety for this brand new feature-length documentary. Nat Fraser was first brought to trial in 2003 for the murder of his wife – he was found guilty. But Fraser argued that the trial was a miscarriage of justice and challenged the verdict in the highest courts in the land. Eventually, after years of protesting his innocence, the conviction was quashed in 2011. In April 2012, Nat Fraser was sent back to the High Court in Edinburgh for a fresh trial, 14 years after his wife’s disappearance.
Exploring the story behind some of the late princess’ most unforgettable looks through the couture dresses that went to auction in what was the biggest ever UK sale of her clothes. With exclusive access to Kerry Taylor Auctions, this 60 minute film examines how Diana’s style evolved, the statement that was made by each outfit choice and why these particular dresses were so key throughout her time in the spotlight.
This powerful docudrama tells the story of one of World War II's last secrets. British intelligence undertook an audacious operation to listen in on the private conversations of 10,000 German prisoners of war without their ever knowing they were being overheard. The prisoners' unguarded reminiscences and unintentional confessions have only just come to light, and prove how closely the German army were involved in the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Paralympics presenter, former Royal Marines commando and pilot Arthur Williams presents this love letter to the Second World War aeroplane he believes history has unjustly forgotten. While the names Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane have passed into legend, the De Havilland Mosquito languishes in relative obscurity. But for Arthur, the `Wooden Wonder' is the plane that saved Britain. Here he meets the men who flew it, tells its extraordinary story and travels to Virginia Beach in the US to see if he can take to the skies in the world's only remaining flying Mosquito
he second of the programmes about the perils of social media. What happens when a troll goes too far, when private photos end up where they shouldn't, or when one young boy finds himself in a truck load of trouble? Social media sites have become an integral part of our online existence. Many of us have multiple accounts over a variety of networks, and this documentary was aimed at those who don’t realise that the world is watching. Far from the fails of brands and big labels that we covered in our 2012 round up, this show concentrated on individuals and how their lives had been changed (for the worse) by the way they used sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
Award-winning musician Björk and legendary broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough have admired each other's work for years but this is the first time they have discussed their mutual love of music and the natural world on screen. In this remarkable documentary, Björk explores our unique relationship with music and discovers how technology might transform the way we engage with it in the future. At the heart of the film is Biophilia, Björk's cutting-edge music project that explores where nature, music and technology meet. David Attenborough explains how music exists in the natural world and speaks about his own passion for music. Author and professor of neurology and psychiatry Oliver Sacks explains the extraordinary and beneficial effects music has on our brains and explains why performing and engaging with music is something all of us should take more seriously.
The cliché of classic rock guitar is one of riffs, solos and noise. But write a list of great guitarists and their finest moments and a quieter, more intense playing comes to the fore. The acoustic guitar is the secret weapon in the armoury of the guitar hero, when paradoxically they get more attention by playing quietly than being loud. This documentary takes an insightful and occasionally irreverent look at the love affair between rock and the humble acoustic guitar. Exploring a much less celebrated, yet crucial part of the rock musician's arsenal, contributors including Johnny Marr, Keith Richards, Ray Davies, James Dean Bradfield, Biffy Clyro, Joan Armatrading, Donovan and Roger McGuinn discuss why an instrument favoured by medieval minstrels and singing nuns is as important to rock 'n' roll as the drums, bass and its noisy sister, the electric guita
London is burning. German bombs are decimating British homes and the dead lie in heaps. But this Blitz has nothing to do with World War II. This little-known story of a terror bombing campaign on the capital took place during the First World War. For 18 months the carnage was delivered by a machine straight from the pages of science fiction. The Zeppelin, the biggest flying machine ever to have existed, delivered a deadly payload straight to the heart of a nation and, for a time, there was nothing the British could do to stop them. This new kind of terror campaign rewrote the rules of war. For the first time in history, innocent civilians were bombed in their homes in a ruthless attempt to break a nation's morale. The first aerial bombing campaign in history is also the story of the engineering arms race between Germany and Britain. Engineer Dr Hugh Hunt investigates the technical challenges that each side had to overcome in their war in the air. Much of the detail about what happened a century ago has been lost to history, so there are plenty of outstanding engineering mysteries about the Zeppelin story for Hugh to get his teeth into: mysteries that can only be solved by doing practical experiments. He attempts to find out why it was so difficult for British guns to bring down Zeppelins: a surprising problem given that the airships were filled with flammable hydrogen gas. He tests genuine First World War Zepp-busting munitions and reverse engineers World War I bombs to find out exactly how these technologies worked. The material that held the gas in a Zeppelin was made of cow gut, so Hugh runs a series of grisly experiments to find out how the Germans managed to turn narrow tubes of cow intestines into enormous balloons. And he is amazed to learn that the special flaming bullet that helped end the reign of the Zeppelin was invented by his great uncle Jim. Attack of the Zeppelins is an explosive mix of investigative engineering an
When the twin towers collapsed almost everyone underneath them was killed. But two men were trapped, buried alive, 30 feet deep, under the rubble pile. As fires raged around them, the official rescue effort had been suspended, and they thought they were going to die. Until they heard a voice shouting “US Marine Corps – can anybody hear me.” This man then climbed down and saved them. Incredibly he then disappeared without a trace. His identity remained a mystery… Directed by British filmmaker Steve Humphries, for the first time 9/11: Lost Hero reveals the full and extraordinary true story of modest hero, Jason Thomas: a law student and former member of the US Marine Corps who after witnessing the attack on the first tower, put on his old uniform and drove 30 miles to Ground Zero to save lives. Not wanting any notoriety – or his wife finding out that he had risked his life – Jason vanished from the scene quickly after his heroic mission. It was only years later when he was watching TV when he saw a trailer for a Hollywood movie called World Trade Centre, did he realise his story had not gone unnoticed. Except for one crucial detail…the actor playing him was white – and Jason is black. Intersecting remarkable unseen footage of Jason running towards the scene with the personal testimonies of those he saved, Steve Humphries’ latest documentary provides a new and in-depth insight in to one of 9/11’s most extraordinary rescues and the man that made it possible.
Marcus Robinson has been filming, photographing and painting at the World Trade Center site since 2006. One of his specialties is time-lapse photography; with 13 35mm cameras permanently running, his material shows vast buildings grow to tower over the city in a single shot. This is a story of epic architecture and engineering, but it is also a film that gives a voice to the construction workers, from the site managers to those who dug the foundations and the legendary iron workers who assemble the steel frame of the buildings, walking across open girders hundreds of feet in the air.
The story of Wicca, from Dorset nudist colonies to witches casting spells to ward off Hitler, tabloid hysteria and appearances on Panorama The extraordinary story of Britain's fastest-growing religious group - the modern pagan witchcraft of Wicca - and of its creator, an eccentric Englishman called Gerald Gardner. Historian and leading expert in Pagan studies Professor Ronald Hutton explores Gardner's story and experiences first-hand Wicca's growing influence throughout Britain today. Born of a nudist colony in 1930s Dorset, Wicca rapidly grew from a small New Forest coven to a worldwide religion in the space of just 70 years. It's a journey that takes in tales of naked witches casting spells to ward off Hitler, tabloid hysteria about human sacrifices and Gerald Gardner himself appearing on Panorama.
This film tells the real and terrifying story of British hostages trapped by Al Qaeda in an Algerian gas plant in January 2013. As the horrific events unfolded over four days in the full glare of the world's media, Algerian Special Forces stormed the site in an effort to end the crisis, leaving over 37 foreign hostages dead including a number from Britain. This is the story from the perspective of those that lived through it: the hostages that survived and their families. The film combines interviews and research with dramatic reconstruction of key events during the four day siege, which was punctuated by gun battles and daring tales of escape and bravery. The film also raises many unanswered questions, such as how did a convoy of terrorists travel to and gain control of the facility undetected? And who was ultimately responsible for the safety of its workers?
Investigative journalist Hsiao-Hung Pai specialises in undercover work on the lives of immigrant workers. Hsiao once more teams up with Nick Broomfield, with whom she collaborated for Ghosts, about the fate of undocumented Chinese workers in the UK and the 23 Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay in 2004. Sex: My British Job is a chilling exposé as Hsiao works undercover as a housekeeper in London brothels and unveils the terrible reality of the British sex trade. Hsiao embarks on a prolonged period of secret filming, using cutting-edge camera glasses, to expose not just why illegal workers turn to sex work, but also how: through a complex combination of pressure and verbal abuse from the brothel owners, the lure of high earnings and the guilt they are made to feel about not providing for their families back home. This eye-opening film shows how easily Chinese and immigrant women can be drawn into sex work and highlights the shocking reality of what is happening behind closed doors up and down the country.
As part of Channel 4's Campaign for Real Sex, Porn on the Brain is an authored film by journalist Martin Daubney, who walked away from his position as editor of lad's magazine Loaded after becoming a father. His son is now four. Confused by alarming headlines and driven by the knowledge that his boy will soon reach the age at which most children first see porn (10 years), Martin wants to find some answers. Is porn really bad for kids? Where is the evidence? While making the film, Martin discovers that porn has changed from what he remembers as a teenager. Today's hardcore porn is extreme; it's free and it's only one click away, and Martin is shocked by what he sees. Martin meets internationally-renowned neuroscientists, leading therapists and educators who are all concerned about the effects on vulnerable teenage brains today of free and easy access to hardcore pornography. The film includes the shocking results of a specially-commissioned survey of teen porn habits, conducted for the documentary by the University of East London; and collaborates with the University of Cambridge to conduct the first study of its kind, scanning the brains of men who feel they are addicted to porn.
Mark Evans examines what it takes to win the Grand National, drawing on new technology and analysis of horse anatomy to reveal the biological basis of success.
In 1973, an album was released that against all odds and expectations went to the top of the UK charts. The fact the album launched a record label that became one of the most recognisable brand names in the world (Virgin), formed the soundtrack to one of the biggest movies of the decade (The Exorcist), became the biggest selling instrumental album of all time, would eventually go on to sell over 16 million copies and was performed almost single-handedly by a 19-year-old makes the story all the more incredible. That album was Tubular Bells, and the young and painfully shy musician was Mike Oldfield. This documentary features contributions from Sir Richard Branson, Danny Boyle, Mike's family and the original engineers of the Tubular Bells album among others. The spine of the film is an extended interview with Mike himself, where he takes us through the events that led to him writing Tubular Bells - growing up with a mother with severe mental health problems; the refuge he sought in music as a child, with talent that led to him playing in folk clubs aged 12 and signing with his sister's folk group at only 15; his frightening experience of taking LSD at 16; and finally arriving at the Manor Recording Studios as a young session musician where he gave a demo tape to a recording engineer who passed it along to young entrepreneur Richard Branson. After the album's huge success, Mike retreated to a Hereford hilltop, shunned public life and became a recluse until he took part in a controversial therapy which changed his life. In 2012 Mike captured the public's imagination once again when he was asked to perform at the London Olympic Opening Ceremony, where Tubular Bells was the soundtrack to 20 minutes of the one-hour ceremony. Filmed on location at his home recording studio in Nassau, Mike also plays the multiple instruments of Tubular Bells and shows how the groundbreaking piece of music was put together.
Three British porn obsessives visit LA, where they meet their favourite adult movie stars, but also witness the darker side of the porn industry
Our lives have radically changed in the last 50 years and so have those of our dogs. Man's best friend is spending more and more time home alone. Using hidden cameras and a ground-breaking new study from the world's leading dog scientists, this documentary reveals what our dogs get up to while we're out. Footage from dozens of homes shows sleepy, active, howling and fretful dogs. Infrared cameras reveal what's happening inside Bruno the boxer/ Rottweiler cross's head, while a dog vocalisation expert analyses Max the Alsatian's howling to understand what he's trying to communicate. Mark Evans, former chief vet at the RSPCA, investigates what it all means for the 21st-century dog owner. He discovers whether new technology allowing dogs to make phone calls and watch TV is the key to keeping our canine companions happy in the modern British home.
A passionate, exuberant exploration of the complex world of Female Genital Mutilation. Female Genital Mutilation, or FGM, is when a girl's genitals are either partially or totally removed for non-medical reasons. This passionate and exuberant documentary explores the complex world of FGM, how it could be your neighbour, your colleague or the girl on the bus next to you who could be either at risk or suffering the consequences. The Cruel Cut examines the cultural and societal pressures, and how it continues despite being illegal in the UK - there have been no prosecutions although it was made illegal in 1985. The documentary follows Leyla's campaign as she and a group of survivors attempt to take their cause to the very top of the government.
In March 2011, a young British pilot David Simpson was arrested for mass murder in Africa. The terrifying ordeal that followed was the subject of international headlines for months. In a documentary exclusive, True Stories tells the story of David Simpson’s African mis-adventure. Using exclusive material David shot while in jail and under house arrest, interviews with his family and employers, family archive and dramatic reconstruction, the film pieces together the mystery surrounding the massacre of 13 gold miners, and how a 24-year-old from Yorkshire ended up accused of their murder.
From Pong to Grand Theft Auto, Charlie Brooker delves into the history of videogames and pulls out a selection of its most significant titles. From Atari to Angry Birds, How Videogames Changed the World explores how interactive entertainment evolved from a penny arcade diversion into a medium that some believe is art, and shows how it is changing the way we work, communicate and, of course, play. Joined by Jonathan Ross, Dara O'Briain and gaming legends like Will Wright and John Romero, Brooker looks at how videogames have become the most progressive art form of the last 40 years. This humorous and insightful tour will surprise and entertain the uninitiated and dedicated gamers alike.
Sarah Beeny and her family investigate how festive celebrations in Britain have changed in the past 200 years as they delve into the history of Georgian, Victorian, wartime and present-day conventions. Sarah, husband Graham and their four children take on the challenge of harnessing the best bits of Christmas past as they don historical costumes and experience the reality of bygone festive frolics, finding out what the festive season meant both in their own stately home and across the country. While making Georgian garlands and discovering the first ever Christmas card, the show explores some of the oldest festive traditions and their historical contexts.
Psychopaths are a ruthless breed who lie, manipulate and sometimes murder with no hint of conscience of remorse. One per cent of the population are classified as psychopathic. There may be one in your office. There could be one on your street. They are all around us, often in positions of power. Psychopath Night unravels the mystery of this minority, with the help of leading experts. The programme goes inside the minds of psychopaths, finds out how to spot a psychopath, and meets real psychopathic killers. The programme also gets to know some familiar faces who are high on the psychopathic scale, including a star of the England football team. There's also a countdown of the top ten movie psychopaths, as selected by experts, including a real-life Clarice Starling who uses Hollywood movies to teach her FBI trainees about psychopaths and how to handle them. Psychopath Night reveals everything you ever wanted to know about psychopaths, and perhaps a few things you didn't.
The Cuban Missile Crisis comprised the thirteen most dangerous days in the history of mankind. Blow by blow, through stunning high-quality archive, this landmark film takes us inside the war rooms as a stray U-2 spy plane, a drunken telegram and a trigger-happy general all put the world within minutes of a nuclear holocaust. Told through the characters of Kennedy, Castro & Krushchev, this is a tense thriller full of lessons for humanity, as we continue to grapple with the dangers of living in a nuclear world.
Jamie Oliver celebrates the lazy winter days at the end of the year. With Christmas over, this is the perfect time to kick back, spend some quality time with the family and friends, and cook up some amazing dishes. Filmed at his Essex home, Jamie takes a walk through his perfect winter wind-down foods, including some stress-free, big hitting winter warmers like oozy cheesy pasta and simple one-pot wonders like bloody Mary beef. Jamie also brings back some stand-out treats such as his breakfast waffles with epic hot chocolate and festive fiesta tacos. And with New Year's Eve on the horizon, Jamie runs through his top ideas for party meals, from build-your-own posh pork kebabs to a Keralan fish curry.
Ed Stourton chairs a discussion which examines the historical and archaeological evidence portrayed in the film Searching for Exile: Truth or Myth? A panel debates what this could mean for Judaism and what impact it could have for other religions. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03gq4qh
In this candid yet sensitive documentary several 14 to 19 year olds and their parents offer their opinion on intimacy and intercourse, porn and social pressures. Over the summer of 2013 the film follows the group of young virgins and meets a 15-year-old girl who's considering sex with a boy she met via social networking and a 16-year-old who believes she's the oldest virgin in Sunderland. The film witnesses a mum's painstaking attempt to teach her son that porn is not the norm and meets a 17-year-old boy who has amassed a 979 gig porn collection, but who has no real-life experience. Diary of a Teenage Virgin delivers a chorus of teen voices as they muse on what the right age is to have sex, whether pornography has taught them anything, what they think real sex will be like and whether their bodies measure up to the ideal. Diary of a Teenage Virgin is part of Channel 4's Campaign for Real Sex: a season of programmes that aims to reclaim sex from porn by exploring how the ever-increasing consumption of pornography is distorting people's expectations of sex and ultimately damaging the sex lives of Britons.
A sackful of celebrities and comedians pick out some great moments of 2013 - everything from Prince Harry on flying helicopters to Miley Cyrus blazing a trail on her wrecking ball.
Featuring exclusive interviews and shedding new light on crimes that shocked the nation, this documentary looks beyond fake tears to reveal stories of deception and betrayal, when people who have feigned innocence or made public appeals for information - often on camera - committed the crime themselves.
Kim Jong Un rules the world's most secret and repressive state. But thanks to the digital revolution, Kim can no longer keep the world from seeing the reality of life in North Korea - or stop his own people from discovering that everything they have been told about the outside world is a lie. Dispatches films with Jiro Ishimaru, a fearless Japanese journalist who has risked his freedom for fifteen years, training undercover cameramen in North Korea. The programme follows Jiro's latest trip to the border with China, where he secretly meets one of his agents with the latest undercover footage revealing the reality of life in the secret state. The programme also follows Mr Chung, a former inmate of a political prison camp who escaped to the West, as he smuggles USB sticks and DVDs of South Korean soap operas and entertainment shows into the North, posing as a mushroom farmer. There are the first stirrings of open dissent: a woman running a bus service on the back of a lorry refuses to bribe a soldier, and more ominously for Kim Jong Un, there are mutterings of discontent and disrespect from an official commandeered to build a special railway to the supreme leader's birthplace.
In April 2010, in the small town of Enchanted Hills in Indiana, USA, 12-year-old Paul Gingerich helped his friend, 15-year-old Colt Lundy, shoot and kill Colt's stepfather. The shocking murder of Phillip Danner was carried out by two middle-class boys with no prior criminal records. The story has gripped and baffled America. With unprecedented access to both boys, their families, and the ongoing court case, this True Stories film offers an extraordinary insight into the crime and its aftermath, as the key players give poignant and candid interviews telling their side of the story. After plotting the crime in the local playground after school, Paul and Colt shot Phillip multiple times, with his own guns. They then stole his car, fled the scene and were picked up by the police 200 miles away. To date, there is no known motive for the crime. In spite of their ages, both Paul and Colt were tried and sentenced as adults, and were each sentenced to serve 30 years. At 12, Paul is one of the youngest children in American history to be waived to adult court. Colt was sent straight to maximum security adult prison and will be transferred to the adult wing when he turns 18. Paul's family launched an appeal for him to be retried as a juvenile, meaning he could avoid being sent to adult prison and remain in a juvenile facility.
Chopin's Ballade Number One is an extraordinary piece of piano music. This moving film tells the story of how the Ballade has transformed the lives of two young pianists. Chopin's Ballade Number 1 is less than 10 minutes long but has become one of the most iconic and influential pieces in piano repertoire. It is considered extremely challenging, demanding extraordinary feats of dexterity, control, speed, memory and power. It's also an internet sensation with more than 2000 versions on YouTube alone. One by the legendary Vladimir Horowitz has received over 3.5 million hits. Before this programme, pianist James Rhodes discusses memory techniques and the enduring appeal of classical music with Benedict Cumberbatch. Afterwards, Rhodes and Derren Brown talk about performance nerves and learning to play the piano. This hour-long documentary, directed by BAFTA and Emmy award-winning director James Kent, meets Japanese teenager Momoka and Scottish music student Paul Murray to explore how Chopin’s extraordinary Ballade Number 1 transforms the lives of ordinary people and illustrates how classical music still penetrates contemporary life in unexpected and powerful ways. It introduces Momoka, a 15-year-old pianist from Sendai, Japan, whose community was decimated by the 2011 tsunami and earthquakes. For Momoka, the Ballade embodies the anguish and rebellion she feels but doesn’t allow to surface. For 22-year-old Paul from Glasgow, the piece is life-changing. Paul grew up in Bellshill, a poor, working class suburb of Glasgow. He first played piano at 15, and it opened up a whole new world for him. During his first term at uni Paul was diagnosed with a brain tumour and then MS, which both eventually caused him to lose the ability to walk and to play with his right hand. Waiting in his hospital bed in between operations over three months, he played the Ballade again and again on the iPod his dad Stephen had given him. It was that single piece’s emotional pul
Documentary offering an intimate glimpse into the life of legendary actor Leslie Phillips, whose 75-year career has covered every medium and even embraced Twitter
A look back at the rise and fall of anarchic 80s television music show The Tube as former presenters, performers and fans raid the programme's archives.
Hawking is the extraordinary story of the planet's most famous living scientist, told for the first time in his own words and by those closest to him. Made with unique access to Hawking's private life, this is an intimate and moving journey into Stephen's world, both past and present. An inspirational portrait of an iconic figure, Hawking relates his incredible personal journey from boyhood under-achiever, to PhD genius, to being diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease and given just two years to live. Despite the constant threat of death, Hawking manages to make many remarkable scientific discoveries and rises to fame and super-stardom. Hawking - a remarkable man, and a remarkable movie.
The discovery of China's Terracotta Army in 1974 revealed just a fraction of this extraordinary treasure. This documentary has exclusive access to the latest discoveries.
How to Be a Billionaire meets some of the world's wealthiest and most successful individuals, finding out about their lives, their lifestyle, their dreams for the future and how they have achieved their success. They also reveal the revolutionary new projects they are now devoting their time and resources to. Today, ultra-wealthy individuals are funding projects that range from the search for immortality to scoping out exciting new pastures to mine, including the moon. The documentary features the people behind these projects, including Russian businessman Dmitry Itskov, who is driving a worldwide project in the search for immortality, Indian entrepreneur Naveen Jain, who runs his own space programme, and British social media entrepreneur Michael Birch.
Documentary investigating the ways in which people can be tricked and conned, from traditional street scams such as the three-cup trick to sophisticated online computer fraud that costs Britain an estimated £3.5billion a year. Footage of police units targeting criminals on London's streets and the activities of dedicated `scam-baiters', who try to deter would-be perpetrators, help shed light on the measures taken to combat a problem thought to affect half the population
A remarkable behind-the-scenes look at the secretive world of female masking, where men transform themselves into dolls by squeezing into elaborate rubber second skins.
An intimate family portrait of the film director John Boorman by one who should know him best - his daughter Katrine. Now over 80 years old, the director of Hell in the Pacific, Excalibur, Deliverance and The Emerald Forest is one of the last great mavericks. His daughter, who previously had never held a camera, spent four years filming her father who, during the process, found it impossible to resist taking control and offering her a crash course in filmmaking. Vulnerable, cross, funny, wild and wise, Boorman chronicles his adventures in Hollywood, but also talks with great honesty about his childhood, his marriages, his passion for nature, his need for danger and why film is the only thing he ever truly loved. Though the film is also a portrait of one of the most influential British filmmakers of the last 40 years, most of all it is a story of a father and daughter finding their way back to each other through the language of film.
In 1944, at the Nazi concentration camp of Terezin, the imprisoned Czech conductor Rafael Schachter formed a choir of 150 of his fellow Jewish prisoners to brazenly perform Verdi's Requiem before the very Nazis who had condemned them to death. Transcending the horrors around them, night after night they rehearsed in a dark, mouldy and suffocating cellar, with a broken piano. In a calm message of defiance, each time a choir member was murdered by the SS, a new singer would replace them. The final performance took place in front of the camp's Nazi brass, visiting high-ranking SS officers from Berlin and gullible Red Cross inspectors brought in to verify that the prisoners were being well treated. This film features surviving Nazi propaganda footage of Terezin as it was perversely stage-managed during a Red Cross inspection visit to appear like an attractive Jewish commune. Shortly after the performance, both Schachter and most of his choir would be sent to Auschwitz. But through the transformation of Verdi's music into a proclamation of their unbroken spirit and warning of God's coming wrath against their captors, the prisoners had been able to sing to their captors what they dared not say. For over ten years, distinguished American conductor Murry Sidlin, who found out about the choir in the 1990s, dreamed of bringing the Requiem back to Terezin. Now, through soaring concert footage, powerful survivor recollections, cinematic dramatizations and evocative animation, their heartbreaking story is brought to life
Many people who lose dramatic amounts of weight after surgery or dieting believe it will bring the answer to their prayers, a slimmer figure, confidence and better health. But the reality of extreme weight loss can often be anything but liberating, bringing a distressing side-effect: excess skin, and lots of it. The 30-fold increase in weight-loss surgery in the last decade has left thousands of people with excess skin, but with the NHS restricting subsequent cosmetic surgery, people have been left in body limbo, not happy with the body they had, but hating the body they now have. This insightful, thoughtful documentary tells the stories of Sarah, Gregg and Pauline, who - after losing 43 stone between them - have been left with shocking amounts of loose skin. They all feel as though they are carrying a shameful secret hidden underneath their clothes. For the first time, they bare their all and open up their lives, revealing exactly what it is like to live with a 'baggy body', and how, through a combination of further extreme surgery and willpower, they are determined to say goodbye to their saggy skin.
The contrast between the majestic statues of Easter Island and the desolation of their surroundings is stark. For decades Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as the islanders call it, has been seen as a warning from history for the planet as a whole - wilfully expend natural resources and the collapse of civilisation is inevitable. But archaeologist Dr Jago Cooper believes this is a disastrous misreading of what happened on Easter Island. He believes that its culture was a success story not a failure, and the real reasons for its ultimate demise were far more shocking. Cooper argues that there is an important lesson that the experience of Easter Island can teach the rest of the world, but it doesn't begin by blaming its inhabitants for their own downfall. This film examines the latest scientific and archaeological evidence to reveal a compelling new narrative, one that sees the famous statues as only part of a complex culture that thrived in isolation. Cooper finds a path between competing theories about what happened to Easter Island to make us see this unique place in a fresh light
Documentary produced and directed by rock superstar Dave Grohl (who also appears in the film) in which he uncovers stories about the Los Angeles studio Sound City, where some of the greatest rock albums of all time were perfected and recorded. Sound City was state of the art when it opened in 1969, featuring a legendary Neve recording console. Through interviews with the musicians and producers who have worked at the studio over the years, the film uncovers and defines the intangible magic within those wires and walls that was responsible for such an incredible history of contemporary music. For over four decades, it was the birthplace of some of the world's most treasured music, including Nirvana's Nevermind, Neil Young's After the Gold Rush, Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes, Fleetwood Mac's eponymous album and Johnny Cash's Unchained, to name just a few. Grohl discovers the stories of the iconic bands that recorded there. We learn how Mick Fleetwood met Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham at Sound City, leading to them joining Fleetwood Mac, and discover why musicians and producers such as Butch Vig, Frank Black, Trent Reznor and Lars Ulrich all chose to work in its analogue environment over newer, more state-of-the-art studios. Grohl also tracks the growth of digital music and the inevitable death of analogue recording, which changed the industry and Sound City forever. The story of Sound City is an integral part of the personal story of Dave Grohl, whose music was forever influenced by those who once recorded in Studio A and left their mark in the form of the many platinum records hanging on the walls within. He completes the film by bringing some of the great names together at his Studio 606 to record a new album on the original Sound City Neve console, culminating in new performances from Rick Springfield, Stevie Nicks, Lee Ving, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor, Krist Novoselic and Sir Paul McCartney. Featuring contributions from Neil Young, Tom Petty, S
Urban free climbers are a new breed of daredevils, young men and women who illegally climb cranes and buildings without any safety equipment, then hang from them, hundreds of metres above the ground, one slip from certain death... Free climbing originated in Eastern Europe, but has recently spread to Britain. James Kingston is a 23-year-old who lives with his mother near Southampton. In his spare time James scales the local 100m cranes and 200m radio towers. Now James embarks on a journey to the spiritual home of urban free climbing, Ukraine, where he teams up with the infamous Mustang Wanted, the craziest climber of them all. As Mustang and James explore Kiev, the pair push themselves to new extremes, climbing derelict buildings and tightrope-walking hundreds of metres above the city, before finally heading to the iconic Moscow bridge to attempt Mustang's latest death defying stunt. Don't Look Down is fascinating, revealing and nerve-wracking.
This innovative, unique and hard-hitting performance documentary delves into the finances and wallets of four twenty-somethings who came of age in the financial crisis, a generation blighted by debt and overwhelmed by consumerism. Directed by Fred&Nick, narrated by George the Poet and set in Croydon, the First Cut film focuses on the contrasting lives of a diverse cast, from when they receive their payday money to when they spend it. Filmed over one summer in one of the most diverse boroughs in London, one of the most unequal cities in the world, the documentary follows the highs and lows of these members of Generation Y as they cope in one of the toughest economic times since the 1930s.
These days, opinionated journalists are two a penny. But back in the 1950s, Ian Nairn was part of a new breed of Angry Young Men. Aged just 25 and fresh out of the RAF, he burst onto the architectural scene with Outrage, a blistering attack on the soulless destruction of Britain by shoddy post-war planners. Published in the influential Architectural Review in June 1955, it led to the formation of the Civic Trust, whose remit was to tackle the 'subtopian' eyesores Nairn had so graphically exposed. Over the next two decades, Nairn became a tireless and passionate campaigner, both in print and on the BBC, inspiring a whole generation to take up arms against the second rate in our towns and cities. But he himself was a deeply flawed and troubled character, who slowly drank himself to death, feeling the battle to save Britain's soul had been lost. Close colleagues and admirers, including Jonathan Meades, Gillian Darley and Jonathan Glancey, pay tribute to a remarkable man who made us look afresh at the world around us
Bob Dylan described Missouri-born country boy Gene Clark as one of the three best songwriters in the world. He was the original frontman for one of the most iconic and influential bands of the 60s. After his abrupt departure from the Byrds at the peak of their popularity, he made records that are still regarded as classics. And he was one of the great pioneers of both folk rock and country rock. Yet, as far as the public is concerned, Clark is largely unknown and his reputation lags far behind that of peers such as Gram Parsons. Since his death in 1991 at the age of 46, his songs have been covered by artists ranging from Robert Plant to Yo La Tengo and he has been hailed as a key influence by successive generations of musicians such as Tom Petty, Primal Scream and Fleet Foxes, despite some of his albums having been unavailable for long periods and only now all in print again. This documentary explores the mystery of why this richly talented but deeply enigmatic and often self-destructive man failed to enjoy the success his work deserved. Drawing on interviews with his family, friends and fellow musicians including fellow Byrds David Crosby and Roger McGuinn, a wealth of great music from the four-decade span of his career and previously unseen archive material, it is a story that is both compelling and moving, veering between moments of magic and moments of madness. The film was made by a father and sons team - Paul, Jack and Dan Kendall - as a labour of love which took them right across America in search of the people and places that were part of Gene Clark's life
A privileged peek into the exclusive world of British heritage car brand Rolls-Royce. The cameras follow the team at their Goodwood factory as they manufacture their most expensive bespoke car to date, The Celestial, which comes complete with diamond studded interior. Inside Rolls-Royce reveals the craftsmanship, attention to detail and dedication that goes into making and selling cars with a huge price tag, and the extraordinary lengths the team will go to in the pursuit of perfection.
Dr Christian Jessen investigates "cures" for homosexuality in the UK and the US, including trying some of them himself.
A look into the world of one of Britain's most exclusive jewellers, Boodles, as the family-run business that has been going for over 200 years, creates its most valuable collection of jewellery to date. Boodles operates in a world of celebrity clients and super-wealthy diamond connoisseurs. Their jewellery is as likely to be seen on the red carpet as at exclusive high society balls. The ambition is for their product to be perfectly pitched and the service flawless. But Boodles want to aim even higher, and it's up to company director Jody Wainwright to get them there. The programme follows Jody and the business throughout the production and launch of Greenfire, a collection of jewellery made from 18 rare Columbian emeralds. Meticulously hand-crafted, this £2.8 million suite of jewellery includes matching earrings, pendant, bracelet, rings, and, as its centrepiece, an emerald necklace set with over 1300 diamonds and worth £1 million. It is the firm's most ambitious project ever.
On an early evening in October 2013, 77-year-old great-grandfather John Wildey was being flown home by his pilot friend after a day out in north Lincolnshire. The pilot suddenly started to feel unwell. Ten minutes later he had collapsed at the controls, 1500 feet up in the air. John had no flying experience, and it was starting to get dark. This documentary tells the story of how, against all the odds, he managed to land the plane in pitch darkness, with help from a small team who were scrambled to provide instructions from the ground and air. John's ordeal lasted for over an hour, and was made far harder because he couldn't find the switch for the lights inside the cockpit. He made four attempts to land: his first was on a short, unlit runway that was so dark, he had to abort at the last second. Soon after, he went into an uncontrolled spin, from which he somehow recovered. His next two attempts, after being diverted onto a lit runway, both ended in nail-biting climaxes, and failures, before he finally managed to land. Channel 4 has exclusive access to the recordings of the dramatic 'talk down' tapes, from Humberside Airport Air Traffic Control and an RAF rescue helicopter, and footage from the on-board night-vision camera. Those responsible for talking John through his ordeal describe what happened. John Cameron, who took the initial mayday call, put John's chances of survival at less than 30%. Flt Lt Rebecca Bethell, the captain of the RAF rescue helicopter says: 'flying in the dark would be horrendous for us, and we're trained in all sorts of emergencies. We just wouldn't do that.'
Interviews and rare archive footage weave together performances from a landmark multi-artist concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, celebrating the songs and artistry of the great folk-blues troubadour Bert Jansch. Ralph McTell, Robert Plant, Donovan, members of Pentangle, Bernard Butler, Martin Carthy, Martin Simpson, Lisa Knapp and more pay tribute to Jansch, who died in 2011. There's also a real coup with an extraordinary performance by Neil Young of Jansch's haunting Needle of Death, filmed at Jack White's Nashville studio especially for the occasion. Robert Plant shows his vocal prowess with a powerful rendition of Go Your Way My Love, joined by Jansch collaborator Bernard Butler. Martin Simpson and Danny Thompson surprise with a version of Heartbreak Hotel, a track covered by Jansch. Ralph McTell tackles the seminal Angie and Lisa Knapp and Martin Carthy combine for Blackwaterside - Jansch's arrangement of which heavily influenced Led Zep's Black Mountain Side. An effortlessly cool singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist, Bert Jansch came to prominence in the folk clubs of the mid-1960s: the concert's stage set recalls the legendary Les Cousins club in London's Soho, where he was a resident artist, and the Royal Festival Hall itself was the venue for Pentangle's first and final major gigs. Jansch galvanized a whole scene, through his solo work, as a duo with John Renbourn and with his folk-jazz supergroup Pentangle. Neil Young called him the Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar, Led Zeppelin and Paul Simon were weaned on him and younger generation musicians including Beth Orton and Johnny Marr beat a path to his door. Bert Jansch's influence reached far and wide.
