A new strand of contemporary documentaries opens with Ian Taylor's moving film about Stephen Pegg and his fight against Motor Neurone Disease. The crippling, degenerative illness, which struck out of the blue in 1987, has robbed the former teacher and football referee of the use of his limbs and voice, but his small daughter provided the inspiration for the writing - with a pointer attached to his forehead, which has now become a central point of Stephen's life.
Takes a frank and disturbing look at the psychiatric asylum on the Greek island of Leros.
Looking at financial barriers to the sport of polo. Membership of clubs, grooming and stabling all cost a fortune. The program investigates two polo clubs, one in a traditional mould, Cowdray Park, and a second the Berkshire, run by rock 'n' roll promoter, Bryan Morrison.
Investigating North Cornwall District Council and its planning decision regarding Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor.
Looks at Eton, its traditions, methods of teaching and general daily routines.
Documentary which follows three gangs of migrant Irish street workers as they tunnel beneath the streets of London to lay pipes.
Repossession is big business for Ian Hood. Last year he recovered a fleet of lorries, hundreds of family cars and a couple of yachts.
Speculative research to find families with service personnel in the gulf.
In 1965 the soviet spies,peter and Helen Kroger were imprisoned for their part in the Portland spy ring. They were swapped for English lecturer Gerald Brooke imprisoned in Moscow. Now the soviet spy's tell their story.
Access to the royal yacht squadron during the week of cowes will hopefully facilitate greater understanding of sailing etiquette.
Missing without trace, a father of ten from Dublin.
To become a Para, one of the army's elite, you must pass a ferocious selection test - a frightening three weeks in P Company - stretched to the limit and beyond, both physically and psychologically. Thirty-nine potential recruits volunteer, only a handful survive to pass.
A turbulent month following the police at work - and hearing complaints against them - in Hackney, London, one of the most troubled urban districts in Britain.
The true story of the tornado pilots shot down in the gulf war.
Documentary about emergency mental health admissions.
A report from Glasgow on Loansharks.
Documentary about the house of lords.
Businessmen go on an outward bound course that makes P company look like a picnic.
Fly-on-the-wall inside Johannesburg police force.
A new London based mobile intensive care team are on call to critically ill children with meningitis. Parents are fighting for greater recognition of the disease which is difficult for GPs to diagnose and rising to epidemic proportions.
10 years ago Jeff Perks made the knockers tail - a documentary about six young con-men - have they graduated to bigger and better things since?
A mother and father's desperate search for their runaway daughter.
The royal navy's police force is officially known as the navy regulating branch. Unofficially, they are called "The Crushers".
Corky the cockerel kept the neighbours awake and it ended expensively for both sides in court. Disputes between neighbours - the serious and the silly.
England football manager Graham Taylor through the 18 months before his team's failed attempt to win through to the World Cup Finals. It reveals a man dealing with extreme pressures. It includes the controversial Kosman incident in the deciding match in Holland, the England dressing room, Taylor telling David Platt he is no longer the England captain, an FA Council meeting where Taylor defends Gascoigne's behaviour, and the press conference before the Holland match.
An inside look at the Northwood Golf Club in Middlesex.
Backstage at Britain's most successful women's magazine - the location fashion shoot,the editorial meeting,the rows and the lifestyle. Broadcaster:
At the London hospital in the east end, third year student dentist prepare to confront their first patients and drill first live teeth. Sailma Beg's first patient, Fran, tells her how embarrassed she is by her dentures. Nick Wenger meets 4 year old Jordan, who has 10 rotten teeth. As the term progresses, Fran's confidence grows as Salima constructs new teeth for her : nick takes out Jordan's teeth under general anaesthetic. The students remove teeth in oral surgery and learn the importance of conserving them in prosthetics. They meet Maureen, whose life has been blighted by her false teeth. Salima decides to specialise in prosthetics: "You can bring about such a transformation just by doing this small thing. It's a good feeling."
