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Documentaries

Inspirational and award-winning documentaries from over 25 years of groundbreaking television

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Fat Plague

What if you could catch obesity as easily as you catch a common cold? Dr Nikhil Dhurandhar believes that he's found a virus, ad-36, that could be infecting over 30% of Americans. More on Fat Plague
The Finishing Line

A poignant, touching and intimate look at the life of a quadriplegic man driven to contemplate euthanasia More on The Finishing Line
Following Sean

Ralph Arlyck's follow-up to his short documentary about Sean, his hippy neighbour's four-year-old child, who grew up smoking pot and running barefoot around 1960s San Francisco More on Following Sean
French Affair

Who are the French? Why do so many of us go on holiday there each year? And, more importantly, why do we want to live there? More on French Affair
Garbage Warrior

This True Stories documentary is Oliver Hodge's inspiring account of the epic story of maverick architect Michael Reynolds and his fight to introduce sustainable housing in the Nevada desert More on Garbage Warrior
Ghetto Britain: 30 Years of Race

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? More on Ghetto Britain: 30 Years of Race
Ghosts

Nick Broomfield's gripping drama inspired by the shocking tragedy of the Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay in 2004, caught by the rising tide on a freezing winter's night More on Ghosts
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib

Filmmaker and director Rory Kennedy's disturbing account of what went on in the torture rooms of Iraq's notorious prison More on Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
The Ghosts of Oxford Street

Malcolm McLaren charts the extraordinary history of London's famous shopping street in a musical film that incorporates rappers, choirs, church organs and some special guest performers More on The Ghosts of Oxford Street
The Glass House

Hamid Rahmanian's moving True Stories film is a unique insight into Iran through the prism of a day centre for troubled women More on The Glass House
Going Cold Turkey

Krishnan Guru-Murthy charts the tough physical and psychological challenges faced by a group of heroin addicts as they attempt to kick their habit at a detox clinic More on Going Cold Turkey
Gok Wan: Made in China

Gok Wan travels to his ancestral home to explore the world of Chinese mass production, examining the country's ingenuity, cutting-edge manufacturing technology and work ethic More on Gok Wan: Made in China
The Great Chinese Art Revolution

Documentary exploring how Chinese art has caught the world's attention, creating an international art market that is developing as fast as the country's economy More on The Great Chinese Art Revolution
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

This dramatic story of Britain's most notorious terrorist conspiracy delves into a shadowy world of subterfuge, spying and surveillance More on Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
Hardeep Does

Hardeep Singh Kohli is not afraid to ask the questions no one else would... The Glaswegian writer and comedian undertakes a wry personal investigation of some of the big issues in the UK today. More on Hardeep Does
Hell in the Pacific

Hell in the Pacific is a compelling and provocative four part series accounting the shocking Second World War conflict in the East More on Hell in the Pacific
Help Me Love My Baby

This two-part series follows a pair of mums as they discover how to do something most mothers take for granted - fall head over heels in love with their babies More on Help Me Love My Baby
Her Name Is Sabine

The directorial debut of French screen star Sandrine Bonnaire is a moving film about the life of her younger sister, whose autism went undiagnosed for decades More on Her Name Is Sabine
Hindenburg

Told from the perspective of designer Hugo Eckener and the passengers on board the catastrophic flight, this moving drama-documentary tells the story of the doomed airship Hindenburg More on Hindenburg
Hitler's British Girl

The extraordinary story of how Churchill's cousin, the English aristocrat Unity Mitford, fell under Hitler's spell and became one of his closest confidantes More on Hitler's British Girl
Hitler's Favourite Royal

The extraordinary story of how a British prince, the current Queen's cousin and youngest grandson of Queen Victoria, became embroiled in the Nazi war machine [S] More on Hitler's Favourite Royal
Howard Goodall's Choir Works

Howard Goodall embarks on a musical journey seeking out the greatest choirs on Earth More on Howard Goodall's Choir Works
Hugh's Chicken Run

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tries to change the way Britain consumes chicken by setting up his own intensive poultry farm to demonstrate how cheap chickens are currently produced [S] More on Hugh's Chicken Run
The Human Spider

This Cutting Edge documentary follows Alain Robert, arguably the most daring climber in the world, on some amazing free climbs around the globe More on The Human Spider
The Human Zoo: Science's Dirty Secret

This documentary from the Race: Science's Last Taboo season explores the disturbing phenomena of early 20th century human zoos [S] More on The Human Zoo: Science's Dirty Secret
I for India