Jimmy Doherty examines how the big challenges of the 21st century are affecting food prices, from the rise of Asia to the power of the financial markets, and from growing population to volatile weather. In six years the price of an average food basket has gone up by 25%. And in the UK we import half of our food, which makes us extremely vulnerable to volatile prices.
Documentary presented by writer Tim Kendall which tells the remarkable story of the First World War soldier-poet who broke all the rules. Ivor Gurney wasn't an officer but a private who bizarrely joined up in the hope that the ordered army life would help ease a mental health condition. Initially this shock therapy worked, but he was eventually shot and gassed and spent the last 15 years of his life in an asylum. Yet the poetry he wrote there is uniquely powerful - capturing the experience of the ordinary soldier - and the film argues that it is the equal of the work of any of the more well-known soldier-poets of WWI. Gurney was also an accomplished composer and all the music used in the film is his, some of it hauntingly written on the Western Front
Filmed over six months, controversial filmmaker Martin Durkin meets controversial UKIP leader and political whirlwind Nigel Farage, in the run-up to the European elections, at which some commentators predict Farage will lead UKIP to victory. They also believe he may stop the Conservatives from winning the general election. A few years ago, no one had heard of Nigel Farage; now he's a major force in British politics. But who is Nigel Farage? Durkin finds out on a journey full of incident: drink in hand, Nigel guides viewers through his favourite watering holes in the City, and he sneaks the film crew into the Euro Parliament, only to be swiftly ejected. From battling with protestors to keeping UKIP MEPs in line, Durkin gets to know the man who is turning British politics upside down.
Frozen for more than 5000 years on a remote mountain pass, Ötzi the Iceman now lies in a refrigerated tomb. He's a survivor from the Stone Age, bearing secrets of how humans lived nearly 1000 years before the pyramids. His mummified corpse pulled from a glacier in the Alps two decades ago has been probed by scientists for the last 20 years. Yet he's still a mystery waiting to be solved. Who was Ötzi? How did he die? Was it in battle? Or was he murdered? After two years of preparation, a risky autopsy against the clock overturns past theories. The Iceman's DNA and last meal surprise the experts. At last they come closer to understanding our ancient past and to solving this case of death in the Neolithic Age.
Three teenagers with troubled backgrounds each want to make it as jockeys. They're not from the ranks of Champagne-drinking, hat-wearing spectators normally associated with race days. They aren't world-renowned sportsmen on horseback, dedicated to what they do and in peak physical condition. They're fighters, travellers and troublesome teens, who have not had the best start in life. But they're passionate about horses, and this could be their way to a better future. The Northern Racing College near Doncaster offers an intensive 10-week course, the possibility of a second chance and training for these teenagers to become jockeys. Chaos meets order as the teenagers enter a world of 7am starts, discipline and hard work, and face the no-nonsense approach of the tutors. Can the rigid structure and routine of Britain's toughest jockey school and a love of horses give these teenagers a fighting chance of a better life?
Self-confessed curio hunter Richard E. Grant takes a trip to the continent to experience the world of the people who spend their time rifling through the barns, cowsheds and French farm attics, looking for pre-war treasures to bring back home. The show explores the world of professional antique hunters and dealers who seek out hidden treasures at flea markets and antique shops all over France; hoping to find curios like absinthe glasses, horse linen and vintage traffic lights that will sell like wildfire in the UK. Richard and two dealers storm the continent to plunder its treasures and discover the stories behind their amazing vintage finds, as well as the history and culture of the areas they visit. But can they recover their outlay in a weekend? And as Richard revels in the land of dusty cafes, beautiful B&Bs and the perfect citron pressé, can these dealers actually make a living from treasure hunting?
For billions of years our planet was devoid of life, but something transformed it into a vibrant, living planet. That something was soil. It's a much-misunderstood substance, often dismissed as 'dirt', something to be avoided. Yet the crops we eat, the animals we rely on, the very oxygen we breathe, all depend on the existence of the plant life that bursts from the soil every year. In this film, gardening expert Chris Beardshaw explores where soil comes from, what it's made of and what makes it so essential to life. Using specialist microphotography, he reveals it as we've never seen it before - an intricate microscopic landscape, teeming with strange and wonderful life-forms. It's a world where the chaos of life meets the permanence of rock, the two interacting with each other to make a living system of staggering complexity that sustains all life on Earth. Chris explores how man is challenging this most precious resource on our planet and how new science is seeking to preserve it.
Professor Richard Fortey delves into the fascinating and normally-hidden kingdom of fungi. From their spectacular birth, through their secretive underground life to their final explosive death, Richard reveals a remarkable world that few of us understand or even realise exists - yet all life on Earth depends on it. In a specially-built mushroom lab, with the help of mycologist Dr Patrick Hickey and some state-of-the-art technology, Richard brings to life the secret world of mushrooms as never seen before and reveals the spectacular abilities of fungi to break down waste and sustain new plant life, keeping our planet alive. Beyond the lab, Richard travels across Britain and beyond to show us the biggest, fastest and most deadly organisms on the planet - all of them fungi. He reveals their almost magical powers that have world-changing potential - opening up new frontiers in science, medicine and technology.
Each year, over 5000 children are excluded from mainstream education in the UK, and just under 60 of them study at Muntham House School: a specialist boarding school for boys with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Many of Muntham House's pupils have been excluded because of violent and disruptive behaviour. But the dedicated teachers, led by charismatic headmaster Richard Boyle, are committed to finding out what it is in each boy that will inspire them to want to turn their lives around. The school is one of the best of its kind and one of its goals is 'to provide a happy experience for the boys'. Muntham House has a high student-teacher ratio, and a combined team of teachers, therapists and care workers. This documentary follows three of the school's most challenging pupils.
A journey through the dramatic and destructive years of the French Revolution, telling its history in a way not seen before - through the extraordinary story of its art. Our guide through this turbulent decade is the constantly surprising Dr Richard Clay, an art historian who has spent his life decoding the symbols of power and authority. Dr Clay has always been fascinated by vandalism and iconoclasm, and believes much of the untold story of the French Revolution can be discovered through the stories of great moments of destruction. Who were the stone masons in the crowd outside Notre Dame that pulled down the statues of kings? Why do the churches of Paris still carry all the coded signs of anti-Christian state legislation? What does it mean, and who was carrying this out? Telling the story of the French Revolution - from the Storming of the Bastille to the rise of Napoleon - as the significant modern outbreak of iconoclasm, Clay argues that it reveals the destructive and constructive roles of iconoclasts and how this led directly to the birth of the modern Europe.
A frank, intimate and revealing portrait of three of Britain's mature escorts: older women who choose to sell sex from hotel rooms and their homes, all completely legally. As well as topping up their pensions, all of these women seem to be enjoying themselves in their chosen and often new profession, but the film also questions how such a lifestyle can co-exist with their family lives and their roles as mothers and grandparents. Their clients are men of all ages, sometimes as young as 20, but what is the motivation behind some men's desire to have sex with older women?
Documentary telling, in her own words, the story of Carole King's upbringing in Brooklyn and the subsequent success that she had as half of husband and wife songwriting team Goffin and King for Aldon Music on Broadway. It was during this era in the early 1960s that they created a string of pop hits such as Take Good Care of My Baby for Bobby Vee, The Locomotion for Little Eva and Will You Love Me Tomorrow for the Shirelles, which became the first number 1 hit by a black American girl group. Not to mention the era-defining Up on the Roof for the Drifters and the magnificent Natural Woman for Aretha Franklin. By 1970 Carole was divorced from songwriting partner Gerry Goffin and had moved to Los Angeles. It was here that she created her classic solo album Tapestry, packed with delightful tunes but also, for the first time, her own lyrics, very much sung from the heart. The album included It's Too Late, I Feel the Earth Move and You've Got a Friend and held the record for the most weeks at number 1 for nearly 20 years. It became a trusted part of everyone's record collection and has sold over 25 million copies to date. The film features some wonderful unseen material and home movies, and narrates her life as an acclaimed singer-songwriter. To date, more than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles. More recently, in 2013, Carole was the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress for her songwriting, whilst in 2014 a Broadway production Beautiful, which tells her life story during the Goffin and King era, has received rave reviews. Nowadays Carole King would see herself as much as an eco-activist as a songwriter, and is to be found constantly lobbying congress in defence of the wildlife and eco-systems of her beloved Idaho
Channel 4 marks same-sex marriages becoming legal in England and Wales by offering viewers front-row seats at one of the first gay weddings to take place. And this is no ordinary ceremony. Grooms Benjamin Till and Nathan Taylor have written and are staging their entire wedding as a musical, with sung vows, sung readings and show-stopping ensembles featuring the whole congregation of family, friends and special guests, including a heartfelt duet from the grooms' mums. There are witty musical takes on the standard conventions of wedding ceremonies, as well as stark reminders of the historical journey to this point, tributes to the other gay and lesbian couples getting married at the first opportunity and a reminder of the struggles faced by those in countries where homosexuality is still a crime. Stephen Fry introduces and commentates on the service, which, as well as the marriage itself, also features special performances, messages and appearances from Olivia Newton John, The Feeling, Boy George, Will Young, West End leading lady Hannah Waddingham, Paul O'Grady and Jon Snow.
An examination of the events of 23 May 2014, when British-born Elliot Rodger killed six students in Santa Barbara before turning the gun on himself
Every year, more than 2000 people go missing and never return. This powerful, moving First Cut documentary follows the extraordinary stories of three families struggling to cope with the disappearance of a loved one who has vanished without a trace. A brother, a husband and a mother have gone missing: three dramatic, mysterious and out-of-character disappearances that have left police detectives scratching their heads. The families left behind have been plunged into limbo, unable to move forward with their lives in the absence of evidence, answers or closure. The programme explores how hope is driving them to extraordinary lengths as they try to bring their missing loved ones home.
This documentary gains fascinating and extremely rare insight into a controlled world through the eyes of a young British Mormon dedicated to serving his church.
The controversial right to bear arms is at the heart of American culture. In the USA there is a huge divide among parents. Some are against the sale of toy guns while others are buying the children the real thing. This documentary sheds light on the world of child shooters, illuminating the fascinating beliefs, ambitions and paranoia that underpin it. Teaching kids to shoot is seen as a fun family experience and yet over 3000 children are injured or killed every year in accidental shootings. This unique and moving film follows the stories of three American families tackling the difficult issues behind the American relationship with firearms and the compelling stories behind the horrifying statistics.
Would Richard III's spinal deformity have prevented him from leading the charge at the Battle of Bosworth?
Kittens, puppies and professional pets: the advertising industry wants them all. Inspired by the immense popularity of internet cat videos and stars like Grumpy Cat, pets are now big business. This Cutting Edge documentary tells the story of the professional animal agents and pet owners whose job it is to supply a new wave of animal stars to appear in some of the world's favourite adverts.
Exploring the shocking daily reality of life for some of Britain's most prolific criminals, the first episode focuses on two criminals who couldn't be more different, but both are prolific offenders with lengthy records. Jason 'Stokesy' Stokes is a brazen serial offender who is open about his criminal endeavours and proud to be a 'one-man crime wave'. On the other hand, drug addict Becky is ashamed of what she does. Nationwide there are a hundred thousand Jasons and Beckys committing over 500,000 crimes a year. They're causing ordinary law-abiding families misery, clogging up the criminal justice system, filling up the jails, and costing the country millions.
Pakistan is one of the world's most important Muslim nations. It's a nuclear power, it's allied to the West in the war against terror, and it's a democracy. But Pakistan is also a country in denial, turning a blind eye to the sexual exploitation of many thousands of poor and vulnerable children. It's estimated that over four million children across Pakistan are forced to work from an early age due to poverty, and, of these, up to one and a half million live on the streets. This documentary focuses on the north-western city of Peshawar, where it is estimated that nine out of ten street children have been sexually abused. The programme will open the eyes of the world to the dark underbelly that permeates this city and many others, including Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. Written and produced by double-Emmy Award winner Jamie Doran, and directed by Special Emmy Winner Mohammed Al Naqvi. Narrated by Juliet Stevenson.
Taxidermy is undergoing a global revival. With high-street shops popping up, night classes selling out and demand outstripping supply, why are deceased beasts so popular? Bafta Award-nominated director Matt Rudge encounters some of the world's most jaw-dropping modern examples of the craft. In Holland, Dutch artist Bart did something unexpected when his cat Orville was killed by a passing car. With the help of local engineer Arjen, he created the Orvillecopter: the world's first radio-controlled flying cat. In the US, Arkansas businessman Daniel Ross runs a specialist taxidermy service where patrons can have their dead pets freeze-dried. Blackburn taxidermist Nicola uses roadkill to make her creations. While her handiwork may sell out online, what will the locals make of her new high-street boutique? In Essex, shot-girl Jayne is putting down the tequila bottle and turning her hand to the preservation of dead animals. With the topic of death never far away, Matt discovers how this resurgence might be a coping mechanism for some, but a way of avoiding grief for others.
Competition for social housing is soaring and many people are being forced to turn to the private market, where increasing numbers are falling behind on payments or finding rent a constant struggle. In some areas, specialist letting agencies have sprung up as the middle man between tenants and landlords. This programme follows the work of two firms - one that deals with the housing-benefit end of the market, and the other helping landlords with difficult customers
On 3 October 2013 a boat carrying more than 500 migrants from North Africa capsized off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa. Three hundred and sixty people perished, many of them women and children. It was one of Europe's worst maritime disasters since the Second World War. Award-winning photographer Zed Nelson tells the inside story of the tragedy, through the testimony of survivors, and locals who were the first on the scene. Nelson follows the clandestine onward journey of the survivors as they navigate the illegal immigration route out of Italy into Northern Europe. At the centre of the programme is the story of one remarkable young woman: one of only five women who survived. Fanus, a teenager from Eritrea, tells of the desire to escape a life of military servitude that motivated her flight from the country. She recounts the extraordinary hardship she suffered crossing Africa and how, although she couldn't swim, she somehow survived for hours in the water after the boat went down. Fanus is caught up as a witness in an extraordinary court case involving a man accused of her kidnap. She then escapes and goes to incredible lengths to circumvent the European asylum system in order to reach the country she dreams of living in. A remarkable portrait of human determination, the programme raises questions about the strength of Europe's immigration barriers and the lengths desperate refugees will go to in order to breach them.
Peter Kay gives viewers a unique look behind the scenes of his mammoth 18 months on the road. Playing 140 shows to 1.2 million people, Peter Kay: Live and Back On Nights! also includes brand new material from what is the biggest and most successful stand-up comedy tour of all time.
Peter Kay gives viewers a unique look behind the scenes of his mammoth 18 months on the road. Playing 140 shows to 1.2 million people, Peter Kay: Live and Back On Nights! also includes brand new material from what is the biggest and most successful stand-up comedy tour of all time.
This revealing documentary explores the world of polygamous marriages among British Muslims. While polygamy is illegal under British law, it is permitted under Sharia law, and while it's unusual, some estimate that there are as many as 20,000 polygamous marriages among Muslims in the UK today. The programme examines the daily challenges of polygamous life and the motivation of those who are looking for another wife. It considers whether they are compelled by desire or tradition and meets those who are trying to make polygamy acceptable to mainstream UK society. The film poses difficult questions, not only around reconciling Muslim values with modern British society but also on questions of duty, love and betrayal.
A gripping examination of how the brutal murder of two human beings became the first nationally televised real-life drama; a flashpoint for debate, disagreement and disillusionment; and an allegory for tensions that continue in American society today. The People vs OJ Simpson was about wealth, power, sex and race. It was the first of its kind: trial as entertainment for the masses. But it was also a watershed in Americans' perception of their legal system, and a transformative event in the racial and social history of the country. When it was over no one was punished, and deep fault lines of bigotry and bias had been exposed in white and black America. For some it was a judicial catastrophe. For others it was merely confirmation that you get the kind of justice you can afford. Using only contemporaneous archive, much of it unseen before, and no interviews or narration, the story unfolds as a tight, compelling, true life drama. Without hindsight or analysis, OJ Simpson: Caught on Camera introduces a new generation of viewers to the stranger-than-fiction story that captivated the collective national conscience.
This documentary follows online vigilante Stinson Hunter and his associates, who pose as children on social networking sites to draw out men who they assert have paedophilic predilections.
In May 1940, while covering the retreat from Dunkirk, a Mark 1 Spitfire flown by RAF ace Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson was shot down and crash-landed on a beach in northern France, where it slowly sank into the sand. The wreckage was finally recovered in the 1980s and stored anonymously in France for more than 20 years. Guy Martin - speed junkie, motorcycle racer, lorry mechanic and Spitfire fanatic - joins a restoration team as it embarks on a two-year rebuild of this Spitfire. This extraordinary project provides a look at the amazing engineering and skills involved in building the aircraft, and is also a fitting homage to the bravery of everyone involved in its service: the male and female factory workers, the ground crews and the pilots. The story of Squadron Leader Stephenson, who would become the Queen's pilot, is like something from a Boy's Own paper, and his private diaries - which he wrote while he was imprisoned in Colditz - have been uncovered for the first time for the programme. Guy invites the pilot's two daughters for an emotional day at Duxford to witness their father's plane flying again.
Brat Camps are an extreme youth disciplinary concept that's firmly embedded in American culture. Every year thousands of American children are transported to one of over 1000 private facilities dotted across the United States. In the USA today it's estimated the child intervention industry is worth over $2 billion, as parents send their kids away to residential programmes - often against their will - in an attempt to change their behaviour. This True Stories documentary aims to shed light on the world of behavioural modification camps and other child intervention programmes, illuminating the beliefs and ambitions that underpin this controversial industry, many of which contrast starkly with British norms. While these programmes appear well-run and organised with some form of regulation, there are concerns about the standards of other camps and the possibility of abuse, particularly when there is no federal body to regulate and monitor the quality of care in the child intervention industry.
In an age polarised between the rich and poor, this one-off special hosted by Richard Bacon illustrates where each of us stands on the great money map of Britain.
Documentary about the infamous Great Train Robbery. Over 50 years ago a group of men pulled off one of the most famous heists in history. This film features interviews with Gordon Goody, one of the original robbers, who goes on record for the very first time. Goody reveals many unknown facts about the robbery as well as the identity of one of the masterminds behind the daring crime. Strong language.
Outrun the Sun is the extraordinary story of arguably the ultimate trail challenge. On Saturday June 21st 2014 - the longest day of the year - two teams of trail runners attempted to circumnavigate Mont Blanc between sunrise and sunset. This film documents this amazing relay event, as the runners faced the prospect of covering 152 kilometres of mountainous terrain in a little over 15 hours. During the course of the event they'd climb 8500 metres through France, Italy and Switzerland, in temperatures ranging from 27 degrees centigrade, down to the chill you'd expect with snow at high altitude.
Can cloning bring mammoths back from extinction? This documentary follows a team of mammoth specialists and cloning scientists as they dissect the best-preserved mammoth ever found.
This brave and thought-provoking documentary sets out to discover why legislation to protect children from sexual abuse has failed, and explores radical and controversial alternatives
For eight years, Britain's biggest overseas base since the Second World War has been the powerhouse of UK and US military operations in Afghanistan, and now Camp Bastion has closed down for good. A town the size of Reading with a massive infrastructure, including an airport, hospital and fast-food restaurants, has been dismantled bolt by bolt - a huge project that faced a constant threat from the Taliban as defences and manpower depleted daily. This documentary follows the men and women assigned to the task
This observational documentary tells the incredible story of the Gray family, who live in a remote Texan compound, heavily armed and at odds with the police
This documentary follows the medical teams risking their lives to save others in Syria, where most doctors have fled, many hospitals have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people are injured.
A view of British men looking for a wife overseas, from 'romance tours' in Bangkok to speed-dating in the Ukraine, while a Wakefield man prepares to welcome his new Thai bride to the UK.
This one-off documentary follows struggling stammerers, including Mushy from Educating Yorkshire, as they enrol on an intensive four-day course called The McGuire Programme
Guy Martin has passion: passion for engines, mechanics and, most of all, speed. He's one of the Isle of Man TT's most popular competitors but, away from the media glare, this programme offers a snapshot of some of his favourite things: motorbike racing, engines, MOTs, Radio 4 and his day job as a truck mechanic. Nothing else gives Guy quite as much satisfaction as an immaculately presented toolbox; in fact he seems happiest when surrounded by spanners and grease. The programme meets him hard at work as a lorry mechanic, a job he's cycled to every day since he was 12 years old. He admits he'd choose a day at work over an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas.
The amazing human stories and incredible science behind the wild weather events that hit Britain in 2014, from floods to tornadoes and hurricanes. Is there worse to come?
From sexy-selfie addicts to compulsive uploaders and drunken tweeters, this show meets some colourful social network junkies and measures the real-world impact of their online lives
Jimmy Doherty and Kate Quilton explore the dietary habits of people all over the world, ranking the world's best and worst diets and asking what we should be eating
Kevin McCloud challenges three designers to turn one plane - an Airbus A320 - into hundreds of amazing new products in a giant up-cycling experiment.
Beginning in 2009, Alex Gibney followed Armstrong for four years chronicling his return to cycling after retirement, as he tried to win his eighth title. Unexpectedly, Gibney was also there in 2012 when Armstrong admitted to doping, following a federal criminal investigation, public accusations of doping by his ex-teammates, and an investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency, that led USADA's CEO, Travis Tygart, to conclude that Armstrong's team had run 'the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.’
Katie Piper explores different approaches to modern birthing - from the conventional to the surprising to the far out.
Documentary recalling one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, the tsunami that devastated parts of South and South East Asia on 26 December 2004, examining its enduring legacy
Documentary bringing together four British citizens and four recent migrants in Leicester http://www.channel4.com/programmes/make-leicester-british
Jamie Oliver raises Christmas cooking to the next level with amazing recipes including cheeky cocktails, roast goose and a panettone treat
A look behind the scenes of a bold new scheme designed to help children find adoptive parents. Connor and Daniel are brothers. For over 12 months, they've been in care, waiting to be adopted. But, as sibling boys, aged six and four, they are 'hard to place'.
A look behind the scenes of a bold new scheme designed to help children find adoptive parents. Connor and Daniel are brothers. For over 12 months, they've been in care, waiting to be adopted. But, as sibling boys, aged six and four, they are 'hard to place'.
The Brighton Bombing goes back to 1984, when the IRA detonated a massive bomb at Brighton's Grand Hotel in an attempt to assassinate Margaret Thatcher and her government. With the devastated hotel near collapse, fire-fighters ignored the danger to help limit the death total to a mere five fatalities. Lord Tebbit, whose wife Margaret was seriously injured in the blast recounts his traumatic experience.
The story of Gary Ridgway, believed to be America's most prolific serial killer, as told by his niece, who reveals the stigma of being related to a man who killed at least 49 women in the 1980s.
This frank documentary enters the hidden world of the UK's 'sexual elite', meeting the meticulously vetted guests fulfilling their fantasies at exclusive sex parties
Sharon and Aftab, like thousands hidden across the country, are so overweight they no longer leave their homes. Can they lose weight and turn their lives around?
This powerful documentary goes inside the far-right splinter groups emerging in the UK, providing a candid insight into their members' motivation and agendas
Josie Cunningham has occupied the media spotlight by creating as much controversy as she can, posting outrageous tweets and prompting shocking stories. But at what cost?
A powerful documentary about the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and how combat and newsreel cameramen filmed the almost unbelievable scenes they found there. When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries revealed for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information's Sidney Bernstein aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis' unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including his friend Alfred Hitchcock. There were even secret talks with Hollywood director Billy Wilder, himself an Austrian refugee from the Nazis. But despite initial support from the British and US governments, the film was shelved. It was considered too sensitive for the rapidly changing political climate.
A powerful documentary about the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and how combat and newsreel cameramen filmed the almost unbelievable scenes they found there. When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries revealed for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information's Sidney Bernstein aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis' unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including his friend Alfred Hitchcock. There were even secret talks with Hollywood director Billy Wilder, himself an Austrian refugee from the Nazis. But despite initial support from the British and US governments, the film was shelved. It was considered too sensitive for the rapidly changing political climate.
A look behind the doors of the five-storey Paradise club in Stuttgart, exploring what life’s like for sex workers and their clients in a country with some of the world’s most liberal prostitution laws
Documentary meeting three of the thousands of brides who get married behind bars in the USA every year, when the happiest day of your life can involve x-ray machines and bulletproof glass.
How the Nazis used a blend of politics and biology to try to change the course of evolution with the aim of filling vast forest parks with extinct but revered game animals for a new super-race to hunt.
In America at any one time there are over 70,000 children behind bars. This extraordinary two-part documentary explores some of the highest-security juvenile prisons in the US and meets the child inmates who have committed shocking crimes. Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility is at the forefront of a new philosophy in juvenile justice that emphasises treatment over punishment. There are currently 150 juveniles in Pendleton serving sentences for crimes which include battery, armed robbery, arson and murder. This episode focuses on C complex: the sex offenders considered the lowest on the pecking order at Pendleton, who are nicknamed 'Chomos' by the other inmates. Garrett Clutter, who's 15, and Tavarius McNair, who's 14, are best friends and roommates at the correctional facility. They are also sex offenders, who have to complete a sex offender's programme before they are eligible to be released. Christopher Hillenberg arrives at Pendleton aged 15.
This documentary follows ten four-year-olds as they meet at nursery, exploring how children make and break friendships, share, stand up for themselves, and find their place in a new social group
Everyone knows the story of the Trojan Horse right? When Brad Pitt and his mates hid in a horse and pretended it was a gift to the people of Troy so they could launch a surprise attack on Orlando Bloom and the gang? Good, glad we are all up to date. This documentary examines new evidence which appears to prove this story of Greek mythology may actually be true. Experts reveal how discoveries of charred bones and arrowheads at the site of Troy in modern-day Turkey point towards a violent showdown in around 1200 BC, which could be the scene of the conflict which led to the legendary invasion.
Businessman Dave Fishwick helps ordinary developers whose property projects have hit trouble. Dave meets Dee Lazzerini and Steve Woodford, who have put their life savings on a place in Poole, and Sam and Elise in Winchester, who are sitting on a potential goldmine.
Candid and moving First Cut documentary following three brave, feisty and opinionated teenagers as they leave the care system behind and set out to live independently for the first time
This thought-provoking documentary gives a unique insight into the reality of multiculturalism in Britain today, capturing contemporary life on an ethnically diverse street in Southampton
Philippa Perry has witnessed the dramatic rise in people being diagnosed as bipolar, and examines various explanations for the disorder, from genetics to life experiences.
Britain’s Racist Election reveals what happened when a small British town gained national and international notoriety following the unprecedented culture collision between immigrants and the white community at the start of the era of mass immigration. When a maverick Conservative won the West Midlands seat of Smethwick in the 1964 General Election following what is seen as the most racist campaign ever conducted, it triggered one of the worst chapters in the history of British race relations. Violence, assassination attempts, and even the creation of a British Ku Klux took a small corner of England to the brink of official racial segregation. This in-depth history film combines first-hand accounts from residents with rare archive footage and new revelations about the creation of the most infamous campaign slogan in British history, to paint a shocking picture of a bigoted Britain; and it offers a timely warning of how fears about the effects of immigration together with an election campaign can quickly and violently spin out of control. In the years before the 1964 General Election, Smethwick had seen an influx of immigrants from across the Commonwealth causing community tensions. Local head teacher Peter Griffiths stood as Conservative candidate, running on an anti-immigration platform and the tensions quickly spilled over into violence and spawned the most infamous election slogan in history: “If you want a n****r for a neighbour, vote Labour”. Griffiths overturned the Labour majority at the election, but far from dying down, the tensions continued to rise. A British Ku Klux Klan was launched in nearby Birmingham and there were further racist attacks - including burning crosses and even an assassination attempt. Smethwick gained national and international notoriety following the council sanctioned plan to let homes on one street - Marshall Street – to white families only. US activist Malcolm X turned up in the town in February 1965 – 50 ye
The show takes a look at the exclusive Burj Al Arab in Dubai which has been dubbed by some the world's most luxurious hotel. The cameras follow the stories of some extraordinary guests and the staff who serve them
In 2010 a startling number of children developed narcolepsy. This documentary meets British children who developed the incurable sleeping disorder, and explores the shocking theory of why it happened.
Trevor Phillips confronts some uncomfortable truths about racial stereotypes, as he asks if attempts to improve equality have led to serious unwanted negative consequences
Did Richard III really kill his nephews so that he could be king? A stellar cast of experts, including David Starkey and Philippa Gregory, endeavour to finally uncover the truth.
This programme captures the climax of the procession taking Richard III’s remains to Leicester Cathedral, and asks leading historians and other experts what his place in British history should now be
This final programme in Channel 4's coverage of the reburial of Richard III provides highlights of the service from earlier today at Leicester Cathedral, alongside a live broadcast of a ceremony in which the king's descendants, and those who led the campaign to find his remains, gather to bid him a final farewell. The Bosworth beacon, lit when Richard's remains arrived back at the site of his death on Sunday morning, will be extinguished as the tombstone is revealed for the first time.
“Our companies have become chips in the stock market casino.” That’s the gist of Will Hutton’s heartfelt polemic here. He points to the once-great pillars of Britain’s industrial landscape, from ICI to Cadbury via car-makers such as MG and Land Rover, which have all been sold to overseas owners. How does this happen? Because, he argues, our “open for business” culture means we allow foreign takeovers no other country would countenance. And those who benefit from the wheeler-dealing – the bankers, lawyers and acountants of the City – have the ear of government. And the next British sector ripe for losing its identity to foreign ownership? Yes, it’s television. Will Hutton presents an impassioned argument on the British economy, claiming that business leaders and politicians are selling off some of the nation's best companies for quick and easy profits, and that this is creating a dumbed-down, low-wage Britain. He reveals that in the past 10 years, £440billion of British firms have been sold to new overseas owners, illustrating a radical view of the economy that MPs rarely talk about, ranging from the takeover of Cadbury to the foreign-owned Thames Water.
If Hollywood films are to be believed, the human race as we know it could be wiped out by threats ranging from an asteroid collision to a zombie apocalypse. End of the World Night will look at the science facts behind the science fiction. In the special programme, some of the world’s foremost academics will evaluate the many threats to our civilization, and answer the question ‘How will the world end?’. Spectacular Hollywood productions like Deep Impact and The Day After Tomorrow depict death and destruction on a global scale, but what is the scientific truth behind these dramatisations? With contributions from scientists and doomsday experts, the programme will countdown a ‘Top 10’ list of ways in which humanity could end, brought to life with analysis of some of the best-known blockbuster disaster movies. Could the end of the world as we know it arrive sooner than we think? Nicolas Kent, Creative Director of Oxford Film and Television comments: “Hollywood disaster movies aren't just popcorn entertainment. The reason they are so successful is that they express our subconscious fears. In End of the World Night, with help from some of the world's leading scientists, we identify the real threats to human survival on this planet as well as the ones we shouldn't take too seriously.” Rob Coldstream, Commissioning Editor for Specialist Factual at Channel 4, comments: “The apocalypse film is one of the most popular and prolific genres of science fiction, but the truth could be even scarier than the movies. We’ve commissioned this one-off special to examine this captivating area of science in closer detail, and, in true Channel 4 style, answer one of life’s big questions: How might our world end?”
Three young British entrepreneurs seek their fortunes in San Francisco's multi-billion-dollar technology gold rush
Meet the men and women selling supercars to Britain's rich and famous, from multi-millionaire specialists taking helicopter rides to buy Ferraris, to ordinary dealerships getting in on the act.
Filmed over one of the most unpredictable years the property market's known, this documentary reveals - from castles to council houses - what a million pounds can buy in different parts of the UK
Raj and his team turn part of London into an Ibiza-inspired rave; lead an Asian invasion into Blenheim Palace; and create a blockbuster Bollywood celebration in Leeds
An East End boozer has been rigged with cameras to see what men say when women aren't around and they're not on their best behaviour, for this fresh, funny documentary about pub culture
How Safe Are Our Planes? Last week an Airbus 320 heading from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the Alps with the loss of 150 lives, and after initial concerns over mechanical failure or an act of terrorism, it was eventually revealed to be an act of mass murder committed by the co-pilot. This documentary asks whether air travel is still the safest form of transport, examining the airline industry's safety record and incidents involving pilot error or emotional breakdown.
With 60% of British women now technically obese, this Cutting Edge documentary explores the fast-growing plus-size fashion industry and its biggest brands, and meets its witty and stylish stars
The remarkable true story, from VE Day in 1945, of when the future Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret slipped out of Buckingham palace to celebrate in secret with the public on London’s streets.
This eye-opening documentary reveals how smartphone apps have revolutionised dating. Smartphone dating apps have revolutionised many people's love lives. This documentary lifts the lid on an online world of deviancy, devotion, deception, heartbreak and sexual brazenness.
No-holds-barred documentary exploring the lives of high-class prostitutes Miss Emily B and Cookie Jane, who charge thousands of pounds for a night with clients who find them on the Adultwork app.
Exclusive access to Jaguar as their craftsmen create six new Lightweight E-Types, costing over £1 million each and going to specially-chosen customers
Meet Matt, the Welsh pizza wizard, a true 'Dominoid' who hopes to win Manager of the Year at the pizza Oscars. Then there's Iraqi refugee Zagros. And Eddie, who's on to his tenth Domino's.
This documentary goes behind the doors at Lego's headquarters, meeting some of the notoriously secretive superbrands's key people and revealing more about its company DNA than ever before.
The inspirational true story of Jonny Benjamin's global search to find the stranger who talked him out of jumping off Waterloo Bridge in 2008
At the time of his death in April 1973, aged 91, Pablo Picasso had become one of the 20th century’s most influential and prolific artists. Picasso has been painted as many men – genius, womaniser, egomaniac. His reputation is still fiercely debated. Brought up in the Spanish town of Malaga, he would represent himself as the mythological minotaur – half man, half bull. The bull craved the women who would feed his life and his art.
