Documentaries

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

See all Documentaries on 4oD
  • Gypsy Blood

    Gypsy Blood

    Gypsy Blood examines the violent culture that some gypsy and traveller fathers hand on to their children, exploring its impact on two fathers and their young sons

  • Newport Bouncers

    Bouncers

    Funny, irreverent and often surprising film following the boys of Newport's biggest security firm over a summer of booze and brotherhood

  • MotherTruckers

    MotherTruckers

    How do women lorry drivers get on with their male colleagues, juggle families, and stay feminine? This amusing film meets the new queens of the road.

4od
Order Order by A to Z Order by Date Broadcast
  1. Drain the Ocean Drain the Ocean

    This innovative documentary combines scientific knowledge and CGI animation to reveal the diverse world below water [S] More on Drain the Ocean

    Last broadcast: 05 March 2011, on

  2. Asian Gracefully Asian Gracefully

    An intimate look behind the doors of one of the few residential care homes in Britain exclusively for the Asian elderly. More on Asian Gracefully

    Last broadcast: 04 March 2011, on

  3. A baby in an incubator The Incubator

    First Cut follows the experiences of four families whose babies were born too prematurely to survive without an incubator [S] More on The Incubator

    Last broadcast: 27 August 2010, on

  4. The Cove The Cove

    Louie Psihoyos' Oscar-winning documentary shows in chilling detail the illicit slaughter of dolphins at Taijia, a rural Japanese cove More on The Cove

    Last broadcast: 20 July 2010, on

  5. Child Genius Child Genius

    Documentary series following the lives of some of the UK's most gifted children as they grow up. How will these children develop, and what unique problems are faced by such talented prodigies? [S] More on Child Genius

    Last broadcast: 28 October 2010, on

  6. McQueen and I McQueen and I

    The dramatic story of Alexander McQueen's rise to fashion stardom, his relationship with his eccentric, aristocratic muse and patron Isabella Blow, and of both their tragic suicides [S] More on McQueen and I

    Last broadcast: 25 February 2011, on

  7. The Accident and Emergency Trolley The Bed

    Toby Paton's First Cut film, written and narrated by performance poet Luke Wright, tells the story of life in a busy hospital from the perspective of the Accident and Emergency trolley [S] More on The Bed

    Last broadcast: 06 August 2010, on

  8. My Kidnapper My Kidnapper

    Mark Henderson was taken hostage in Colombia in 2003. Now he's returning to Colombia to meet one of his kidnappers and understand the truth behind his imprisonment. [S] More on My Kidnapper

    Last broadcast: 22 February 2011, on

  9. Kimberley and Harvey Kimberley: Young Mum 10 Years On

    Cutting Edge takes an unflinching look at motherhood as acclaimed filmmaker Daisy Asquith returns with a follow-up to the multi award-winning documentary Fifteen More on Kimberley: Young Mum 10 Years On

  10. True Stories: Children of Gaza War Child

    Bafta Award-winning film-maker Jezza Neumann's shocking portrait of Palestinian children living in the aftermath of war [S] More on War Child

    Last broadcast: 15 February 2011, on

  11. Family Gap Year My Family's Crazy Gap Year

    Ordinary British families up sticks and travel the globe in search of life-changing experiences [S] More on My Family's Crazy Gap Year

    Last broadcast: 23 October 2010, on

  12. First Cut: Welcome to Romford Welcome to Romford

    Relationships, friendships, minicabs, love and loneliness in Essex, as First Cut spends a busy night with a Romford taxi firm [S] More on Welcome to Romford

    Last broadcast: 04 February 2011, on

  13. Diverse Nation Diverse Nation

    A fascinating insight into the British TV industry, going behind the scenes at the Cultural Diversity Awards 2010 [S] More on Diverse Nation

    Last broadcast: 04 February 2011, on

  14. Erasing David Erasing David

    In this True Stories documentary, David Bond decides to try and disappear off the face of the earth for a month. Can private investigators track him down? The results are both astonishing and scary... More on Erasing David

  15. Hide and Seek Hide & Seek

    Jewish survivors of the Second World War tell their inspiring stories from the childhood years they spent in hiding and on the run [S] More on Hide & Seek

    Last broadcast: 26 January 2011, on

  16. Trevor Roberts and Neil Clarke Who Do You Think You Were?

    Pinny Grylls' First Cut film follows one man's attempt to discover whether it is possible to remember something that happened before birth, under past life regression [S] More on Who Do You Think You Were?

