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. Dangerous Dreams Dangerous Dreams

    Amy Hardie's personal film follows a year in her life as she comes to terms with vividly dreaming of her own death [S] More on Dangerous Dreams

  2. Fighting the Fat Who Knows Best

    Experts with diametrically opposed approaches to tackling social issues put their reputations on the line [S] More on Who Knows Best

    Last broadcast: 17 August 2010, on

  3. Murder in Mexico: Presumed Guilty Murder in Mexico: Presumed Guilty

    Roberto Hernandez and Geoffrey Smith's film examines, through one man's case, the reality of Mexico's judicial system, where the accused is presumed guilty More on Murder in Mexico: Presumed Guilty

  4. A Very British Storm Junkie A Very British Storm Junkie

    Cutting Edge documentary about an unassuming IT consultant who - in his alter ego of fanatical storm chaser - travels thousands of miles across the globe to witness at first hand the awesome power of nature [S] More on A Very British Storm Junkie

  5. The Invention of Dr Nakamats The Invention of Dr Nakamats

    An intriguing portrait of octogenarian Yoshiro Nakamatsu, who claims to hold over 3,000 patents, among them the floppy disc and the digital display on this computer More on The Invention of Dr Nakamats

  6. The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

    An unflinching look at the revived practice of buying young boys to keep as private dancers in northern Afghanistan who later become victims of abuse [S] More on The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

  7. Afghan Star Afghan Star

    Havana Marking's riveting True Stories documentary follows four of the finalists on Afghan Star, Afghanistan's equivalent of Pop Idol, which is watched by a third of the country's population More on Afghan Star

  8. The Denbys How the Other Half Live

    Documentary series that aims to show what it means to grow up in poverty in 21st-century Britain. In each episode, a wealthy family decides to assist one that is living below the poverty line. [S] More on How the Other Half Live

    Last broadcast: 27 May 2010, on

  9. Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution, Alan Davies Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution

    Alan Davies explores the seismic social, cultural and political changes of 1980s Britain, through the prism of his own teenage experiences [S] More on Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution

    Last broadcast: 23 September 2010, on

  10. The Queen of Persia The Queen of Persia

    Iranian director Nahid Persson Sarvestani's very personal film compares and contrasts herself to another exile - Farah Diba, the late Shah of Iran's wife More on The Queen of Persia

    Last broadcast: 21 September 2010, on

  11. Michael Jackson with Bubbles Michael Jackson and Bubbles: The Untold Story

    Exploring the complex relationship between Michael Jackson and his famous pet chimpanzee Bubbles, this documentary considers how animals, and in particular Bubbles, played such a huge part in the superstar's life [S] More on Michael Jackson and Bubbles: The Untold Story

    Last broadcast: 15 September 2010, on

  12. Chasing the Cumbrian Killer Chasing the Cumbrian Killer

    An in-depth examination of Derrick Bird's murderous rampage across Cumbria on 2 June 2010. Chasing the Cumbrian Killer speaks to the eye-witnesses, the survivors, the police and Bird's friends. More on Chasing the Cumbrian Killer

  13. Donald Rumsfeld 9/11: State of Emergency

    The people caught up in the September 11 terror attack on the United States reveal the split-second decisions they had to make on that day and how their choices shaped their fates [S] More on 9/11: State of Emergency

    Last broadcast: 11 September 2010, on

  14. Ted Evans: The Yorkshire Clamper The Yorkshire Clamper

    First-time director Leon Dean meets Britain's most notorious car clamper to find out why he's so proficient at stopping people from going places... [S] More on The Yorkshire Clamper

  15. Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones Cameron's Black Tory

    Channel 4 follows Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones over the four years of his electoral campaign in rural Wiltshire, as he fights to become one of the few black MPs in David Cameron's new-style Conservative Party. [S] More on Cameron's Black Tory

    Last broadcast: 06 June 2010, on

  16. Last Train Home Last Train Home

    Last Train Home documents how, every spring, China's cities are plunged into chaos as a tidal wave of migrant workers return home by train for the Chinese New Year More on Last Train Home