Excel security have been actively involved with the provision of quality bodyguards and 'close protection' since 1985. Excel staff also train bodyguards to their own exacting standards. In this programme, we take a unique and priviledged look at how a bodyguard is trained, and the responsibility a bodyguard carries when protecting their vip. Every student must pass a selection weekend, before the week long course, where every morning starts with pre-dawn pt. They learn how to use a pistol, drive defensively, the extensive planning and preparation involved in taking charge of a vip. And the ultimate sacrifice - give bodycover with their own body. The weeks course culminates in an exercise with 29 incidents packed into 24 hours when the would-be bodyguards are pushed to their limits. Some will leave before the course ends, and even if they complete the full week, it doesn't mean they have automatically made the grade.
At a cost of £4k per head, 26 disturbed youngsters from north London have been sent on a radical course of therapy to the lake district. They are subjected to a tough regime of rules and 12 hour intensive group therapy, sharing their deepest dark secrets. Inevitably, there are breakdowns and confrontations. The programme is run by youth at risk, an organisation founded in America. They claim their techniques have produced successful results among delinquents in New York. But in Britain, their success rate is more difficult to evaluate.
Cutting edge travels with the Belfast city ambulance service in the run up to the ceasefire. They work on the frontline of a divided city. For 25 years, they've been attending bombings, shootings and riots on a daily basis. The film shows the courgae and humour of the crews and their casualties. Extraordinary footage reveals the plight in one night of sixteen victims of punishment shooting, some of whom talk stoically about their condition as they are raced to hospital. Uniquely Protestant and Catholics work side by side, their neutrality allowing them to go to districts to they city where the police and fire services fear to go.
When members of Britain's Armed Forces break military law, they are sent to a military detention centre, nicknamed 'The Glasshouse'. Today, the only Glasshouse is outside Colchester, housing under guard 300 men and women who have fallen of the military disciplinary system. T he maximum sentence is 2 years; most serve just a few months. The regime is said to be the toughest and strictest of any corrective training establishment. Most who go never return there. They face a relentless daily routine of military drill and kit inspections. But the system rewards those who co-operate as much as punish those who buck it.
Two pensioners, living on their own, keep a diary through the winter months.
When Stephen Owen's young son was killed by a reckless driver he took his revenge. He bought a gun and shot the man dead. He and other contributors tell their stories.
How bad are British drivers? Research to find out who the culprits are.
Access to the competitive world of professional show-jumping.
South Yorkshire cave rescue team are best described as eccentrics who like going underground in the most hostile and dangerous environments. During the silly season, student potholers put their lives at risk for fun.
John Spencer is a man trapped in the past - in the second world war of his childhood. Virtually everything since then is more or less blank. Stewart Norriss, a 17 year old Sheffield schoolboy didn't recognise his mother after hitting his head on a kitchen unit. Keith Warren's memory loss is unique. Tests have failed to identify the problem and some doctors have suggested that he is simulating amnesia. His wife Lorraine doubts this - "Nobody could pretend amnesia for three years, 24 hours a day".
Research for access to places and characters inside the world of gambling. playboys and compulsive gamblers.
What transforms the mild-mannered businessman into a raging psycho on the roads?
Adrian and Bernadette Mooney were arrested for smuggling a baby out of Romania.
Research the phenomenon of the modern nightmare of house-buying.
Bandit country viewed from the south - unique access to the Irish defence forces.
Dora Black runs a specialist clinic for children who are witnesses to murder. This film follows one of her cases.
How to find the ideal person to look after your children. The cutting edge guide to nannies.
For national asthma week, mew evidence on the problems of poverty that trigger attacks.
Winning the lottery can bring greater misfortune than losing. An ironic look at the get-rich-quick phenomenon.
Beverley Alitt was an extreme case, but what is the extent of the condition? And who wants to be sick and why?