Emily Maitlis interviews the Dalai Lama, to discuss politics, Buddhism and ageing.
Tom is 27. He's spent more than six years in jail. But now, with help from a specialist police team, he wants to go straight, before his 19-year-old brother Ben follows in his footsteps.
This documentary goes undercover to investigate increasing evidence that London's property boom is being partly fuelled by overseas buyers laundering money
This one-off documentary features exclusive access to a Missouri-based modern-day faction of the notorious Ku Klux Klan. This year marks the 150th anniversary of America's most notorious white supremacist group and this documentary follows Missouri-based chapter the Traditionalist American Knights. Filming across several states over a period of seven months, Dan Vernon meets prominent members who claim not to support violence and are keen to disassociate themselves from the Klan's brutal past, but he also travels to Texas to hear first-hand about a notorious crime committed by members of a different Klan faction
Documentary about the work of the charity Dogs Trust and dog ownership on Britain's housing estates, where for some their dogs are a welcome distraction from the daily routine of life on the dole
Around 50% of the cocaine found in the UK originates in Peru. And it is primarily young European women who are acting as the mules. Stopping the Peruvian drug traffickers has now become a priority for the British government, as every day, huge quantities of the drug are carried across international borders. This remarkable documentary has secured unprecedented access to both smugglers and law enforcement agencies to provide a unique insight into the global war on drugs.
An extraordinarily frank look inside a rarely seen world, with unprecedented access to all areas of this unusual family business, with contributions from the working girls and their customers.
This documentary film follows a group of extraordinary young people as they navigate the everyday challenges of life, love, jobs and family, but they all share one thing in common. They all have a mental health condition. From the unpredictability of bi-polar to the frightening hold of anorexia, these conditions often leave young people isolated and ostracised from their peers. In this film we explore what it’s like to be young and have a mental health condition and using a unique video chat forum, gain some insight into how the internet is helping bring people together, breaking stigmas and stereotypes surrounding mental illness. We witness this group of young people as they guide and support each other through some of the biggest challenges of their lives and as they attempt to manage their conditions in the real world.
British teenagers are coming out younger than ever before. But in an age of internet trolls, this documentary meets five teenagers to find out what it's like to be underage and gay today.
Belgian sexologist Goedele Liekens launches a new kind of sex education for 15-16 year olds at a Lancashire school
This documentary examines Peru's cocaine industry, meeting drug gang members, as well as the elite British-funded Peruvian drug force with the dangerous job of stopping them and their European mules
This documentary has unprecedented access behind the scenes of Christian Louboutin's extraordinary world as he attempts to introduce his famous footwear to new super-rich markets in Asia
In 1845, maverick sea captain Sir John Franklin set off with 128 men on Royal Navy ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, to chart the elusive Northwest Passage. Venturing into uncharted Arctic waters, they were sailing off the map of the known world. Their state-of-the-art mission was equipped to survive for up to three years, but they were never heard from again. A century and a half of searching revealed only scant and tantalising clues, suggesting a descent into madness, starvation and even cannibalism. But no trace of the ships was found, until, 170 years later, a multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art expedition astonishingly found HMS Erebus, intact and upright on the Arctic sea floor. This Secret History documentary has exclusive access behind the scenes of that momentous expedition, revealing the dramatic chain of events that led to their historic discovery.
Ever taken a sexy selfie? Beware; revenge porn is on the rise.
This documentary meets from four women who have piled on extra pounds after walking down the aisle seeing how it has affected them and their relationships, and if they are doing anything about their bigger figures.
Leo Maguire joins migrants in Calais. He sleeps where they sleep, is with them as they try to evade security guards and police, and waits with them in trailers as they try to make it to Britain.
Jamie Oliver investigates sugar's huge contribution to global health problems like obesity and type 2 diabetes, reveals how much sugar is in healthy-looking food, and explores what can be done to help.
Million Pound Movers goes behind closed doors to meet the wealthy clients moving pricey and priceless objects, expensive art and furniture. Luxury removals are no easy task.
Filmed by three former soldiers, this documentary follows British men who've volunteered to fight against Isis militants in Syria, and provides a unique insight into the dangers on the frontline.
An unprecedented insight into Britain's clandestine 'Gaysian' community. This documentary meets Muslim drag queens striving to gain acceptance and tolerance within their own wider community.
A unique, privileged insight into the world of high-end weddings, going behind the scenes at elite couture bridal shop Caroline Castigliano, and meeting the brides who use the shop's bespoke services
This powerful programme documents the daily struggle Sally Evans and her youngest son Micheal have faced since Sally’s eldest son Thomas travelled to Somalia to join terrorist group al-Shabaab.
This film meets ordinary people seized with overwhelming, totally intoxicating manias such as sex, shopping, stealing & surgery. Through real life stories, it discovers the boundary between normal life & complete compulsion.
Brides to be come in all shapes and sizes. Three women get help from a plus-size bridal boutique to have the best possible nuptials.
My Transgender Kid followed two seven-year-olds George and Paddy, who don’t identify as the gender they were born with.
Exclusive access to a controversial American camp for transgender adolescents
A look into the secret, super-luxury world of the mega yacht, as 120 of the floating palaces, and some of their multi-millionaire owners, get together for the annual Monaco Yacht Show.
Engineer Hugh Hunt attempts to recreate the monstrous 25-barrelled cannon that Hitler created to flatten London, and tests out the plans the Allies dreamt up to destroy his supergun.
This 12-month undercover investigation penetrates the secret world of the women in the UK who support Isis, glorify jihadis, and preach a message of hatred, segregation and extremism.
Dr Christian Jessen puts three self-confessed hypochondriacs on the front line of the NHS, from ambulance to GP to sick patients. Will the exposure cure their health anxiety?
Guy Martin and a team of engineers prepare the last airworthy Vulcan bomber for its farewell tour in a programme that also tells the definitive story of this iconic and vital plane,
All aboard! Behind the scenes of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train service.
Charlie Luxton presents the world's 20 weirdest, most fascinating and jaw-dropping homes, from a house shaped like a beagle to a home in a New York dumpster and Pierre Cardin's space-age summer house
With unprecedented access to the National Crime Agency, this gripping programme follows the hunt for an abuser who duped and blackmailed hundreds of teenage boys to share indecent images of themselves
Guy Martin sets out to learn the truth about his Latvian grandfather and World War II. Along the way, he meets his Latvian relatives and gets some clues about the origins of his own personality.
From bespoke baubles to extravagant gifts and £615,000 diamond-encrusted tree toppers, this programme meets the people supplying and buying a top-end Christmas
'Troy: Cyber Hijack' aka: Troy:Digital Hijack With a series of large-scale stunts, unexpected pranks and surprise demonstrations, magician Troy reveals in this one-off show just what can go wrong on social media and online. From viruses to selfies to secure passwords, Troy pulls out all the stops to make over-sharers, social media addicts and careless data users realise that security really does matter - with hilarious and eye-opening results. In London's Piccadilly Circus, Troy makes some supposedly internet savvy individuals gape as he goes password busting. An innocent temp gets more than she bargained for when she unwittingly downloads a virus. Serial selfie fanatics become the face of an unappealing product. And look out jobseekers - see what happens when a potential employer trawls your social media. Finally, an over-sharer's most personal photographs and information provoke Troy's most audacious stunt of them all.
This compelling documentary joins Greater Manchester Police as they attempt to protect the victims of forced marriages and bring the perpetrators to justice
This Cutting Edge film explores the jet-set world of the young and super rich, who share their luxury lifestyle and the lavish trappings on Instagram, from Kazakhstan to California.
Some people in the wealthiest areas of Britain are outliving those in the poorest by 18 years. Dr Christian Jessen investigates the high-end health industry that seeks to help the rich live longer.
A look at the booming business of decorative ice, from an ice palace hotel to a scuplted masterpiece worth thousands
More than half of all Lego sales come in the last three months of the year. This documentary goes behind the scenes at the secretive superbrand as it prepares for Christmas
David Walliams, Britain’s best-selling children’s author, counts down the nation’s favourite books for kids, with Miranda Hart, Rob Brydon, Julie Walters, Quentin Blake and Michael Morpurgo.
Mary Portas offers an eye-opening look at the shopping trends of 2015, from must-haves to why-did-we-evers, from spiralizers to pastel hair dye.
Inspired by his life and the people he grew up among, Grayson Perry celebrates Essex women.
Psychic mediums reveal what life is like for people who claim they can talk to the dead. From romance to business and popping down the shops, does psychic ability make life easier or more complicated?
A look at the world of extreme festive lighting across Britain The world of extreme festive lighting - from the tears and tantrums to the moving tales behind the dazzling displays
Polar bears are typically intensely solitary creatures, and the stunning footage of this documentary relays a behaviour which is highly atypical. Every September, residents of Kaktovik, Alaska, hunt and harvest a bowhead whale, Dozens of polar bears turn up to gnaw on the remains after the villagers have had their fill. Since this behaviour is a relatively recent phenomenon, some experts believe climate change is to blame. The documentary takes a look at polar bearsmaking their way onto human territory.
A look behind the scenes at the work of party planner Liz Taylor, who organises spectacular luxury events for the super wealthy
More than half of all Lego sales come in the last three months of the year. This documentary goes behind the scenes at the secretive superbrand as it prepares for Christmas.
This one-off film, exclusive to More4, follows Frances Atkins, who is one of only six female Michelin-starred chefs in the UK. Frances Atkins has held her Michelin star continually since 2003 - no mean feat in the modern restaurant business. A Taste of the Yorkshire Dales follows Frances as she creates new meals at her North Yorkshire restaurant, The Yorke Arms, using local, fresh seasonal ingredients - from grouse and crab to lush autumn berries. Frances combines her knowledge of food with classic techniques and a talent for presentation, flavour and texture. The combination has earned her the reputation as one of Britain's most talented chefs. However, as well as keeping the menu fresh, there is the pressure to remain at the top. This film captures just how much that means to Frances and her close-knit team.
Documentary charting the 1990s revolution in British music, fashion, film, sport, art and media, featuring a decade-defining soundtrack, unseen archive and candid interviews.
Dr Xand van Tulleken moves in with a family for the weekend, to give them a thorough health check and a plan to help them live well and feel better
Reported rates of eating disorders and self-harm among young people are increasing dramatically and experts are warning this could be connected to the rapid growth in pro-anorexia and self-harm websites. Thousands of blogs and websites have emerged, made by young people and encouraging their users to compete to lose more weight, share pictures of themselves, post comments, or glorify their own self-harm. They include images of emaciated bodies alongside tips and tricks on how to make yourself vomit or hide your self-harm scars from your parents. One in 12 people self-harm, and in 2014 there were over 38,000 admissions to hospital as a result of self-harm injuries; an increase of nearly 70% in 10 years. Meanwhile, the number of young people seeking help for an eating disorder increased by 110% between 2011 and 2013. This intimate documentary meets three young women who have been drawn into this chilling online world. They share step-by-step accounts of how their illnesses developed, the painful steps to recovery, and for some, the ongoing battle with negative thoughts
The full story of Jonathan King is pieced together by Jon Ronson, through interviews with his friends, the police and his victims. Taking us through his life and career, Ronson tells the story of the pop impresario who, in the 1970s and '80s, preyed upon teenage boys, using his fame and his money to lure them into having sex with him. This is also the story of King's exploits at the now infamous Walton Hop disco, where he and others picked up impressionable youngsters
Investigation into how former mental patient Robert Kleasen was convicted of a double murder in 1974 that echoed the events of the horror film, only to be reprieved on a technicality after just a few years in prison. Kleasen, who has since died of suspected heart failure, was accused again when new evidence came to light 26 years later.
Did the paparazzi chase Diana, Princess of Wales to her death in the Pont d'Alma tunnel in Paris? This is the story of the photographers arrested that night and their version of the events.
Jamie's classic and new festive favourite recipes are presented.
On the day of his death, a musical tribute to David Bowie featuring the songs and videos that made him one of the world's greatest artists.
The definitive story of the January 2015 attacks in Paris by Islamist militants against satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, the police and a Jewish supermarket
Exploring the decade when comedy went alternative, fashion found the slogan and ravers ran rampant. Tony Hadley, Martin Kemp, Richard Branson, Alexei Sayle, Adam Ant and Julian Clary are interviewed.
This documentary tells the inside story of one of the National Crime Agency's largest money laundering investigations. With unique access to NCA documents and surveillance footage, the programme traces an extraordinary nine-month operation, which started with undercover surveillance on one man, and ended up with over 100 officers bringing down one of the largest criminal networks in the country, worth over £180 million. Every year, more than £100 billion changes hands in Britain illegally. Much of the money is controlled by international criminal networks that are involved in drug smuggling, human trafficking and even terrorism. Many British drug dealers outsource the cleaning of their dirty cash to specialist money laundering groups, who collect the money by hand and ensure it's paid out to the right person in the right place, anywhere in the world. These groups operate with a strict hierarchy and a sprawling network of agents, each with different roles.
In 2014, director Jamie Roberts filmed with Islamic extremist Abu Rumaysah. This month, Rumaysah has become one of the world's most wanted men: he's suspected of being the British jihadi in the latest Isis execution video. This timely, powerful new hour-long documentary for Channel 4 takes an intimate look at the people spreading extremist fundamentalism in Britain. Roberts - who also directed Angry, White and Proud for Channel 4 - gains extraordinary access, over the course of two years, to a new wave of extremists, including Rumaysah, who are radicalising and grooming young British Muslims.
Over the past six years, the remains of more than 90 individuals have been recovered from the canals of Greater Manchester - most of them young men. Headlines are now claiming a serial killer may be responsible for their deaths, a story that has caught fire on social media. In this First Cut documentary, former murder detective Tony Blockley reviews the cases of three young men who drowned in the city's canals. Two of them went missing only to turn up dead later, while the third was seen leaving a nightclub with a mystery man who has never been identified. Is the so-called Pusher real or a 21st-century urban legend?
In this heart-warming documentary two single mums are given the chance to find love online, but there's a catch: their children are in control of finding them a partner. Websites like My Lovely Parent allow children to sign their parents up to online dating and even pick the dates for them. Usually a child won't meet their parent's date until it develops into a relationship, but in Date My Mum the children can choose who they would like their parent to date rather than having to accept a partner who they might not like. The programme offers a funny and touching insight into the lives of some of Britain's three million single-parent families.
In the summer of 2015 former Auschwitz clerk Oskar Groening - then aged 93 - was charged as an accessory to the murder of more than 300,000 Jews at the infamous death camp. During the subsequent trial, 81-year-old Auschwitz survivor Eva Kor was called to give her testimony on the medical experiments she endured at the hands of Josef Mengele. Finding herself face-to-face with a Nazi for the first time in more than 70 years, Eva chose to embrace Groening, publicly forgiving him despite the role he played in the deaths of most of her family. This documentary explores the impact of her decision to absolve Groening, who was ultimately sentenced to four years in prison, and also tells the emotional stories of the last surviving Auschwitz inmates living in Britain, some of whom have expressed anger at Eva's actions, considering them a betrayal of those who lost their lives in the concentration camp.
Matt Frei enters the colourful and mad world of presidential hopeful Donald Trump, whose meteoric political rise comes amid one of the most controversial political campaigns America has ever seen. Trump's plans to ban all Muslims from entering the States and to build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants out have outraged many in the States and beyond. Discover the man behind the brand, from the multiple divorces, the bankruptcies and the public insults aimed at women who crossed him to claims of bullying Scottish residents who stood in the way of his golf resort. It's the all-consuming story of a privileged multi-billionaire tycoon who has now decided to use his considerable resource to become the most powerful person on the planet. Frei is also on the campaign trail, meeting those who oppose Trump as well as his fervent supporters who believe he is the epitome of American success and will deliver on his promise to 'Make America great again'.
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, this documentary sees Patricia Routledge following in the footsteps of the Edwardian publishing sensation. She discovers what fired the author's imagination and where her love and understanding of animals was born. As an actress, Patricia played Beatrix on stage in the 1990s. In her present role as patron of the Beatrix Potter Society, and with access to rare drawings, letters and artefacts held at the V&A Archive, she discovers the woman behind the myth.
With British boys now apparently spending 30 per cent more time in the bathroom than teenage girls and taking twice as many selfies, this documentary follows some of those in search of the perfect body. From bodybuilding and eyebrow waxing to make-up, the film also examines how far they will they go to achieve perfection. And what happens when things are taken to extremes?
Palaeontologist Dr Tori Herridge investigates the natural disaster that destroyed the massive chalk land-bridge that once connected Britain to continental Europe 450,000 years ago . Beginning her inquiries in Norfolk, she discovers what life was like before the ancient mega-flood, where she meets an amateur palaeontologist who uncovered the biggest mammoth skeleton ever found, and examines the 850,000-year-old footprints of an early human family perfectly preserved in prehistoric mud. She then travels to Kent and the white cliffs of Dover to detail how the mega-flood happened, joining an `oceanographic' expedition seeking to document evidence of this cataclysm found on the bed of the English Channel.
Tenants who have gone the extra mile to turn their local authority lodgings into unique homes, and the surprising stories behind each transformation. They include the painter-decorator who turned his Brighton terrace into a replica of the Sistine Chapel, and the pensioner who spent decades recreating the interior of a merchant navy ship in his flat on the 11th floor of a Portsmouth tower block.
This documentary meets five 18 to 21-year-olds with an incredible desire to earn and spend money. They've all grafted for every penny. How do they make their money and how has it changed their lives?
In June 2014, the world was transfixed by images of men emerging from the deepest Amazonian rainforest for the first time. They were among the last people living on our planet who had had no contact with the outside world. In this documentary, film-maker Angus Macqueen gains access to this tribe, to Xani and Shirimaku and their families, to find out how they lived, why they had remained isolated for so long and what finally brought them out of isolation.
The UK's top 10 fetishes, kinks and unusual sexual practices, based on a nationally representative survey specially commissioned by Channel 4 and conducted by YouGov. The programme meets ordinary people from across the UK who get up to some jaw-dropping and eye-watering activities in the bedroom, with experts including psychotherapist Philippa Perry and Belgian sexologist Goedele Liekens explaining where unusual sexual desires come from, and why there's no such thing as normal.
Candid documentary offering a glimpse at the secretive world of gay saunas, gaining access to an establishment in Nottingham where men go to meet strangers for sex. The programme meets people from a wide variety of backgrounds who frequent the sauna, from teachers and plumbers to Tory councillors, as well as hearing from the staff who work there, including owners Joe and John, who have been a couple for over 30 years. The programme provides a rarely before seen snapshot of gay culture, in a world where only men are welcome.
The extraordinary human stories of the Battle of Britain pilots and ground crew.
Hidden camera show in which impressionist Scheiffer Bates is let loose on the streets of Britain to convince members of the public they are having a conversation with celebrities. Featuring Christopher Walken getting his foot stuck in a toilet, Matthew McConaughey trying his luck with booking a massage and Jason Statham making a personal injury claim, as well as Liam Neeson looking for a dog walker and Bear Grylls taking on an extreme adventure in a park bin.
Brothers Bobby and Tommy White open the door to the world of top-end jewellery as they invite the cameras into their world for a year of east end boys and west end pearls. Expensive and cool, the millionaire client world for the brothers' uber-chic pieces is far removed from the traditional high street clientele. From a diamond-encrusted hand grenade to space rockets crammed with gemstones and unique motion rings, these are rocks for rock stars. Tommy and Bobby lead the pack of young designers supplying the growing list of A list clients clammering for ever more exotic pieces. Tommy takes care of business while Bobby designs and makes bespoke pieces for a stellar list of stars including Jay Z, Rihanna and Usain Bolt.
Heston's Dinner in Space Heston Blumenthal and his team, working closely with the UK Space Agency, ESA and NASA, attempt to revolutionise the previously limited world of space food. British astronaut Tim Peake set Heston a task before embarking on his mission at the International Space Station, which was to create seven dishes that would remind him of home, helping to combat the emotional impact of his journey. Heston takes Tim on a nostalgic trip back to his childhood with every bite, providing much-needed comfort food and creating the quintessential cup of tea - the first to be sipped in Space.
Materialist scientist Professor Mark Miodownik challenges two-Michelin-star chef Marcus Wareing to the ultimate cookery competition. Over the course of 90 minutes they cook up some of the nation's best-loved dishes, from starter to dessert, in a head-to-head contest to see who can create the most flavoursome food. Marcus has flair, passion, and experience, while Mark an understanding of cooking at the molecular level and access to state-of-the-art technology. Ultimately the question they will try to answer is this: is cooking a science or an art?
In an extraordinary live TV event, Guy Martin takes on his most daring and extreme world record attempt yet, as he defies gravity on the largest Wall of Death ever made.
Donald Trump has now emerged as the clear front runner for the Republican Presidential nomination. His popularity has reached fever pitch. Matt Frei asks: can Trump really go all the way to the White House? As the race to the Oval Office has heated up the billionaire tycoon has continued to spark indignation, been criticised by the Pope and had his rivals question the size of his genitals. Along the way 'the Donald' has won key states and increased his support while some of his rallies have been consumed by mass protests. His position may now be unassailable, as Trump himself puts it: 'I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any voters'. Frei asks if those who want to stop him have any chance of doing so. Can he beat Hillary Clinton? Can he convince the American voters to sweep his political circus into the top job? America is now waking up to an extraordinary reality: Donald Trump could actually become President.
Documentary exploring some of the UK's most extraordinary final goodbyes, meeting families who go above and beyond to ensure their loved ones go out in style. With access to some of Britain's leading funeral directors, the programme explores the challenges they face as they organise some of the biggest funerals of their careers, pulling out all the stops, with just one chance to get it right.
With Europe on heightened terror alert following the attacks in Paris and Brussels and the security services raising the threat posed by hundreds of home-grown jihadists, politicians and Muslim leaders claim that the values of these extremists are shared only by a tiny minority in the UK. To find out if this is the case, Channel 4 has commissioned one of the most extensive and rigorous surveys ever carried out to get a better understanding of the views of British Muslims directly from a representative cross section of Muslim men and women, rather than those who claim to speak on their behalf; and, in particular, to try to understand why young Muslims are being drawn to violence. The survey explores attitudes to being British and British institutions, as well as social issues including gender equality and homosexuality.
In the early hours of 15th September 2014, two British backpackers, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, were found dead just yards from their hotel in Koh Tao, Thailand. Murder in Paradise delves into life on the seemingly idyllic island and discovers a darker undercurrent to this popular tourist hotspot. David and Hannah's murders are just two of a number of British deaths in Thailand, but with authorities anxious to protect the booming tourist industry, the deaths of Westerners often go unexplained. With previously unseen footage inside the police station, and rare interviews with the Burmese migrant workers convicted of the murder, Murder in Paradise takes a closer look at the dangers of the island and asks if Koh Tao is becoming more of a nightmare than a dream destination for Western holidaymakers.
Hollywood action man Arnold Schwarzenegger guides viewers through some of the world's most cunning stunts, including feats of strength, endurance, bravery, and sometimes just dumb luck. Using clips of the stunts themselves, in addition to commentary from fans, comedians, stunt coordinators and daredevils, this one-off show takes a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most famous, jaw-dropping stunts ever, with Arnie providing humour, shock, awe and delight as the programme counts down to number one.
A remarkable, uplifting documentary following the extraordinary story of a man trying to rebuild his body and his family after a devastating illness. In November 2013, father-of-one Alex Lewis caught a common cold. In an extremely rare case, the cold developed into toxic shock syndrome, with shattering effects. Alex lost both his legs, both his arms and part of his face as doctors fought to save him. But his physical rehabilitation wouldn't be his biggest challenge; rebuilding his relationship with his partner Lucy and winning back the love of his three-year-old son would be. Filmed intimately over two years, and from just days after he lost his limbs, filmmaker Leonardo Machado's documentary follows Alex's incredible story as he seeks to rebuild his life and his relationships and to reinvent himself. He wakes up an alien to himself, and a different father to Sam, his son, who can't bring himself to kiss his dad's new disfigured face.
Focusing on China's elite who are obsessed with everything British and have the money to pay for it. From Savile Row suits to high society debutantes, million-pound racehorses to lavish wedding ceremonies, this film follows some of the Far East's most enthusiastic Anglophiles.
Documentary looking at disputes between residents in upmarket areas of London. Zipporah Lisle Mainwaring hit the headlines worldwide for painting her exclusive Kensington mews in bright red stripes, which came in the midst of an ongoing legal argument about her plans to turn this two-storey property into a dream home, complete with pool and cinema. The programme also hears from author Rachel Johnson, sister of London mayor Boris, who is one of the most outspoken Notting Hill residents on the horrors of living next door to a basement build.
Documentary following the fortunes of a Syrian family over four years, from the ruins of their life in Aleppo to beginning new lives as refugees in Germany. Set against the backdrop of the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War, the story is told by three sisters and their brother.
Across Britain a community of people have turned extreme penny pinching into a way of life. Some have made their passion their career, becoming celebrities in their own right. For others, it's all about saving their families serious money. Now, for the first time, they go head to head to see who can get the best value from one of our most costly spends - the holiday. First up are the professional money savers. Ashleigh Swan is known in the cost-cutting world as Ashleigh Money Saver and claims to have more Facebook followers than The Queen. Keen to steal her crown is Jenny Drew, the Coupon Detective. They lock horns over who can bag themselves the cheapest weekend break in Great Yarmouth. Meanwhile, two amateur money saving families battle it out in Mallorca, where a five night stay in May half term can cost £2500 for a family of four.
Michael Crick examines how the EU referendum campaign has become a personal battle between David Cameron and Boris Johnson, which will define the futures of the Conservative Party and of the country
Phil Spencer and a team of specialists tackle the nations clutter crisis by helping a family launch a major clearout
A close look at female big game hunters and the abuse they receive for taking part in such a controversial blood sport
For 1300 years, Wu Zetian - China's only female Emperor - has been remembered as a callous tyrant who brought calamity to China. But new discoveries paint a very different picture of her reign.
Fuelled by a boom in oil, gas and telecoms, Nigeria is now Africa's largest economy. With a new wave of super-rich moving in to London's poshest neighbourhoods, this documentary follows the lives of wealthy young Nigerians as they live what's dubbed `the shuttle life' between Lagos and London. They include Cuppy and Temi Otedola, heiresses to a $1.2billion fortune, and British-Nigerian multi-millionaire Alexander Amosu, who is preparing to launch a new business venture
The Yeti - a mysterious creature that walks on two legs - has been part of Tibetan folklore for thousands of years. Scientist Mark Evans has long been intrigued by the legend, and has assembled a team of leading international geneticists who will use cutting-edge DNA analysis to help him find out, once and for all, if there's a rational explanation for the 'Abominable Snowman'. He travels halfway around the world on a mission to explore two competing theories for the Yeti. Is it a different species of human that was pushed to the margins by Homo sapiens and clung on in the high Himalaya until more recently than anyone thought possible? Or is the Yeti an unknown bear species? Mark meets renowned mountaineer Reinhold Messner who claims to have encountered a Yeti and is convinced that it's some kind of special bear. British mountaineer Steve Berry shows Mark intriguing photos of footprints on an unexplored Himalayan mountain.
In this one-off documentary, criminologist Professor David Wilson conducts a series of revealing interviews with convicted murderer Bert Spencer, the man never charged with, yet widely suspected of killing paperboy Carl Bridgewater in 1978 – a crime he has always denied.
In this celebration of the life and work of the much-loved entertainer, friends and famous fans pay tribute to the comedian who wrote some of television's greatest comedy sketches, dramas and musicals, and won two BAFTA awards for her drama Housewife, 49. Stars including Sir Lenny Henry, Peter Kay and Alison Steadman talk about Victoria Wood's contribution to entertainment, while friends and fellow actors such as Celia Imrie, Michael Ball, David Threlfall and Anne Reid recall what it was like to work with her.
Penelope Keith looks back at the hidden villages she has visited across Britain and puts together a selection of her favourites. From the popular holiday hotspots of Devon and Cornwall, via the stunning shores of the Lake District and the wilds of Scotland, Penelope revisits some of Britain's most captivating villages, exploring their extraordinary traditions, fascinating residents and marvelling at the captivating stories that can unexpectedly touch us all.
A quarter of British households have a dog. But some people don't just want to own a dog; they want to be one. Secret Life of the Human Pups introduces a previously unseen subculture of ordinary men who lead extraordinary double lives, dressing up in elaborate dog suits that cost thousands of pounds as they strive to become their very own pet. Human puppy play has become a global phenomenon in recent years and there are now an estimated 10,000 'human pups' in the UK alone. But what makes these grown men covet doggy treats, belly rubs and squeaky toys? And why has it risen in popularity? Getting under the skin of this weird and wonderful world, this documentary explores what it takes to become a human pup, the impact it has on friends and loved ones and why, for some people, it has become a way of life.
Documentary exploring the ageing population through the eyes of some of Britain's oldest muscle men, as they work towards the competitive World Bodybuilding Finals in Miami. The programme takes an alternative look at what it is like to be old in today's rapidly changing world, and meets contestants including 79-year-old Eric Dowie, who is the oldest man in the competition and hopes to retain his 2014 title of Over-70s World Champion. Cameras also follow Jimmy, who is desperate to reclaim the title from Eric, and 76-year-old Roger, who is determined to succeed with the help of his right-hand lady Joan.
In Britain, we like to think of ourselves as a nation of foodies But many people don't know what good quality produce looks, tastes, or smells like, or where it comes from. Across the UK there is a cornucopia of wholesale food markets, fishmongers, greengrocers and specialist food suppliers, where seasoned merchants and traders use knowledge acquired over generations to ensure their customers get the very best produce. The show has trawled the country to get Britain's top fish experts to reveal their secrets from the deep. Award-winning chip shop chef Mark Petrou shows how to fry up the perfect fish and chips - with Prosecco. Billingsgate pro CJ sniffs out the freshest fish. Michelin-starred seafood guru Shaun Rankin cooks up a fishy dishy with wow factor. And renowned fish restaurateur Nathan Outlaw reveals how to feed the whole family on the cheap.
Paul O'Grady embarks on a feel-good journey in this special show celebrating the many highlights of the magical movie genre of the musical. A keen fan and aficionado, Paul leaves no musical note un-tuned as he reveals the genre's history - from its roots in the early 20th century, through its golden era, and all the way up to the multimillion dollar industry it has become. Paul is joined by a host of stars and insiders from the world of movie musicals, including James Corden, Michael Ball, Michael York, Joel Grey, Sheila Hancock and Benny Andersson. The musicals covered include Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Bugsy Malone, Mamma Mia! and Into the Woods. There are stories from the set of The Wizard of Oz, told by Judy Garland's daughter and Bert Lahr's son. Scott Baio, who played Bugsy Malone, reveals what it's like in appearing in a movie with no adults. And the directors and stars of Les Misérables discuss singing the whole score live on set.
This documentary takes a look at the hidden world of Mayfair's super-luxury nightlife scene, following global nightclub entrepreneur Joe Fournier. The owner of clubs in London, New York and Mykonos, Joe and his team travel the world trying to create exclusive party experiences for the international jet set. His flagship club Bonbonniere is in Mayfair, an area that now rivals Gstaad and Monaco as a favourite playground for the world's young super-rich. With a £15k house cocktail, Bonbonniere caters for the extremely wealthy. Not content with his global clubbing empire, however, Joe plans an aggressive expansion into hotels and restaurants.
Rufus Hound meets the sugar-craft specialists behind some of the world's unusual cakes, including a solar system made of sponge, edible statues and life-sized fondant swans.
Just hours before voting begins, Channel 4 hosts the final debate on the EU Referendum. Jeremy Paxman is joined by politicians, celebrities and high-profile men and women from business, science, sport, the military and security services. The audience consists of 150 handpicked guests, consisting of 50 remain, 50 leave and 50 undecided. The panel members will be drawn from the audience on a rotating basis.
At a time when most have us have too much stuff - with the average Brit owning 1000 items, while checking their phone 200 hundred times a day - what do we really need to be happy? To find out, three households take part in a life changing experiment. For 21 days, all their possessions will be stripped away - even their clothes - and every single item in their home put into storage. They must not buy or borrow anything, apart from food and drink. Carrying on with their daily routine - work, relationships and social lives - they can choose to get back one item a day for 21 days. Will it be shoes or mattress? Phone or pants? When absolutely everything is stripped away, who are they without their possessions?
Andi Osho and Anna Richardson go behind the scenes of the internet retail revolution, assessing how shopping websites tempt people to buy more and how much online delivery really costs. From Amazon to Asda, and John Lewis to Just Eat, the Supershoppers reveal some surprising results and, through a series of shopping diaries, internet addicts reveal their insights and tips into the world of online shopping.
From eye-crossing fetishists to balloon and bubblegum poppers, roll neck-shamers and ear-diddling enthusiasts, Britain is in the grip of a secret fetish obsession, with an army of amateur filmmakers ready to cater to our every quirky need. Welcome to the world of porn to order. Exploring the bizarre and highly lucrative business of bespoke online fetish video production, this entertaining documentary follows a growing number of British producers as they make their fortune delivering other people's fantasies on tape.
Nineteen-year-old Nic Hamilton attempts to follow in the tyre tracks of his brother, Formula 1 world champion Lewis. On top of the pressure of being a Hamilton and never having raced a car in his life, Nic also suffers from cerebral palsy, which had him in a wheelchair until he was 16. This touching and inspiring documentary follows Nic as he strives to fulfil his own lifelong dream of becoming a racing driver.
Broadcasting live from a 1950s style high school prom in the UK, Alan Carr's Grease Night is a one-off entertainment extravaganza hopelessly devoted to all things Grease and 50s Americana. Featuring some very special famous faces, including the original Frenchy, Didi Conn, and Katherine Ryan. There's dancing, dating, plus some big audience surprises. At the end of the night two lucky prom revellers win the ultimate high school accolade of being crowned Prom King and Queen.
Donald Trump versus Hilary Clinton is on. Matt Frei looks at how this US presidential contest is shaping up to be one of the most brutal in living memory. Clinton says Trump isn't fit for President, while Trump has called for Clinton to be locked up and has even been accused of hinting that she should be assassinated. Frei asks if Trump can really make it all the way to the White House or if he'll be crushed by the Clinton machine. He meets Trump supporters and conflicted Republicans. Considering his derogatory remarks on women, he also asks whether Trump can really win over the all significant female vote. The experts continue to predict the Trump insurgency is doomed to crash and burn, but they said the same about Brexit. A Trump America could well be a reality.