    Last broadcast: 14 September 2010, on

  17. 9-11 Faker The 9-11 Faker

    The extraordinary story of the woman who fooled everyone when she claimed to be a high-profile survivor of the Twin Towers attacks of September 2001 [S] More on The 9-11 Faker

  18. The End of the Line The End of the Line

    True Stories presents Rupert Murray's acclaimed film, which examines the consequences of unchecked, unregulated sea fishing across the globe More on The End of the Line

  19. A list of phone calls 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers

    An insight into some of the lives lost in the September 11 terrorist attack, demonstrated by the poignant phone calls made by some of the thousands of people trapped inside the World Trade Center [S] More on 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers

    Last broadcast: 06 September 2009, on

  20. My Beautiful Dacia My Beautiful Dacia

    The story of Romania's transition from communism to capitalism, told through one of the country's most iconic emblems: the Dacia car More on My Beautiful Dacia

    Last broadcast: 07 September 2010, on

  21. Girls on the Pull Girls on the Pull

    First Cut follows three women living with trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder that causes them to pull out their own hair [S] More on Girls on the Pull

    Last broadcast: 16 July 2010, on

  22. Trouble the Water Trouble the Water

    Kimberly Rivers Roberts' chilling, Oscar-nominated home video captures the ferocious force of Hurricane Katrina as it lays waste to the city of New Orleans More on Trouble the Water

  23. The New York Times 102 Minutes That Changed America

    Documentary joining together hundreds of pieces of footage of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center into a seamless historical record, much of it never seen before [S] More on 102 Minutes That Changed America

  24. The Hunt for Britain's Sex Traffickers The Hunt for Britain's Sex Traffickers

    This series follows police officers from Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Devon and Cornwall as they break into the extensive criminal networks that traffic women into the UK More on The Hunt for Britain's Sex Traffickers

    Last broadcast: 02 September 2010, on

  25. Dom Joly. Or is it Tintin? Dom Joly and the Black Island

    Dom Joly fulfils his fantasy to become Tintin, donning the plus fours, dying his hair ginger and going in search of the Black Island Castle from the Belgian reporter's adventure in Britain More on Dom Joly and the Black Island

  26. The Stuttering School The Stuttering School

    First Cut follows two people with severe stammers on the McGuire Programme four-day intensive course, which helps people who stammer overcome their affliction [S] More on The Stuttering School

  27. Cocaine Cowboys Cocaine Cowboys

    Billy Corben's film tells of the rush of cocaine into sleepy 1970s Miami, which soon became the drugs smuggling centre of America More on Cocaine Cowboys

  28. Mick Jackson The Other Michael Jackson

    First Cut revisits 1978, when two versions of Blame It on the Boogie went head-to-head in the charts: The Jackson Five against Mick Jackson from Yorkshire, who wrote the disco anthem [S] More on The Other Michael Jackson

  29. David Attenborough Genius of Britain

    Britain's top scientific names tell the story of the British science and ingenuity that has been at the forefront of some of history's greatest advances [S] More on Genius of Britain

  30. Niall Ferguson The Ascent of Money

    Bringing context and understanding to the current economic crisis, historian Niall Ferguson tells the story of money and the rise - and spectacular falls - of global finance throughout the ages [S] More on The Ascent of Money

    Last broadcast: 22 December 2008, on

  31. Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina: Caught on Camera

    A reconstruction of when Hurricane Katrina hit America, using footage shot by those who experienced the cataclysmic storm and its aftermath [S] More on Hurricane Katrina: Caught on Camera

    Last broadcast: 26 August 2010, on

  32. Richard Dawkins The God Delusion

    Professor Richard Dawkins' personal journey through the world's three great monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam More on The God Delusion

  33. Raoul Moat The Raoul Moat Tapes:...

    ...Inside the Mind of a Killer. Featuring interviews with friends, relatives and neighbours who knew Raoul Moat for years, Cutting Edge examines what drove this fugitive gunman to kill [S] More on The Raoul Moat Tapes:...