The men and women who speak out against corruption, injustice or malpractice. And generally pay a high price for their trouble.
Cari Loder has made a surprising recovery from MS - now she campaigns for a new cure.
In a controversial experiment, derby special constables police the entire city for "Takeover days" - how long can they cope?
Replacement mums and dads - the humor and horror - kids and adults tell all.
Charting a day in the life of Redmere Lodge, St. Leonards-on- Sea, a residential home for elderly people.
Tony Craig is buying a tropical island so that he and a few like-minded people can get away from it all.
A short film about driving.
Documentary following a year in the life of Paul Gascoigne; after he returned to England after spending three years in Italy.
Documentary film about the training of ten new recruits as salesmen at the British branch of the German company, Vorwerk. This includes learning the sales patter, handling the merchandise correctly and listening to motivational speakers who explain that, to become a salesman takes stamina, commitment, motivation, faith and a lot of fast talking.
Lady Fiona Montague hates cars. Her husband is married to Beaulieu. She had a breakdown and now watches Eastenders. Living in a big house is not all it's cracked up to be.
An investigation into the helicopter crash on 2 June 1994, when 29 passengers and crew were killed in their RAF Chinook Mark II as it hit the mountains of the Mull of Kintyre. The Special Service pilots and crew were transporting 25 top British Intelligence personnel from MI5, the RUC and the SAS to a secret top-level security meeting. Now former RAF officer John Nichol uncovers evidence that the pilots, originally blamed for the disaster, may have been innocent.
Rebecca Frayn's quiet obsession with the questions of identity raised by her own identical twins.
A year in the life of a hospital bed, meeting each patient who occupies it, and hearing the wisdom of those who provide the bed and those who treat them.
Middle class parents get the schools of their choice by fair means or foul.
For two years Eddie and Christine Needham have tried to find out what happened to their grandson Ben,who went missing on the island of Kos in 1991. They're now returning to Kos with a ?500,000 reward on offer for Ben's return.
This Cutting Edge documentary views the end of the 1979 - 1997 Conservative era through the opinions of a group of Home Counties dinner party guests
A look at the lives of three singletons as they go in search of a prospective partner.
A look at the lives and opinions of three consumer crusaders who stand up for the rights of dissatisfied customers everywhere.
Inside the Home Office's elite alien-hunting squad, chasing illegal immigrants.
A look behind the scenes at The Sport newspaper, which is ten years old this year.
Another winter of breakdowns and ripoffs for Britain's second-hand car owners.
Documentary exploring whether there really is something different about women drivers. From school run mums in four wheel drives, to girl racers and women cabbies.
Three women talk about being married to the game.
The life of a Jehovah's Witness community.
Men talk openly for the first time about their encounters with prostitutes.
Cutting Edge documentary about the ups and downs of two plasterers.
Stories of four residents of the Avondale Hotel, Eastbourne, which accommodates social security recipients.
An examination of modern forms of rage in the UK, including road rage, trolley rage etc..
Meeting the characters who while away their days in this particular location - the cruisers, the philosopher, the lovebirds, the cynic - all of whom remain anonymous for the purpose of this record of a moment in human lifetime.
Inside the prison service's special High Intensity Training Unit.
The notorious Friern Barnet Asylum was once the largest mental asylum in Europe. With grounds five times the size of Buckingham Palace, and a working farm (hence the term "funny farm"), it was once a self-contained world for thousands of people with mental health problems. Now re-developed as Princess Park Manor, new residents are moving into the luxury grounds of this prime piece or London real estate. But what do the previous residents think about the multi-million pound make-over of their former home and how do the new inhabitants feel about living in a converted asylum? Rebecca Frayn's stylish and thought-provoking documentary makes the point subtly that both sets of residents demonstrate the same basic human desire for asylum. Description:
The journey of a bullet from its point of impact back through it supply chain to its point of manufacture.
A dangerous stretch of motorway on a busy Bank Holiday.
