Category: Documentary

“Dazzling, intimate documentary-making. … Few could tell this story better than Lambert. He made it feel as if we were there with them, feeling the mortar shells shake the ground.” ★★★★ Carol Midgley, The Times “Lambert’s film was a superb, on-the-ground portrait of a nation refusing to give in.” ★★★★★ Anita Singh, The Telegraph “This…

“The first time I threw a Molotov cocktail my whole body was shaking. I don’t think any Hongkonger would have imagined having to throw a Molotov cocktail in their lifetime. But when you have been pushed into a corner, you really don’t have a choice,” said one of the young activists in Hong Kong’s Fight for…

Combining forensic interviews with extraordinary archive footage of Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake, this three part series tells the story of three very different groups of people caught up in the disaster. Climbers on Everest, a hotel owner in Kathmandu and trekkers on a remote mountain path were all miles apart when the earthquake hit. But…

Delving into the life of one of the most recognised people in contemporary history, Mother Theresa, revealing the extraordinary truth behind the enigmatic, controversial, and complex figure. “A respectful biography and heated takedown” ★★★★ – James Jackson, The Times “Shocking… sets out the pros and cons of Teresa mania, finding the good to be fragile…

With rape convictions at an all-time low, this hard-hitting film spends two years behind the scenes with Avon and Somerset Police and four serious sexual crime investigations “A harrowing documentary examining low rape conviction rates” ★★★★ – Daily Mail “Profoundly timely and important” – The Times Directed by Rachel Lob-levyt & Imogen Wynell-Mayow; Channel4 /…

A series filmed over two years with unprecedented access to Greater Manchester Police, offering frontline insight into one police force’s battle against organised crime.Focusing on the work of the Major Incident Team (MIT), the series depicts the growing gang violence in the city – in the year ending September 2020, there were over 88,000 violent…

“The worry with documentaries of this nature is that the perpetrator will derive satisfaction from getting the prime-time treatment. But not this one: the police interviews showed up Sinaga for the wheedling, inadequate coward that he is.”Anita Singh, The Telegraph “[The victim’s] bravery in being interviewed was remarkable, as was his answer to that central…

On 7th August 1985, local police entered a secluded Essex farmhouse to find five dead bodies —a young mother Sheila Caffell, her twin sons, and her parents. They’d been shot and killed. Initially it appeared to be the scene of a tragic murder-suicide committed by the troubled mother, Sheila. But fresh evidence would emerge to…

“For anyone who argues that the NHS could function without immigrant workers, Our NHS: A Hidden History was a most elegant retort.”Carol Midgley, The Times “This one-off documentary did not shy away from the racism faced by some of the arrivals. But what shone through was their shared commitment to making the NHS a success.”Christopher…

“This polished documentary kept up the pace well, avoiding the trap of becoming a sports-nerd, groin-strain film, but instead being a rather fascinating potted history (with some details I had forgotten) of how the National Lottery bankrolled us out of embarrassment and on to Olympic glory.”Carol Midgley, The Times “This first of three films was…

In the 1980s, Liverpool became the epicentre of a new drugs boom that was to change Britain forever. The waves of first cannabis, then heroin, ecstasy and cocaine were engineered by the city’s underworld that saw opportunity in a new mass market for illegal drugs. The city’s kingpins cruised the streets in fast cars, forged…

“Acting abilities aside, the characteristics which make Sheridan Smith a star are her authenticity and lack of pretension. Both qualities shone brightly throughout “Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum”, an affecting documentary, in which Smith assessed how success had affected her mental health and explained why she desperately hopes the arrival of her new baby will open…

“A powerful documentary that painted a damning portrait of mainstream attitudes towards the disabled. A justified anger rippled through Silenced: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain. Cerrie Burnell drew movingly on her own experiences in this personal and unflinching account of the disabled community’s hard-fought struggle for equality.”Ed Power, The i “Thought-provoking stuff, although as…

Directed by Oscar Guerra Frontline PBS

“Another run for Paddy Wivell’s inquisitive and compassionate series looking at the reality of prison life for both inmates and staff. This series, we are in HMP Foston Hall, which holds more than 300 women.” – Phil Harrison, The Guardian “In a society that is keen to forget about criminals once they’re locked up inside,…

