As the numbers of homeless rise, Dispatches goes undercover in the property rental market again to find out what really happens when you're without a roof over your ahead and desperate.
Local councils are supposed to look after you, but now the housing minister wants them to sort the problem by working with private landlords. But how suitable are the landlords they send you to? And what checks do councils make on the rooms they rent?
Jon Snow, with a team of undercover reporters, returns to investigate the reality of life for people at the mercy of private landlords, and finds families with young children sent by local authorities to live in filthy, bed bug-infested properties, while their rogue landlords make a fortune out of public money.
Have you been affected by the standard of your rental property? If you have a story about your housing situation and want to share it with Dispatches, you can email us at dispatches@channel4.co.uk.
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Landlords from Hell
Mon 05 Dec 2011
As the numbers of homeless rise, Dispatches goes undercover in the property rental market again to find out what really…
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Britain's Sex Gangs
Mon 07 Nov 2011
Research suggests that thousands of children are potentially being sexually exploited by street grooming gangs. This…
- Descriptions of sexual violence that some viewers may find upsetting
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Murder on Honeymoon
Mon 11 Jul 2011
What happened to Anni Dewani while on honeymoon in South Africa in November 2010? Why did the life of this young woman…
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Landlords from Hell
Mon 04 Jul 2011
In this undercover investigation, Jon Snow reports on the return of the slum landlord in 21st-century Britain. At a…
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Train Journeys from Hell
Mon 21 Mar 2011
The taxpayer has been spending billions to upgrade the British rail network yet many passengers have complained of high…
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
- 3 days left
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Lessons in Hate and Violence
Mon 14 Feb 2011
Dispatches goes undercover to investigate allegations that teachers regularly assault young children in some of the…
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The Battle for Haiti
Sun 09 Jan 2011
On the night of the Haiti earthquake something happened in downtown Port au Prince - the Haitian capital - which would…
- Contains personal accounts and scenes of violence some viewers may find disturbing
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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The Kids Britain Doesn't Want
Mon 29 Nov 2010
Every year, thousands of children come from all over the world to Britain seeking refuge from persecution, terrorism…
- This programme contains scenes and descriptions some viewers may find distressing
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Iraq's Secret War Files
Mon 25 Oct 2010
Dispatches exposes the full and unreported horror of the Iraqi conflict and its aftermath. The programme reveals the…
- With descriptions and scenes of killings, torture and bloodshed which may disturb some viewers
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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City of Fear
Fri 22 Oct 2010
For one year, Dispatches follows the police and people of Islamabad as Pakistan's capital battles to overcome an…
- This programme contains images which some viewers may find upsetting
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Bravo's Deadly Mission
Thu 07 Oct 2010
In February 2010, US Marines launched the biggest operation since the start of the war in Afghanistan: Operation…
- Very strong language from the start and throughout and scenes of warfare that may disturb some viewers
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Britain's Secret Slaves
Mon 30 Aug 2010
Over 15,000 domestic workers leave their families to come to Britain every year. Charities claim that many are not only…
- Contains images that may distress some viewers
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Africa's Last Taboo
Mon 12 Jul 2010
Gay people in Africa are facing increased persecution in a continent where two thirds of countries retain laws against…
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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How to Save £100 Billion - Live
Mon 21 Jun 2010
Filmed live on the eve of the emergency budget announcement, Dispatches sets out controversial cuts that could save…
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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The Lost Girls of South Africa
Sun 23 May 2010
In South Africa a child is raped every three minutes and AIDS continues to spread with epidemic ferocity.
- Contains scenes some may find distressing
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Tracing the Marathon's Millions
Fri 09 Apr 2010
In a Dispatches episode originally broadcast on 9 April 2010, journalist Ben Laurance looks at what it costs to stage…
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Kids Don't Count (Part 2 of 2)
Mon 22 Feb 2010
In the second half of this two-part special, maths specialist Richard Dunne returns to Barton Hill Primary School, with…
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Kids Don't Count (Part 1 of 2)
Mon 15 Feb 2010
In 2009 more than one in five children left primary school having failed to grasp the basic maths skills required by…
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines
Mon 01 Feb 2010
While most new troops stationed in Afghanistan head to the volatile south of the country, a new frontline, operating…
- Contains images of war and dead bodies which some viewers may find upsetting
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The Slumdog Children of Mumbai
Thu 21 Jan 2010
Dispatches reveals the brutal reality of life on the streets and in the slums of Mumbai, following the daily struggles…
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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The War Against Street Weapons
Mon 03 Aug 2009
Last year, as chair of Channel 4's Street Weapons Commission, Cherie Booth QC said that the use of guns and knives…
- Contains graphic images of stab wounds which some viewers may find disturbing
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Terror in Mumbai
Tue 30 Jun 2009
The untold story of 2008's terrorist attack, in the words of its victims and the gunmen. The programme contains graphic…
- Contains graphic images and descriptions of the atrocity which may upset some viewers
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Orphans of Burma's Cyclone
Mon 01 Jun 2009
As Burma's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, faces trial by the country's military government, this timely and…
- Contains images of dead bodies which some viewers may find upsetting
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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The Westminster Gravy Train
Sun 19 Apr 2009
In May 2008, freedom-of-information campaigner Heather Brooke won a court battle that should have prompted the release…
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Afghanistan - Mission Impossible?