Behind-the-scenes at Britain's only academy for flirts, where former corporate trainer and assistant editor of men's magazine `Forum' Peta Heskell puts the students through their paces.
A documentary constructing a case for freeing Reggie Kray from prison.
Fly-on-the-wall documentary following the wedding of Stuart and Anna.
Cautionary tales and trade secrets from the spillers of the beans.
The Five of Us examines the life, over several months, of housemates Alain, Luke, Jimmy, Kwok and Mary in a flat in Notting Hill. All five of them have learning difficulties. We observe Mary's birthday, Luke's sorrow at the death of his father and Jimmy's love for Blind Date. They must also decide whether to vote 'red' or 'blue' in an election.
100 individuals enjoy a sport which is so dangerous, most of the rest of the world would never try it. It is BASE jumping and to qualify for this elite circle, first you must jump off four types of object: a building, an antenna, a bridge or span and a mountain. Rob is an instructor and a scaffolder by trade. He often jimps with his friend Jon yet he is also instructing Dave. Ironically Dave is a qualified sky diving instructor yet in BASE terms, he's a novice. Posing as city types, Rob and John go to the bar at the top of the Park Lane Hilton, a place that is already the scene of a BASE jumping fatality. They resolve to jump at 5am. Greg is the seasoned Aussie BASE jumper.
To forgive or not to forgive? That is the question.
Follows some early dotcom start-ups each attempting to be the first ever British one to make a profit.
A nightmarish vision of the festive season. Broadcaster:
Increased leisure time and a corresponding decrease in income makes for a struggle to make ends meet for an increasing number of retired people. For some,this makes the temptation their income through less than legitimate means.
Former advertising journalist Brian Davis is homeless and penniless. A published author he now lives on the streets in London, an alcoholic and suffering from mental illness. But, he says, he's determined to turn his life around.
Screaming Jay Hawkins' 57 known children come together for a reunion - his dying wish.
Looking for Ricky' is an investigation into the disappearance of Ricky D'Cotta, a London boy who left east London for the Tenerife 80's club scene and never returned. It begins with interviews of people who knew Ricky as a boy, and then moves out to the island to try and trace Ricky's last moves in Tenerife. The story develops into an expose of the islands drug-fueled criminal underworld, in which everyone, from the editor of the local paper to the police, seems somehow implicated. In the course of the film it is discovered that 5 unidentified bodies exist, which may be Ricky's remains. Although DNA tests using samples from Ricky's family prove inconclusive, the final statement from Ricky's best friend reveals that Ricky was almost certainly murdered, following a botched robbery of a local drugs baron.
Documentary about the world of the kidnap for ransom industry in Columbia.
Documentary about a hostel for homeless alcoholics in East London, so-called 'wet houses' because they allow drinking on the premises.
In this documentary a group of boys is "isolated" for five days in a fully equipped house, with food, games, beds, toys etc. They are closely followed by a camera crew. We can observe how the boys react without any supervision and behave towards eachother. The result is mind boggling. After five days all the food is spilled mostly on the floor, most games and toys are broken, and the house is wrecked. The parents, who have been watching their sons for the past five days, are stunned when the boys leave the house.
Six Months in the life of a 23 year old Gigolo.
Joanne, Jon and Wendy are convinced that they have found the love of their lives. They make personal sacrifices to pursue love but, were they blinded by love?
Following the story of Joanne Lees whose boyfriend disappeared in the Australian Outback earlier this year. Broadcaster:
Documentary about Stuart Usher, the grandson of a baronet who grew up amid luxury but now sells burgers from a roadside van.
Cutting Edge investigation into the world of gambling in 'Casino'. The documentary focuses on the trails and tribulations of the members of the Clifton Casino Club in Lytham St Annes. Broadcaster:
A 'social experiment' fly-on-the-wall documentary following 10 12-year girls left alone to fend for themselves in a house without adult supervision.