Documentary making extensive use of interviews and clips from big-budget Hollywood blockbusters to explore the story of how superheroes - once exclusively found on the pages of comic books - found their way to the silver screen, becoming bankable cinematic icons in the process. A Channel 4 poll outlines which do-gooders the British public have taken to their hearts, and the programme charts the history of big-screen heroics from the release of the ground-breaking Superman: The Movie in 1978 through to the high-profile releases arriving in cinemas this year. Along the way, viewers are given a chance to revisit Tim Burton's noir-themed iteration of Batman in the 1990s, the angst-filled antics of the X-Men and Spider-Man in the early noughties, and the far-reaching storylines of Marvel's inter-connected Avengers films. All this culminates as the poll results reveals which five heroes have captured British imaginations to become the nation's favourites.
Designer William Hardie, crafter Clemency Green and bespoke car maker Ant Anstead tackle different tasks, from making a dog bed to a hand-sewn leather satchel.
From Four Weddings and a Funeral to Notting Hill, and When Harry Met Sally to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Meg Ryan, Hugh Grant, Richard Curtis, Rupert Everett and Stephen Merchant reveal the untold stories behind the greatest romantic comedy films of the past three decades in this new, feature-length documentary narrated by Julie Walters. In this intimate, insiders' account of our transatlantic love affair with romcoms, Richard Curtis describes his dilemma when casting the lead in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hollywood mega-star Meg Ryan comes clean about her orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally, and There's Something About Mary's legendary director Bobby Farrelly unzips the secrets of Cameron Diaz's hairstyle.
The spectacular natural beauty of the Himalayas draws three quarters of a million people to Nepal every year. But the same forces that created these mountains also have the power to destroy. In April this year a violent earthquake struck the country, triggering deadly landslides and avalanches across the Himalayas. This programme, made with footage shot by people who were there, tells the story of climbers and trekkers trapped in remote corners of the mountains. What should have been the trip of a lifetime quickly became a nightmare. Who lived, and who died, was a matter of chance.
In the early 1960s, John Harris blazed a trail as a prominent anti-apartheid activist. He even helped to get South Africa barred from the Olympics. But in July 1964 everything changed. Harris placed a bomb in Johannesburg station, hoping to deal apartheid a crushing blow. Instead, he horrified the country, killing a 77-year-old woman, and severely burning her young granddaughter, who soon moved abroad, changing her identity in order to escape press attention. Harris was hanged eight months later, the only white political prisoner executed in the four decades of apartheid. Nelson Mandela held a vigil in his honour. Harris left a young widow and a 10-month-old son. Now, over half a century later, the home movies of the station bomber have surfaced, allowing those who knew him best to tell his story. And in the UK, in an emotional encounter, John Harris's son finally meets the young girl who was maimed by his father's bomb.
Millionaires Tony and Barrie Drewitt-Barlow came to fame in 1999 as the first British gay fathers to pay surrogate mothers to have their own children. Pioneers, they became role models but also unwitting celebrities when they were forced to defend their decision in the face of a judgmental and hostile media. Sixteen years on their eldest children - twins Aspen and Saffron - are about to turn 16. In this documentary we find out what life is like for a teenager in this extraordinary family. In true Drewitt-Barlow style, they're planning an extravagant birthday party to celebrate the twins' 16th and some seriously expensive coming of age presents. The programme follows the whole family across a milestone year of defining social events, lavish gifts and GCSEs as they struggle to combine life as a 'normal' family with the demands of an insatiable media.
Body Coach phenomenon Joe Wicks has helped thousands transform their bodies with his eat more, exercise less fitness regime. Now the Instagram sensation is bringing his body confidence revolution to the whole nation demonstrating superfast, tasty recipes and short, intense work outs to get us all fit, strong and healthy this summer. In this one-off show he brings his own brand of high-octane optimism to a group who are ready for a tone up. Among those hoping to be transformed are a fireman who's struggled with fat fighting; a police officer who worries her colleagues use the word 'bubbly' as code for 'fat' and a couple who want to lose weight for their honeymoon. They all have different deadlines looming... Some have 90 days, some 60 and some only 30 days - can Joe give them the body confidence boost they need to happily run down the beach in their swimmers?
More and more people are taking up risky, adrenaline-fuelled sports like bungee jumping, skydiving and waterskiing and this documentary follows a group of people with disabilities determined to push themselves to the limit. Bazza lost the use of all four limbs in a car accident, Jenna was born with small arms, Caroline lost a leg in a motorcycle crash in which her husband died, Gemma is reliant on crutches and a wheelchair as a result of the rare Guillian-Barré Syndrome and Kain is one of the smallest dwarves in the UK.
George Clarke looks back at some of his favourite amazing builds by the sea, including a multifunctional beach hut in Bournemouth built for less than £400, and a 21st-century update of a Victorian bathing machine in Margate. George also looks back at some of his favourite waterside retreats in Germany: an extraordinary life guard tower and a holiday home with incredible views across the water, as well as reflecting on the seaside build he undertook with master craftsman Will Hardie that pushed the humble beach hut to its limits by making it float in the open sea.
Ashley Madison is the controversial dating site that marketed itself directly to potential adulterers. In August 2015 the private details of over 30 million users of the site were hacked and made public, with catastrophic effect. But when internal company emails purporting to be those of the then CEO of the company were also published by the hackers, it seemed a lot more may be going on behind the scenes. Havana Marking's gripping documentary investigates a world of porn, genius marketing and media manipulation as well as claims of prostitution and cyber bullying.
I'm a Celeb contestant Lady Colin Campbell attempts to transform a crumbling stately home back into a desirable residence in this one-off documentary. When Lady C bought Castle Goring for a knockdown price, the place was a complete ruin with a leaking roof. Undeterred, Lady C takes on the challenge of restoring this derelict money pit to its former glory, aiming to turn it into a home fit for a lady and an upmarket venue for weddings and events. Can she finish all the restoration work before the grand opening ball is scheduled to take place in a few weeks time?
2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button gives an honest, emotional and funny interview with legendary broadcaster Murray Walker. Covering Jensen's introduction to motor sport at his father's side in rallycross events of the 1980s, to his arrival at Williams in 2000 as Britain's youngest ever F1 driver, to his magnificent championship season with Brawn GP and current drive alongside Fernando Alonso.
Hosted by David Walliams and to mark the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl's birth, this is a celebration of the author's ten best-selling children's books. This one-off programme also features a live viewer vote that will climax by revealing the nation's favourite work by Dahl. The marvellous books in question include classics such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, The Witches, Matilda, The Twits, and many more. The programme includes contributions from Steven Spielberg, Julie Walters, Richard Curtis, Mackenzie Crook, Jarvis Cocker, Johnny Vegas, Jessica Hynes and Miriam Margolyes - each one championing their favourite Dahl book.
Documentary following a new generation of British florists, showing how they are taking on the Dutch firms who control the world market. Jay's new business is booming because of her use of quirky homegrown British buds for event displays, while Geoff has learnt Dutch and buys directly at the flower auctions in the Netherlands, passing on savings to his loyal customers back home. The film also follows Rob as he create a huge flower display outside London's National Portrait Gallery.
Parental outsourcing has become big business. From etiquette lessons, to professional potty trainers who guarantee results in three days, modern parents have never had so many experts to choose from. If they can afford it. For some, parental support services are a necessity of modern life, enabling quality time between parents and their children. Others feel strongly that the burgeoning business is simply a by-product of lazy parenting. Too Posh to Parent, a one-off documentary, explores this polarising subject by meeting the providers of parental services to the super rich, and the wealthy families that use them: from 34-year-old Nina Naustdal, and her household of full-time staff, to family concierge Lucy Challenger, who is on a mission to find a client a nanny who can both cook vegan food and ski. Going behind closed doors at well-heeled family homes, the programme uncovers how some wealthy parents spend their money on raising their kids.
Last year 80,000 people in the UK listed their property on room bookings site Airbnb, and London has become one of its fastest growing markets. The majority of its millions of users have positive experiences, such as Peckham mum-of-two Leah, who rents out her spare room from £40 a night, which provides valuable extra income and allows her to spend more time at home with her kids. She's hugely positive about the whole experience but others aren't so lucky. Airbnb: Dream or Nightmare?
“It changed my life for ever. Not many films do that.” Virginia McKenna returns to Kenya for a documentary that, appropriately, has bite beneath a warm, self-congratulatory exterior. We hear about how McKenna and Bill Travers, her husband on and off screen, relocated their family for a year to shoot the 1966 movie Born Free, a film that couldn’t be made now and was seen as suicidally risky then. To play Joy and George Adamson, McKenna and Travers had to replicate the pioneering conservationists’ daring closeness with lions – overcoming the scary logistics involved imbued the actors with their own fierce love of wildlife. McKenna bursts with charming anecdotes about her definitive performance, although the odd tart aside shows she needed a certain toughness to pull it off. SUMMARY The actress returns to the Kenyan locations of the classic movie about a lion being reared by humans to mark its 50th anniversary. Virginia shares her experiences of working alongside wild lions for nine months, revealing how she was able to earn the animals' trust, and reflects on how the film changed public perceptions of wildlife. The programme examines the political backdrop of the film, with footage of Kenya officially gaining independence from British imperial rule.
Kate Quilton is joined by Dr Tamal Ray - known for his time on The Great British Bake Off last year - to investigate a series of questions about health, examining the latest online solutions to pressing medical needs and testing the boldest claims from recent advice. The examine whether eating placenta after childbirth can really revitalise the body faster, look at an app offering guidance on the status of moles and sun damage and try to discover what coconut pulling has to do with the perfect smile.
Documentary exploring the latest developments in artificial intelligence. Gemma Chan, who plays android Mia in sci-fi drama Humans, meets experts in robotics and computer programming from around the world, and visits a project attempting to create a computer more powerful than the human brain. Gemma participates in an experiment to create a robotic version of herself, which is then tested for its ability to produce convincing human responses.
Former Parachute Regiment officer and current affairs foreign correspondent Abigail Austen travels to America, on the eve of the 2016 US Presidential Election, to discover why transgender rights have become such a crucial electoral battleground this year. At the heart of the matter is North Carolina, a pivotal swing state that was criticised earlier this year for passing local legislation that forced transgender people to use public toilets corresponding to the gender recorded on their birth certificate. The resulting backlash forced the Obama administration to sue North Carolina, and provoked a constitutional crisis in a state Republican candidate Donald Trump and his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton are both keen to win. As a trans-woman herself, Abigail explores how what has been a highly political problem can become desperately personal.
Forty years on from Dad's Army, one of Britain's best-loved actors, Ian Lavender (who played Pike), meets the men and women who were just teenagers when they served on the Home Front during the Second World War. Pike from Dad's Army served in the Home Guard, but this was just a part of the larger Home Front. What was life really like for the millions of young people serving in thousands of different roles that were so vital to victory? Travelling across the country, Ian takes to the skies in a Spitfire, meets former land girls, nurses, WAFS, entertainers, forestry workers and coal-mining Bevin Boys - all of whom had wartime experiences that changed them forever. At a time of the year when the nation remembers the wartime sacrifices of previous generations, Ian meets the often unsung heroes who 'did their bit' for their country.
From contour kings and queens to bad Barbies, cyber mermaids and tattooed goddesses, extreme image lovers from around the UK showcase their skills in this one-off show. Eight personalities begin the process barefaced and stripped of their `identity', before showing the tricks of their trade with unique tutorials.
The World According to President Trump will see RTS award-winner Matt Frei talking to those in the know in an attempt to get to the bottom of what a Trump presidency means. Will Trump really seek to ban all Muslims from entering the United States? Will he actually build The Wall? What will the US-Russia relationship look like? Channel 4’s George Waldrum said “We have never seen anything like it before, or possibly ever will again. The controversy surrounding the election has been remarkable and it is a great opportunity to continue the coverage and analysis on Channel 4. “Matt Frei has been at the heart of the election coverage and can provide great insight into the aftermath of the election," he added.
Documentary following The Rolling Stones' tour of early 2016 through 10 Latin American cities. The film combines their electrifying live performances from across the tour and from the historic tour finale as the first ever rock band to perform in Havana, providing an intimate insight into the world of The Rolling Stones. It's a road movie that celebrates the revolutionary power of rock 'n' roll and chronicles the tour, the local culture and the unique bond that exists between the Latin American people and The Rolling Stones.
Philip Glenister and Ant Anstead sink their own hard earned cash into restoring a 1950s Lotus Elite
Documentary about three children on the professional go-kart racing circuit and the parents who support them through gruelling training and the pursuit of sponsorship deals as they work towards becoming Formula 1 drivers when they grow up. While two families are able to spend large sums of money on their children's ambitions, 10-year-old Fenn Chapman, who has found the sport useful in managing his autism, is unable to join a professional team and faces competitors with much higher budgets.
Documentary bringing together a group of profoundly deaf people, sharing the moment when they may hear for the very first time since having a cochlear implant fitted.
The shopping guru lifts the lid on the nation's salaries, at the top and the bottom of the wage scale, and explores why people are so secretive about their pay packets. From the PM's salary to footballers' wages, Mary Portas meets a range of earners to discover how far their salaries stretch in Britain today, and reveals the best and worst places in Britain to live.
Documentary exploring the consequences of deadly single hits, from a row over a parking space in a supermarket car park to an unanticipated fight outside a nightclub. By examining three different assaults, the film shows that a single punch can have a colossal effect, often in innocuous locations and circumstances.
Lee McKenzie talks to former F1 and current World Endurance Championship driver Mark Webber about his illustrious racing career. Webber speaks openly about his relationship with Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, and his career highs and lows.
An edited version of Guy's world record attempt, with added behind-the-scenes footage.
How do you discharge a patient from a psychiatric hospital when they committed terrible crimes in the past? This documentary meets three men who may be released after decades under lock and key.
Documentary following veteran DJ Carl Cox across the 2016 season in Ibiza, from the Music Is Revolution opening in June through to the closing of Space in September. The film offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on a momentous slice of clubbing history, as well as an honest and insightful window into Cox's life inside, and away from, the DJ booth.
Social media is fuelling a global phenomenon of people seeking their twin stranger. Leading twin experts test seven doppelgänger pairs. What can science learn from non-related pairs?
Following his critically acclaimed ratings smash David Blaine: Real or Magic, Blaine returns with his most revealing performance yet, which has been two years in the making. Blaine pulls the lid off his signature brand of street magic, sparking reactions that will awe audiences and defy all expectations. Magic meets documentary in the one-hour special, as Blaine blows the minds of some of the most recognisable celebrities in the world, including David Beckham, Johnny Depp, Drake, Steph Curry, Dave Chappelle, John Travolta, Patrick Stewart, Emma Stone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others.
Just like Las Vegas, Skegness is a town built on live entertainment. For agents and performers, this is where dreams are made - and broken. It may be a million miles away from Nevada's Sin City, but the highs and lows of this coastal town in Lincolnshire are just as visceral, and over the summer Skegness comes alive. With more than a million holiday-makers visiting Europe's largest caravan park complex, demand for entertainment is feverish. Competition between the artistes is fierce, and the audiences can be brutal. Virtually everyone in the town is involved in some way in the live entertainment industry. Noel Gee, a veteran talent manager who narrates this documentary, has been in the business for over 40 years. Along with his trusty sidekick and legendary Skegness glam rocker Kriz Garrick, Noel can help make dreams come true. Noel aims to help his roster of stars to ascend the glittering stage of venues such as Club Tropicana, but the reality can be far from glamorous.
This First Cut documentary follows three spirited pensioner couples who are set to tie the knot and prove that you're never too old for love. In 2015 the number of grooms in their late sixties increased by 25%, while the number of brides in the same age group went up by 21%. The programme captures their excitement as well as their fears as they tackle the challenges of getting down the aisle and face the realities of what the future might hold for them. Widow Georgina, who's 94, is marrying 86-year-old retired chef Raymond, who has terminal cancer. Defiant in the face of this knowledge, they hope to have at least a couple of years together. Margaret, who's 81 and has 11 great grandchildren, has turned to the internet to find love. She met Victor, who's 77, fell for him instantly and, ignored her granddaughter's warning not to take him home on the first date.
This film follows the lives of young mothers who have ended up in a YMCA hostel when they found themselves pregnant and homeless. Shot over several months, this observational documentary follows five young mothers spending the first year of their baby's life in a hostel. Every year, thousands of teen mothers and mums-to-be become homeless. Rising private rents, a shortage of affordable housing and benefit cuts mean more and more young parents find themselves living in unsuitable accommodation, B&Bs or night shelters. This film focuses on five mothers and their journey towards independence over 12 months. The mothers tell their stories in their own words, giving a unique and surprising perspective on what it's really like to become a parent in your teens when you don't have a home.
Comedian, actor and outdoor enthusiast Ardal O'Hanlon explores the UK to discover its most remarkable trees. There are a staggering 50 trees to every person in Britain, and many have a history and heritage worth celebrating. In 2016, for the first time on television, Channel 4 reveals the winners of the Woodland Trust's prestigious Tree of the Year award. The public have voted on a 28-strong shortlist, selected by some of the country's leading botanists, historians and photographers. The winning tree from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is put to a panel of experts, who will select just one of the four to take the overall title of UK Tree of the Year.
The story of Britain's extreme weather from the last year, told and filmed by people right in the middle of it, from record-breaking floods and super-storms to terrifying tornadoes and hair-raising lightning strikes. The documentary uses jaw-dropping footage captured on cameras and phones and hears the amazing real-life experiences of people caught up in 2016's extreme weather conditions. It also explores how a record level El Niño effect unleashed climate chaos on the UK and why our small island gets battered by such crazy weather, often all at once. This is a sometimes funny and sometimes frightening journey through our weather year.
While the rest of us search out bargain toys on the high street and online, the UK's millionaires and billionaires use a network of bespoke, high-end suppliers of luxurious gifts and entertainment. Many of us grew up playing on a traditional rocking horse, but only one very lucky child will get to own a horse covered in over 8000 Swarovski crystals. When Mummy and Daddy own some of London's most valuable real estate, it follows that their children's doll's house will be worth £25,000. And if your car is a symbol of your status and wealth, then no wonder Atom Cars think their 20mph electric car is perfect for a child whose parents have £30,000 to spare. This documentary explores the inside world of the craftsmen and inventors attempting to realise the dreams of Britain's billionaires.
Christmas, the time of year when peace on earth and goodwill to all men rings out across the land - unless elaborate festive decorating has anything to do with it. This one-off film meets the people who spend each year going into seasonal battle with their neighbours in a bid to come out on top in the extreme decorating stakes. As well as the race to get the lights up and working for the big switch on, there's rivalries, tears and tantrums, and sometimes the risk of electrocution. And behind the brash bulbs and dazzling displays lies a range of surprisingly emotional personal stories as to why Christmas lights have become an obsession for some.
A look behind the scenes as the world's most profitable toy maker opens its biggest ever Lego store, in London
Made in Chelsea's Jamie Laing uses his loveable charm to entertain and quiz a host of celebrity guests in their beds, getting a surprisingly candid look at their home and private lives. In this special festive episode, Jamie runs riot through Charlotte Crosby's brand new mansion, snuggles up to Tattoo Fixers' Jay Hutton in his Shoreditch apartment and gets naked with cult 90s TV star Pamela Anderson. In Bed with Jamie at Christmas stops at nothing to deliver outrageous, awkward and revealing moments, with some kisses under the mistletoe!
Arrivals is a refreshingly warm and intimate insight into the lives of some of the thousands of people travelling in today's ever-shrinking world as they pass through the Heathrow airport arrivals halls. Captivating, surprising, heart-warming and often heart-breaking stories are told by passengers and their waiting loved ones, all meeting under the same roof. Narrated by Julie Walters, this documentary goes beyond plain airport 'people-watching' and reveals the incredible and momentous life stories that people have to share. From long-lost friendship to newly found romance, Arrivals is a captivating and honest exploration of love and life.
19 Kids and Counting follows the fascinating lives of Britain's largest family, the Radfords, as they take parenting to a whole new level. The cameras return to the family home as Lancashire pie-maker Noel, Sue and the kids prepare to welcome a new baby to their ever growing brood and only weeks later set off on their most ambitious family holiday to date, down under. In Australia, the Radfords meet Australia's biggest family, the Bonnells, who have 16 kids but enforce much stricter house rules. As Sue, Noel and their offspring meet another supersized family, it transpires that they have something else in common: with over 30 children between them, both sets of parents were adopted as babies themselves. As the Radfords explore Australia's Gold Coast, cooking kangaroo pies for their hosts and falling out with each other on the other side of the world, at its heart the documentary is about love and the family bonds that tie us together.
With home video from his youth, and footage from his early years performing solo in Greenwich Village, this 90-minute special provides a unique insight into the life of Bruce Springsteen.
The hunt for the lost sketches and clips of one of Britain's most-loved comedy acts
Alan Titchmarsh celebrates the 90th birthday of Winnie-the-Pooh, exploring Pooh's adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and friends.
Mary Portas catches up with some of the nation's leading influencers, forecasters and stores, from John Lewis to Asos, to examine the retail trends of 2016, from corgi cakes to eye contours
Documentary about the history of computer games.
Hell on Earth is an hour-long documentary presented by Mark Kermode. It's about Ken Russell's 1971 film, The Devils which is one of the most controversial films ever made. Kermode chats to Russell as well as two of the films stars Goergina Hale and Murray Melvin. Also included are scenes that were cut from the released film for being too controversial.
The Nuremberg trials, 1946 Goering and the Nazi high command stand trial. Within the prison a dangerous mind game is being conducted by Goering and the prison guards who stand watch over the perpetrators of the Holocaust.
Charlie Luxton meets extreme commuters to explore what happens to your lifestyle when you live hundreds of miles away from work. The programme explores the new home and lifestyle opportunities created by the boom in city property prices, the fall in air fares, and the rise in remote working via the internet. Charlie meets three London commuters with vastly different journeys to work. He joins one super commuter with a daily six-hour round trip, and another who at the end of the working day flies home to another country.
This follow-up returns to City Sauna, where business is booming. But with damp in the gentleman's lounge and a customer with a custard fetish, what could possibly go wrong?
This new show looks at some of the health stories currently breaking the internet. With over 160 million health related internet searches carried out every year worldwide, we find ourselves bombarded with information about our bodies. With access to cutting-edge experiments and medical expertise, presenters Cherry Healey, Dr Pixie McKenna and health journalist Dara Mohammadi are determined to separate fact from fiction, finding answers to questions like 'could cheesy feet save your life?, 'did the internet create a phobia?' and 'are faecal transplants the future?'.
The remarkable true story of Donald Trump's family history - one of the most extraordinary immigration success stories ever told - and what it reveals about the United States' 45th President
The Modern British Slave Trade explores the rise of modern slavery in the UK, giving a portrait of the dark world of forced labour through the eyes of the people involved. The British government estimates that there are approximately 13,000 people forced into slavery in the UK today and this documentary provides a unique insight into this hidden criminal world, from the 'slaves' themselves to the investigators and the people who are trying to tackle this criminal industry. From agriculture to nail bars, the programme explores the dark world of modern-day slavery and many of the people trapped in plain sight.
For freelance paparazzi photographer George, it's all about being in the right place at the right time. This documentary shows him and his apprentice in hot pursuit of Britney Spears, Little Mix, Wayne Rooney, Dawn French, Katie Hopkins and Judge Rinder. George also shares some of his more colourful anecdotes that may help explain why many celebrities view him with such disdain. George estimates that he sells over 500 photographs a year to news organisations and magazines around the world, but in getting the photos is he staying the right side of the legal line? To get those photos, George has become a master of deception, distraction and disguise, entering an area where public interest, morality and privacy laws collide.
Getting fit has never been bigger business, with gym memberships in the UK at an all-time high. With fitness DVDs, books and apps, plus thousands of pictures of transformed bodies all over social media to inspire, how do we decide what's the most effective form of exercise to help us look good, feel great and suit our lifestyle? How important is exercise versus diet and can team sports provide more effective results than exercising on your own? Is running damaging for your body? From HIIT to yoga, running to bulking and shredding, presenters Anna Richardson and Amar Latif reveal just what you need to do to lose weight, strengthen your body and improve your fitness levels. The show busts myths, reveals exercise secrets, and lets science do the talking.
Simon Brodkin, the man behind comedy character Lee Nelson, created one of 2015's most iconic images when he showered disgraced FIFA President Sepp Blatter with banknotes in front of the world's media in Zurich, but the methods behind this and his other audacious stunts have always remained secret. Until now. In 2016 Channel 4 secured exclusive and unrestricted access to Simon as he set his sights on three of the world's most notorious figures: Simon Cowell, Sir Phillip Green and the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald Trump. With never before seen footage, Britain's Greatest Hoaxer lifts the lid on the months of meticulous planning and preparation that go into pulling off a successful stunt. With tension, drama, disguise, false starts, arrests and near misses with the U.S. Secret Service, the documentary will reveal the extraordinary and even dangerous measures Simon takes as he bursts the bubbles of some of the world's richest and most famous people. The 2015 image of Simon showering Sepp Blatter in banknotes made the front pages of the Times, Telegraph, Guardian and Independent in the UK, as well as countless headlines around the world. Previously Simon has joined Kanye West on stage during the rapper's headline set at Glastonbury; helped Volkswagen fit the latest in emissions-cheating technology to their new car at the Geneva International Motor Show; gate-crashed a prime-time Saturday night broadcast of The X Factor; and joined the England football team ahead of their flight to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Britain's Greatest Hoaxer airs as part of Channel 4's Fake News Week.
Andrew Welch has a difficult job. As marketing director for British Naturism, he's paid to promote social nudity and attract new and younger recruits to an organisation with a membership that gets smaller and greyer every year. His brainchild for 2016 is the Great British Skinny Dip. The idea is for venues across the country to host nude swims over one weekend in September - so young people can give nakedness a go in its most accessible form. The Great British Skinny Dip follows Andrew over six busy months, including meetings with other members of this very private community. Linda is a kitchen assistant, John a former trade union officer, and Christine used to be a head teacher. All have decided to join Andrew's initiative to try and bring more people into the fold. In John's case this will involve coming out as a naturist. During the filming, after ten years of being single, Andrew gets a new girlfriend, Sheryn.
The Wedding Day looks behind the pomp and ritual of one wedding to unveil British attitudes to marriage, through two very different families. Serena and Jordan, a bright, ambitious couple in their twenties, are getting married. They have contrasting backgrounds: Serena is from a wealthy Cambridgeshire family while Jordan comes from a more modest background in Stoke. Serena's parents are divorced, Jordan's are still together. For the first time in years the entire family will all be in the same room but this time with new girlfriends and step-parents. Confessional interviews with the couple and their families reveal their expectations of married life and how their different stories influence their view of marriage.
This documentary meets six extraordinary weight loss champions, who lost 80 stone between them, to find out what happened to them next. After they collected their prizes and the press photographers left, did they manage to keep the weight off? And, at a time when around 60% of people in the UK are overweight, a ground-breaking science study on a TV star who lost 17 stone reveals the body's incredible but little-known biological response to dieting that sabotages our efforts to keep weight off.
Every day the news gets worse - President Trump, Brexit, Isis... Right now it feels like the world could end any day, but one of Britain's most cautious men is here to help risk assess life in these scary times. Jon Richardson is a worrier, and in a bleak world where fear dominates the news, it's hard to know which headlines to believe. We're all going to die but what's more likely to kill us - Isis or sausages? Self-confessed coward and expectant father Jon is sent on a mission by his wife, fellow comedian and worrier Lucy Beaumont, to investigate if the things they are most scared about are going to kill them. Can he try to allay their fears of the dangers that threaten our lives every time we walk out of the front door? Over the course of his mission he meets the family in Dorset selling fresh air in jars for £80 a pop to combat lethal air pollution, spends the night in the woods to learn how to protect his family in the event of terrorists planting a dirty bomb.
David Baddiel's dad Colin has Pick's disease. This intimate, moving and sometimes funny documentary explores the impact that Colin's condition has on his sons' relationship with him.
Sarah Beeny analyses key factors to determine the most desirable place to live in the UK. She travels around the country looking at indicators ranging from job prospects to affordable housing.
Dr Pixie McKenna examines NHS health data to reveal what made people ill in Britain in 2016. She reveals how changing the clocks could be a health hazard and why not only colds and flu increase when the kids go to school.
In a powerful and provocative authored film, Trevor Phillips investigates the liberal urge to protect minorities from offence by gagging so-called populists and concludes that for liberals it's backfired. The backlash has stirred the Trump-Farage-led revolt - and even alienated the minorities whom liberals claim to champion. From the sacking of a Nobel scientist for a politically incorrect joke to the banning of sombreros on campus, the liberal elite's unwritten rules about what you can or can't say risk becoming not only ridiculous but self-defeating. For Trevor, the acid test of a democracy is whether it truly encourages the airing of different opinions whatever they might be - a test that Britain seems in danger of failing.
All-you-can-eat restaurants are taking over the high street. Here you'll find limitless servings of food for a fixed price - and we Brits just can't get enough. Narrated by Jonny Vegas, this one-off documentary features the extraordinary diners who can eat four days of calories in one sitting; and the canny restaurateurs who know every trick going to fill us up quickly. Welcome to the world of the all you can eat - the fad diet that Britons are really getting stuck into.
From award-winning director Jamie Roberts and award-winning executive producers Simon Chinn, Katie Buchanan and Jonathan Chinn, War Child follows three refugee children from the Middle East on their dangerous journeys to what they hope is a new future in Europe. As the UK debates how best to help refugees from the Middle East, including whether to halt the 'Dubs scheme' that was specifically set up to provide sanctuary to child refugees, and countries such as Germany start to reconsider their asylum policies, War Child is a timely reminder of the dangers and hardships that child refugees face on their journey. Documenting the dramatic personal stories of families and unaccompanied children fighting to get to Western Europe against the odds and often illegally, Jamie Roberts is with the children almost every step of the way as they are forced to find dangerous or illicit means to reach loved ones and safety.
An innovative exploration of the wealth gap in modern Britain, following two south Londoners of differing fortunes as they meet up in the park while walking their dogs
Documentary about the year-long investigation by the police into the mysterious death of an unidentified man on Saddleworth Moor
Abel Morrison has three wives and eleven children. His newest wife, 22-year-old Marina, is heavily pregnant so it's a chaotic time for the family and relationships are under strain. While Abel's first wife, Suzie, takes the challenges of plural marriage in her stride, his second wife Beth is struggling with Marina's demands on Abel's attention. On the day of the birth, things come to a head and she finds it difficult to contain her emotions. While the family work to overcome their insecurities and rebuild relationships, a bombshell could turn life as they know it upside down. Meanwhile, Anna, the daughter of the community's founder, is busy preparing for the 'end of days', when society will collapse ahead of Christ's second coming. She and her husband Cary have eight children, and while he's open to the possibility of plural marriage, she's in no hurry to find a sister wife.
Documentary uncovering the hidden and shocking underground world of bare knuckle fighting, where men from all walks of life compete against each other in bloody battles. The man at the heart of the Fight Club is Shaun Smith, who is being monitored by police as he plans put on the biggest bare knuckle fight ever seen in the UK.
Chefs are known for being fiery and temperamental. But what happens when they walk out, leaving restaurants in the lurch? These days, desperate owners call the relief agency for an emergency chef, who must master unfamiliar menus, handle inexperienced staff and satisfy demanding owners and customers. Here, cameras follows three such chefs as they descend on a luxury London hotel, a Devon manor house and a busy Midlands pub
We all worry about the way we look and when you have a facial condition - this can be magnified. Whether it's a port wine stain or vitiligo, scarring or rosacea, many wish to exert control over their appearance and have fun with makeup. In this ground-breaking programme, Katie Piper invites women with facial conditions to Central London's Harvey Nichols for a special makeover. But what they don't know is that the glamorous person helping them shares the same facial condition - will they be able to tell? Rochelle is interested to see how her vitiligo looks with makeup. Will she spot Rochelle shares the same condition? Can Katie help Phyll with her makeup and her facial scarring? Katie pairs Lisa with Amy, who wants to show that wearing makeup is an option with a port wine stain. And Sanna meets Lex, who also has rosacea, uses makeup and even has her own beauty blog. And there's Lewis, who wants help with his acne.
Competition in the taxi trade is at a record high. Each month, for every new driver joining the elite club as a black cab driver, 16 new minicabs, including the likes of Uber, hit London's roads. This programme goes behind the scenes of one of the hardest exams in the world; the one that all the black cab drivers in the capital must take: The Knowledge of London. Candidates must memorise the capital's 25,000 streets and traffic restrictions, and its ever-changing 100,000 points of interest. The volume and detail of information is compared to doing a degree in law or medicine. It takes an average of four years of grit and determination to pass, and the dropout rate is 70%. This programme follows a single mum, a Kosovan immigrant and a bus driver - ordinary people doing something extraordinary. When it comes to our increasing dependence on technology, The Knowledge reveals the power of our brains when they're pushed to the limit.
For most women multiple orgasms can seem almost mythical. But some women orgasm not once, twice or even ten times, but 60, 70 or 100 times: a super-orgasm. In this documentary, a group of ordinary women with an extraordinary ability have volunteered to be put through a series of challenging tests in an unprecedented scientific investigation to reveal the truth behind the super-orgasm. With the help of these women - who include a motorbike-mad engineering student, a stay-at-home mum and a woman whose passion is singing in her Catholic church choir - a group of international scientists from a range of disciplines attempt to measure and record the super-orgasmic phenomenon for the first time. They hope to see how the brain and the body react before, during and after super-orgasm, to find out if these women are wired differently to the rest of us or whether we can all learn to have a super-orgasm.
In the Bay of Naples lies a hidden wonder of the ancient world: Baiae. Three times as big as nearby Pompeii, Baiae was once an exclusive holiday retreat for Roman Emperors and the super-rich. With exclusive access to the work of underwater archaeologists and the help of a team of historians and volcanologists, this documentary investigates Baiae's ruins and artefacts to paint a picture of the ancient luxury resort, and explain how it became submerged. Rome's elite flocked here to enjoy the finest seafood and lavish beach parties, and to seek out love affairs amid its steaming sulphur baths. But they also came to scheme and plot against political rivals. Built in a volcanic landscape, Baiae's many villas and bathhouses took advantage of a constant supply of hot water, but the source of its popularity would ultimately seal its demise.
