Documentaries

The Norwegian Hancock
Paul Merton explores Galton and Simpson’s unexpected Scandinavian success.
20 Oct 2022,28 mins
Anti-Building with Cedric Price
Tom Dyckhoff explores the life and work of the forward-thinking architect Cedric Price.
08 Aug 2023,28 mins
Indebted: The Story Behind National Debt
The UK's debt is in the headlines - Dharshini David tells the story behind national debt.
09 Feb 2025,28 mins
The Truth Police
Meet the outsiders detecting fraud, malpractice and incompetence in science.
08 May 2023,28 mins
Living and Light
Illuminating new science on artificial light and our health.
21 Dec 2025,28 mins
Living without our smartphones - the adults' turn
A group of adults agree to live without their smartphones for a week. How do they get on?
04 Aug 2024,28 mins
The City That Stayed at Home
Alex Forsyth investigates the reasons for Hull's historically low turnout on election days
23 Jun 2024,28 mins
The Monkey Haters
The disturbing trade in the torment and torture of monkeys.
20 Jun 2023,37 mins
Old School Problems
Hazel Shearing investigates delays in the DfE school rebuilding programme.
13 Oct 2024,28 mins
The War the World Forgot
Sudan's latest civil war is devastating, so why aren't we hearing more about it?
22 Mar 2024,28 mins
School for Communists
Alexei Sayle shares his memories of being a young communist with Michael Rosen and others.
05 Jun 2021,28 mins
The Church of Social Justice
Have modern political movements usurped the place of religion? Helen Lewis investigates.
16 Aug 2022,37 mins
From Rags to Riches
Series 1
Episode 2
Fashion historian Amber Butchart discovers what happens to the clothes we give to charity.
11 May 2017,30 mins
More episodes
Decolonising Russia
Inside the new, vital global debate about how to curb Russia's 'imperial' ambitions.
26 Feb 2024,28 mins
Scorchio! The Story of the Weather Girl
Why do we fetishise female weather presenters?
22 Nov 2023,28 mins
Learning From the Great Tide
Justin Rowlatt asks what lessons can still be learned from the North Sea flood of 1953.
30 Jan 2023,28 mins
Wedgwood: A Very British Tragedy
Josiah Wedgwood, 18th-century polymath potter and the tragic recent history of his company
05 Jun 2023,28 mins
Playing with Fire
Barnie Choudhury investigates the politics of division being imported into the UK.
12 Mar 2023,28 mins
All the Names You've Ever Called Me
Poetic documentary of a coercive relationship, pieced together from real-life experiences.
23 Mar 2023,28 mins
The Blonde Women of India
Exploring the lives of white women married to local Indian men who have made India home.
08 Jul 2013,28 mins
Bird Strike
How dangerous are plane collisions with birds?
17 Feb 2025,27 mins
The Battle for Liberal Democracy
Justice
Tom Fletcher examines how democracies can offer better opportunities than autocracies.
31 Mar 2023,28 mins
More episodes
The Queen and the Commonwealth
A Monarch Around the World
James Landale looks back over the late Queen's pivotal role in shaping the Commonwealth.
14 Sep 2022,28 mins
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Homesick Planet
What do astronauts like Tim Peake think about in space? Answer: home.
03 Mar 2023,28 mins
Choosing Race
Stories of people fighting to claim their racial identity - and those looking to police it
20 Oct 2024,28 mins
The Miners' Strike: Return Journey
Grimethorpe
Back to work - the miner and the Coal Board manager.
27 Feb 2024,14 mins
More episodes
American Socialist
Jill Lepore explores the life of Eugene V. Debs and the legacy of his socialist politics.
18 Aug 2024,28 mins
Assisted Loving
Navigating the world of sex and relationships for people with learning disabilities.
09 Dec 2019,28 mins
Rearming the UK
Douglas Fraser asks what it will take to get the UK defence sector on a war footing.
25 Aug 2024,28 mins
Archaeology of a Storyteller
Excavating author Alan Garner’s inspiration in the small patch of Cheshire he calls home.
28 Mar 2022,30 mins