On a holiday to the then Yugoslavia, Alison met and fell in love with a man. They moved back to the UK together where they married and had two children. However, after turmoil in his home country, her husband became radicalized by his Muslim faith, and the couple divorced. Alison was granted custody of the children, but her ex-husband fled with them. Now Alison must track them down on a journey which takes her not just to what is now Bosnia, but also to the tumultuous patriarchy of Iran, where the father's rights trump all else.
In any society a mother's love for her child is thought to be sacred. Late in 2003 in an American court that most universal of instincts was being called into question. A jury had to decide if Terri Milbrandt had violated the trust of her daughter and perpetrated a sadistic fraud, deceived a caring community.
After six years of struggling to control their seven-year-old daughter, Georgina, parents Diane and Fred resolve to give parenting one last try before putting her into care. They track down Warwick Dyer on the Internet and apply his unique system of child behaviour management. In doing so it quickly emerges that the blame for Georgina's unacceptable behaviour lies squarely with her parents.
Two boys, blown apart by US bombs, were among some of the very few war casualties to be evacuated from the devastation of the Allied attacks on Baghdad. They were both flown, close to death, to a hospital in Kuwait, to be treated by the same team of plastic surgeons. One is six, the other 13: they are both named Ali. Ali Abbas lost his arms and most of his family. He became known as one of the press icons of the conflict, and received messages of support, donations, and offers of medical assistance from all around the world. He is now in Britain. The other Ali, Ali Hussein, had also lost many family members and had severe facial injuries that transformed his appearance. But he and the other Iraqi children evacuated to Kuwait were not singled out for any press attention.
The story of Natallie Evans who had IVF before having her ovaries removed after discovering she had cancer. Her ex-boyfriend is now applying to have the embryos destroyed and she is taking her case to the courts to protect them.
David Henshaw uses undercover reporters to produce a film about child sex trafficking in Europe.
The story of the Miss World fiasco in Nigeria. Broadcaster:
The story of two Australian brothel madams who arrived in England in 1996 and began passing themselves off as aristocratic ladies before being caught by the police.
A look at what it is like to be an ethnic minority in Britain from a child's point-of-view.
Women who had passionate holiday romances track down their summer flings to find out if the fizzle is still there.
Documentary about an eccentric, aristocratic family who are desperate to find money to help repair their dilapidated mansion.
Al Coulston and Slim Cooper are successful ticket touts. In this documentary they try to acquire tickets for desirable sporting and entertainment events to sell on for a profit. They face competition from Internet sites specializing in ticket sales and authorities becoming wise to their schemes. Will their tactics prove lucrative?
In June 2002, Salt Lake City was the setting for a chilling kidnapping. An angelic young girl was stolen from her bedroom in the middle of the night. The daughter of a wealthy Mormon family, Elizabeth Smart was the most unlikely of victims in a seemingly motiveless crime. Two years in the making, this film reveals what lay behind her strange abduction - a story so bizarre and unique that it almost defies belief.
Documentary looking at key characters, including police access, in the story of Dena Thompson, deemed the Black Widow for murdering her second husband and attempting to murder the third. Through the personal testimony of people involved with Dena, the film attempts to piece together how one woman could ruin the lives of so many men.
Documentary looking at professional house clearing firm, The Clampitts.
Documentary about specialist cleaners who are responsible for cleaning up after a dead body has been found.
The story of 20 couples who all married in 1980 and featured in their local newspaper, the Brighton and Hove Gazette. We discover what's happened to them in the intervening 25 years.
15-year old Heather is on a journey into the spirit world. Guided by her mother, she's meeting a talking to dead people. 8-year old Oliver sees dead people. They just appear randomly and then vanish. Both Oliver and Heather's mothers believe their children are at a critical point in their spiritual development. This film follows them over three months on their extraordinary journeys.
Documentary about two twin sisters who find it difficult to spend time apart.