The inside story of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in November 2006 by means of the radioactive poison polonium 210, and of the international manhunt that led to the steps of the Kremlin. The Scotland Yard detectives who led the enquiry and the doctors who fought to save Litvinenko's life reveal the political and diplomatic obstacle course they faced in investigating the murder and tell how their quarries left a toxic trail through the heart of London
In 1972, astronauts aboard Apollo 17 captured the iconic 'Blue Marble' photo of Earth, the first time the whole of the Earth had been captured within a single frame. At the time, this new perspective had a profound effect on our perception of ourselves; since then NASA has taken millions more. In this epic, powerful and revelatory film, a new generation of astronauts (including Tim Peake) uses those images of the earth from space to reveal the astonishing transformation humanity has wrought in the 45 years since 'Blue Marble'. Together the astronauts give us an armchair tour of the change they've witnessed from orbit, as they've watched us etching our presence on the planet. The film will show these images together in stunning time-lapse sequences to reveal how we are reshaping our world, for better and for worse - from the sprawling megacities of China to vast desert farms in the Middle East, and the melting snow cap of Kilimanjaro, to giant solar arrays in Nevada.d worse
If one new baby is enough to turn a household upside down, what happens when four come along at once? After trying for a child together for 10 years, Aynur and Tony are finding out. With newborn quadruplets and no home of their own, they move in with Aynur's supportive, traditional Turkish parents for a helping hand. Aynur's parents and Tony don't always see eye to eye, but Tony's determined to get stuck in and show his willingness and commitment to Aynur when their new arrivals are born. This modern British love story explores one family's big surprise and the challenges they face, particularly given the fact that Tony struggles with alcohol.
Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka has been appointed to an official role within the White House, but what does she believe in and how much political clout does she actually have?
In this authored historical investigation, historian Tom Holland traces the origins of Isis's extreme violence, which it claims is justified by the tenets and scriptures of Islam. Travelling from Paris to Istanbul, and from Sinjar to Cairo, he examines the roots of Isis's interpretation of notions such as jihad and caliphate; he investigates why Isis have persecuted different religious minorities in different ways; and he asks whether the group's ideology is in part a reaction to a westernisation of Islam that ultimately dates back to the time of Napoleon. Holland questions the assertion - much repeated by western leaders - that Isis has nothing to do with Islam. He examines the origins of the group's beliefs, which he traces back to the very origins of Islam.
Weighing 46 stone at just 33 years old, Sharon Hill, Britain's biggest woman, could hardly move or leave her house. Her husband Andrew, who cared for her, was also imprisoned. Classed as morbidly obese, Sharon chose a risky life-changing operation to give her a future outside the home. Two years after she had bariatric surgery, the cameras return to find that, having shed a massive 14 stone, Sharon has started to put the pounds back on again. Sharon continues to battle her demons around food. With the help of a leading psychologist and a specialist surgical team, she decides to put herself through a second risky surgery. Can she finally live a life beyond the confines of her house? And will her marriage survive?
We British are a nation of snack lovers. We reach for crisps, nuts and popcorn on average seven times a week, and we are eating more and more. Simon Rimmer and Sophie Morgan explore how crisps and popcorn are made, how crisps are marketed to us and the science and psychology of why it seems we can't resist reaching out for a handful of peanuts or crisps. A specially conducted survey reveals which parts of Britain eat the most snacks, and what time of day we're most likely to munch. Plus, the show reveals Britain's favourite flavour of crisp.
Luxury mansions are undergoing a facelift. New construction technology and cutting edge techniques have opened the door to custom designed and eco efficient super-sized houses being built in super-quick time. Narrated by architect Charlie Luxton, this documentary looks at three unique prefabricated builds and meets the people who call these incredible structures home. Pizza restaurant entrepreneurs Richard and Nikki Cooper are building a 5000-square-foot dream home in just four days. David and Lesley Lennox's strict deadline for their daughter's wedding puts massive pressure on their build. And a risky cliff top plot means that Paul Cook's dream house teeters on the edge of completion.
On the afternoon of Sunday 1 May 2016, 31-year-old mother of three Natalie Hemming vanishes, seemingly without a trace. Forty eight hours later, her frantic mother phones 999. 'What's the specific concern that's caused you to call the police?' asks the operator. Natalie's mother says: 'Him'. That phone call launches one of the biggest missing person searches ever seen at Thames Valley Police. This gripping programme follows the investigation hour by hour as the police have to decide if Natalie is alive or dead. With extraordinary access to the minute-by-minute police investigation and to Natalie's family and friends as they struggle to come to terms with the situation that's unfolding around them, Catching a Killer: The Search for Natalie Hemming follows the case from the extraordinary hours before the arrest to its heart-breaking conclusion.
Mid-Brexit and pre-general election, Grayson Perry examines the emotions, beliefs and desires that drive our loyalty to political tribes, and uses the results as inspiration for pieces of art.
The documentary follows a group of campaigners on a mission to defend people who stand to be evicted from their homes. Filmed over nine months, the documentary sees 42-year-old boxing trainer Chrisy Morris and a group of his pals as they stand up to the bailiffs in their spare time. An astonishing 50 families a week are thought to be evicted by bailiffs each week due to the housing crisis. When is the show on TV? Battling The Bailiffs is on Channel 4 at 10pm TONIGHT (Thursday 15 June). It will then be available on Channel 4’s on demand service, 4OD, immediately after broadcast. It’s a one-off documentary and it’s yet to be confirmed if there will be a follow-up episode in the future. Who is Chrisy Morris? Boxing coach Chrisy Morris, 42, is a campaigner against bailiffs. He is a prominent YouTube campaigner and frequently uploads videos of himself battling the authorities on behalf of the public. He is also an avid Twitter user where he shares his take on politics and cyber security.
Stephen Fry is joined by seven fellow celebrities to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised private homosexual acts between men. The group explores the histories of several buildings that became cornerstones in the battle for gay rights in the UK. The Rev Richard Coles revisits the hedonistic past of London's Heaven Nightclub, while Mary Portas visits Shibden Hall near Halifax to celebrate the life of 19th-century lesbian heiress Anne Lister. Craig Revel Horwood investigates Britain's drag scene at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, and Simon Callow tells the story of Oscar Wilde's downfall at the Old Bailey. Plus, Rikki Beadle-Blair visit the Theatre Royal Haymarket to remember how the British public showed their support for John Gielgud after he was arrested for cottaging, and Liz Carr takes in Bletchley Park, the one-time home of Alan Turing. Finally, Waheed Alli tells the story of recent battles for gay right in the Houses of Parliament
Actor and gay dad Kieron Richardson explores same-sex parenting and introduces his twins
A one-off documentary celebrating how Hollyoaks has supported the positive representation of LGBT issues and characters over the years
Rupert Everett explores how gay life has changed since male homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967
Cameras focus on the visiting room at HMP Low Moss, one of Scotland's largest maximum security prisons. It offers an insight into the people doing hard time as they meet loved ones. Featured contributors include Gary and Charley who plan their wedding, even though he doesn't have a release date. Meanwhile, fellow inmate Mike receives a visit from his ageing father
n the centre of historic Oxford a man lies dead in his doorway. There are no suspects, no witnesses and no sign of forced entry. Adrian Greenwood, a 42-year-old antiquarian book dealer, is dead, stabbed over 30 times in his own home in a frenzied and brutal attack. Greenwood had built up a reputation throughout his short life as an exceptionally talented book dealer. He had bought and sold early editions of Harry Potter and came to media attention following the sale of a rare piece by Banksy in 2011. The pressure is on Detective Superintendent Kevin Brown and his team to discover who killed Greenwood. And what has happened to his £50,000 early edition of The Wind in the Willows? With unprecedented access to Thames Valley Police Major Crime Unit, this episode of Catching a Killer - The Wind in the Willows Murder - follows all the twists and turns of this real-life crime.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, Convicted for Love tells the dramatic and emotional story of four gay men who fell foul of Britain's homophobic laws. The government's 2017 Turing's Law promises a pardon and an apology for men like these, who were hounded for their homosexuality. But this documentary reveals that, for many of them, the injustice continues. Fifty years ago, the 1967 Sexual Offences Act was hailed as a great step forward for gay rights. It gave the impression that it made all homosexuality legal for men. It didn't. It only legalised sex in England and Wales between two men over the age of 21 - in private. It also didn't mark the end of discrimination against gay men. Many aspects of their everyday lives remained illegal. In the following decades these men have had a long, hard struggle for their rights. Over 15,000 men were unfairly convicted of homosexual offences.
Presenter Anna Richardson meets the people who've found ingenious or unusual ways to retire super early. Barney, an ex-accountant who retired at 43, shares his secret formula to quitting the rate race early. Other case studies include the friends who've found a new way to buy property for less; a man who's made his fortune sending potatoes through the post; and a family who insist on only spending money two days a week. Those taking a risk on a big idea include Pippa, who has made over £3 million in just two years with her nut butters. Journalist Sophie Morgan meets the trend-spotters who are trail-blazing new ways to retire early, including how to get restaurant quality meals for a fraction of the price. And consumer journalist Rhik Samadder meets some more of Britain's leading supersavers.
The untold story of how Britain battled Aids, in a fight that changed British society forever
The tragedy of Grenfell Tower put the shocking lack of good quality, safe social housing firmly in the public eye. Phil Spencer is taking the problem on in a property show like no other. He's looking for homes for two families, something he does week-in, week-out. But this time he's not working with healthy budgets and lengthy wish lists, he's working with two families who work hard but are homeless. Corvel and Meyrem are a hard-working couple from Southwark in London, who are being evicted from their one-bed flat that's cockroach and rat-infested. Bibi and her 15-year-old son Oscar were evicted from the home they'd lived in for 15 years and have hit a brick wall when it comes to finding a new place. This is the most difficult property search of Phil's career. Nothing has prepared him for the challenges and the terrible housing conditions so many people are forced to endure.
Following three young people in very different circumstances who have come to Nightstop, a national emergency accommodation service, in need of somewhere to stay
Documentary following five households looking to swap their council house. Some want to upgrade to their ideal home, others simply fancy a change of scenery and some are parents seeking to downsize now that their children have flown the nest. However, council house swaps do not involve estate agents with sharp sales patter. It is up to the tenants to show each other around their homes and do the hard sell. If the first viewing goes well, there will be an invitation for a return viewing before both sides decide whether to swap - or not
Sociologist and broadcaster Emma Dabiri looks at racism in Britain through the world of modern dating, unveiling the results of a national survey of British online dating habits. A volunteer group of young British singletons take part in a series of experiments to discover if there's more than meets the eye going on in the flighty world of modern dating apps. Emma also meets a number of controversial interviewees - from Mobo-award-winning rapper Nadia Rose, through to BAME equal opportunities campaigner Baroness McGregor-Smith
Clare Balding uncovers the hidden history of women's football. A hundred years ago, the women's game dominated the headlines and attracted crowds of up to 60,000. The star players everyone wanted to see were teenage striker Lily Parr and her teammate Alice Woods, and the most popular team in England was Dick, Kerr's Ladies. Clare reveals how women's football teams grew out of munitions factories during the First World War where women had replaced men sent into battle. It also uncovers an untold chapter in the fight for equality waged at a time when women ruled the pitch.
The world's pet population stands at a staggering 57 million. But for some, owning a cat or a dog just isn't enough. Around the world thousands of dangerous animals live as human companions. Why do people want to live with large animals, or choose a pet that could so easily kill them? There's a seven-foot Russian bear, who regularly has meals with his owners. Then there's Jilly, an eight-foot-long deadly salt-water crocodile, who has sleepovers at her owner's house in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Mike and Valerie in Minnesota are parents to a one-tonne buffalo called Cody who has to be showered in the local car wash and who goes on nights out to the local bar. There's also a tiger and a wallaby in this one-off documentary that explores the unusual relationship between owners and their exotic pets.
Record numbers of children are being permanently excluded from primary schools. This documentary meets six young, funny and riotous children who are hoping for another chance after being excluded.
Documentary featuring never-before-seen footage of Diana, Princess of Wales, recorded by her speech consultant between 1992 and 1993 as she sought to define her public persona and present her own version of events reported in the press, touching on her marriage and experience of public life. The programme also features in-depth interviews with people close to her
An examination of the turbulent relationship between Diana, Princess of Wales and her formidable stepmother Raine Spencer, who rose from humble origins with the help of her larger-than-life mother, the novelist Barbara Cartland, to become a countess and a member of the royal family. Raine was a divisive figure, who was doted on by her husband Johnnie Spencer but loathed by Diana and her siblings. Yet as the princess's marriage collapsed, she reached out to her stepmother for support, marking a change in the women's relationship.
With the public demanding more than ever that something must be done about tax avoidance and evasion, this documentary reveals for the first time the methods HM Revenue & Customs uses to find out who is and isn't paying tax and how they target those individuals. Leading the charge is Duncan McCallum, a veteran customs officer who has tackled drug rings, smugglers and massive duty fraud, while new teams are also targeting offshore accounts that could secure the Government millions in unpaid tax.
Documentary exploring the extremes of human behaviour in airports and on planes. Footage includes angry missed check-ins to bizarre drunken antics at security, alternative safety briefings, deafening party flights and near-death experiences on flights from hell.
One-off documentary exploring the joys and challenges of parenting teenagers today from the one place where conversations are likely to take place - the family car. Eight cars have been rigged with multiple cameras, allowing viewers to eavesdrop on the conversations between parents and their children as they catch up and connect away from their home lives
The London borough of Brent boasts one of the highest marriage rates and lowest number of divorces in the country. This one-off documentary visits five Brent couples who have tied the knot to find out what keeps them together. Ranging from seven to 47 years of marriage, they discuss everything from the importance of sex in a relationship, the ups and downs of having children and whether they have ever been tempted to stray
Mark Austin and his daughter Maddy explore the devastating effects of eating disorders and the availability of suitable care. They discuss the subject with patients, their families and Prince William.
Do you remember when Elliott first met ET? Or the magical moment Julie Andrews floated down over a London street with just an umbrella to keep her afloat? What about the terrifying sight of Scar leaping through the flames in The Lion King? Children’s films have provided some of cinema’s most cherished scenes and to this day remain firm favourites – even among big kids like me. This countdown delves into the fascinating stories behind some of the best-loved kids classics, from Home Alone to Finding Nemo, Back to the Future and beyond. Expect untold secrets, surprise revelations and fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the stars and directors who brought joy to every little girl and boy. SUMMARYA countdown of some of the greatest family movies ever made, from enduring classics like Mary Poppins to modern hits including Finding Nemo. Featuring contributions from actors and film-makers. Steven Spielberg reveals the original inspiration for ET, while Christopher Lloyd shares his memories of being transformed into The Addams Family's Uncle Fester and Who Framed Roger Rabbit's villainous Judge Doom. The programme also features directors Robert Zemeckis, Ron Howard and David Yates discussing the secrets behind classic movie moments.
The story of pop music's vital role in a social, sexual and cultural revolution 50 years ago, as homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK
A timely insight into life on the US-Mexican border during the first days of Donald Trump's presidency.
Documentary following two teenage girls from very different worlds as they try to become friends in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, which is one of Britain's most racially segregated places. The film shows how 16-year-old Siobhan and 17-year-old Farhana cross this racial divide to step into each other's world for the very first time, revealing a story that highlights the complexities of integration. As they face up to their differences, they find themselves navigating both family and community concerns
Two ordinary people take part in an extraordinary experiment, as they are filmed for 24 hours and given a unique medical MOT, using state-of-the-art medical equipment. Three world-renowned scientists will analyse the findings of patients Charlotte and Dave, as their brain activity, heart rate, movement, posture and glucose levels are all closely monitored throughout the day
New discoveries are revealing the secrets of Egypt's Great Pyramid. Mystery has long surrounded the construction of Egypt's Great Pyramid, but now new discoveries are revealing its secrets, as archaeologists uncover the last surviving relic of the pharaoh Khufu.
The story of the Angola Three: three men who fought for 40 years against a miscarriage of justice that left them in solitary confinement in the Louisiana state penitentiary for decades
For over a year Channel 4 has followed one of Britain's most well-known, colourful and controversial politicians: Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. The Godfather of Brexit is once again on manoeuvres. As he makes his latest play to realise his long-held dream to be Prime Minster, Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon charts 14 months of Boris's time as Foreign Secretary. How does our most unlikely chief diplomat carve out a reputation as a world statesman and navigate his way through monumental gaffes, U-turns and constant public slap-downs from Theresa May? And crucially, what does Boris's first ever spell in high office tell us about whether he has what it takes to lead on the national stage?
Mary Portas explores the iconic status of Barbie. The visits the manufacturer, meets the superfans, and asks if the doll can survive in an increasingly gender-neutral world.
Landlord Marco Robinson, who owns a business and property empire worth £25 million, is giving away a flat worth £120,000. First, he must find the right person or people who will benefit the most. Marco himself experienced homelessness as a young boy as he and his mother were evicted from numerous properties. Over the course of 6 weeks, Marco meets many applicants from the overwhelming response to his advert. As he gets to know the people desperate for a home, the decision becomes more difficult. Everyone he meets has a strong reason why they need his flat – from the single mum to the Syrian refugees, but ultimately he has just one property to give away. Once he finds them, their lives will be changed by this extraordinary gift.
Last year, Kanye West took aim at Jay-Z in a series of onstage rants culminating in a bizarre speech begging his former mentor to not have him assassinated. Hours later Kanye had been hospitalized amid reports of a breakdown. But behind the headlines, lies the story of a fascinating creative partnership spanning two decades. With unseen footage and exclusive interviews with the people who know them best, Public Enemies: Jay Z Vs Kanye reveals the story behind these two iconic artists’ meteoric rise, and colossal falling out.
The singer-songwriter narrates a documentary charting his life and career, focusing on the period around the release of his 1990 album Listen without Prejudice Vol 1. The star opens his heart about his great love and loss, as well as the well-documented High Court battle with his record label, and there is personal archive and home footage and interviews, with contributions by Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Ricky Gervais, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Liam Gallagher, Mary J Blige and Tony Bennett
Saima invites Katie, who is from a predominantly white town in the north-west of England, to spend a week living with her in the heart of Manchester's Pakistani Muslim community. A team of specialist make-up and prosthetic artists transforms Katie's appearance to make it look like she is of Pakistani origin so she can experience first-hand what it is like to be a member of Saima's community
Ten years on since Supernanny, there's a new philosophy taking hold among British families. It's called extreme unschooling or off-grid parenting, and more and more British parents are rebelling against orthodoxy to raise their children with no rules. They claim that their children are healthier and happier and will become more rounded adults, but their kids' behaviour can also be scandalous to other parents. This documentary follows three families who are passionate about this alternative way of parenting. Mother-of-three Jenna's 13-year-old son Archie juggles fire and plays with knives, but seven years after being taken out of school, despite Mum's best efforts, he still struggles to read and write. His grandparents are so concerned that they're paying for him to have a tutor.
Documentary following three young cancer patients as they intimately record their own battles with cancer and post the videos online for the world to see. Filmed over the course of a year, each patient deals with the highs and lows of unpredictable scan results, the dramatic physical changes they endure and the hope of defying the odds
This documentary uncovers the inside story of Meghan Markle and the story of her relationship with Prince Harry to date. The programme reveals the story of Meghan's childhood in LA, and her relationship with Harry, featuring exclusive interviews with friends and colleagues. It reveals a smart, strong and independent woman with surprising similarities to Prince Harry both in her life story and values. The programme also uncovers the astonishing story of Meghan's ancestors, with original and exclusive genealogy research. It's an all-American tale of humble origins and triumph over adversity played out in the Deep South on her mother's side and in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania on her father's side. The programme traces the first moment her father's ancestors arrived in America, with some very surprising results about where they came from.
Immunotherapy is a pioneering new cancer treatment that aims to boost the body's natural defences to fight the disease. Showing success in trial phases, it often has fewer debilitating side effects than chemotherapy. This documentary follows a small group of patients over one summer as they undergo the treatment at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London, meets them between sessions as they go about their daily lives and finds out whether immunotherapy has given them the most precious gift of all - more time
There are some people who never seem to worry about what they eat, never diet or do any special exercise, and yet somehow manage to stay slim. Who are these people and how do they do it? This experiment follows 37-year-old Yemi and 41-year-old Anne Marie who appear to eat what they like and have no set exercise routines, yet never put on weight. Over a course of five days covert cameras follow them everywhere: at work, home and play. They are the envy of their friends. Is there something in their behaviour that's determining their size? Experts unpick every element of their lifestyle - from what they eat, to how much they fidget, to the amount of sleep they get. At a time when one in four people in Britain are obese, and billions of pounds are spent on fad diets, this fascinating documentary uncovers the simple secrets to being slim.
In the summer of 2017, the world was shocked as white nationalists, neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan took to the streets in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest against the removal of a statue of confederate General Robert E. Lee. Just weeks before the violence erupts, journalist Gary Younge meets one of the speakers from the Charlottesville rallies, the self-styled leader of the alt-right Richard Spencer, and in an explosive exchange attempts to get under the skin of his controversial views. It's one of a series of telling encounters in Gary Younge's journey across the United States a year after Donald Trump was elected. He explores how falling living standards, decreasing life expectancy and a demographic time-bomb that could see them become a minority within a generation, has sent some white Americans into angry retreat.
Documentary about restoration work on the iconic clock tower, which will see the bells silenced for the next four years. Anna Keay, Director of Landmark Trust, goes behind the scenes on this massive project, and talks to Parliament's principal architect and the three clockmakers who have the challenging task of taking the gigantic mechanism apart for the first time in nearly 160 years. The programme also examines the history of the clock tower, revealing how it was almost never built in the first place.
Dave Fishwick asks are we overpaying for our goods and services? Dave starts his own bottled water range - sourced from tap water. Will the local fancy eateries buy it? Dave also builds a power station in his back garden.
This documentary follows two glamorous Leave-voting women who are trying to attract Brits to join their recruitment agency as many of their Eastern European workers choose to leave Brexit Britain.
The story of the Queen's life and character, told through her life-long passion for animals, from the corgis at her side since her childhood to her thoroughbred racehorses
Busy working mother Jo (Indira Varma) drops her children off at school, but is stopped in her tracks by a text message from an anonymous source. It claims Jo’s 11-year-old daughter Katie is involved in a relationship with Jo’s new, live-in boyfriend Danny (Luke Treadaway). It’s the start of a gripping, brief essay in suspicion and torment from writer David Nath that follows Jo through one awful day as she becomes haunted by what Danny might have done. She examines his every word and gesture in what amounts to a very lonely vigil. Surely he can’t be that kind of man? Can he?
The presenter builds a working replica of a First World War tank to mark the centenary of the Battle of Cambrai, and takes his tank driving test so he can take his creation on to the streets for Lincoln's Remembrance Day parade. He also delves into the history of the earliest armoured vehicles, the soldiers who crewed them, and the women who built them.
Myriam Francois presents the results of a survey which reveals many Muslim women in Britain are unaware that their religious marriages are not recognised in British law. There's also a look at why some women may prefer not to have a civil ceremony, and an exploration of attitudes to polygamy
Mark Lewis, one of Britain's leading lawyers, may have taken on one of the world's most powerful media moguls, but can he do the same with multiple sclerosis? Filmed over the course of a year, with exclusive access, this documentary follows the progress of high-profile media, libel and privacy lawyer Mark Lewis, as he participates in revolutionary stem cell trials for MS. It's a journey that will end either in medical breakthrough, and miraculous recovery, or his continued decline. At the age of 25, Mark received the devastating news that he had MS - a degenerative condition of the central nervous system, for which there is currently no cure. He is now 50 and over the last few years, Mark's condition has worsened. Mark first came to the widespread public attention as the lawyer who represented Milly Dowler's family and over 180 hacking victims in the News of the World phone hacking trial.
Guy Martin investigates autonomous vehicles, attempts to build a robotic Ford Transit, and takes on an artificially intelligent race car. What's fastest, man or machine?
Would you trust a robot to give you advice for your personal problems? From infidelity to obesity, robot Jess uses AI-based analysis to help couples and families with life's challenges.
As part of the Rise of the Robots season, David Tennant narrates a warm-hearted look at the future of robotics. Many humans have a cultural fear of robots, but eccentric Canadian robot inventor and puppeteer David McGoran hopes to fix this by making a new kind of machine that moves just like humans do. However, the real test comes when the machine is left on the streets of Bristol and programmed to find out more about humans, and the robot films its own extraordinary adventure, as it tries to connect with people in a whole new way.
Mankind has been obsessed with building humanoid robots for centuries. As the prospect of living with androids draws ever closer, the focus for some is turning to having sex with them. This documentary, filmed over two years, reveals how some companies are trying to combine artificial intelligence and intimacy in a mass-produced automaton. It follows one company as they build a prototype sexbot, called Harmony, and also introduces a man who already owns four sex dolls and cannot wait to have his own cutting-edge artificial girlfriend.
Dancer and choreographer Akram Khan explores the impact robots and AI are having on human relationships. Khan, who has spent a year researching important international news and condensing it into dance, travels from the UK to Japan and the USA to meet the scientists harnessing manufactured intelligence in ways that could see artificially intelligent constructs entering people's lives in the near future. His findings form the basis for a special dance, in which he hopes to reflect fears and scepticism over the subject
A look back at the highs and lows of an extraordinary season, including an exclusive interview with four time champion Lewis Hamilton. Voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Billy realised he was gay aged seven, and by 11 felt confident enough to appear dressed as Lady Gaga at Brighton's Gay Pride, where he was spotted by a documentary producer. He has been filming himself ever since. Now 17, Billy reveals the story of what life was like for him and his family as he developed
In the early hours of the morning in a quiet Milton Keynes street, a single bullet was shot through an open window. The victim was a 19-year-old man. What followed was a frantic 999 call and an investigation by Thames Valley Police to find the culprit. This documentary follows the case as the detectives try to piece together the moments leading up to that fatal shot. But it soon turns out there is more to the inquiry than meets the eye with a potential second suspect
A group of female Russian journalists investigate the global trade in wild sea mammals, exposing the poor conditions beluga whales in sea parks and aquariums are subjected to
Britain's Wildest Weather examines the extreme weather that hit the country in 2017, hears the amazing experiences of the people caught up in it, and finds out why such erratic weather batters Britain
Documentary following a year in the life of pupils at Mary Hare residential school for the deaf in Newbury, Berkshire. Fifteen-year-old Lewis decides he wants to be fitted with a cochlear implant to help him hear, although there is no guarantee of success. Sixth-former Fae is nervous about leaving for university and facing the hearing world without her deaf twin sister, while Andrew aims to become Britain's first deaf prime minister. His first step is to apply for the head boy role at Mary Hare. Will this finally help him fit in with his peers?
For the first time, Bentley invite cameras behind the scenes. This documentary meets their staff and their customers as it visits the factory, the showrooms and the secret upgrades department.
Jamie Oliver draws inspiration from the snowy Alps of northern Italy to help create his most delicious Christmas Day yet. In a cosy log cabin, accompanied by his mentor Gennaro Contaldo, Jamie cooks up an epic meal for the big day, giving turkey and trimmings extra sparkle with an Italian twist. There's a homemade cracker ravioli and a pink peppercorn-infused Negroni; a classic turkey alongside Italy's stuffed pork Christmas showstopper, porchetta, with Italian-style veg, a rich gravy and sticky balsamic roast potatoes. And of course, an indulgent luxurious dessert to top it all off, with Jamie's festive tiramisu. The programme also looks at how Italians celebrate Natale, joining the local festivities, before sharing their feast with the village.
Young pianist and composer Shane Thomas was hailed as Britain's answer to Mozart when he was ten. Seven years on, can he take on the music industry again and make it big?
Can you spot a ‘hatfish’ or a ‘manfant’? Do you know the difference between a ‘broflake’ and a ‘snowflake’? Is ‘lagom’ or ‘lykke’ your chosen path to happiness? Do you prefer a unicorn smoothie to milkshake duck? Dissecting the meanings of many of the amazing terms that have come to prominence in the last 12 months are a host of well-known word fans: comics Jo Brand, Sara Pascoe, Aisling Bea, Nish Kumar Mae Martin Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing; TV presenters Rick Edwards and June Sarpong; social historian Emma Dabiri; writers Jack Monroe and Brontë Aurell; and lexicographers Susie Dent and Katherine Martin.
Mary Portas conducts a new survey into Britain's spending habits, setting out to determine whether the national events of the past year have altered the way people in the UK part with their cash. Estimates suggest the UK spends £7.5billion a week, and Mary catches up with representatives from Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Superdrug, Poundland, Hobbycraft and Lakeland to find out how these retailers have fared. Mary also looks back at some of the retail stories of the year, such as the return of big knickers, the unicorn trend, and the popularity of Prosecco and the fidget spinner.
This one-off Christmas special follows four unlikely lads and a lass from Liverpool, as they head to Manger Square to decorate Bethlehem in time for Christmas. For the last five years, a Christmas decorating company from Liverpool has lit up the Holy Land, and this year, the team, led by project manager Ged, are packing up their baubles, tinsels and festive lights to do it again. But with budget cuts; a new working relationship with the locals; and the discovery that their lights are stuck on route in Istanbul; let alone the sensitivities of travelling to the Middle East - nothing proves straightforward. But with the experience of decorating the Natural History Museum, Harrods and the homes of the rich and famous, the team won't be put off. And so a journey of joy, laughter and cross-cultural Christmas cheer unfolds in the birthplace of baby Jesus.
Gold-plated bikes, £40,000 ball gowns for dogs, million-dollar watches... This programme goes behind closed doors to meet the craftsmen and women who make lavish gifts for the world's richest people.
The Department of Complaints is a one-stop shop for when the white goods go wrong, the warranty's not watertight, or the computer says No. Consumer journalist Harry Wallop leads a team featuring tech expert Lucy Hedges, with scientists Fran Scott and Steve Mould in the product-testing lab, as they bring companies to book on behalf of consumers with a problem and nowhere else to go. This programme features a glass table that spontaneously shattered; a washing machine costing more to repair than to replace; and a wedding dress that fell apart before the big day.
Britain's biggest family are back and it's their biggest year yet. The Radfords are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary and Sue is pregnant with baby number 20. However, since having a stillborn baby boy three years ago, Sue's health is increasingly at risk through pregnancy and birth. Now 42 years old and having given birth to 19 children, doctors want to keep her under close supervision and consider this birth high-risk. Parents Sue and Noel realise they have a big decision to make about the future of their family. With another Radford child on the way and the house bursting at the seams, the older kids increasingly need space and privacy from the relentless noise and chaos. In a bid to bring the whole family together for quality time and bonding, Sue and Noel plan a surprise trip to Florida.
Matt Frei examines the life and career of Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States, a year after his presidency ended. Since Obama first emerged on the political scene as a junior State Senator, Frei has tracked his career and followed his extraordinary rise to the top.
When Lotje Sodderland was 34, her brain was permanently damaged by a stroke that almost killed her. It fundamentally changed her and how she saw the world but it also left her fascinated with the science that saved her life. In this documentary, Lotje meets neuroscience pioneers: scientists who are using the latest knowledge to repair 'broken' brains and developing ground-breaking treatments for everything from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's to autism. But as the brain is a complex organ and neuroscience is still in its infancy, Lotje examines the risks as well as the rewards associated with fixing something that we don't yet fully understand.
For the first time since the murder of James Bulger in 1993, this documentary speaks to key individuals involved in the trial, to ask whether justice was truly served.
In this programme, Liverpool-based Palestinian and multi-millionaire Marwan Koukash offers four unemployed people a unique opportunity - a two week work trial, overseen and mentored by him. Can the British workers prove they have the right ethic and attitude to be offered a job at the end of the placement?
A look behind the scenes as Singapore Airlines bid to create a whole new level of opulence for first class travellers
This documentary has exclusive access to the startling results of a massive research project that is revealing an ancient hidden civilisation in the jungles of Central America and transforming what we thought we knew about the Maya. The Guatemalan jungle is one of the last great frontiers of archaeology. It's a tough and remote place to work in, and the sheer challenge of excavation has kept many remains of the ancient Maya civilisation who lived there hidden from view. Their spectacular ancient cities are pin-pricks in the dense jungles of Guatemala and Mexico. But now archaeologists have an extraordinary 'treasure map' of the Maya world. A cutting-edge aerial survey has made over 60,000 new discoveries that are astounding archaeologists. According to archaeologist Tom Garrison, this is the greatest advance in our understanding of the Maya in over 100 years, and it's being used alongside the latest in-ground archaeology, while complex Mayan inscriptions are also being deciphered.
This documentary follows an ambitious project that uses cutting-edge DNA analysis to accurately recreate the face of Britain's oldest complete skeleton, Cheddar Man.
Under criminal investigation in Britain and the US, expelled from Bafta and the Academy of Motion Pictures, Harvey Weinstein's fall from grace has been swift since allegations of sexual abuse and harassment emerged against him last October. This programme hears testimony from those who worked with him across over 30 years of British film, and investigates how he kept his accusers quiet for decades.
The true story of Carthaginian general Hannibal crossing the alps- with 40,000 men, 9,000 cavalry & 37 elephants- is revealed thanks to extraordinary new discoveries.
Filmed over two years, this documentary examines female genital mutilation, which is estimated to affect 137,000 women and girls in England and Wales. Reporter Cathy Newman investigates.
Behind the scenes at the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie in Inverness-shire, following efforts to breed the nation's first polar bear cub for 25 years as keepers mate Arktos with Victoria. Cameras reveal the highs and lows of the staff's attempts to breed one of the world's most recognisable and endangered animals
Matt Frei explores the poisoning of Russian Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, searching for clues to potential motives that could explain why the former British double agent was targeted. The search takes him into the murky world of espionage, politics and crime, examining whether the latest chapter in a number of suspicious deaths of Russians on British soil could all be linked. The Kremlin denies it, but were these simply tragic endings or brazen state-sponsored assassinations?
A documentary challenging what people think they know about autism, exploring myths surrounding the condition and examining what living with autism is really like in the UK today. Anna Richardson, whose nephew has recently been diagnosed, and campaigners Georgia Harper and Sam Ahern, who are both autistic, set out to uncover the true face of autism in the UK, working closely with charities, experts and people from across the spectrum. In a unique experiment, a team of leading experts have agreed to adapt their research exclusively for the programme, and test two adults who think they are in need of a diagnosis.
Four celebrities are thrown into the gold-plated world of luxury reportage, as they're assigned to review holidays and experiences that most of us could only dream of. Comedian Rob Beckett jets off to private island Petit St Vincent, while friends Fred Sirieix and Kelly Brook attempt to eat their way through 10 Michelin Stars in one day, on a gourmet food challenge in Paris. And Fun Lovin' Criminal Huey Morgan teams up with Hollywood stunt driver Ben Collins for an eccentric race in the British countryside with some of the world's most expensive vintage cars. The celebrities are reporting back to luxury lifestyle magazine Lusso's editor Robert Clayman, but will the lavish perks of the job distract them from their task?g.