Mon 06 Apr 2009
As war in Afghanistan persists and British soldiers continue to lose their lives fighting an insurgency that many…
- Includes frank descriptions of violence and scenes of an operation that some viewers may find distressing
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Pakistan's Taliban Generation
Mon 16 Mar 2009
Award-winning Pakistani journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy investigates how the war on terror is creating a generation of…
- Contains images of terrorist atrocities
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Congo's Forgotten Children
Fri 06 Feb 2009
Deborah Davies examines how the children of Congo are being affected by the latest fighting that is tearing their…
- Frank descriptions of violence and surgical scenes that some viewers may find distressing
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Unseen Gaza
Thu 22 Jan 2009
Is what has been presented on our screens and in our papers a true reflection of events on the ground in Gaza? And how…
- Contains disturbing images of the victims of the violent conflict, including children who have been killed
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China's Stolen Children
Mon 08 Oct 2007
More than a decade after producing The Dying Rooms - a powerful film about the neglect of abandoned babies in Chinese…
- Contains harrowing images
- This programme has episodes with subtitles available.
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Beneath the Veil
Thu 26 Jul 2001
Beneath the Veil follows freelance journalist Saira Shah as she travels covertly through her father's homeland of…
- Contains footage of executions and attrocities which some viewers may find disturbing
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Gordon Brown's Missing Billions
In an edition from 2005, economist Andrew Dilnot looks at where Gordon Brown's policies have gone wrong, and examines…
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MORE:
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Terror in Moscow
1 Episode
Award-winning director Dan Reed tells the terrifying inside story of what really happened during the 57-hour Moscow theatre siege carried out by Chechen gunmen in October 2002
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Ghetto Britain: 30 Years of Race
1 Episode
Dr Robert Beckford embarks on a polemical quest exploring the legacy of the Race Relations Act. Has it succeeded in creating a multicultural dream, or has the plan spectacularly backfired?
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Sri Lanka's Killing Fields
1 Episode
A hard-hitting investigation into the final weeks of the Sri Lankan civil war, featuring devastating video evidence of horrific war crimes
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Iran Undercover: Inside the Hidden Revolution
1 Episode
A shocking insight, from 2003, into one of the world's most secretive countries, exposing the Iranian regime's tactics of torture and murder
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Unreported World
2 Series, 40 Episodes
Critically acclaimed foreign affairs series offering an insight into the lives of people in some of the most neglected parts of the planet. Now available internationally
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Britain's Trillion Pound Horror Story
1 Episode
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
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Kevin McCloud: Slumming It
2 Episodes
Kevin McCloud travels to India to explore one of the most extreme cities on earth
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Vote Afghanistan!
1 Episode
Reporting from behind the scenes of the recent disputed Afghan elections, this documentary goes on the campaign trail with three of the main candidates
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Channel 4 News
1 Episode
Presented by Jon Snow, Channel 4 News flagship programme is 55 minutes of in-depth news and current affairs broadcast at 7pm each weekday, and at times that vary on Saturdays and Sundays.
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Unreported World
2 Series, 40 Episodes
Critically acclaimed foreign affairs series offering an insight into the lives of people in some of the most neglected parts of the planet. Now available internationally
-
Sri Lanka's Killing Fields
1 Episode
A hard-hitting investigation into the final weeks of the Sri Lankan civil war, featuring devastating video evidence of horrific war crimes
-
Britain's Trillion Pound Horror Story
1 Episode
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
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Battle Scarred
1 Episode
A powerful exploration of the stories of soldiers returning from combat zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, from award-winning filmmaker David Modell
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Election Uncovered: What They Won't Tell Us
1 Episode
Three former Cabinet Ministers and other experts examine the reality behind the political parties' election pledges
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Northern Ireland: The Debate
1 Episode
Jon Snow hosts an in-depth debate on the legacy of Bloody Sunday with a specially invited audience of interested parties
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War on Iraq: Which Side Are You On?
1 Episode
In a programme originally shown in 2002, Jon Snow chairs a debate on the war with Iraq