A look at the clash between foxes in urban environments and the citizens.
Documentary about the A46 road in Lincolnshire; it has reputation as being one of the most dangerous road in England due to the high number of fatalities.
Follows the lives of three partially-sighted pupils at the Royal National College for the Blind. Looking at the issues that affect them such as; love, sex and relationships.
A school undertake a social experiment in which the pupils give up swearing.
Follows three families as they undertake the process of hiring an Au Pair and the problems that arise.
A look at people past the retirement age who still choose to work.
Documentary about a private boys school in France. The school teaches unusual subjects such as hunting and Latin prayer. Recently, the school has been in need of a cash injection due to the school becoming dilapidated but with student numbers falling is it too late.
Animal trainer Jackie Rowberry searches for an Au Pair.
Alex is a boy who suffers from a severe form of Cystic fibrosis. He is also a gifted composer and musician. While suffering from the disease he undertakes the tough challenge of conducting Bach's Magnificat at Eton.
A look at people who claim insurance either illegally by scamming or legally, and the companies which are responsible for paying out.
Looking at the life and downfall of the tenth Earl of Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, who went missing in 2004. A millionaire philanthropist, he gradually fell into a lifestyle that included drugs and womanizing, and ended up on the French Riviera spending his time and money in hostess bars.
Follows the stories of three young children who preach the word of the Lord.
One street. 116 households. What goes on behind closed doors? Happy stories. Sad stories. Hopeful stories. Remarkable stories. It could be any street but this is My Street.
Two ten-year-old (female) best friends find themselves being kidnapped outside of their local school by a notorious pedophile. This film tells of their ordeal, their eventual rescue and the outcome of the events that took place.
A look at the people who work in call centers and are frequently (and often unfairly) on the receiving end of the customer's anger.
A look at four young girls and how the they deal with their unplanned pregnancies in a Liverpool hospital ward.
Ian Hamilton is a macho, muscle-bound Paratrooper, who has served for decades in numerous war zones – all the time secretly battling with the inner turmoil of feeling like a woman living in a man's body. Film-maker Jane Preston's Cutting Edge documentary paints an intimate and raw portrait of the remarkable year in which Ian undertakes the transgender journey to become Jan.
A look at nine months in the lives of two half-sibling couples, whose incestuous relationships began after reuniting as adults.
As the nation breathes a sigh of relief as Shannon Matthews is found alive, this Cutting Edge special offers a unique insight into the intense emotional turmoil experienced by her family in the five days leading up to her rescue. With unprecedented access, the film follows Shannon’s mother, Karen, and stepfather Craig, as they deal with every parent’s worst nightmare, a missing child, while finding themselves at the centre of a media storm. Filmed within the family home this documentary offers an intimate portrait of the Matthews family and a community united in worry; from moments of despair to relief as Shannon is found.
A look at Alain Robert, dubbed the Human Spider, who scales some of the world's tallest buildings without the aid of ropes or safety equipment, despite suffering with epilepsy.
Exploring the effect overprotection can have on children.
British tourist Meredith Kercher was murdered whilst in Italy. This documentary gives an insight into the events that took place up to her death.
An insight into the competitive world of child Thai boxing.
Britain's oddest forgers.
Documentary looking at three large families who between have over thirty children but, they still intend on having more.
A look at UK traffic jams and how they affect the drivers involved
The story of Tania Head, who lied about surviving the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and claimed she lost her fiancé and made a miraculous escape.
Charting a month in the life of ambulance 212 and its crew in Reading.
Cutting Edge explores the purity movement in America, where one girl in every six pledges to remain a virgin, or to save her first kiss, until her wedding day. Award-winning documentary-maker Jane Treays investigates whether this decision is made by the girls themselves or their parents, and follows a group of fathers and daughters as they prepare to attend a ôpurity ballö in Colorado Springs, run by Randy Wilson and his wife Lisa.