Two millennials hand in their notice and leave their friends and family behind to start very different jobs in far-flung locations. Katie turns her back on her role in London distributing music videos to work on a ranch set in 550,000 acres of wild land in Mexico. And Charlie leaves his call centre job in Brighton and the comforts of his mother's house, to become a salmon farmer on a remote Scottish loch
There's an epidemic of fatbergs under Britain's streets. But why? A team of experts analyse one of the biggest ever seen, revealing the nation's dirty secrets.
Cameras follow Hayley and Richard Davies-Monk, and their sons Spencer, 13, and Lewis, nine. They're an Oxfordshire family who confront the daily challenges of living with the boys' Tourette's syndrome, the neurological disorder expressed in uncontrollable physical and verbal `tics' that can include inappropriate or taboo phrases
Documentary filmed over the past year in Greater Manchester at a time when the city experienced its worst terror attack in living memory - the Manchester Arena bombing. The fallout from that added to existing tensions in one of the country's most multicultural regions and this programme takes viewers to the frontline of racial and religious hatred as police officers respond to hundreds of reports a month, and also hears from community leaders attempting to deal with abuse and heal the divide.
This compelling documentary charts Liverpool footballer Mo Salah's rise from humble origins in Egypt to shooting to world stardom in the English Premier League and the Champions League.
With warmer weather on the horizon, the idea of stripping off the layers and getting beach-body ready can be intimidating. How can you get your exercise and weight loss plans back on track? Anna Richardson and Amar Latif continue their mission to help viewers find out the exercise that's right for them, bust the exercise myths, and offer shortcuts and hacks based on up-to-date scientific research. Anna heads to the Peak District with her four-legged friend Tig, to find out how hill walking offers a great physical workout as well as being good for mental wellbeing too. Amar investigates high altitude work outs without leaving the gym, as he finds out how hypoxic chamber training can increase your calorie burn by up to 26%.
Documentary following four men who have collectively helped to conceive more than 175 babies by donating their sperm to women who contacted them on unregulated websites and social media groups. These men, who donate for free, will often drive hundreds of miles to meet women at their homes, hotels or even car parks. For those featured, donating sperm sits somewhere between an obsessive hobby and addiction. Filmed over a year, cameras reveal the lengths these men will go to, as well as the potential consequences of their actions
Brits are proud of their past. We celebrate our exceptional island nation that ruled the waves, triumphed over its enemies and built an empire that many feel changed the world for the better. We've erected statues to the heroic figures in our history and worship them almost like saints. But in this programme, the writer and journalist Afua Hirsch calls time on this version of British history. She believes we need to question some of the uncomfortable aspects of our heroes. Around the world, people are challenging how nations deal with the darker side of their history, including involvement with slavery, racism or colonialism. This is history at its most heated. People have been killed in protests over statues in the US. So now that the battle has come to Britain, how should we remember our past, and should we think again about the heroes we honour?
Documentary following the highs and lows of businessman Kazi Shafiqur Rahman's journey as he tries to launch a brand new airline in the UK. While working at City Airport, Kazi did every job imaginable, from catering to security and cleaning the plane toilets. After creating a successful fragrance business, he is now in the position to fulfil his ultimate ambition, but he is also under pressure to fulfil the demands of his faith and he insists his new airline complies with the teachings of Islam, complete with modest dress for cabin crew, and with only halal food served on board
Following the progress of six refugee children over a period of six months as they adapt to new lives with their families in Cardiff and Newport. Abdul was just four years old when civil war began in Syria and, as the fighting intensified, his family fled to Turkey before being offered sanctuary in Cardiff through the Syrian Vulnerable People's Relocation Scheme. Meanwhile, for Omar and Mariam, the first few months here involve a tense wait for Home Office interviews and decisions, as their future hangs in the balance
Kate Quilton and a team explore the invisible world of bacteria, as they conduct a series of unique experiments to find out why these germs are crucial for our health. The team head to a music festival to see if a weekend of partying improves the bacterial diversity of a group of volunteers, and two ordinary British homes are put under the microscope to reveal the germs we live with.
For Willard Wigan, there's a whole universe in the eye of a needle. Having crafted some of the smallest artworks in history, he now plans to turn a carpet fibre into a sculpture in a human body cel.
The untold story of the 51st Highland Division, who were left in France when Dunkirk was evacuated, and ordered to fight on against Hitler's war machine, in the face of overwhelming odds.
This powerful documentary exposed the culture of impunity among UN peacekeepers, who have been accused of 1,700 crimes of sexual violence
The show is about the Extreme weather that has affected many parts of the UK. It will ask why the country is experiencing such heat and if this is what British summers will be like now. The programme also explores rising anger over water shortages and hosepipe and sprinkler bans in areas where many consumers have complained about living with leaks that haven't been fixed and rising water utility bills.
Artist Rachel Maclean spends a month living in Birmingham's Bullring Shopping Centre, meeting shoppers and staff and making an extraordinary new piece of art
From Egypt to Brazil, doctors across the world leave to train and practise in the UK. Will their hard work earn them a pass and a job in the NHS? Having spent thousands travelling to the UK, the doctors find training much tougher than anticipated and the expectations of British patients are also a big surprise.
As climate change begins to feel like an impossible challenge, this documentary tells the story of the first man-made threat to the planet's environment - the hole in the ozone layer - and how the world managed to fix it. The scientists and politicians at the heart of the story reveal how they spotted the giant hole in the stratosphere and, against all odds, persuaded Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to take action
TV presenter AJ Odudu and her match-making mum Florence embark on a mission to find AJ a husband in mum's native Nigeria. Drawing on the Nigerian tradition of parents arranging partners for their children, mother and daughter embark on a road trip around the country, with potential suitors including Nollywood star Timini, a besotted Prince Joshua, 34-year-old churchgoer KC and musician Isaac
For nearly 40 years, Alton Towers has attracted visitors to some of Britain's most thrilling roller coasters. But in June 2015 something went very wrong. Two carriages collided on one of the park's most popular rides, injuring 16 people, five of them seriously. This one-off documentary goes behind the scenes as the UK's biggest theme park attempts to win back visitors with the launch of their multi-million pound new roller coaster, Wicker Man - the first new ride at the park since The Smiler crash. The film meets the roller-coaster junkies keen to try the new ride; and with exclusive access to the theme park, follows the team at Alton Towers as they battle with the challenge of building a wooden structure that appears to burst into flames. Can the theme park sell the new ride to the public, a sceptical media, and get Wicker Man ready for its big launch?
Each week over 100 wives learn that their husbands aren't all they seem, as police charge ever more men for having child sex images. This programme provides an insight into affected families' lives.
“We will whip you into shape and you will say thank you and pay us [£750] for the privilege!” Not the demand of a dominatrix, but the greeting offered by formidable weight-loss guru Galia Grainger to new arrivals Kirsty, Tony and Liam at Slimmeria, AKA Britain’s poshest fat camp. Laughter, tears and real results.
One family gets to see into every corner of each other's lives, with every social media post and text message laid bare and cameras tracking their every move
Massacre at Ballymurphy is a forensic exposé of one of the most shocking and significant events of the troubles in Northern Ireland: a series of killings the British Army stand accused of which took place over three days in West Belfast's Ballymurphy estate in 1971. Among the 11 who died were a priest who was attending another man who had been shot, but survived - and a mother of eight children. This important film presents evidence suggesting that, contrary to the claims of the army at the time, all of the victims were innocent and unarmed. The families of the dead accuse Britain's elite Parachute Regiment of carrying out the shootings, the same regiment which, less than six months later, was to shoot dead 13 unarmed people on what became known the world over as Bloody Sunday.
Guy Martin rebuilds his beloved transit van and tries to break the van lap record at the dangerous and demanding Nürburgring in Germany. But the huge undertaking threatens to end in disaster.
As the Prime Minster tries to deliver a Brexit that works for the country as whole, we reveal what the British people think of the likely deal on offer. Channel 4 has commissioned the largest independent survey of attitudes across the whole of the UK conducted since the referendum. We asked 20,000 people drawn from every UK constituency for their views and put the results to politicians and those who stand to gain, or lose, most from the outcome; all before a live studio audience in Birmingham. Krishnan Guru-Murthy hosts.
This documentary provides an adrenaline-fuelled account of Ant Middleton's attempt to climb the Earth's highest mountain. It documents the raw emotion and the impact on Ant's body and mind at every stage as he attempts to reach the 8848-metre summit and gets trapped in an unexpected and life-threatening storm. Climbing Everest has become a hugely popular, controversial and commercialised pursuit for thousands of people each year. But this popular bucket list adventure comes with serious risk.
Psychotherapist and author Stella O'Malley reflects on the huge rise in numbers of young people embarking on gender transition, through the prism of her own experience as a child with gender identity issues. As a child in the 1970s and 80s, Stella was convinced she should be a boy, but is now a married woman with two children. She examines how the experiences and options open to transgender children today compare with her own childhood, and asks what person she might now be, had these choices been available to her.
John and Yoko: Above Us Only Sky is the untold story of John Lennon's album Imagine, released in 1971. The underlying message was one of radical engagement, as relevant today as ever. This film reveals the depth of the creative collaboration between John and Yoko and explores how the art, politics and music of the pair are intrinsically entwined. The album, and its iconic title track, shows the genius behind the music that defined a movement and marked an era. Above Us Only Sky recounts a story of hope, justice, empathy and love.
From a giant sandcastle and a farm that floats on the ocean, to the tallest single-family home on the planet, Charlie Luxton explores jaw-dropping homes, and examines why the people who live in them choose to escape the everyday world. The funny, heart-warming and insightful programme meets a Bible-obsessed Dutch entrepreneur, a group of scientists pretending they live on Mars, and a billionaire YouTube celebrity with his own zoo full of wild animals named after Versace, Gucci and Paris Hilton, revealing what it takes to live in a one-of-a-kind wonder.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy chairs a live Brexit debate, with four high-profile politicians who represent the main divisions between MPs on Brexit and an audience with diverse perspectives.
Exploring the life and career of one of the UK's most successful songwriters - the man behind the much-loved songs of The Housemartins, The Beautiful South and latterly Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
This programme meets the people whose ambition and creativity have no limits as they strive to achieve the world's most extraordinary Christmas dinners. Nasa astronaut Anne McClain will be spending Christmas day on the International Space Station. Each meal that she has in space has to be carefully selected and prepared in advance, so she and the food technicians go through every meal while she's still on Earth, and hope that it tastes as good in zero gravity. On a nuclear submarine at the bottom of the ocean, 150 submariners tuck in to a Christmas dinner that was carefully prepared and stored before the sub set off. Their mission is so secret that on Christmas Day only six crew members have any idea where in the world they are.
The Call Centre reopens at Christmas, as celebrities including Debbie McGee and Goggleboxers Steph and Dom tackle the public's queries - from festive dilemmas to affairs of the heart.
Global drag sensation Courtney Act celebrates Christmas in spectacular style with Leona Lewis, Little Mix and Zara Larsson. Paralympic gold medallist Jonnie Peacock gets a full drag makeover, and in a UK exclusive Courtney is also joined by Drag Race icons Adore Delano, Bianca Del Rio and Darienne Lake.
End-of-year review show in which the man best known as ITV's Judge Rinder casts an unflinching eye, razor-sharp legal mind and acerbic tongue over the events of 2018, to determine once and for all whether the year will be chalked up as being a `good' or `bad' one. With the help of guests Anthony Scaramucci, Deborah Frances-White, Ed Balls, Clare Balding, George Osborne, Tez Ilyas and David Baddiel, Rob delves deep into all the news stories, people and talking points of the year. Uncompromising, perceptive and funny, he gives a fresh take on the big issues while also reminding viewers of the hilarious tiny details already forgotten in the post-Christmas haze
Two hundred years after the author's birth, Lily Cole - an admirer of Bronte's work - explores her world and the groundbreaking novel she produced, Wuthering Heights. Given that Bronte had to publish her book under the androgynous pseudonym Ellis Bell, Cole goes on to consider the parallels in terms of contemporary women's ongoing struggle to achieve equal pay, recognition and opportunity in their chosen profession.
2018 Episode: As the clock tower is dismantled into thousands of pieces and sent for repair, new technologies uncover astonishing secrets of the past. But will Ben's bells be ready in time to chime for New Year?
At times funny and at times frightening, Britain's Wildest Weather 2018 tells the story of an incredible extreme weather year through first-hand accounts and eye-popping footage filmed by the people who were caught in the eye of the storms. From the infamous 'Beast from the East', which brought record-breaking snowfalls across the country, to our blistering summer heatwave and devastating rural and urban wildfires, this was a weather year to remember. Rural communities high in the Cumbrian hills were snowed in and London neighbourhoods faced terrifying urban wildfires. Experts explain where our weather comes from, how it affected us in 2018, and why.
Lemn Sissay meets seven young people who are in the care of their council and sets out to help them express their experiences through words and perform them to a packed theatre of decision-makers
Cameras follow Thames Valley Police's investigation into the murder of 64-year-old Hang Yin Leung, who died after being violently assaulted during a burglary at her Milton Keynes home in January 2017. Filmed over 12 months, the programme interweaves the police's enquiries with an intimate portrait of a British-Chinese family coming to terms with the impact of murder, with the story of migrants from Hong Kong who came to the UK in search of a better life for their son unfolding alongside the hunt for the killers.
An insight into the lives of some of the thousands of people passing through the Heathrow airport arrivals halls, featuring captivating stories told by passengers and their waiting loved ones.
In this hour-long special edition, Jamie serves up some simple but genius combinations of just five ingredients, to create the most fabulous Christmas feast.
Mary Portas surveys Britain's spending habits over the past 12 months, revealing customers' passions, fashions, fads and faux pas during 2018. Throughout the programme, Mary goes inside a £2billion delivery company to find out how the UK became a takeaway nation, and sees how some of the biggest high street names and companies are attempting to be more ethical and cut down on their use of plastic. She also finds out how veganism went from marginal to mainstream and how companies have responded to consumers'
Britain's biggest family is about to get even bigger as 21 Kids and Counting follows the chaotic and fascinating lives of Britain's largest family in the lead-up to the birth of their 10th baby girl. And for every baby that parents Sue and Noel welcome to the family, another one is preparing to fly the nest. The cameras return to the family home in Lancashire, as the teenage Radfords grapple with big life decisions, such as moving out of the home, learning to drive, choosing a career, and how to get any privacy in a house that's packed to the rafters with kids. As the family prepares for the next arrival, Sue and Noel decide to head off on a super-sized package holiday to Benidorm, with 20 kids in tow. With Sue and Noel spending quality time with the kids in the sun, 21 Kids and Counting offers a warm-hearted look at parenting, family, growing up, and growing up surrounded by 10 times more brothers and sisters than the average British household.
Drama by James Graham providing a behind-the-scenes exploration of the 2016 referendum on whether the UK should leave the European Union, which has had far-reaching consequences. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Dominic Cummings, the leading strategist and campaign director of Vote Leave, while Rory Kinnear is Craig Oliver, who oversaw Remain's communications strategy, as the programme examines the anatomy of a modern data-driven election campaign, and each side's controversial backers.
Between January 1 and December 31, 2017, 768 people died as a result of murder or manslaughter in Britain - approximately 14 people a week. This documentary tells the stories of some of those cases, following victims' families and friends from the immediate aftermath of the crime, through the court process and beyond, as they try to rebuild their lives. The programme also goes beyond individual incidents to ask what the patterns of murder say about the state of modern Britain.
Documentary following former Gogglebox stars Steph and Dom Parker as they try to help their 18-year-old son Max, who has severe epilepsy and suffers more than 100 seizures a day - any one of which could be fatal. Medicinal marijuana is being used to reduce or even eliminate the deadly seizures, but, like thousands of families across the UK, they are currently being refused this treatment. The film follows Steph, Dom and daughter Honor as they try to work out just how effective medicinal cannabis could be.
Journalist Alexis Conran investigates all-inclusive holidays and asks whether they are genuinely good value for money. He also teams up with travel experts to offer insider tips, and goes head to head with a vacation-ready family to see if he can mirror their trip by doing things independently - and beat them on budget. Can hotels really give holiday-makers a genuine deal without compromising on quality?
In a remote training camp in Butler County, Ohio, we meet school teachers who are learning how to shoot and, if necessary, kill. This documentary explores the heated and divisive debate around how best to protect pupils, as schools prepare for gun attacks and school boards in America seriously consider arming their teachers. The film follows a group of teachers who attend 'Faster', one of America's most controversial summer schools, where teachers are trained to use guns, deal with potential school shooting scenarios and, if the situation demands it, kill. Included is the Trump-supporting local sheriff, who is so passionate about arming teachers that he puts billboards up in town to persuade the community to get onside.
Documentary artist Laura Dodsworth photographs women and hears their intimate, shocking, moving, powerful or funny stories about how their vaginas have shaped their lives
Extremist attitudes are on the rise throughout the Western world. In a bid to understand why, broadcaster Alice Levine is spending a week living with British nationalist Jack Sen, his wife of Ukrainian heritage, their young daughter, and Jack's mother - whose hero is Donald Trump. As a liberal who embraces diversity and tolerance, Alice aims to understand why Jack holds the views he does and attempts to dig deeper into what leads people to fanaticism. Jack, a nationalist activist who uses the internet to spread his message, stood for election as a UKIP MP, but was expelled from the party for sending tweets considered anti-Semitic to Labour MP Luciana Berger.
This feature-length documentary tells the astonishing true story of three men - Robert Shafran, Edward Galland and David Kellman - who make the chance discovery, at the age of 19, that they are identical triplets, who were separated at birth and adopted by three different sets of parents within a 100-mile radius of each other in New York State. The trio's joyous reunion catapults them to fame: they became instant media sensations, open up an A-list New York restaurant and even appear in a movie with Madonna. But the brothers' discovery also sets in motion a chain of events that unearths an extraordinary and disturbing secret that goes far beyond their own lives: a secret that might one day answer key questions at the heart of all human behaviour.
In the wilds of northern Siberia, a team of international scientists search for the frozen remains of long extinct beasts. Could their findings lead to the return of the woolly mammoth?
A unique, cutting-edge scientific investigation reveals surprising new information about the crew of Henry VIII's favourite warship, redefining what we thought we knew about Tudor England.
Fashion guru Gok Wan, reality TV star Joey Essex and veteran presenter Valerie Singleton each want to improve their memories, so accept the challenge of a unique contest in which they must memorise hundreds of facts. The aim of the competition is to encourage them to master new memory techniques taught by world memory grandmaster Mark Channon. Gok Wan learns the periodic table. Valerie Singleton studies UK grime artists. And Joey Essex swats up on William the Conqueror. Whose memory comes out on top?
Writer Sathnam Sanghera explores the events leading up to 1919's Jallianwala Bagh massacre, in which hundreds of peaceful protesters in Amritsar, India, were gunned down by British troops. Sathnam explores the profound implications of the massacre on modern attitudes to the British Empire, and travels to Punjab to meet descendants of the survivors.
A mass Viking grave has been found in a Derbyshire garden. It reveals the extraordinary stories of female Viking warriors and new evidence of a massive military encampment.
Car enthusiast Mark Evans is witness to the resurrection from scratch of the XKSS, a legendary lost supercar from the 1950s and one of the most sought after cars in the world.
At their height there were 12,000 curry houses in Britain, the vast majority run by Bangladeshi immigrants. Akram Khan's father was one of them, and he expected his son to inherit the family business. But Akram had other ideas: he wanted to dance. Now he's one of the world's leading dancers and choreographers. This film sees Akram return to the curry houses of his childhood, meeting the chefs who created this culinary institution in the face of hostility and, often, violent racism. Exploring their stories of immigration, this effortlessly global artist comes face to face with his own past, his family history and the reasons why he became a dancer. All of this is woven into a poetic new piece of dance that tells a universal story - the immigrant experience in Britain.
In a tale of double agents and decoys, this documentary reveals, for the first time, the story of King George VI's elaborate ruse to divert German attention away from the Normandy landings in 1944
Jaw-dropping real-life footage, from the funny to the dramatic, reveals exactly what can go wrong when we venture onto the roads.
This film documents life at Bickleigh, England's oldest inhabited castle - witness to a thousand years of bloody wars, revolting peasants and blue-blooded aristocrats. Today, owners Sarah and Robbie Hay run the Devonshire castle as a top wedding and events venue. But in an age where the customer is always right and the staff working downstairs are no longer willing to be lorded over by those upstairs, can they hold it together for the all-important summer season? Key members of their team include Sarah's cousin John, who runs the B&B and is Bickleigh's unofficial online reviews handler, and groundskeeper, barman and all-round handyman Richard, who lives on site. With so much at stake for Sarah and Robbie, and endless jobs to do, things don't always run smoothly between the owners and Richard, who freely admits he is not a 'yes man'.
Documentary telling the inside story of Mohammed Emwazi's journey from an ordinary London boy to becoming terrorist 'Jihadi John', and the intelligence operatives' attempts to catch him.
This eye-opening documentary follows the extraordinary Richardson family, who run a chain of sex shops in Brighton.
As Liverpool and Tottenham prepare for the Champions League final, this insightful documentary examines their managers' methods and outstanding man management.
Former elite Special Forces soldier Jason Fox embarks on a highly personal journey back to Afghanistan, nearly a decade after he last set foot in the country where he endured harrowing combat experiences during multiple tours of duty. Afghanistan both defined Jason as a soldier and made him the man he is today. He spent more than three years fighting in a war that saw some of the fiercest battles in modern British military history. He saw friends killed and seriously injured in combat, and narrowly escaped death multiple times. This left him with a punishing personal legacy: PTSD. Because of this, Jason was discharged from the Special Forces and made to leave behind the life and job he loved. Now he's attempting to understand this complex country and the people he was sent to help. He meets old friends and former enemies, and asks whether the sacrifices were worth the traumatic legacy that he, the Afghan people and many of his fellow soldiers have been left to endure.
To mark D-Day's 75th anniversary, Guy Martin restores a Dakota plane, undergoes brutal training with the Red Devils parachute display team, and parachutes into the Normandy countryside.
Documentary setting out to explore same-sex behaviour in animals, which has been reported in more than 1,500 species and was even observed by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Traditional evolutionary theory cannot explain the purpose of being gay. So how are we to explain such behaviour? Scientists give their thoughts, including the difficulty of separating so-called `dominance' behaviour from pure sexual interactions, while a commercial sheep breeder reveals how some rams are exclusively homosexual, and no good to his business.
Secret History has exclusive access behind the scenes of the momentous expedition that found HMS Erebus: the Royal Navy ship that disappeared in 1845 while searching for the Northwest Passage.
Documentary exploring new discoveries about chariot racing in ancient Rome, exploring how influential the sport was in Roman culture. While charioteers are still among some of the best-paid sports stars in history, the stakes were particularly high, with riots provoked by the results of races and curses employed to influence the outcome. The documentary follows a team attempting to reconstruct a racing chariot and take it round a test track, and uncovers the story of the slave who became Rome's most successful driver.
This year, around two million British people will take to the seas for the holiday of a lifetime promising class, elegance and refinement. However, as this documentary reveals, it's not always plain sailing. Featuring terrifying weather, emergency evacuations, collisions, sickness and crime, all caught on camera.
Roya Nikkhah presents this intimate look at what the future holds for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their baby, exploring how the family could walk the line between royal and American lifestyles.
A chance to relive the drama of the launch day of Apollo 11, combining NASA archive with global television footage from the day to take viewers back in time. Moon Launch Live relives the drama of the launch of Apollo 11 and uses contemporary references, flashes of the Vietnam War, adverts from the era and interviews from around the world to fully immerse viewers in the world of the summer of 1969.
Millions of words have been used to describe Boris Johnson and his suitability to be the UK's next prime minister, but none are more illuminating than those spoken and written by the man himself. As he competes with Jeremy Hunt to become the leader of the Conservative Party, this documentary sifts through hours of archive interviews and newspaper columns to build a picture of the man and his track record, largely through his own words.
The inside story of the bitter hatreds that mark the Conservative Party's struggle over Brexit - with extraordinary access to Cabinet ministers, Brexiteers and Remainer rebels.
The final stages of the Apollo 11 mission, following in real time the recordings of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin negotiating the final descent to the lunar surface, while Michael Collins remains in lunar orbit, uncertain if they will be successful or if he will be left to return to Earth alone. The programme features footage from the two astronauts' cameras, including the positioning of the American flag, as well as their call to President Nixon. It also follows the perilous return journey to Earth.
This unauthorised, uncensored documentary examines Boris Johnson's time as Foreign Secretary. What does his time in high office reveal about whether he has what it takes to lead on the national stage?
Cameras reveal what can go wrong when a dream holiday turns into a nightmare. Footage includes flight delays, hurricanes and worrying hotel rooms, all told by the people who were there. Psychologists and industry experts also reflect on the anxieties and situations that many can experience during a break.
George Clarke embarks on a campaign to kick start a housing revolution, and attempts to uncover the reasons behind the steep decline in affordable council house building. George meets visionary architects of the past, and visits the best and worst examples of housing on offer, and a trip to Vienna - where social housing can come with indoor and outdoor pools - proves inspirational for his housing vision for the future. Back in the UK, George challenges government to reform housing policy, before taking matters into his own hands on his campaign to kick start a new wave of council house building.
Mars make more pet products than chocolate. A look inside the company's giant pet food factory reveals a world of animals, science, and a million pet food pouches a day.
Real-life footage reveals some of the dangers lurking inside homes, from bugs and the chaos caused by animals and children to dodgy DIY and conflict with neighbours. Psychologists also reflect on the anxieties that can be caused for homeowners experiencing these situations while trying to relax.
Documentary exploring the latest evidence concerning the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and looking into the lives of those involved in building the vast structure. Among recent discoveries connected to the pyramid are the log book of a labour team leader, that provides an insight into the planning and logistics of the build and how the labourers were housed, fed, and organised.
With access to tapes that have been hidden for over 40 years, this documentary goes behind the legend of the 1963 heist to uncover the true story of the crime of the century. Through tape recordings made by one of the key masterminds, the film explores the truth about the background to the robbery, and the audacious planning to carry it off, as well as revealing how one of the men managed to escape the police and live off his share of the loot until he died a few years ago.
Animal behaviourist Jo-Rosie Haffenden discusses applying her methods to parenting, and how a greater emphasis on rewarding positive actions than punishing bad behaviour can turn infants into caring and compassionate human beings. The programme follows her as she works with a three-year-old prone to violent tantrums and an 18-month-old baby who refuses to sleep in her own cot.
With access to private papers and thousands of photographs, Professor Saul David examines Albert's significant role in shaping Victorian Britain.
Tornadoes, torrential rain, lightning storms, flash floods and a record breaking temperature of 38.7C. We haven’t even reached the end of August yet. This programme features archive footage, personal stories and striking visuals of Britain’s recent heatwave. We delve into the latest science and ask why this is happening. Is this part of a developing global pattern of record extreme weather, and as a country, can we cope? With 15 of the 16 hottest summers on record occurring since 2001, we look at climate change and its link to severe weather events – exploring how they are likely to hit harder and more often in the years ahead. The unfolding scene at Whaley Bridge has prompted deeper questions on how prepared we are for these potentially devastating changes to our climate. Can our ageing infrastructure – with damaged dams, melting roads, buckled railways and burst sewers – cope with this ever more brutal onslaught? What effect will this have on our agriculture and the cost of living? How will we live in our overheated cities? We examine calls from many climatologists to change our lifestyles – now. If we’re going to press pause on Britain’s extreme weather, what practical steps can we take to help stop this climate crisis destroying Britain?
Mark Cousins presents a personal perspective on the Northern Irish Troubles through the prism of film, revealing how his passion for cinema was fuelled by his formative years in Belfast.
On the eve of Parliament returning amid a growing crisis over Brexit and its prorogation, Krishnan Guru-Murthy presents a live debate in which voters discuss the future of the UK with leading politicians.
Gary Usher, Britain's most controversial chef, builds an eatery out of rubble as he brings excellent affordable bistro food to working class locals on Merseyside.
Documentary exploring the reasons behind the collapse of one of the world's best-known holiday brands. The company was founded in 1841, but collapsed after running into severe financial difficulties in recent years, leaving thousands of staff out of work and 150,000 holidaymakers stranded. This programme explores where the current situation leaves customers and if a similar collapse could occur again.
Documentary following archaeologists working on a 4,000-year-old pyramid containing a burial chamber, still apparently sealed. As light enters the tomb for the first time, the artefacts contained within reveal a gripping detective story as although there are no signs of entry, the contents have been disturbed. To solve the mystery, Egyptologists explore the nearby Black Pyramid to see how pyramid builders used every trick in the book to protect the treasures, discovering a dark and complex labyrinth of dummy tombs, false passages and stone portcullises to fool robbers.
Archaeologists excavate magnificent sites - from pyramids to temples - along the Sudanese Nile Valley, to reveal the history of the ancient African superpower: the Black Pharaohs
One-off documentary in which singer Charlotte Church explores the relationship people have with their parents by spending a week alone with her own mother and father for the first time since she was a teenager. The Churches travel to an isolated part of Devon, where they prove themselves to be an ordinary working-class family from Cardiff who just happened to have a superstar daughter. But while there is love, things at times are incredibly difficult, and it becomes apparent there is a major issue from the past that the parents and daughter have never been able to resolve
In 2017, journalist and TV presenter Bill Turnbull was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer shortly after filming The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer. Like many others, Bill chose to ignore the early warning signs and by the time he went to his doctor, the cancer had spread from his prostate to his bones. He then made the decision to go public in the hope of encouraging more men to get checked. This documentary follows Bill over a year as he undertakes chemotherapy, tries cannabis for medicinal purposes and adopts a healthier diet.
Oscar-winning actress, author and producer Lupita Nyong'o uncovers the truth behind the women who inspired the Dora Milaje of Marvel's film Black Panther. Travelling to Benin in West Africa, Lupita reveals the stories of the real-life warrior women who fought African and European powers alike from the 17th to the 19th centuries in the Kingdom of Dahomey, centred in the modern-day country of Benin
A comic but ultimately alarming glimpse into the surreal world of Russian TV, from the Skripal poisoning to President Putin's hidden talent as a nightclub crooner
This irreverent comedy doc, presented by Kieran Hodgson, features Harry Enfield and Liza Tarbuck, and examines how Brexit came about and how we can put a divided country back together.
Sabrina Grant and Anna Richardson reveal how to save a fortune on the weekly shop
Children as young as seven are being groomed to sell drugs for 'county lines' drugs gangs in towns and villages all over the UK. This documentary follows four young people trapped in this world.
Documentary exploring the history and the workforce of Broadgate, the financial complex at the heart of the City of London, which is home to 28 international banks. The building has stood since 1985, when it formed a central element in Margaret Thatcher's efforts to redirect the British economy from manufacturing to finance. The programme examines the daily lives of those who work here, from CEOs and bankers to cleaners and security guards.
This documentary unravels the events that led to two Boeing 737 MAX passenger jets falling out of the sky, and investigates how the fastest-selling aircraft in Boeing's history ended in tragedy.
Documentary following two families trying to fund operations for their children. Six-year-old Pranav has cerebral palsy, and is determined to walk unaided - but the procedure and aftercare required will cost £100,000. In Northern Ireland, a mother tries to raise £32,000 to have the curve in her daughter's spine corrected.
Real-life footage - from funny to dramatic - demonstrates what can go wrong at work, from the dangers of late-night takeaways to violence in corner shops and some of the messiest jobs ever
Documentary about sexual abuse within a family that has been kept a secret for 25 years. The film features access to all members of the family, and documents a meeting between the perpetrator and the victim.
Sabrina Grant and Helen Skelton help two families to reduce their online spending. They reveal how a simple change to buying airline tickets could reduce the cost of a family holiday by hundreds of pounds, examine the art of haggling over the internet, and explore ways to transform a wardrobe at a fraction of the normal price.
Sumantra Ghosal's documentary about two contemporary legends in Indian music: tabla genius Zakir Hussain and sitar maestro Niladri Kumar. Featuring interviews and concert highlights.
Guy Martin wants to recreate the most iconic motorcycle stunt in movie history - the climax of the film The Great Escape, in which Steve McQueen's character Lieutenant Hilts steals a motorbike and attempts to jump two border fences into Switzerland. The original bike used in the film was a Triumph, and it's only right that Guy should convert and prep a modern Triumph Scrambler 1200 for his big stunt
One-off documentary going behind the scenes of Chatsworth, one of England's most impressive stately homes, as the Duke, Duchess and their 800 staff brace themselves for an influx of 200,000 visitors over the 2019 festive season. Christmas is the most important event for the Derbyshire estate and crucial to its survival. In just five days, the house is transformed with 30 Christmas trees, 60,000 baubles, and a million fairy lights. But this year Derbyshire has been crippled by unprecedented flooding. Can family and staff rally to make this a season to be remembered?
This one-off special follows comedian and host of the award-winning The Last Leg, Adam Hills as he embarks on a personal, physical and emotional journey to live out his boyhood dream to play competitive rugby league. Take His Legs is the remarkable story of the birth of Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) in the UK, and the rise of the Warrington Wolves PDRL team, from open trial, to World Champions in just six months. As a die-hard rugby league fan and the driving force behind establishing the first PDRL team here in the UK, the documentary follows Adam as he and his Warrington Wolves team-mates prepare for the biggest game of their lives. Travelling to the other side of the world, the team play against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at the world famous ANZ Stadium in Australia at the first ever International Club Challenge to prove themselves the best in the world – and even get the chance to meet movie star and Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe. This is Adam’s personal journey from celebrity advocate and enthusiast to team-mate and friend to an incredible group of men, achieving something they never thought possible. The documentary also deals with mental health, PTSD, and the true impact of sport and teamwork on the emotional well-being of a team who have now formed a remarkable bond and support network for each other.
Footage of some of the most extraordinary weather events of the year, including an avalanche in Snowdonia and the Toddbrook Reservoir incident in Derbyshire, which saw parts of nearby Whaley Bridge evacuated after flooding caused damage to the dam and it almost collapsed. Cameras also capture the sheer horror of being swept overboard by a monster wave in the middle of the night.
A countdown of some of the greatest family movies ever made, from enduring classics like Mary Poppins to modern hits including Finding Nemo. Featuring contributions from actors and film-makers. Steven Spielberg reveals the original inspiration for ET, while Christopher Lloyd shares his memories of being transformed into The Addams Family's Uncle Fester and Who Framed Roger Rabbit's villainous Judge Doom. The programme also features directors Robert Zemeckis, Ron Howard and David Yates discussing the secrets behind classic movie moments.
