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. Hello Dollies Hello Dollies

    First-time film-maker Cat McShane delves into the little-known world of adult doll's house enthusiasts, exploring the attraction of creating miniature worlds through the stories of some very British eccentrics [S] More on Hello Dollies

  2. Help Me Love My Baby 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

  3. True Stories: Her Name is Sabine 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

  4. Here's Johnny Here's Johnny

    This True Stories documentary enters the surreal world of graphic artist Johnny Hicklenton, who is battling against multiple sclerosis and who escapes the confines of his illness through his artwork More on Here's Johnny

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. The wreckage of the Hindenburg 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

  8. Hippo: Nature's Wild Feast Hippo: Nature's Wild Feast

    A high-tech illustration of nature's food chain in action as an entire ecological system, including predators, scavengers, birds and insects, consumes the carcass of an adult hippo More on Hippo: Nature's Wild Feast

    Last broadcast: Monday 07 November, 9PM on Channel 4

  9. Hitler The Hitler Family

    Hitler was obsessively secretive about his family. This documentary has tracked down some of Hitler's relatives who speak for the first time about living in the shadow of the Nazi dictator. More on The Hitler Family

    Last broadcast: Wednesday 11 January, 11.05PM on More4

  10. Unity Mitford 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

  11. Hitler's Favourite Royal 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

  12. Home of the Future Home of the Future

    A family learn to live with the technology - and the challenges - of the future [S] More on Home of the Future

    Next on: Sunday 19 February, 7.30PM on Channel 4

  13. An old photo featuring children in the 1970s The Homecoming

    In this Cutting Edge film, journalist Rachel Roberts goes in search of the people with whom she once shared a children's home, with only a photo and childhood memories to help her [S] More on The Homecoming

  14. The Hospital The Hospital

    The Hospital examines the relationship between teenagers and the NHS. Consultants, surgeons, nurses and midwives speak with unprecedented candour about the problems they face [S] More on The Hospital

    Last broadcast: 23 August 2010, on

  15. Hand grenade Hostage Tapes

    Hostage Tapes uses previously unseen footage to provide a minute-by-minute analysis of compelling hostage situations when TV ceases just to report the story, and actually becomes the story More on Hostage Tapes

  16. The Hotel The Hotel

    A real-life Fawlty Towers, this comedy-doc looks at life above and below stairs at Torquay's Grosvenor Hotel [S] More on The Hotel

    Next on: Sunday 19 February, 8.30PM on Channel 4

  17. Jamelia The House That Made Me

    Famous figures take an emotional trip back to meticulous recreations of the homes they were brought up in, exploring how their past shaped who they are today [S] More on The House That Made Me

    Last broadcast: 29 December 2010, on

  18. How Hip Hop Changed the World How Hip Hop Changed the World

    Idris Elba reveals the defining moments in street music and culture over the last 35 years, featuring rare archive material, seminal music videos and insight from hip hop stars [S] More on How Hip Hop Changed the World

    Last broadcast: 12 August 2011, on

  19. 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

  20. How to Be a Good Mother with Sharon Horgan How to Be a Good Mother with Sharon Horgan

    Sharon Horgan is a writer, actress and mother. Like most mums she wonders if she's bringing up her kids in the best way. In this programme she meets six mums with unusual parenting methods that they believe are best. [S] More on How to Be a Good Mother with Sharon Horgan

    Last broadcast: Wednesday 11 January, 10PM on Channel 4

  21. How to Buy a Puppy How to Buy a Puppy

    A practical guide to dog health for owners and prospective owners of pedigree dogs, examining best practice in the world of pedigree breeding [S] More on How to Buy a Puppy

    Last broadcast: 13 March 2011, on

  22. Rebecca Arnold How to Snare a Millionaire

    Essex girl Rebecca Arnold is 28, single and broke, and has never had a long-term relationship. She sets out to find a man, and a rich one at that, in this light-hearted First Cut. [S] More on How to Snare a Millionaire

  23. 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

  24. Hugh with a chicken 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

  25. Alain Robert 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

  26. Ota Benga and a monkey 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

  27. 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

  28. Hanging out teabags to dry The Hunt for Britain's Tightest Person

    With the credit crunch biting deep, money-saving has become the nation's favourite hobby. But what happens when 'thrifty' becomes 'tight-fisted', and keeping hold of your cash becomes an obsession? [S] More on The Hunt for Britain's Tightest Person

  29. Hunting Britain's Most Wanted Hunting Britain's Most Wanted

    Cutting Edge goes behind the scenes at New Scotland Yard's Extradition Unit as they track down murderers, suspected rapists, and armed robbers from abroad [S] More on Hunting Britain's Most Wanted

    Last broadcast: 19 May 2011, on

  30. 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

  31. 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

  32. I for India 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

  33. In Search of Mr Average In Search of Mr Average

    This First Cut film records filmmaker Tim Wardle's quest for the most statistically average person in Britain More on In Search of Mr Average

  34. Man on the Moon In the Shadow of the Moon

    In this unique documentary, crew members from every Apollo mission that flew to the moon are brought together for the first time to share their remarkable stories [S] More on In the Shadow of the Moon

  35. 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

  36. Gordon Ramsay 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

  37. Inside Hamas 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

  38. Rogue Baboon and Joy Reidenberg Inside Nature's Giants

    The award-winning series that gets under the skin of the largest animals on the planet. Most wildlife documentaries show how animals behave, but by exploring their anatomy, Inside Nature's Giants reveals how these creatures really work. [S] More on Inside Nature's Giants

    Last broadcast: Tuesday 10 January, 9PM on Channel 4

  39. David Koresh 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

  40. The Hodgson family 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

  41. Into that Good Night Into That Good Night

    Three people with terminal illnesses create portraits of each other as part of a photography project designed to help them make sense of their lives [S] More on Into That Good Night

  42. 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

  43. Invitation to a Hanging 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

  44. Jane Kokan 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

  45. Aarathi Prasad Is It Better to Be Mixed Race?

    This documentary from the Race: Science's Last Taboo season asks is it a biological advantage to have parents of different ethnic backgrounds? [S] More on Is It Better to Be Mixed Race?

  46. Jackpots and Jinxes: Lottery Stories Jackpots and Jinxes: Lottery Stories

    Cutting Edge tells the story of a number of lottery winners and the moment their lives were suddenly turned upside down, revealing their extraordinary experiences [S] More on Jackpots and Jinxes: Lottery Stories

    Last broadcast: 05 May 2011, on

  47. Jade Goody Jade: As Seen on TV

    Two months after she lost her battle against cervical cancer, this one-hour film, featuring previously unseen archive footage, explores the Jade Goody phenomenon [S] More on Jade: As Seen on TV

  48. 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

  49. Jamie's Dream School Jamie's Dream School

    Jamie Oliver brings together some of Britain's most inspirational individuals to see if they can persuade 20 young people who've left school with little to show for the experience to give education a second chance [S] More on Jamie's Dream School

    Last broadcast: 13 April 2011, on

  50. Jamie Oliver 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

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