Dana is eight years old. She is also anorexic. This week's Cutting Edge follows Dana as she embarks on an intensive 12-week programme at a specialist clinic, to examine why younger and younger children are developing eating disorders. Dr Dee Dawson, Medical Director of the Rhodes Farm Clinic, which treats young girls with eating disorders, says: "I'm in no doubt now that the average age is falling. We are seeing more eight, nine and 10-year-olds than we have ever seen before." But how will Dana cope, away from her family, as the youngest of 20 girls with eating disorders?
Three British narcolepsy sufferers - who can fall asleep dozens of times each day - head to a conference in the US, where they attend a series of pioneering workshops. Samantha is embarrassed of her constant collapsing, and initially struggles to embrace the openness of the conference. Tony struggles to stay awake at school and is determined to learn more about alternative treatments. Ken's relationship has been put to the test because of his narcolepsy.
Every year thousands of British homeowners call in the builders, trusting their most valuable asset to a stranger. For a long time, the trusty British builder seemed to have a monopoly on home improvements. But in the past five years, a new breed of builder has reached Britain from Eastern Europe - particularly from Poland.
Award-winning documentary-maker Jane Treays follows a year in the life of 20-year-old heroin addict Hannah, her mother Kate, and boyfriend Ricky. As Hannah makes the transition from living on the street to moving into a bedsit, the film provides an insight into the challenges the two women face as they struggle with their relationship.
On November 14th, 1,000 middle-aged men - including the Prince of Wales will celebrate their 60th birthdays. Speaking with unusual candour, seven of them tell how the past six decades have shaped their lives in parallel with Prince Charles, their most illustrious contemporary.
A emotionally powerful film by award winning director Zac Beattie, which explores the gap between rich and poor, following two teenage girls of similar age who live at opposite ends of the same street, one born to poverty, the other to a life of plenty.
Britain is a nation of animal lovers. But how far are owners prepared to go when their pets develop special needs?
Cutting Edge follows members of the Jackson Five and their families, including Tito and Jackie, plus Catherine, Taj, TJ, Tarryl and Siggy, as they relocate from Los Angeles to Appledore in Devon. The film examines how the residents of the fishing village cope with their famous neighbours and offers a surprising insight into celebrity life, including a phone call from Michael to his relatives.
An insight into the work of the Health and Safety Executive at its laboratories in Buxton, following inspectors, consultants and council officials who work to protect people from harm. With Britain one of the safest countries in the world, Cutting Edge asks whether the obsession with preventative measures has been taken too far.
Cutting Edge examines the story of Thomas Beatie, who became the world's first pregnant man and gave birth to a daughter earlier this year. Born Tracy La Gondino, in Hawaii, Thomas underwent gender reassignment surgery and hormone treatments to legally become male, though stopped short of having a hysterectomy. After marrying his wife Nancy and discovering she could not have children, he conceived by donor insemination and was thrust into the media spotlight
Sensitive account of the terrible affect of a serial killer on the previously quiet town of Ipswich, with heartfelt interviews with relatives and residents.
Stuart Robinson is a man who travels around the world to chase storms. This documentary follows follows his quest to get into the eye of the storm in America and the impact it has on his wife.
The story of Laura Williams, the youngest mother in the world to give bith to conjoined twins. Laura and her husband Aled made medical history with the birth of their twin daughters, Hope and Faith, who were joined from shoulder to waist. This film follows the girls' fight for life as they undergo a ten-hour operation to separate them.
A look at a collection of births, marriages and deaths that all take place on one day.
A look at the growing dispute between UK residents and bin men.
Looking at serial surrogates. Questioning women who give birth to other people's children are addicted to the process and the effects it can have on their health.
A look at parents who are determined to go to any lengths to ensure their children are successful within a chosen sport.