Beneath vast mountains and across open moorlands, Scotland's railways connect coastal towns and rural villages through a Highland landscape voted the world's most beautiful railway. This programme meets the people who work on the railway and the steam enthusiasts who safeguard these iconic routes, offering a glimpse into a diverse community united by a passion for the nation's railways.
Jamie Oliver is the man with the masterplan for a stress-free festive feast - from all the trimmings to the turkey, stuffing and, of course, fantastic gravy.
A look back at the past year on TV with Mel B and Bo' Selecta's parody of her, who give their take on some of the most memorable moments from a high-rise apartment in Leeds. Donning the classic leopard print dress, surrounded by party food and a fridge full of bevvies, the Mels give their honest and brutal opinion on the TV highlights that have made us laugh out loud and shed a tear over the past year
A look at toy-makers around the world, revealing how they work hard year-round to ensure their product makes it onto countless children's Christmas lists each December. Cameras visit the colourful creations of Crayola in Pennsylvania, the charming home of Steiff teddy bears in Germany and the fun-filled world of Top Trumps in the UK. Plus, there's a tour of FAO Schwarz, New York's biggest and most famous toy store, which is behind a proud new addition to Selfridges in London's Oxford Street, its first UK outlet.
Fresh from her Glastonbury legends slot triumph and a raft of sold-out tour dates throughout the world, this one-off sees an audience arrive for what they believe is a Kylie-themed fan extravaganza hosted by Alan Carr. They're actually going to be spending a secret evening with the lady herself. Over the course of the show, Kylie Minogue will treat her guests to the ultimate thank you through heartfelt conversation with Alan, memorable performances, surprise money-can't-buy gifts, hidden camera VTs and funny stunts.
As we hurtle towards 2020, Richard Osman look back and celebrate the very best of the past ten years across various categories: film, TV show, song, and new thing. Viewers will take a nostalgic trip down memory lane as Richard and his celebrity guests discuss the potential winners in each category, before revealing the ultimate winner in each group. In the lead up to the show, Richard will host a World Cup style tournament on Twitter giving the public the opportunity to have their say on each of the five categories with the winners being revealed on the show. A fun and irreverent celebration of the best the decade has had to offer, we'll see heated, funny discussion from our studio panel, mixed with a meaningful public vote to ensure the World Cup goes to its rightful home.
Scarlette Douglas discovers if it's cheaper to book your summer holiday in advance or if last-minute booking is best. She also reveals the latest money-saving insider holiday tips.
George Monbiot examines the disastrous impact that farming animals for meat has had on the planet. George looks at alternative food sources, including synthetic meat, and a process that produces protein from just bacteria and air, and also explores revolutionary ideas that could change agriculture as we know it.
This show follows three women visiting the Comfort Zone clinic in Turkey, where their holiday package includes new boobs and a bigger bum. But will they get the results they're looking for?
Documentary following a unique community of established vegan and ex-vegan influencers. Some of them are embarking on an escalating series of daring farmyard heists, others are devoted to their back-bedroom chicken sanctuaries, and some are extreme ex-vegans, now notorious for their jaw-dropping raw-meat-only diet. They enjoy hundreds of thousands of followers and know exactly what it takes to make an impact online.
A look behind the scenes at Trotters, one of London's leading jewellers and destination store for big-ticket bling
Author Chidera Eggerue explores people's relationship with pubic hair, investigating why so many women remove their pubic hair when even a few decades ago it wasn't seen as necessary. Along the way, she challenges herself and her peers to grow out their pubic hair and put on an exhibition in which they reveal their naked, natural bodies to the world.
Channel 4 delves into the world of Nigel Farage, Britain's most divisive politician, for the inside story filmed over five months in the lead-up to December 2019's general election
The dramatic, terrifying story of the battle against the bushfires down under, with first-hand accounts from firefighters and residents, including people who lost everything
Following billionaire John Caudwell's £65 million refurbishment in the heart of Mayfair as it enters its last crucial stages.
Nineteen years after Stuart Lubbock was found dead at Michael Barrymore's home, this film forensically explores the full story behind one of Britain's most high-profile unexplained deaths.
With Brighton at the epicentre of the current medical crisis, this documentary follows those on the frontline - the scientists currently working in haste to find a vaccine. Plus, critical health teams explain how Britain will cope with a widespread public health emergency.
The unfolding story of how protestors moved from peaceful demos to Molotov cocktails.
Documentary about an alternative to prison set up by the police in County Durham, in which arrested criminals can avoid being tried and imprisoned for their crime in exchange for a pledge to never reoffend. The idea is in response to high levels of reoffending from released prisoners and offers an alternative to a life of crime - but for many, the promise requires sweeping changes to their lives that are hard to maintain.
A cruise is the trip of a lifetime. But tragically, far too often, someone goes overboard off a passenger ship. Is enough being done to stop such incidents?
Following young patients in the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Britain's leading childhood obesity clinic, a last resort for children living with extreme obesity. Fourteen-year-old Tommy is one of the clinic's heaviest patients, and despite 18 months of treatment, his weight is spiralling out of control. Elsewhere, five-year-old Liliana's extreme appetite is a cause for concern.
In order to help contain the spread of Covid-19, each member of the public needs to be best prepared for the weeks and months ahead. However, the reality of self-isolation can be difficult, while the advice is complex and changing all the time. Here, Dr. Xand van Tulleken and psychologist Kimberley Wilson offer a no-nonsense guide to self-isolation, full of useful tips and advice to help people to self-isolate successfully.
Documentary following Karen Chamberlain, owner of the Barking Mad pet talent agency, which supplies everything from cute pooches to cuddly cats for films, TV and ad campaigns. Whether the casting call is for dogs, sheep, ponies, zonkeys or alpacas - no job is too big, too small or too ambitious for Karen. But after a troubling dry spell at the agency, Karen and husband Pete's dwindling savings account is keeping the company afloat, so it's make-or-break time for the couple. Will a Guinness World Record attempt for Lorraine Kelly, and a high-profile job for a potential new London mayor, help improve the agency's fortunes?
Special programme looking at the current outbreak of coronavirus in the UK by exploring how viruses - as well as other germs - are transmitted. This is demonstrated through a series of visual tests covering all aspects of a typical day at home, on the commute and at work. The film looks at what people touch and the multiple surface areas they encounter every day, as well as how respiratory droplets are spread through sneezing and coughing. There are also interviews with experts and members of the public, who share their views on the pandemic.
Documentary filmed on Friday 3 April, offering a look at lockdown in the UK over the course of 24 hours. It captures life for people at home and at work, revealing how those who are ill or long-term self-isolating are being cared for, and the daily activity of police, nurses, doctors, binmen and supermarket shelf-stackers.
Elizabeth is a typical suburban housewife and mother of three with one big difference - without warning, shortly after her 40th birthday, she developed Tourette's syndrome - a neurological condition that causes involuntary tics, some of them offensive. This one-off documentary follows Elizabeth and her family over the course of a busy summer, including a holiday in Cornwall, GCSE results and meeting her son's new girlfriend - experiences amplified by the unexpected impact of Elizabeth's condition.
With the bulk of the UK population staying in their homes for fear of getting infected by the coronavirus, this documentary looks at just how safe it is behind closed doors. Two families have their houses forensically swept for fingerprints to find evidence of what they may be unwittingly spreading around. There is also a look at how Covid-19 uses people's behaviour to get inside in the first place and a round-up of the best products to stop the virus in its tracks - and which ones will do no good.
Restorers compete to give objects a new lease of life with high-end makeovers, pitching against each other to win jobs and estimating how much profit the items will make when sold. Law-enforcement officer Nick brings in a vintage Allwin penny arcade machine and antique restorer Andy and woodturner Nick go up against each other for the opportunity to renovate it. Sisters Lorna and Louise hope that one of metalworkers Christina and Sean can return their vintage British postbox to its former glory.
The food writer travels to Cambodia with her adopted daughter Li-Da, in the hope of tracking down her biological family. Li-Da was like many of her generation evacuated from the country to escape Pol Pot's genocide, and Prue admits she has rarely questioned whether she could have helped her daughter connect more with her roots. Now, social media and DNA testing are allowing thousands of people to reconnect with lost relatives.
Sabrina Grant and Helen Skelton present a guide to the online retailer, showing how to track prices and investigating how much the company can be trusted. The programme examines the sale of fake big name brands and potentially dangerous toys, and delves into the murky world of fake product reviews.
As Britain looks beyond politics to science for reassurance, experts come together for a fact-based talk with answers to all the big pandemic questions - vaccines, death rates, and isolation
Dr Xand van Tulleken explores why the coronavirus lockdown is continuing, as he seeks answers to the questions many people have about when lockdown will end and what the world will look like by then. Will people who have had the virus be allowed more freedom of movement than those who haven't? What kind of restrictions will we have on work and movement, and for how long? Xand looks at both sides of the debate, meeting scientists, experts and members of the government; and also shares helpful advice on how to cope best with the challenges of the situation we face.
Channel 4 has given out cameras to people across the UK, to film themselves as they battle the virus, supported by experts as they manage symptoms and cope with their fears
Using newly recorded accounts and previously unseen archive, this is the story of the day in May 1945 when the fighting finally stopped across Europe and the celebrations began as Britain rejoiced in unity. The stories of ordinary folk are heard, but alongside the happy tales of street parties, fancy dress, and jelly and ice cream are the reflections of those thinking of loved ones who wouldn't return to enjoy a peace that was hard won.
Documentary telling the personal stories of a collection of NHS workers on the frontline of the Covid-19 battle, revealing the shocking reality of the challenges they are facing. Luke, an intensive care nurse, has to make unbelievably difficult decisions about whose hand to hold in their final moments on his ward, while Jess and Richard face new challenges and personal sacrifices as the pandemic forces them into new roles.
Documentary examining the way South Korea has dealt with the coronavirus outbreak, revealing a story of careful planning, mass testing and contact tracing on an astonishing scale which allowed South Korea to avoid a UK-style lockdown and economic devastation. With countries across the world failing to control the spread, the programme questions if South Korea will be able to hold off a second wave of infection, and what the UK can learn from the strategy South Korea adopted.
Lockdown is gradually beginning to ease in the UK – but this is not the case for everyone. As the rest of the country slowly begin to put their lives back together, some of the nation’s most elderly and vulnerable will have no choice but to remain indoors for their own safety. Old, Alone and Stuck at Home tells their stories. Among the subject of the documentary are 82-year-old Desmond Gittens, who is diabetic, Yvonne and Chris Milne, 70, who care for their disabled daughter Clare, and Susie Davies, 82, who is a cancer patient.
Steph McGovern investigates whether it is possible to get away safely this summer, answering some of the burning questions, whether travelling abroad or holidaying in the UK. From whether we should we book now and what the least risky way to travel is, to the trips we've already paid for and if we should cancel them and seek a refund or cross our fingers.
Celebrating the stories of vital key workers, from teachers and cleaners to bus drivers and supermarket workers, who are keeping Britain going through the coronavirus crisis. The programme offers a powerful picture of Britain today as it follows a few such people as they do their jobs, often putting themselves at risk for the sake of others on a daily basis
A coming-of-age story of two Omphalopagus twins. About to leave high school Carmen and Lupita have more than their grades or their rare conjoined condition to think about, they are Mexicans in President Donald Trump's America. Now is a key turning point in their life as their American dream threatens to come to an end.
Across the UK, more than 60,000 couples have seen their wedding plans dashed by the Covid-19 pandemic. As lockdown keeps loved ones apart, Fred Sirieix from First Dates gives London couple Patrick and Louise a surprise chance to get hitched in an audacious virtual celebration, with their whole wedding party watching on. With only two weeks to pull it off, Fred works around the clock to make their day as perfect as possible, dipping into his book of contacts from the worlds of celebrity and hospitality.
A mix of faces from across the nation join Anna Richardson as she gets to grips with all things love, sex and romance, delving into the ways sex in Britain has altered since its people have been ordered to stay indoors. She also reveals the results of a specially commissioned survey to find out exactly what the Great British Public have been getting up to during lockdown.
It's February 1953, the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Little does the Queen know she is about to be deployed in a US plot to topple Iran's democratic leader in favour of an all-powerful shah. Planned by MI6, and executed by the CIA, the coup destroyed Iran's democracy and had an impact on relations between Iran and the West. Using declassified secret documents, this documentary reveals the truth of what happened in 1953.
Page Three: The Naked Truth revealS the stories of the young women who appeared on the controversial page, and how their life changed, sometimes overnight, by appearing topless in a national paper. The documentary featured interviews with the likes of Samantha Fox, Keeley Hazell and Rhian Sugden about how Page Three and the tabloid press affected their lives.
Filmed in the summer of 2019 by first-time director Ashley Francis-Roy, this documentary presents the world as seen through the eyes of children growing up on council estates on the Isle of Dogs. Brendan is a sixth-generation Islander who's lived with his nan Lynne since he was placed in care when he was four, while 12-year-old Leslie wants to be an electrician, as well as a part-time rapper and gamer - but his mum Tina worries about him hanging out with boys who seek respect and easy money.
Rylan Clark-Neal presents a family gameshow with a twist, which aims to help parents Clare and Matt find the parenting experts within themselves - and potentially also win a big cash prize.
Documentary charting the rise of Nazi Germany's speed cars, when under the orders of Hitler himself drivers risked their lives smashing records that the Third Reich exploited for propaganda.
Thomas Quick was Sweden’s worst, most infamous serial killer. He confessed to historic crimes against both men and women again and again and was repeatedly convicted of murder. Except Quick, who now goes by his birth name Sture Bergwall, was entirely innocent of the 39 hideous crimes he confessed to while incarcerated in a mental institution. His confessions were false. It’s the most extraordinary story told here in gripping detail by many of those involved in the scandal, principally Bergwall/Quick himself. The fantasy began when Quick fell under the influence of therapists who believed unwaveringly that serial killers were the victims of repressed childhood trauma. So, Bergwall says, out of loneliness and the need for his therapists’ approval, he read about unsolved murders in newspapers, even taking details from Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, and then confessed. Despite any supporting evidence, he was prosecuted and convicted.
Documentary following transgender couple Hannah and Jake Graf as they start a family. Filmed over the course of a year, the programme follows Hannah and Jake from their first meeting with a surrogate through to their baby's birth in the midst of lockdown. The film also explores their experiences of transitioning and the prejudice they've faced, as they strive to realise their dream of becoming parents
There are as many as one and a half million people on the British swinging scene. This documentary takes an honest look at one of the country's most popular swingers' clubs.
Dr Xand van Tulleken and Dr Guddi Singh meet experts and scientists to find out whether a second wave of Covid-19 is coming, how it can be avoided and how to prepare for it.
The extraordinary story of the scientist Peter Scott-Morgan, as he turns himself into a cyborg in an attempt to overcome the Motor Neurone Disease that will otherwise kill him. With unprecedented access to Peter and an international group of doctors, scientists, engineers and designers, the programme follows 18 months of one of the most audacious transitions ever undertaken, employing radical surgery, artificially intelligent computers and robotics technology.
More than 1,000 restaurants have a hygiene rating of zero and five million Brits get serious food poisoning every year, so chef April Jackson and food hygiene specialist Gareth Jones set out on a mission to clean up the nation's fast-food outlets. Gareth joins council food inspectors and discovers filth, dangerous levels of bacteria and evidence of rodent infestations, while he and April tackle a chip shop in Harrow, west London, in desperate need of a makeover, helping it to achieve a five-star hygiene rating.
Documentary in which men talk openly about their penis and how it feels to be a man, while artist Ajamu makes intimate photographic portraits based on the sitters' experiences to help them rethink the way they see their bodies and themselves. The men talk about the pleasures and physical realities of the penis, including sex, masturbation and erections, but also tell stories of infertility, violence, sexual abuse, homophobia and mental health, questioning taboos and the definitions of masculinity.
Following three children and their families as they undergo both cutting-edge and traditional treatments at the Royal Marsden in London. Cameras follow three-year-old Charlotte, who is one of the first children in the UK to take a pioneering new targeted drug that has saved her life, while toddler Artemis must undergo a stem cell transplant, first done over 50 years ago, as this is the best option available to her. Elsewhere Lily, who is 14, takes on a cocktail of chemotherapy and newer immunotherapy drugs.
Documentary going on the road with The Chocolate Men, Britain's first all-black touring strip dancing group. Filmed during their 2018 nationwide tour, the film meets the managers Louis and Dante - who thought up the idea after hosting a Magic Mike-themed show - and explores what motivates each of the dancers to bare all night after night.
Johnny Vegas and Jonnie Peacock present a celebration of some of the most memorable moments from the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games in London and Rio. With guests including Clare Balding, Ade Adepitan, Alex Brooker, Adam Hills and Josh Widdicombe, as well as members of Britain's Paralympics team.
Following Louis Bird's journey to piece together the life of his father, Peter Bird, after he disappeared on a voyage at sea in 1996. In 1983, Peter Bird was the first person to row the Pacific Ocean single-handed. Crossing 8,000 treacherous miles in a row-boat, turned Peter into an international legend. On a 1996 voyage, he disappeared, and his empty boat was recovered with a film camera still attached, but he was never found. This programme follows Louis on a personal journey to understand his father, as he and his mother come to terms with feelings of loss and abandonment.
David Lammy MP reveals the shocking story of how 100,000 or more Africans who died in their own continent serving Britain during World War I were denied the honour of an individual grave
Seyi Rhodes heads to Gambia to investigate the West African country's reputation as a destination for British sex tourists, looking at the truth behind the tabloid headlines. He meets 58-year-old Michelle, who recently married a younger Gambian man, and her 60-year-old friend, who regularly visits on holiday for a bit of `fun".
Helen Skelton investigates Britain's sandwich industry, investigating the hygiene conditions in high street chains and sandwich production plants, and how cuts to hospital budgets and food inspection budgets could be putting the public at risk. She also asks whether consumers can trust the nutritional levels advertised on the sandwiches they buy.
Guy Martin takes a well-earned rest in his shed with a cuppa and looks back at some of his proudest achievements.
The presenter looks back on some of his favourite engineering projects involving military vehicles. The programme features the restoration of a Mark 1 Spitfire, the recreation of a First World War tank which was one of the earliest armoured vehicles the final flight of an Avro Vulcan, and a reenactment of a paratrooper drop from D-Day.
Donald Trump has tweeted tens of thousands of times since becoming US president, giving the American people unique access to his innermost, unedited thoughts, and giving him access to his base without the interference of the traditional media. This programme looks at the impact on US politics of his use of Twitter, and whether they have caused problems and controversies, or, seemingly, solved intractable foreign policy problems.
Academic Emma Dabiri presents a documentary about the importance of afro-textured hair in black British history and culture. Black people from across the country share their personal experiences, discussing how what they do with their hair has been a rite of passage, a source of empowerment, or a focus of otherness and rejection.
Yinka Bokinni was a friend of Damilola Taylor growing up in Peckham. On the 20th anniversary of his death she confronts the impact of his killing and conflicting thoughts of their childhood community.
From the legendary Ronnie Scott's venue, Maya Jama presents a one-off celebration for Black History Month, with some of the UK's finest gifted young jazz musicians. Zara McFarlane, Ashley Henry, Poppy Ajudha, Reuben James and Ayanna Witter-Johnson all take to stage to perform their own interpretations of iconic black protest anthems from Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye and James Brown.
On the eve of the US election, with the backdrop of Covid and racial tension, this documentary examines the experience of poverty through the eyes of three children in the battleground state of Ohio
The behind-the-scenes story of how Britain's fastest-growing food delivery company has revolutionised the takeaway industry and how they, and their restaurant partners, are navigating the storm of the coronavirus pandemic. Cameras follow the teams of computer programmers, app developers and salespeople as they manage a network of restaurants and delivery riders that together have transformed the takeaway experience.
Documentary following the reopening of the theme park after a long period of closure due to Covid-19. Staff have only 12 days to ensure that the rides are both fully operational and comply with new health and safety guidelines, which requires some major rethinking. The programme follows both employees returning to work after months on furlough as well as families visiting the park for some much-needed escapism after being in lockdown.
Documentary following Akram Khan, one of the world's most acclaimed contemporary dancers and choreographers, as he enters a very different arena - of mixed martial arts, or MMA. He meets three of Britain's leading fighters - Terry `The Dominator" Brazier, Michael `Seabass" Shipman and Michael `Venom" Page - as they prepare for career-defining fights at Wembley Arena. Akram tries to understand the hold this violent spectacle has for so many, and as he becomes involved in the fighters' training and learns more about their lives, he's forced to confront his own relationship with violence and the events that traumatised him as a teenager.
Documentary following the Bloodhound team, a group of British engineers who are trying to build the fastest car on Earth: a car that can go at supersonic speeds and get into the record books
Kirstie Allsopp creates quick and easy crafts for the festive season. She is joined by Phil Spencer, who gets the party started with some cocktail magic. Kirstie's sister, florist Sofie, helps with some festive florals that can be scaled up or down for any size of gathering. And in the kitchen, baker Nancy Birtwhistle has a raft of recipes, tips and tricks for all things foodie and festive.
A&E medic Dr Ronx sets out to understand why so many NHS colleagues who died from coronavirus came from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Featuring stories of frontline workers who have lost their lives, and a striking visual tribute in memory of many more, Dr Ronx asks what is being done to protect frontline BAME workers.
Follows a team of female police officers trying to pull 15-year-old Nadia away from selling sex on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, a life she has been lured into. Film-maker Jezza Neumann gets to know not only Nadia, and another victim called Kat, but also goes home with the officers, meeting their kids, and learning what drives them to go to such lengths to reach out to girls on the streets, who often see them as the enemy.
Covid-19 has dealt a devastating blow to the economy of Barbados, a Caribbean island that relies heavily on its bustling tourist trade. This documentary follows the intrepid Brits who have grabbed the opportunity to escape lockdown Britain and taken advantage of the 'Barbados Welcome Stamp' - a special visa allowing people the chance to 'work from home' on the beautiful island.
A look at how the royal family celebrate Christmas Day at the Queen's country estate in Norfolk, combining archive footage with interviews from royal insiders and former staff. They discuss the garish gifts, classy celebrations and historical traditions, as well as why Monopoly has been banned from royal Christmases for more than a decade.
An intimate, feature-length documentary following the stories of four patients at London's King's College Hospital who have been struck down by Covid-19. The film follows the patients and their families over a six-month period, offering a stark reminder of how frightening and destructive the Covid-19 virus can be.
We all need an indulgent festive pick-me-up for Christmas 2020. But with money tighter than ever, Sabrina Grant and Helen Skelton reveal the tricks to getting top quality for bargain prices.
A behind-the-scenes look at the Manhattan hotel over the festive period, following staff at their busiest time of the year, and the guests willing to spend up to £30,000 a night. From arranging a taste of Christmas movie magic with themed £3,000 welcome packages to planning the hotel's star attraction of the Grand Christmas Buffet, the programme reveals how much effort goes into ensuring that 400 guests have the happiest holidays.
The comedian embarks on an alphabetic romp as she reveals the most fun, creative and Covid-friendly ways to remain level-headed during the pandemic. From health to horticulture, QR codes to UV rays, and hibernation to isolation, this A-Z guide is brimming with expert advice to keep viewers fighting fit and mentally strong. Along with a host of famous faces, Jo has tips, quips and tonnes of takeout to make surviving the pandemic as easy as ABC.
Documentary following wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin, as he documents the animals that live around his home in the Ardnamurchan peninsula on the west coast of Scotland. The film follows him over the course of the summer as he goes in search of images of red deer, pine martens, white-tailed seaeagles and puffins.
Behind-the-scenes at the fast food chain in the run-up to Christmas, as a brand new festive burger is launched in a bid to keep regular customers coming back during lockdown. The programme follows the daily struggles of the franchise owners keeping their businesses going against all odds, and the staff pulling out all the stops to end the year as a success.
Documentary exploring the impact of Covid-19 on people's love lives, from the story of two Edinburgh residents who chose to go into isolation together after just one date, to a separated couple who found themselves willing to give things another try when in lockdown together with their son. The programme explores how the use of dating apps escalated as lockdown began, and features personal stories of people embracing Zoom romance and socially distanced dates.
Victoria Coren Mitchell meets three royal repairers as they embark on a journey of incredible restoration. From King George IV's piano to a car that's believed to have belonged to the Queen Mother, and a very rare copy of King Louis XV roll-top desk, every item provides a glimpse into the lives of the people who owned them and the restorers working on them.
Kate Quilton examines how ocean travel was transformed from a simple journey to a luxurious holiday in itself. Once the preserve of the wealthy, in the 1980s and 1990s the cruise industry became one of the most extraordinary boom stories, making luxury affordable to the masses. Then Covid shut the industry down. Joined by experts, Kate explores the boom years, the challenges and disasters that rocked the industry, and also considers the post-pandemic future.
John Lewis has been one of the most famous names on the British high street for more than a century, but 2020 has been devastating with the chain posting record losses and announcing a slew of redundancies alongside the closures of some flagship stores. Steph McGovern investigates the challenges facing the company and examines what they reveal about the wider future of the nation's high-street stores as more people turn to online shopping.
Chances are any reindeer at a festive event have not come from Lapland but from the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland. This documentary follows a dedicated community of herders as they nurture and train their antlered wards - skills include learning to pull the Christmas sleigh - and prepare them for Christmas in a year like no other.
Documentary going behind the scenes with UK Sotheby's International Realty, with the coronavirus pandemic having seen a surge of super-rich buyers leaving towns and cities. The brokers set out to sell a property in Highgate, north London, that is on the market for £40 million, as well the home of former Liverpool FC CEO Peter Moore on the Wirral.
The comedian visits the West Yorkshire town of Wakefield, taking in one of the world's biggest rhubarb crops, exploring its beautiful cathedral and visiting one of the only drive-in fish and chip shops in the world. He also buys a round of Wakefield's famous steak pies and helps renovate the nearby Caribbean restaurant for the family he's been staying with. At the Theatre Royal, Tom is joined by a special assistant for a comedy show - none other than Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp - entertaining host a full house of locals.
Keith Lemon presents this quintessential countdown of the must-have toys and big crazes from the 1970s to the modern day, from action figures and board games to electronic pets and cuddly best friends
The true story of how teenage urban free climber George King made headlines around the world in 2019 when he climbed the UK's tallest building, The Shard, without ropes
Can David Walliams make his childhood dream come true, by building a real life Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car that will actually fly?
In 2015, two men hid in the landing gear of a flight from Johannesburg to London. One fell to his death, the other survived. This timely film gets to the heart of this stranger-than-fiction story.
The actress travels the beautiful coastal railways of Scotland, and meets the vibrant characters who live and work along its shoreline. In North Berwick she chats to Jane McMinn, IT consultant-turned-master mariner and lobster breeder. Other destinations include Edinburgh, where Julie discovers the intriguing connections between the railway and the famous Balmoral Hotel's Palm Court and Clock Tower.
Emergency doctor Dr Ronx asks why more men than women are dying of Covid-19. Cancer and HIV too. Dr Ronx also challenges many dangerous gender assumptions in medicine that impact on women's health.
A look at some of the most iconic names in British industry.
A look at the day-to-day life on the private island of Ocean Cay - an exclusive, luxurious tropical paradise in the Bahamas. The island is owned by the giant cruise liner company, MSC Cruises, and three times a week a ship carrying over 5,000 expectant holidaymakers arrives, who demand the very best service and facilities.
Dr Michael Mosley reunites five volunteers, whose health he helped transform in Lose a Stone in 21 Days with Michael Mosley, in a bid to myth-bust some of the common misconceptions around healthy weight management. Using cutting edge tests and technology to illustrate that the calories our volunteers actually need, day to day, could be different to the NHS's recommended daily amounts, the programme investigates whether weight loss inevitably leads to putting weight back on again, and explores the role of exercise in weight loss maintenance. There is also bespoke advice to each volunteer on how to achieve a healthy weight for the long term.
Max Clifford was a powerful media publicist to the stars. But in 2014 he was jailed for historic sex crimes. Now, the survivors of his abuse tell their stories
Marking the anniversary of the first national lockdown, director Paddy Wivell films the effect that this prolonged period of isolation has had on his own community. With restrictions in place that limit social contact, Paddy films the diverse mix of London residents at a distance, through their doorways and windows, and neighbours and people in his community who were once strangers reveal their fears and anxieties, as well as stories of hope, during these unprecedented times.
Sabrina Grant investigates whether a proper break in 2021 is possible, and where keen holiday-makers can visit once restrictions are lifted. She meets families who are desperate for an escape and explores the options for taking a luxury trip both at home and abroad - from high-end British destinations that are off the beaten track, to cruises and foreign countries that may be open to tourists later in the year.
A tribute to one of Britain's biggest TV stars, telling the story of Caroline Flack's life
An in-depth examination of several dramatic conflicts between Crown and Family during the Queen's long reign. Featuring recently de-classified letters and documents.
The story of Anthony Blunt, royal appointed art expert and KGB spy, who worked as Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures for 27 years. The programme examines how he was previously employed by George VI to loot art treasures from Germany in the aftermath of the Second World War, and that despite Blunt's protestations of loyalty to the monarchy, classified documents have since revealed that he provided damaging information about the royal family to his Soviet employers.
Documentary about Lucy, a chimpanzee who was raised as a human in the 1960s, living with a psychology professor from the University of Oklahoma as a member of his family. When the experiment became too dangerous to continue, Lucy was returned to the wild, accompanied by a student who chose to live with her on a remote uninhabited island, adopting the behaviour of apes in the hope of teaching Lucy the skills she has lost.
Behind the scenes of a company that tracks down luxury second-hand items, going the extra mile to hunt down the exact handbags, watches and jewellery on their clients' wish-lists and find out the personal stories behind them. Window cleaner Grant's dad wants to buy him a Cartier watch as a thank you for looking after him. Rebecca asks head of handbags Reece to scour the globe for an exact match to a stolen Prada bag gifted by her late mother. Meanwhile, firefighter Hywell has received a watch from his Grandad. If the team can prove that it's genuine, then Hywell's life is about to change for ever
This biographical film celebrates the life and achievements of Prince Philip. It examines his life story with warmth and respect, his military experiences, and his passion to every endeavour.
Documentary following a team of engineers as they work to restore a 1943 Spitfire to its former glory. Led by a factory owner and operating out of a little-known workshop on one of Britain's most important wartime airbases, the dedicated enthusiasts spend a year getting the iconic aircraft into condition to take to the skies once again. Narrated by Al Murray.
The inside story of the government's Vaccine Taskforce - the crack team who found, funded and procured Covid vaccines, in one of the biggest public health gambles in UK government history
Davina was 44 and felt like she was losing it - hot flushes, depression, mental fog. She tells her menopause story, busting midlife taboos from sex to HRT.
Mr Men superfan Matt Lucas presents a history of the colourful little characters who found their way into the hearts and bedtime stories of generations of children around the world.
Detective Claire Lyons works for the Hampshire Police Internet Child Abuse Team. What happens next when she finds a man uploading indecent images of minors online?
The story of North Uist, a remote island in the Outer Hebrides with a population of 1,500 people, who collectively won a £3million windfall and are now faced with deciding how to spend it. The programme follows fisherman Donald, crofter Attar, postal worker Pamela, peat cutter Duncan, and whisky distillery entrepreneurs Kate and Jonny, as they face a very different future.
Documentary following the development of the company's first new road car in over a decade. Lotus has become famous for championship-winning race cars and iconic sports cars, but has struggled to remain in profit in recent years. With new investment and a new managing director, the company now plans to throw everything into this risky new project
The Queen has worked and held confidential weekly meetings with 14 prime ministers. Has her experience influenced political decisions? And what happened when she and her PMs clashed?
Racing driver and double amputee Billy Monger trains alongside ParalympicsGB stars to gain an understanding of what it takes to be an elite athlete, under the guidance of Jonnie Peacock
Documentary in which scientists examine theories about the origins of the virus, including the claims that it was the result of a leak in a virology lab in Wuhan. Including testimony from Professor David Relman, a member of President Biden's intelligence team, and Sir John Bell, Regius Chair of Medicine at the University of Oxford.
Footage from around the world of extreme weather in the summer of 2021, including the `heat dome' of North America, floods in Germany, Belgium and Iran, and monumental landslides in Japan and India. Reporter Morland Sanders examines scientists' theories on what is causing these events, and asks if the UK is prepared for the possibility of worse conditions to come.
Artist Constantine Gras filmed inside Grenfell in the years leading up to the devastating fire, creating a powerful record of the residents' safety concerns as they struggled to be heard.
An investigation into the incident in August 2020 when Russia's opposition leader Alexei Navalny was taken ill during a flight to Moscow, having been poisoned. While world leaders struggled to get Navalny the treatment he needed, investigative journalists began to piece together what had happened, finding that not only was Navalny poisoned by a Russian security service hit squad, but that they had been following him for several years while developing new variants of the banned chemical weapon Novichok - previously used in the attack in Salisbury.
Artist Adebanji Alade unlocks the secrets of the world's most iconic painting while making a replica using traditional methods. What will the experts think of the finished piece?
Architectural historian Anna Keay explores restoration work on the clock tower, designed to restore it to its original gothic glory while also adding a modern lift. She discovers how 700 pieces of damaged stonework have been replaced with new Cadeby limestone, and how the dowdy black paintwork on the four great clock faces is being transformed into the original, brightly coloured scheme. She also learns how Covid-19 has impacted on efforts to replace the damaged metalwork.
A recent study found that 95 per cent of men and 87 per cent of women fantasise about having sex with more than one person at a time. This documentary follows a group of first-timers as they go after their ultimate erotic experience, while also meeting those who have already been there to answer key question, such as how do you find people and what is it like to see your partner with someone else?
Documentary following a pioneering scientific expedition into the Arctic Circle to recover previously unattainable data on the effects of climate change now and in the future. In one of the harshest environments on the planet, the team braves the brutal Arctic winter to search for answers locked within the sea ice, ocean and atmosphere that will allow them to understand for the first time how this landscape regulates temperatures across the globe.
The story of Bill Thomas, the first Black male police officer in South Yorkshire. Bill's career saw him involved in some of the most momentous events of the last 40 years, but also facing the endemic racism in Britain and particularly the police force at that time. Bill's film-maker son Alex takes him back to revisit the front line, from the miners' strike to riots and social unrest, to tell Bill's unique version of British history
Kieran Hodgson's irreverent comedy-documentary, starring Morgana Robinson, Simon Bird and Laura Lovemore, explores our failure to act sooner on climate change and what we can do to fix it
The actor David Jason narrates a look at the origins and legacy of the iconic aircraft that played a pivotal role in the Second World War. The programme features contributions from military historians and surviving crew members, revealing some of the untold stories behind the bomber, as well as examining the complex legacy of RAF Bomber Command Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Arthur 'Bomber' Harris.