This True Stories documentary follows Yash Pal Suri, who left India for the UK in 1965. He began swapping films with his family back home, providing a chronicle of two very different countries. More on I for India
India Season

In early 2010, Channel 4 explores India's rich culture, its culinary traditions, and the human stories that shape one of the world's most diverse and captivating countries More on India Season
Inside Hamas

Developed over two years and with unprecedented access to the heart of the 'terrorist' organisation, this documentary uncovers the reality of daily life in Gaza under Hamas More on Inside Hamas
Inside Waco

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 More on Inside Waco
Interview with a Poltergeist

An examination of the Enfield Poltergeist, a still unexplained phenomenon from 1977, which includes eyewitness testimony and extraordinary footage of apparently paranormal activity More on Interview with a Poltergeist
Invitation to a Hanging

On 16th November 1724, 200,000 Londoners - a third of the city's population - lined the streets to watch the open cart that carried the thief Jack Sheppard, to Tyburn to be hanged More on Invitation to a Hanging
Iran Undercover: Inside the Hidden Revolution

A shocking insight, from 2003, into one of the world's most secretive countries, exposing the Iranian regime's tactics of torture and murder More on Iran Undercover: Inside the Hidden Revolution
Jamie's Fowl Dinners

Ninety-five per cent of British chickens are farmed intensively. Jamie Oliver hosts a gala dinner to demonstrate the graphic reality of how these birds live and die to put food on our plates. More on Jamie's Fowl Dinners
Jamie's Kitchen

Jamie Oliver's nine-month struggle to turn a team of unemployed young people, with virtually no previous cooking experience, into chefs in the high-pressure environment of a London restaurant More on Jamie's Kitchen
Jesus Camp

This Oscar-nominated True Stories documentary follows children at the Kids on Fire summer camp, where American children are taught to become young Christian soldiers of God More on Jesus Camp
Jesus Politics

Originally shown as part of More4's US Election Season, Ilan Ziv's True Stories documentary is a probing look at how religious faith shapes 21st century American politics More on Jesus Politics
John Updike: In His Own Words

A tribute to John Updike, who died earlier this month. Acclaimed by many as America's greatest novelist, Updike talks to Booker Prize-winner Ian McEwan about his views on American life. More on John Updike: In His Own Words
Jump London

Meet the Parkouristes, a team of French Free Runners. Like fictional superheroes, the group perform death-defying and eye-popping stunts as they leap from rooftop to rooftop across London. More on Jump London
Juvenile Liaison 2

After their original film was banned, directors Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill return to the Lancashire Police Juvenile Liaison Scheme to find out why and to discover how things have changed More on Juvenile Liaison 2
The Kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart

In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom by a Mormon extemist and his wife, raped, and dragged halfway across America before rescue. Years later, True Stories catches up with her. More on The Kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart
The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt

The story of Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was kidnapped in 2002 by Marxist revolutionary forces More on The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt
Kill It, Skin It, Wear It

Chef Merrilees Parker admits to liking fur, but can she kill it, skin it and still wear it? She want to find out if it's possible to source ethical fur as we source ethical food. [S] More on Kill It, Skin It, Wear It
Krakatoa

A two-hour dramatised account of the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa that tells the story of the scientists who took the first steps towards understanding what caused it [S] More on Krakatoa
Kurt Cobain - About a Son

Based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard interviews, this critically acclaimed True Stories documentary offers an intimate and moving meditation on the late musician Kurt Cobain More on Kurt Cobain - About a Son
Lake of Fire

Fifteen years in the making and shot entirely in black and white, Lake of Fire documents the bitter US divide on the issue of abortion More on Lake of Fire
The Last Days of Tony Blair

Journalist Will Hutton joined Tony Blair in his last three months as Prime Minister, to assess his legacy and find out how he feels he will be remembered More on The Last Days of Tony Blair
The Last Slave

David Monteith, a young black Londoner, uncovers the story of his ancestor Archibald, who was among the last slaves transported by the British from Africa to Jamaica More on The Last Slave
The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife

Nick Broomfield's 1991 film chronicles the collapse of the white supremacist AWB party in apartheid South Africa More on The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife
Leonardo's Machines

Is it possible that the Renaissance genius Leonardo Da Vinci was hundreds of years ahead of other scientists, and had actually developed the means with which people could fly? More on Leonardo's Machines
The Lie of the Land

Documentary chronicling what could be the death throes of a way of life, as Britain's farming industry and countryside battle with disease, development and legislation More on The Lie of the Land