‘A gripping and heartbreaking return to roots’ ★★★★★ – FT ‘Not only did it find a way of to remind us of Pol Pot’s genocide more intimately than any history programme, it was also a fresh way of exploring the mother/daughter bond’ ★★★★ – The Times ‘Extraordinary and affecting tale’ ★★★★ – Metro ‘It proves…

“The well-reported, rather alarming special by PBS’s “Frontline” airing Tuesday night, titled “Amazon Empire — The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos,” unpacks the smiling cardboard box and finds a lot that should worry us.” – Hank Stuever, Washington Post ” ‘Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos’ methodically details how Bezos built…

This intimate documentary follows the Ferdinand family as Rio’s fiancée Kate Wright integrates into the family and becomes a stepmum to Rio’s t‌hree children, Lorenz, Tate and Tia. This is the next stage in the family’s journey following the BAFTA award-winning and critically acclaimed 2‌017 documentary, Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad. “touching and thoughtful…

“An excellent, meticulous film about a tragedy in which there were no winners, only losers” – Carol Midgely, The Times “This documentary takes us to the heart of one of the most talked-about British legal cases of recent years. In 2010, Sally Challen killed her husband, Richard; she bludgeoned him to death with a hammer,…

    “This chilling documentary spares no one’s feelings when it comes to culpability for the deaths of 178 people: a father shows the tattoo in honour of his dead son “murdered by greed and corruption”; and a bereaved mother writes to politicians every Christmas to remind them of the empty space at her table….

    “In his powerful film, the historian David Olusoga manages to explain complex immigration law and decode dense documents from the government archives in an arresting way. He pulls out devastating passages from forgotten files to showcase the hostility of successive governments to non-white settlers.” – Amelia Gentleman, The Guardian “Historian David Olusoga’s exposé of…

    “This was about as level-headed and even-handed as documentaries about Israel and the Palestinians can be: that Lambert was dealing with a single day meant he could cover the ‘well actuallys’ and the ‘ah buts’ comprehensively enough for this to be a clear picture of the situation, unfogged by endless context and historical…

    “Most programmes focusing on the NHS are, unsurprisingly, frantic. From 24 Hours in A&E to Ambulance, viewers, much like the medical staff, are presented with patient after patient, and trauma after trauma. These documentaries effectively convey the sense that there is never quite enough time. Thankfully, Surgeons: At the Edge of Life (BBC2),…

        “O’Malley’s compassionate documentary seems like a step in the right direction” – Suzi Feay, Financial Times “a compassionate, if divisive, addition to the debate” – Anita Singh, The Telegraph     Expectation / Channel 4

      Documentary series following pupils, teachers, parents and school leaders across an academic year. Budget cuts and student anxiety are amongst the challenges facing the school.   Label1 / BBC

      Broadcaster Mim Shaikh hasn’t seen his dad since he was a baby. As he goes on a journey to investigate his family’s secrets, he discovers more than he could ever imagine.   ‘I simply stumbled across Finding Dad and was gripped for the full hour. It was extraordinary.’ ★★★★★ – Deborah Ross,…

      Real-life soap opera, filmed in North Yorkshire, focusing on the relationships between two generations – one struggling to fulfil their hopes and dreams, the other trying to give them a leg up.   Directed by Dan Dewsbury & Stu Bernard; 72 Films / BBC

      Telling the story of each season as it passes in this uniquely rich ecosystem, A Year in the New Forest explores a remarkable and precious way of life that has changed little over the past 1,000 years. Here man and nature live hand in hand, their fates inextricably bound. And if their…

      “The word ‘suburbia’ was the hook to make you watch, but quickly this established itself as a need-to-know mystery worthy of Agatha Christie. Innocent or guilty? Right now I feel a burning need to know.” – James Jackson, The Times “Conviction: Murder in Suburbia offers plenty to intrigue and tantalise the little grey…

      “This spellbinding documentary told the story of the working-class communities of North Kensington in London, and how the richest borough in Britain has long tolerated the country’s worst levels of social inequality.” – Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph “An hour-long documentary which, in its calm and objective sanity, invited you to reinvest a…