    Last broadcast: 03 September 2010, on

  17. The Nurture Room The Nurture Room

    Filmed over a year, this documentary follows three troubled Glasgow schoolchildren on a journey to recapture their childhood [S] More on The Nurture Room

    Last broadcast: 18 January 2011, on

  18. The Hudson Plane Crash Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash

    Minutes into US Airways flight 1549 from New York, a flock of birds strikes the plane, taking out both engines. With no power, the captain must attempt the impossible: to land in the Hudson River. More on Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash

  19. Four Boys versus Four Girls Four Sons versus Four Daughters

    Cutting Edge examines how much children shape their parents' lives as two families - one with four daughters, the other with four sons - swap kids for a long weekend to find out [S] More on Four Sons versus Four Daughters

    Last broadcast: 11 August 2010, on

  20. The Kids Grow Up The Kids Grow Up

    Doug Block's film follows his relationship with his daughter Lucy as she, now aged 17, is just a year away from leaving home for college More on The Kids Grow Up

    Last broadcast: 11 January 2011, on

  21. Paul Mason Britain's Fattest Man

    Can Paul Mason, Britain's fattest man, get the surgery he needs to keep him alive? And will Paul's dream of walking again come true? [S] More on Britain's Fattest Man

    Last broadcast: 05 January 2011, on

  22. Tribespeople gather under a tree Guns, Germs and Steel

    Based on Jared Diamond's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Guns, Germs and Steel traces humanity's journey over the last 13,000 years, from the dawn of farming to the realities of life in the 21st century More on Guns, Germs and Steel

  23. Love, Virtually Love, Virtually

    First Cut explores love in the digital age, from internet dating to long-distance relationships, keeping tabs on a crush, and obsessing about exes... and partners' exes [S] More on Love, Virtually

    Last broadcast: 23 July 2010, on

  24. Rwanda after Genocide Rwanda after Genocide

    Deborah Scranton's powerful film looks at the 1994 genocide in Rwanda from both political and personal perspectives More on Rwanda after Genocide

    Last broadcast: 04 January 2011, on

  25. Jubilant scenes in Chile Buried Alive: The Chilean Mine Rescue

    This documentary has unprecedented access to the extraordinary story of the 33 Chilean miners feared lost for over two weeks and trapped underground for 70 days after their mine collapsed [S] More on Buried Alive: The Chilean Mine Rescue

    Last broadcast: 27 October 2010, on

  26. Michael Jackson's Secret Hollywood Michael Jackson's Secret Hollywood

    Jacques Peretti lifts the lid on how the weird world of Hollywood really operates behind the scenes [S] More on Michael Jackson's Secret Hollywood

    Last broadcast: 30 December 2010, on

  27. Britain's Big Freeze Britain's Big Freeze

    The start of 2010 has been one of the coldest winters in Britain for decades: why has this happened and is it a sign of more freezing winters to come? [S] More on Britain's Big Freeze

  28. The Miracle Baby of Haiti The Miracle Baby of Haiti

    The story of Landina Seignon - the baby pulled from the rubble of the Haiti earthquake in January and brought to the UK for specialist surgery - and the attempt to reunite her with her mother [S] More on The Miracle Baby of Haiti

    Last broadcast: 28 December 2010, on

  29. One Born at Christmas One Born at Christmas

    The Bafta Award-winning documentary series One Born Every Minute presents a festive special More on One Born at Christmas

    Last broadcast: 28 December 2010, on

  30. Kevin McCloud: Slumming It Kevin McCloud: Slumming It

    Kevin McCloud travels to India to explore one of the most extreme cities on earth [S] More on Kevin McCloud: Slumming It

    Last broadcast: 15 January 2010, on

  31. The Laughing Club of India The Laughing Club of India

    A look at the power of laughter, and the popularity of laughing clubs in contemporary Bombay - part of a movement that now has over 6000 clubs in 60 countries [S] More on The Laughing Club of India

    Last broadcast: 25 December 2010, on

  32. Pink Saris Pink Saris

    The story of Sampat Pal, who fights to defend lower caste Indian women from domestic abuse and social injustice, which in many cases is perpetrated by their husbands' families More on Pink Saris

    Last broadcast: 25 December 2010, on

  33. Paul and Laura Teen Undertaker

    First Cut meets two teenagers each striving to balance an ordinary teenage life with their shared dream: to work as undertakers [S] More on Teen Undertaker