    Last broadcast: 18 August 2010, on

  34. A scene from The Queen The Queen

    Five leading British actresses play the Queen at pivotal times in her life, as this ground-breaking series examines Britain's social history through key events in her reign [S] More on The Queen

  35. Big River Man Big River Man

    This affectionately humorous portrait of Slovenia's Martin Strel, swimmer extraordinaire, follows his attempt to swim the length of the Amazon, the world's longest river [S] More on Big River Man

    Last broadcast: 17 August 2010, on

  36. Amish Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers

    Five Amish teenagers leave their closed communities in the American mid-West for the very first time, to travel to Britain on an extraordinary cultural exchange [S] More on Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers

  37. Digging for Grandad's Gold Digging for Grandad's Gold

    Jerry Sladkowski's intriguing film follows Mark Atkin as he traces his grandfather's WWII past in Nazi-occupied Lodz and follows up rumours of a hastily buried treasure. [S] More on Digging for Grandad's Gold

    Last broadcast: 10 August 2010, on

  38. My Boyfriend the MI5 Hoaxer My Boyfriend the MI5 Hoaxer

    First Cut meets Leanne McCarthy, the victim of conman Wayne Gouveia, who convinced her he was an MI5 agent and swept her into a world of stake-outs, car chases, safe houses and narrow escapes [S] More on My Boyfriend the MI5 Hoaxer

  39. Rough Aunties Rough Aunties

    Kim Longinotto's Sundance-winning portrait of the Bobbi Bears, a group of women based in Durban, South Africa who protect and shelter the child victims of sexual and physical abuse More on Rough Aunties

    Last broadcast: 03 August 2010, on

  40. The Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami Tsunami: Caught on Camera

    The moving true story of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami told through the experiences of those who were actually there [S] More on Tsunami: Caught on Camera

    Last broadcast: 30 December 2009, on

  41. Earthquake damage Haiti's Killer Quake: Why It Happened

    A look at the huge earthquake that devastated Haiti on 12 January 2010, examining what happened and why, using 3D graphics and location footage to pick apart the mechanics of the quake [S] More on Haiti's Killer Quake: Why It Happened

  42. Britain's Whitest Family Britain's Whitest Family

    This moving documentary examines a life lived in the wrong colour skin. It focuses on three sufferers of albinism as they attempt to regain their confidence and discover their own identity. [S] More on Britain's Whitest Family

  43. Police officer and cars The Force

    With unprecedented access to Hampshire Constabulary, this series follows the investigation of three major crimes, offering a rare and unique insight into the reality of modern policing [S] More on The Force

  44. The Ambulance The Ambulance: 8 Minutes to Disaster

    This Cutting Edge documentary offers a fascinating view of modern British society through the eyes of the paramedics on the frontline of the NHS [S] More on The Ambulance: 8 Minutes to Disaster

  45. ur_so_vain UR 50 V41N

    This quirky documentary explores the world of personalised car number plates and some of the people who spend thousands to own the right combination of numbers and letters [S] More on UR 50 V41N

  46. Jail Date Jail Date

    This First Cut film explores a growing online-dating phenomenon. Thousands of men looking for romance are turning to specialist 'jail date' sites to hook up with women in American prisons. [S] More on Jail Date

  47. Marriage Techniques for Beginners Marriage Technique for Beginners

    Light-hearted documentary that follows first-time director and anxious groom Piers Sanderson's attempts to calm his pre-marriage nerves. Can he learn anything from a 1940s marriage handbook? [S] More on Marriage Technique for Beginners

  48. A room full of cats Pussies Galore

    Meet the country's most ardent feline fanatics, including Anne, who lives in a Welsh farmhouse with a colony of 83 cats [S] More on Pussies Galore

  49. Jon wearing a hat The Boy Who Was Born a Girl

    Julia Moon's First Cut film follows Jon, a 16-year-old boy who was born a girl, through three months of life-changing treatment as testosterone pushes his female body into male puberty [S] More on The Boy Who Was Born a Girl

  50. The Great Piano Scam The Great Piano Scam

    This First Cut reveals an astonishing musical scam, detailing how an entire industry was conned into believing that a woman in her 70s had managed to record over 100 phenomenal CD [S] More on The Great Piano Scam

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