      “In order to seek treatment for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) you must hold two contradictory thoughts simultaneously: first, that you are hideously ugly; second, that your own perception of that ugliness does not reflect an external reality. Ugly Me: My Life with Body Dysmorphia is an intelligent examination of this mental health…

  “Director Christian Trumble spins comedy and tragedy into a watchable, if at times teeth-grindingly frustrating three-part series that pulls off a remarkably balanced portrait of seven MEPs from across the political spectrum, all working to very different ends.” – Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian “This was The Thick of It, EU-style, with no-mates Nige” –…

  “A clear-eye and even-handed account of the events that asks a difficult question: was it correct to try Venables and Thompson as if they were adults?” – The Times “Rather than reliving the terrible event itself, Matt Smith’s thoughtful film gathers together legal experts and those involved in the case to debate the sufficiency…

Channel 4 charts Boris Johnson’s first 14 months as Foreign Secretary. Our unlikely chief diplomat has shared his grand vision for Brexit, but can he ever achieve his dream of becoming Prime Minister? “extraordinary picture of a chancer and a chump” Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

  “Here was a sensitive, moving and often harrowing documentary charting the experience of those who come to London Transgender Surgery simply for a chance to live in the right body. Many of the stories were sad, but they were always bleakly fascinating.” Carol Midgley, The Times “From the outset, this felt like an unusually…

      “You’re never too young to be in trouble. With the number of pupils permanently excluded from primary schools in the UK steadily rising (topping 1,000 for the first time last year) there’s a corresponding need for specialist “short stay” schools to take them in and try to turn their lives around. Schools like…

  “This thorough film explores the story’s context that stretches back to the civil rights movement. Cosby was such a brilliant force for social good, he and his sitcom broke down racial barriers and appealed to everyone. This wasn’t just about the great wealth machine of Hollywood keeping people silent. It was about no one…

        “Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad was an uncompromising, soul-baring examination of grief and in particular its effect on men.” Gabriel Tate, The Telegraph “The former Manchester United captain’s stark honesty in this hour-long documentary is refreshing, and devastating.” Finlay Greig, The i “Watching it will be helpful to others going…

          “Apart from the fact that it wouldn’t have happened any other way, the documentary’s trust-gaining softly softly approach doesn’t make it any less extraordinary. It’s pretty much one long OMG WTF.” Sam Wollaston, The Guardian “Keen-eyed drama bosses could do well to watch Three Wives, One Husband, which is unfurling…

Directed by Olly Lambert BBC Newsnight  

        “exemplary film-making… If ever argument were needed about the incompatibility between guns and civilisation, it was provided by this harrowing, necessary piece of television.” – Jim White, The Telegraph “It might make you angry, watching. But James Jones’s absorbing documentary remains objective, open-minded and journalistic, allowing the events and the people to…

      A team of wildlife experts travel the globe in search of the most surprising animal stories and reveal how and why animals do such remarkable things.   Oxford Scientific / BBC

        “The Big C & Me looked past cancer clichés to report from the front-line… the light editorial touch suggested the best virtues of radio with the added dimension of looking into the eyes of the scared, stoical talkers. It would have been disingenuous not to include a worst-case outcome, which landed in…

      Fuelled by a boom in oil, gas and telecoms, Nigeria is now Africa’s biggest economy. This documentary meets the super-rich Nigerians coming to Britain, who spend big on luxury, education and property. Minnow Films / Channel 4

      “ This uplifting one-off film reveals surprising facts about the effect of ageing on body and mind, and meets inspiring people who are living proof that age really is nothing but a number….Brilliant Stuff. ***** ” TV Times   Oxford Scientific Films / ITV

  Landmark documentary telling the story of those who stood up and broke their silence about sexual abuse, changing Britain forever. “The victims who bore witness to the crimes of Savile and others still struggle with their words, the trauma just as raw and present all these years later. But this was the real point…

  This documentary series joins the battle on Britain’s roads as our ‘need for speed’ is challenged head-on by an army of those trying to slow us down. With access to the police, anti-speed campaigners, speed addicts and specialist lawyers, this new series witnesses the ongoing war playing out every day on our streets.  …