    Last broadcast: 20 August 2010, on

  34. Our Drugs War Our Drugs War

    Documentary series examining the global story of drugs, from Afghanistan's poppy fields to the streets of New York and the estates of Edinburgh [S] More on Our Drugs War

    Last broadcast: 16 August 2010, on

  35. Road to Las Vegas Road to Las Vegas

    Jason Massot's moving film follows African American couple Vanessa and Maurice Melton as they leave Alaska for Las Vegas in search of their fortunes [S] More on Road to Las Vegas

    Last broadcast: 14 December 2010, on

  36. John Le Carre: A Life Unmasked John Le Carre: A Life Unmasked

    John le Carre speaks with unprecedented candour about his life, and about his career as both special agent and celebrated author [S] More on John Le Carre: A Life Unmasked

    Last broadcast: 10 December 2010, on

  37. I Was Bin Laden's Bodyguard I Was Bin Laden's Bodyguard

    Laura Poitras' film tells how two men whose lives were caught up with Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden ended up taking very different paths after the invasion of Iraq More on I Was Bin Laden's Bodyguard

  38. The First Movie The First Movie

    A dream film about a Kurdish-Iraqi village in a part of the world normally only portrayed in current affairs programmes More on The First Movie

  39. Prince Charles' Other Mistress Prince Charles' Other Mistress

    The tragic story of Dale 'Kanga' Tryon, a rival to Camilla Parker Bowles for the affection of Prince Charles, for a period in the 1970s [S] More on Prince Charles' Other Mistress

  40. The Battle for Barking The Battle for Barking

    Laura Fairrie's film records the battle between Labour's Margaret Hodge and BNP leader Nick Griffin in the London borough of Barking during this year's election [S] More on The Battle for Barking

    Last broadcast: 30 November 2010, on

  41. The Lazarus Effect The Lazarus Effect

    The Lazarus Effect follows the stories of four people living with HIV/AIDS, whose lives have been transformed by antiretroviral medication [S] More on The Lazarus Effect

  42. Thanos Papalexis The Playboy Murderer

    First Cut paints a chilling portrait of Thanos Papalexis, the Gatsby-like Brit who, in a year, went from hosting fundraising parties for US President Bill Clinton to being convicted of murder [S] More on The Playboy Murderer

    Last broadcast: 09 July 2010, on

  43. Claudia Lawrence Missing: Claudia Lawrence

    Claudia Lawrence went missing in 2009. With no sign of any clues, sightings or leads, and no witnesses coming forward, First Cut meets her family and friends. [S] More on Missing: Claudia Lawrence

    Last broadcast: 13 August 2010, on

  44. My Father Pablo Escobar My Father, Pablo Escobar

    The incredible story of Pablo Escobar, the infamous boss of Colombia's Medellin drug cartel, told by his son, Sebastian, and his widow, Maria Isabel Santos More on My Father, Pablo Escobar

  45. John Bindon and Princess Margaret The Princess and the Gangster

    She was a princess, at one time second in line to the throne, and he was one of London's most notorious and violent criminals. Together, they would create one of the biggest hidden scandals in royal history. [S] More on The Princess and the Gangster

  46. High Society's Favourite Gigolo High Society's Favourite Gigolo

    The amazing but largely forgotten story of the meteoric rise and pitiful fall of Britain's first black superstar, Leslie 'Hutch' Hutchinson [S] More on High Society's Favourite Gigolo

  47. John Seven Days

    Seven Days captures the last week in the life of one neighborhood's most colourful characters, in the documentary series where what you see has only just happened [S] More on Seven Days

    Last broadcast: 09 November 2010, on

  48. Mugabe and the White African Mugabe and the White African

    The astonishing story of Mike Campbell, a courageous Zimbabwean farmer who stood up against the illegal land grabs of the Mugabe regime More on Mugabe and the White African

    Last broadcast: 18 May 2010, on

  49. The Taking of Prince Harry The Taking of Prince Harry

    The Taking of Prince Harry examines the risks of redeploying Prince Harry to the frontline in Afghanistan, by examining what would happen if he was kidnapped while on military duty [S] More on The Taking of Prince Harry

    Last broadcast: 21 October 2010, on

  50. Love the Beast Love the Beast

    Actor Eric Bana's documentary tells of his love for the treasured 1974 Ford GT Falcon Coupe his father gave him - nicknamed The Beast More on Love the Beast

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