A look at the taboo surrounding adult breastfeeding, exploring a growing underground scene that ranges from women producing milk for their partners to the lucrative lactation porn industry.
Based on Iain Ballantyne's book, and shedding new light on one of World War II's most epic sea battles, this documentary provides a thrilling countdown of the Bismarck's final 24 hours
Cameras follow police officers at Avon and Somerset Constabulary through four sexual assault investigations, and examine the challenges in securing a conviction. The programme features testimony of women prepared to speak openly about their experiences, and an interview with Deputy Chief Constable Sarah Crew, who also acts as the national lead for rape crime, on what more can be done to ensure offenders are brought to justice.
Following the film Rape: Who's on Trial?, politicians, police, prosecutors, campaigners and survivors debate the crisis in investigation and prosecution of serious sexual crime
Princess Diana's tumultuous life relayed through her most famous outfits. From wedding dress to 'revenge dress', why does Diana continue to reign as an international style icon?
Documentary following the 9th Earl of Spencer, who has always been fascinated by rumours of a lost Anglo Saxon village believed to have been located in the grounds of his ancestral home. He organises an archaeological dig to search for evidence, and while few traces of the sought-after settlement emerge, something far older comes to light - a Neolithic encampment which experts believe is more than 5000 years old.
Richard Bacon – he of a memorable “cocaine scandal” – leads this examination of the rise in cancel culture. At a time when lives and reputations can be ruined in the blink of an eye, all at the whim of a keyboard warrior, Bacon asks: is free speech under threat? He speaks with so-called “cancelled” people, including Jimmy Carr, to find out.
An examination of the wildest conspiracy of our times. From the biggest names in QAnon to the front-line digital soldiers, what leads people down such a different path?
This year in 2021, Sainsbury’s are determined to get us back in the party spirit by innovating their Christmas fare, offering unexpected and irresistible new delicacies. We go behind the scenes and follow their food development team as they get set to manufacture and launch 300 new products, including pigs in snowy blankets sushi, which combine sausage, cranberry sauce and crispy onion flavours with nori seaweed and traditional sushi rice, and the no gammon with maple glaze – made from wheat and pea protein and designed to look like real meat, complete with coconut oil fat marbling. The spirits aisle is also getting a festive facelift with the launch of the Dijon-made cranberry blush gin liqueur, and there are dessert crowd-pleasers in the form of a chocolate and caramel millionaire’s torte and caramelised biscuit cookie cup pies.
Guy honours Lancaster bomber crews of World War II, as he tries out several on-board roles from pilot to gunner and 'bomb aimer'. Has he got what it takes to join Bomber Command?
A magical look at how luxury retailer Liberty sprinkles glitz and glamour galore as they pull out all the stops for Christmas 2021, from their first own-brand candles to £225 beauty advent calendars
Ever wish it could be Christmas every day? In the world of The Christmas Decorators it is. Deck the Halls: The Luxury Christmas Decorators joins Britain’s busiest and best tree trimmers and wreath hangers as they transform some of the country’s most iconic locations into stunning, one-of-a-kind winter wonderlands. From the Natural History Museum and Blenheim Palace to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and London’s exclusive The Lansdowne Club, cameras follow the elves of Liverpool-based business The Christmas Decorators as they tackle the unique challenges at each world-famous location, creating enchanting festive designs to wow visitors. With tight deadlines to meet and more jobs to be done than in Santa’s workshop, not to mention unexpected hiccups to tackle along the way, all eyes are on the big switch-ons when the designs are revealed in all their festive glory. It’s in this all-or-nothing moment The Christmas Decorators know whether they’ve delivered the magic of Christmas.
In the run-up to Christmas 2021, with the UK in the grip of a crippling shortage of lorry drivers, a training school in Croydon is putting new recruits behind the wheel. This documentary follows them through five days of intensive coaching from veteran instructors at the National Driving Centre, before they take their test on Croydon's roads - featuring notorious roundabouts and the dreaded reversing manoeuvre
Johnny Vegas, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Dani Dyer, Liam Charles and Cherry Healey compete to sculpt epic snow and ice creations. Who'll keep their cool to build the greatest snowman?
A joyful look at how the team at Chatsworth House bring together the best installations of Christmases past and battle against the odds to create an enchanting Christmas 2021
Seyi Rhodes explores the links between Covid vaccine hesitancy in some ethnic minorities and medical science's toxic history of racially charged experiments
With Covid travel restrictions eased, Sabrina Grant and Sophie Morgan unpack everything you need to know about bagging the perfect indulgent holiday - without breaking the bank
A witty, forthright dive into the wonderful world of boobs by singer and filmmaker Elizabeth Sankey - from enhanced boobs to 'free the nipple', bras, Baywatch, and the stars of reality TV
Glamorous, ultra-rich Amanda Cronin welcomes rough diamond film-maker Martin Read into her jet-set world, on an eye-popping and revealing journey into the great British wealth divide
Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took on Putin, is a 30-minute Channel 4 current affairs special charting the incredible rise of the comedian, actor and entertainer who has become a president, war-time leader and global figure
As President Putin put Russia's strategic nuclear forces on high alert, the world held its breath. Jon Snow explores what the threat of a nuclear attack might mean for us all
More than two million people have fled the war in Ukraine. Matt Frei hosts a live debate, with politicians and experts, asking if the UK can do more? And can the world contain Russia?
In March 2019, Yousef Makki was stabbed in the heart by a friend in a wealthy Manchester suburb. This documentary takes a forensic look at the killing and subsequent trial of the friend.
On the 40th anniversary of the conflict, senior commanders and ground troops reveal how a series of mistakes nearly cost Britain its hard-won victory over Argentina in the South Atlantic.
For the first time, the extent of the Duke of Windsor's treachery during World War II is revealed; not just sympathising with the enemy but, new evidence reveals, actively collaborating.
A tribute to the much-loved reality icon - from her triumphs in the Big Brother house to a lifelong battle with anorexia, which led to her untimely death in 2021
Behind the scenes at Britain's largest independent chocolate maker at one of their busiest times of the year, as they dream-up a new luxury Easter egg, retro flavours, and enticing sweet treats
The untold story of the doomed steamship's construction, revealing how 15,000 men toiled day and night in life-threatening conditions to create a state-of-the-art floating city. Based on original blueprints and unseen archives, cutting-edge special effects bring this process back to life on screen, and explore how the outsize ambitions that made it all possible also led to the ship's dramatic demise.
Alvin Ailey was a visionary African American artist who found salvation through dance. Using never-before-heard audio interviews recorded in the last year of his life, we experience Ailey’s astonishing journey in his words, starting with the memories of his childhood in Texas living under the Jim Crow laws that legitimised segregation. Raised by a single mother who struggled to provide, Ailey knew hardship, but his life was rich with culture and love. He brings us into his world of blues, gospel, juke joints and church. And he tells us about the blush of young love and the awakening of his gay identity. Ailey’s story is one of sacrifice. Possessed by his ambitions, he dedicated himself to his company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, which he established in 1958 when he was just 27 years old. He endured racism and homophobia, addiction and mental illness, and the burden of being an iconic African American artist. In 1989, he tragically succumbed to the Aids epidemic. Thirty ye
Intimate and revealing interviews address what it means to be a lesbian today and why some gay women feel as if they are being erased from popular culture and social history. Lesbian director Brigid McFall works with lesbian photographer Vic Lentaigne to create a series of portraits of women and queer people to answer the show title's question. Intercut with all the pop cultural packaging that lesbians get, from Brookside's infamous kiss to the 1968 film The Killing of Sister George, the interviewees include a Mancunian poet, a Yorkshire dental nurse, a Geordie great-grandmother and comics Rosie Jones and Jen Brister.
Documentary in which the presenter investigates how menopause can affect the mind as well as the body, revealing how symptoms such as memory loss and brain fog are decimating women at work. Davina also investigates the latest advances in hormone therapy, how the menopause changes the brain, and why testosterone is not just for boys.
Three men with new or replacement penises tell their story. Including Malcolm, who has a new penis hanging from his arm, which he hopes will be moved to his groin finally.
Politician John Stonehouse faked his own death in the 1970s and went to jail. But did the high-profile MP also spy for the Soviet bloc? And why was he never charged?
Singer Will Young lived with his twin's alcoholism for over 20 years, until Rupert died in 2020. Will's shockingly honest and moving film explores the pain and drama of a loved one's addiction.
A look beyond the hype and headlines at the life of the world's richest man. What's the truth about the Tesla billionaire, space pioneer, and the tech entrepreneur who just bought Twitter?
Filmed in Vermont and Pennsylvania this documentary features in-depth and personal insights into the life and mysterious disappearance of the famous pilot
Footballer and anti-racism campaigner Troy Deeney sets out on a mission to get Black, Asian and minority ethnic histories and experiences on the curriculum in schools across the UK
A behind-the-scenes look at the momentous day. This documentary shares memories and anecdotes from people who played key roles at the celebration, all speaking publicly for the first time.
Rousing, heartfelt documentary charting the life and career of legendary football manager Alex Ferguson, directed by his son Jason, featuring Fergie himself, Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs
Why are whales dying in record numbers? And is the crisis man made? Biologist Ella Al-Shamahi joins a specialist autopsy into the death of a 40-foot sei whale, washed up near Edinburgh.
Documentary marking 80 years since Anne Frank was given what would become one of the most famous diaries in world history. The programme features contributions from her stepsister Eva Schloss, who survived Auschwitz, and Gillian Walnes, who runs the Anne Frank Trust UK, which was set up in 1989 to share the message of the Anne Frank Foundation to challenge prejudice and hatred.
With warmth, wit and honesty, Derry Girls' Jamie-Lee O'Donnell reflects on her childhood experiences and discovers what life's like for young people growing up in Derry today
Double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes opens up about significant parts of her life and we discover the emotional journey she's been on over the last 30 years.
Documentary exploring the incredible achievements and challenges of advancing LGBTQ+ rights and visibility over the last half century. With contributions from people with a close relationship to Pride from across the decades - including Olly Alexander, Bimini, Lady Phyll, Ian McKellen, Holly Johnson, Peter Tatchell, Cat Burns, MNEK, Tom Robinson, and Lucia Blayk
Joe Lycett, Mawaan Rizwan and Rosie Jones are in Birmingham to celebrate 50 years of Pride with a party full of mischief and mayhem! With Boy George, Dame Kelly Holmes, Danny Dyer and many more.
From wartime Liverpool slums to London's high society, the epic story of the model, dancer, and transgender pioneer who changed Britain
Scarlett Moffatt investigates the rise of Tourette's in Britain, as she uncovers the potential causes of this explosion of tics and why it's appearing out of the blue in young people
The story of Alexander Blackman, a British soldier convicted of manslaughter after shooting an unarmed and wounded Taliban insurgent in 2011. Featuring recently recovered combat footage, and interviews with many who have never appeared on camera before, including the judge who originally sentenced Blackman to life imprisonment, before his murder conviction was overturned.
Former soldier and MP Johnny Mercer meets his Ukrainian political counterparts and heads to the focus of the conflict in Kyiv with explorer Levison Wood
The reality star confronts her relationship with alcohol and reveals the secrets of a troubled family past. In her early twenties, Vicky Pattison made her name as the popular party girl on Geordie Shore, but she has also experienced first-hand the dark side of alcohol addiction. Growing up, Vicky's dad was a functional alcoholic and Vicky is now around the same age as her dad was when his own addiction took hold. Having watched herself on TV, Vicky has also seen the results that drinking alcohol has had on her own behaviour, and freely admits that she doesn't like who she is when she's drunk. Keen to find out all she can about how to keep herself healthy, Vicky speaks out about the devastating impact that addiction and alcohol has had on her and those around her.
The story of Prince Victor Duleep Singh, the grandson of the last ruler of the Sikh kingdom of Lahore, who became Queen Victoria's godson and controversially married an English noblewoman. The programme examines evidence that Victor had an heir through an affair with the Earl of Carnarvon's wife, and explores his involvement in the Indian independence movement and possible collusion with wartime enemies of Britain.
Co-owner Angus visits the cocoa fields in Ghana, while Tarow is in the inventing room, dreaming up a new luxury range
The vicar reflects on bereavement following the death of his husband, and tries some unconventional activities that have helped others to process their own loss, from laughter yoga and playing with therapy alpacas, to finding solidarity and solace by embarking on a grief cruise alongside others who are grieving.
An estimated three million Britons have invested in cryptocurrency, but many do not really understand how it works. To discover how crypto can make an investor rich and how to avoid its many pitfalls, Ade Adepitan seeks advice from people with very different experiences of the crypto world - the believers and the sceptics. He even invests some of his own hard-earned cash - without knowing that the cryptocurrency market is about to undergo a massive crash. Is this the end of the cryptocurrency dream, or is it just a temporary downturn in this volatile new market?
Documentary exploring abuses committed by British colonial forces against the Mau Mau independence movement in 1950s Kenya. Survivor testimony and analysis from a team of British and Kenyan historians pieces together an account of a regime of systematic torture - including murders, rapes and forced castrations
Mary and John were born to British women and African American GIs and never knew their dads. They set off on an emotional journey to learn the truth about their fathers and their rich Black heritage.
Two couples, both first-time buyers, go head to head as they search for beautiful preloved items to furnish their new homes: from the sofa to the beds, to even the pictures on their walls. They're on a 28-day challenge to try to win back everything they've spent on their second-hand purchases. Anu and Harri from Northumberland are up against Gabrielle and Tom from south Wales, as both couples race to turn their blank canvasses into inspirational starter homes. Along the way there are plenty of tips, as presenter Sabrina Grant finds out how just about everything needed for homes in 2022 can be bought pre-owned.
Documentary examining the complex and nuanced issues around terminating a pregnancy after 24 weeks, where there may be a chance of certain impairments or conditions. The film is presented by actors Ruth Madeley and Ruben Reuter, who have spina bifida and Down's syndrome respectively, and explores the ethics and experiences of disability and abortion across a range of perspectives.
Sir Cliff Richard, Paul Gambaccini and Neil Fox open up about the impact that being investigated for historic sex crimes has had on their lives and reputations.
We know how the story ends. But how did it all begin? Who was Diana before the palace, before the paparazzi? Behind the modern legend lie many other stories...
Nowzad Dogs charity founder Pen Farthing and his team's controversial attempt to evacuate stray dogs and cats from Afghanistan during the West's chaotic withdrawal, and how public attitudes to the effort shifted dramatically, with massive public support quickly turning to accusations of prioritising animals over people. With exclusive access to those behind the evacuation and never-before-seen footage from their personal archives
Following the announcement from Buckingham Palace of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, we examine how Queen Elizabeth II balanced her duties as head of both her family and her country.
Following the announcement from Buckingham Palace of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, we examine a portrait of her life, our longest-serving monarch. Jon Snow charts her extraordinary reign and devotion to a life of service to the UK and Commonwealth.
The gripping story of how, 40 years ago, the Mary Rose, King Henry VIII's flagship, was raised from the bottom of the sea in a desperate race against time.
The model and reality TV star reflects on events that saw her crash her car in September 2021. Despite it being her sixth driving conviction in 10 years, Katie was not sent to prison following the smash. Here, she discusses what drove her to total breaking-point, speaking candidly about her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and explaining the steps she is taking to eradicate it. Katie's mother Amy speaks emotionally about her worries for her daughter alongside her stepfather, Paul, who speaks for the first time about his concern for Katie
The comedian and presenter discovers she has managed to defy the odds stacked against most Black women living in the UK today. Damning figures point to profound inequalities in health, education, work, and other key aspects of life. On an eye-opening and emotional journey, Judi discovers the real stories behind the statistics - as well as the inspirational women determined to change things for the next generation with innovative and practical solutions.
Documentary following Khadija Patman, also known as Yasmeena Ali, who has legions of followers on Pornhub, OnlyFans, Instagram and Twitter. She makes tens of thousands of pounds a month and loves travelling the world - but her journey to this point has been laced with drama. From fleeing the Taliban to escaping an arranged marriage, and surviving a murder plot by her father and uncle, Yasmeena has defied all the odds to pursue a career deemed by many in her culture as abhorrent
The comedian hosts a unique television experiment in which an audience decide whether to cancel controversial artists and offensive artworks, with one key difference - the works they vote to cancel will literally be destroyed. Celebrating Channel 4's disruptive roots, this provocative television first asks where people draw the line today between artistic expression, controversy and harm
The comedian travels to South Africa to document the life of Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, who died in 2019, to find out more about one of the world's most notorious tyrants. Munya wanted to return to his homeland Zimbabwe to make his documentary, but his filming visas were mysteriously cancelled without explanation. So he travels to South Africa to meet with Mugabe's friends, his family, his victims and his henchmen, in an attempt to make the show in spite of them
From south London spivs to the upper reaches of 1960s society, this extraordinary true story reveals who stole the World Cup trophy in the lead-up to England's triumph in 1966
In the build-up to the 2022 World Cup squad announcements, England and Premier League footballer Jesse Lingard reveals how his mental health and home life have affected his on-pitch performance.
Chinese fast fashion giant Shein's success story is unrivalled, but at what cost? Iman Amrani investigates the famously secretive business, as hidden cameras go inside factories for the first time.
The writer and comedian looks at antisemitism and the progressive left. From theatre to football, Baddiel explores a political blindspot with Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes and Neil Gaiman.
What's life like for reality TV stars after the show ends? Will Njobvu speaks to former Love Islanders who've made it big and those who haven't. With Wes Nelson, Coco Lodge, Paige Turley and more.
The extraordinary moving story of Toni Crews, a young mum with a rare terminal cancer who charted her illness online before donating her body for medical research and public dissection
After six long years, London's most iconic landmark has finally been restored to its original glory, brightening the skyline once more with its sparkling colours, golden shine and spotless masonry
Behind the scenes for the festive build-up at Waitrose, with innovative recipes, the eagerly awaited 2022 fizz, and preparations for the all-important Christmas TV ad
Reporter Ellie Flynn exposes the reality of sexual harassment in Britain today, by posing as a drunk reveller who has become separated from her friends, and going on dating apps pretending to be 18. With moving testimony from women and girls who've been catcalled, groped, flashed, spiked and raped, this film demonstrates a worrying spectrum of sexual harassment.
The story of four kids in Afghanistan whose lives changed dramatically after US troops completed their withdrawal and the Taliban swept to power.
Channel 4 first broadcast the animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs' much-loved children's book The Snowman back in 1982. Children's authors Tom Fletcher, Joseph Coelho and Dapo Adeola celebrate a film that has become an essential part of the British Christmas, while members of the team who created it share their memories. Narrated by Mandip Gill.
A magical tour around Britain to meet the Christmas elves who are pulling out all the stops to create a picture-perfect Christmas.
An exclusive look at luxury hotel Corinthia London as the team prepares a sumptuous Christmas to wow its guests
Self-confessed Christmas Scrooge, Miriam Margolyes, turns to her love of Charles Dickens and the festive traditions in 'A Christmas Carol' to see if she can rekindle her love for Christmas
An exclusive, festive behind-the-scenes look at the iconic London Zoo, as they prepare for the most wonderful time of the year and make the holiday magic happen
The ultimate snow sculpting competition returns as Gemma Collins, Gareth Malone, Melvin Odoom, Joe Thomas and Yinka Bokinni compete to show the most powdery prowess across three challenges
Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont host a Christmas getaway for their comedy pals Romesh Ranganathan, Judi Love and Tom Allen to eat, drink, and get very, very merry.
Johnny Vegas narrates as famous families, including Joel Dommett and his wife Hannah, Oti and Motsi Mabuse, and Michael and Hilary Whitehall share their very personal Christmas nightmares.
Zeze Millz explores what it means to be young, Black and right-wing in Britain. She meets right-wing groups, uncovers their views, and considers where she is on the political spectrum.
Satellites above Earth bring a unique view on 2022, from war in Ukraine to Glastonbury.
How did the Rhymney Valley residents spend their share of £3.7m, and what impact has the life-changing windfall had on their lives?
Prue Leith supports assisted dying. Her son Danny Kruger MP is against it. Can a transatlantic trip to North America, where assisted dying is legal, resolve their differences?
The war from the air. How Ukraine used drones, satellites and smart tech to thwart the Russian invasion.
Stephen Fry explores an act of sabotage by the Dutch Resistance that saved many Jews from the Nazi death camps. How has it remained largely hidden and uncelebrated for so long?
The behind-the-scenes real-life account - part love story, part thriller - of how charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was thrown in a Tehran jail, and how her family battled to get her home.
Bear Grylls travels to Ukraine to meet and interview the Ukrainian president. Along the way, he witnesses the consequences of conflict for the people of Ukraine and learns more about the experiences of ordinary Ukrainians.
When a fire broke out in Windsor Castle on November 20, 1992, Queen Elizabeth II was absolutely devastated. As the world’s oldest inhabited castle and an official residence of the British monarch, the damage to the castle – and the royal family – was significant. Now, using newly discovered footage and candid stories from attending firefighters, the documentary shows the intense battle to save the iconic piece of history and just what happened behind the castle walls.
This one-off special brings the record-breaking, five-star West End performance Showman - probably Derren Brown's most personal show to date - to TV
The comedian takes a look back at the darker side of the royal family's 1000-year history, and wonders how generations of land-grabbing, child-murdering, wife-beheading, slave-trading, misogyny, violence and empire-building have shaped our royal family today. Frankie looks back to the reigns of six key monarchs who not only had huge influence in their day, but still live long in our collective memory - and finds troubling connections between their grim past and the present
It's been said no two sisters were less alike. One the anchor of a commonwealth. The other searching for purpose. What of the real women beyond the royal splendour - beyond the Crown itself?
Sam Thompson from Made in Chelsea struggles in his life with inattention, disorganisation and hyperactivity. Turning 30, Sam wants to finally figure out why. Does Sam have ADHD?
The story of a fun-loving young woman from Leicestershire whose life was destroyed by an abusive relationship. Left with life-changing injuries, can Angel learn to live again?
Rebekah Vardy goes on a personal journey through her difficult history with the Jehovah's Witnesses, meeting former members and uncovering secret documents
The story of pioneering women making iconic TV ads that changed the world: from Shake n' Vac and Levi's, to the Flake girl in the bath and the Lynx effect
Prince Albert presents this revealing documentary about how the world's most iconic Grand Prix came into being, how the circuit changed as F1 developed, and how it's created each year.
Sex and gender are at the heart of one of the most polarising issues of our times. With views from various sides of the debate, is there an end in sight to the conflict?
In this deeply personal documentary, Sarah Beeny explores the past, present and future of breast cancer treatment in the UK, while dealing with her own journey to recovery.
Denise Van Outen lifts the lid on Britain's air fryer obsession and asks the questions on everyone's lips... how do they work, what can we cook in them, and can they really save us time and money?
The railways are in crisis, from mass cancellations to soaring prices. Comedian Ben Elton embarks on a northern rail misadventure. Is rail privatisation a failed experiment?
World-renowned journalist Jon Snow shares his experiences from a long career in news
Adil Ray examines whether racism is endemic in English cricket. With startling revelations from England cricket star Moeen Ali and ex-Pakistan captain Imran Khan.
In this unflinching and highly personal documentary, comedian Rosie Jones explores how prevalent disability trolling is in the UK, and why it's often left unchecked
Denise Van Outen reveals the truth behind who really makes the supermarkets' own-brands, digs into the alternatives, and names big brands that also make the budget own-label option
Comedian Adam Hills fulfils a lifelong dream playing rugby at international level. But should he represent Australia or England at the Physical Disability Rugby League World Cup?
In 2019, on London Bridge, three people tackled Usman Khan to the ground after he'd brutally killed two people. Was it a simple tale of heroes and villains or is the truth more complex?
With exclusive access, the thrilling, untold story of Virgin Orbit's bid to launch satellites from Cornwall and propel the UK into the space race. Including the moment it all went wrong.
A year in the life of Dmitry Muratov as the Russian winner of the Nobel Peace Prize battles for press freedom and his newspaper's survival, while his own life hangs in the balance
Author Yewande Biala explores why some women never reach climax, meeting ordinary people and sex educators alike, and takes part in a 'pussy gazing' workshop. But will Yewande finally be able to enjoy an orgasm?
Explores the Nazi invasion of Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, in 1941, which resulted in some of the most horrific acts of genocide of the Second World War. These events that still cast a long shadow over the country, as Vladimir Putin continues to make baseless claims about neo-Nazism in Ukraine to justify Russia's invasion of 2022. Featuring contributions from Holocaust survivors and leading historians.
Documentary following Paralympic Champion swimmer Alice Tai as she voluntarily undergoes an amputation and then races to be ready for the Commonwealth Games.
Is it ethically acceptable to break the law to protest against policies on climate change?
How can we all have better sex? Well - presenter Vogue Williams and comedian Joanne McNally are about to find out. They are going on a girl’s trip to Ibiza to find out where they sit on the sexual spectrum - are they as open minded as they think, or are they lights off, t-shirts on, prudes at heart?
In 2006, Mark Blanco died in suspicious circumstances at a party with rock star Pete Doherty. This compelling film tells the story of a mother's relentless pursuit of justice.
The definitive George Michael documentary film, featuring Stevie Wonder, Stephen Fry and many others who knew him. Their stories speak to George's exceptional artistry and the cost of superstardom.
Anna Richardson explores a new generation of weight-loss drugs. She meets experts and the people using the 'skinny jab' and uncovers the truth behind its success and also its misuse.
Oobah Butler investigates Amazon, the world's biggest online retailer, by going undercover to find out how it treats its workers. Oobah sees first-hand the conditions faced by workers, before turning his hand to a variety of ambitious stunts, including hacking the algorithm to get a fake product to number one, and a back-handed attempt to get the company to contribute to public maintenance.
Comedians Eddie Kadi and Guz Khan immerse themselves in the exclusive millionaires' playground of Ghana's capital, Accra, exploring its rich culture and lavishly luxe lifestyle
Documentary in which author Nadifa Mohamed explores the Victorian practice of presenting African and Asian people as exhibits in touring shows that exaggerated their perceived barbarous and exotic aspects. These human zoos continued to exist in Britain up to the turn of the 20th century, and the people who appeared in them had often been transported from their homeland under dubious circumstances.
In June 2022, comedian Rhod Gilbert was diagnosed with a little-known form of head and neck cancer. This is the story of his intimate, inspiring and humorous journey through treatment.
With his mafia wiseguy links and access to entertainment industry star power, Frank Sinatra helped John F Kennedy into the White House in 1960. But it all came to a bitter end.
Created for the 60th anniversary of the assassination of John F Kennedy, this is a unique, moment-by-moment view of the events in Dallas, Texas on the 22nd November 1963.
Yinka Bokinni travels to New York State to investigate an infamous murder that was live-streamed on the internet in 2019, and interview the killer in the infamous Attica Prison. It is the first time he has spoken to the media as Yinka attempts to find out why he committed the crime, why he posted it online and if he would apologise for his actions. Yinka also speaks to those involved in the story and those who've reported on it
Did Richard III kill his nephews? Rob Rinder and Philippa Langley reinvestigate new leads in the case of the infamous historical mystery, concerning the fate of the two young princes who disappeared in 1483, leading to claims that Richard III had them killed to validate his own claim to the throne. An exploration of new evidence drawn from across medieval Europe presents other theories to their fate.
With the climate cost of beef being the highest of any food stuff, Ade goes on a mission to 'make beef the new smoking', and meets a farmer making British beef more sustainable - but has time run out
Denise unwraps the secrets of our supermarkets' own-label festive offerings and asks, are own-brand food, fizz and gifts special enough for Christmas?
As Britain tightens its belt, the car boot kings plan to cash in with the biggest event in the West Midlands. For some, a boot sale is extra income, but for many it's a vital lifeline.
In France, an elite team of engineers race to build one of the largest and most technologically-advanced cruise ships in the world, featuring seven swimming pools
Almost 40 years on from exploding onto the stand-up comedy scene as host of Saturday Live, Ben Elton returns to the medium he did so much to define. Recorded in Southend in 2022.
In the run up to Christmas, the UK's fourth largest supermarket is searching for a star item to dazzle shoppers. But problems with a giant chocolate bauble leaves HQ less than merry
With McVitie's making over 92 million biscuits per day over the festive period, we unwrap what it takes to produce such staggering numbers. And it's crunch time for the new white chocolate digestive.
Claudia Winkleman hosts a Christmas special at London's Kings Cross station with Mika and Lang Lang. As the travelling crowds gather around the public piano, this unique episode catches up with pianists from the first series, who play their favourite Christmas songs. There are some celebrity surprises, secret Santa moments, a performance accompanied by Gregory Porter, and a finale led by Mika and Lang Lang.
The explosive story of Tate's rise, arrest, and fall. Where did the world's most Googled man spring from? Is he a dangerous icon for toxic masculinity or a misunderstood internet star?
Rhys Bowler breaks the taboo of sex and disability and navigates a new long-distance relationship while juggling the complexities of his degenerative condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Joe Lycett investigates the mind-boggling quantities of untreated sewage discharged into our waterways every day, and takes the fight to the water companies in the most Joe Lycett way possible.
What is it like to live in and look after an extraordinary National Trust home? We meet the custodians caring for the millions of pounds worth of property and antiques in three incredible castles.
Jean Johansson hopes to prove you can live your dream life for the same price you're paying now, as she guides Christy and Allister from Belfast to the north coast of Northern Ireland in search of a new life for their family in the country. Is it possible to live the life you've always wanted for the same price you're paying now? Property expert Jean Johansson sets out to prove that it can be done...
Pablo Escobar's $30 billion cocaine empire cost thousands of lives. This is the story of the world's biggest drug kingpin, told by the DEA agents who took him down.
Documentary telling the story of four mothers in north London who were falsely accused of being part of a Satanic cult operating out of their children's primary school. The allegations plagued the lives of the accused, setting off an eight-year battle for justice during which screaming demonstrators chased a priest through Hampstead, a US conspiracy theorist flew to London to visit the school, and lengthy legal battles ended with a 74-year-old German pensioner receiving a record sentence for online trolling and harassment
From the factory floor to behind the scenes of a new TV advert, we follow McVitie's as they develop and launch their brand-new white chocolate digestive. How will it go down with shoppers?
Ade Adepitan spends an eye-opening week in South Africa's controversial 'whites only' town of Orania, and tries to find common ground with its Afrikaner residents.
In May 1937, the largest aircraft ever flown exploded into a ball of fire - destroyed in 40 seconds. Was it a bomb? This film reveals sinister links between the disaster and the Nazis.
It's 50 years since ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo. To celebrate one of music's 'big bang' moments, the story of Swedish pop - from ABBA to Max Martin, Roxette Europe and Robyn.
The extraordinary story of young pianist Lucy - the first winner of Channel 4's The Piano. As she's propelled into the limelight, how do Lucy and her piano teacher Daniel cope with her fame?
Can Joe Tracini overcome his Borderline Personality Disorder and re-ignite his stand-up comedy career? Or will Mick - the dangerous voice in his head - ruin it all again?
Eighty years on from World War II and the heroic D-Day Normandy landings, the story of the filmmakers who immortalised the terrible events of that fateful summer with memorable photos and film
Comedian Mark O'Sullivan creates a sitcom retelling the sexual abuse he survived as a child. Charting the creation and filming of an episode of the 1980s-style sitcom, the documentary explores why Mark has chosen to deal with his abuse in this way.
On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a turning point of World War II, extraordinary archive materials reveal contrasting stories from the Allied Normandy beach landings of June 6, 1944
Britain feels underfunded and falling apart. Leading economist Tim Harford reveals what the numbers really tell us about the state we're in.
Guy Martin joins a complex, ambitious bid to recover a lost Word War II bomber from the bottom of a Dutch lake
Krishnan Guru-Murthy hosts a debate with patients, medical staff and health experts on how best to fix the critical issues in the NHS
Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, sending shockwaves across the world. This documentary explores how the tragedy shaped what came after it.
Sophie Morgan takes direct action to hold airlines to account for the shocking mistreatment of disabled flyers.
As Kamala Harris steps up as nominee for US president, Matt Frei examines whether she can turn the tide for the Democrats and defeat Donald Trump.
After seven years in the making and costing nearly two billion dollars, the 20-deck colossal cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, welcomes its first guests. But what does it take to keep them entertained?
Unlikely besties Dame Judi Dench and Jay Blades take each other down memory lane, as they share the experiences that shaped their lives and that ultimately brought them together
Ahead of the Paralympic Games, Great Britain's greatest ever Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey meets some of her fellow team-mates to discuss their preparation and motivation for Paris
Guy Martin trains to fly a classic frontline fighter jet, and builds a jet engine in his shed in a single day to gain an understanding of the technology's original creator, maverick British genius Sir Frank Whittle. With jet travel being a major contributor to climate change, Guy looks for less damaging alternatives, before he heads off to the Swiss Alps and his final mission - to fly a fighter jet through the mountains.
After maulings and killings across the UK, a colourful bunch of owners battle to save the lives of their beloved XL bully dogs in the run-up to a government ban.
This beautiful and compelling documentary uncovers the transformative power of sport for disabled people, through the experiences of two British children who are striving to be included
An exclusive insight into elite Paralympians' preparations for perhaps the most important moment of their careers.
Matt Frei speaks to insiders, friend and foe, and those who know Donald Trump close-up as he asks: how scared should we be if Trump wins the US presidential election this November?
Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe host a star-studded celebration of GB's Paralympic heroes and their achievements in Paris, with music from Craig David, Sugababes, Aitch and Keala Settle
The dramatic, shocking story of Britain's race for the nuclear bomb, the devastating fallout for the servicemen at the tests, and the veterans' long fight for justice
Award-winning documentary film-maker Marcel Mettelsiefen offers a poignant and unflinching portrayal of both sides of the enduring conflict on the West Bank, through the perspectives of the children and young adults who bear the brunt of its emotional toll. Daily life for Palestinians is shaped by animosity, hatred and violence. Bombings, military raids and funerals are frequent occurrences in Jenin camp. On the hills near Nablus, a Jewish settler family navigates the personal sacrifices and grief that come with living in this contested area.
October 7th, 2023 was a day that shook the world. The well-rehearsed, close-quarters slaughter and abduction of hundreds of Israeli villagers and festival-goers was an event which has had catastrophic repercussions for Israelis and for the 2.3 million Palestinians who have borne the brunt of the Israeli military’s response.