Cutting Edge investigates the qualities that make a have-a-go hero, asking why some people will always intervene on behalf of strangers while others simply walk away. Five violent real-life incidents are used to illustrate one of the fundamental questions facing modern Britain whether the fabric of society has disintegrated to the point where the country has become a collective of strangers interested only in self-preservation.
Cutting Edge investigates what drove self-made millionaire Christopher Foster to murder his family and set fire to their Shropshire mansion, Osbaston House, in August 2008. Pathologists and forensic anthropologists, together with experts in arson and ballistics, give an informed perspective, while friends of Foster provide additional insights into what may have prompted such a horrific crime.
Follow up to the 1999 film, Fifteen. 10 years later the film follows the progress of Kimberley, a mum of two children; after having one child taken off her by social services she is determined not to have the other taken away. The film also explores her life with her new boyfriend and tries to find out what makes a good mother.
Cutting Edge presents a documentary examining the impact of the economic recession on ordinary Britons. The programme follows people living on roads that share a name with the American financial district, including Ali Kahn in Wolverhampton, who is determined to find work, and Grimsby resident Paul Hirst, whose spending habits have not been affected by the credit crunch.
Cutting Edge follows Kate and Gerry McCann as they deal with the pain of not knowing what has happened to their daughter. The film reconstructs events surrounding the youngster's disappearance, based on testimony given to the Portuguese police. Along with their investigation team, the McCanns endeavour to piece together the events of two years ago in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, while at the same time trying to create a normal life for Madeleine's siblings
This Cutting Edge documentary follows Professor Kypros Nicolaides and his team at London King's College Hospital as they try to save critically ill babies in the womb. Identical twin brothers Conner and Cody Bambrough have developed a rare and perilous condition that threatens both of their lives before they are born, prompting the doctors to carry out a radical procedure in the hope of saving them
Cutting Edge follows inspectors from Birmingham City Council's building control unit as they investigate anonymous tip-offs, uncover dangerous building practices and oversee demolitions. Among the homeowners who must abide by strict rules and regulations are a pregnant mother whose builder has left her with a roof that cannot be saved, and a man who has spent 15 years gutting his terraced house without getting official approval
Cutting Edge returns with the first in-depth documentary about the discovery that stunned the world: Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was kidnapped 18 years ago, aged 11, and found alive last month
Cutting Edge catches up with Alex Stobbs, the musical prodigy who has cystic fibrosis and was first featured in A Boy Called Alex, who is now studying music at Cambridge.
To find out what pubs really mean to us, film-maker Sue Bourne takes a 3,000-mile pub crawl to some of Britain's Red Lions. Cutting Edge provides a timely snapshot of our drinking habits.
Emily Horne has been married five times but never got divorced. Behind the headlines, Cutting Edge investigates a darker tale of mental illness, addiction and neglect.
Katie was a model and budding TV presenter with a glowing future ahead of her, but in 2008 a vicious acid attack destroyed her face, career and life as she knew it.
Schoolboy Michael Perham takes on the biggest challenge in sailing: a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe, something fewer people have achieved than have been in space.
A day in the hectic life of single mother-of-14 Nadya Suleman, who caused a media sensation in January 2009 when she gave birth to octuplets after IVF treatment. As well as chronicling a typical day in the Suleman household, the documentary explores Nadya's back story, including her own lonely childhood.
Cutting Edge gains unique access to Westminster City Council's parking enforcement operation, following new recruits as they join the army of traffic wardens patrolling London's streets.
Revealing the life of three-year-old Jess. Her condition has baffled experts which led her to be dubbed Britain's Youngest Sleepwalker.
Cutting Edge documentary following `The Season', a six-month period in London that provides the upper classes with the opportunity to meet the Queen and find potential suitors for their daughters. The programme concentrates on how the debutantes model clothes and hats and get lessons in protocol, including curtseying and letter writing, before the event culminates in the Queen Charlotte Ball.
A 43-year-old woman with eight boys is desperate to have a girl, but with her biological clock ticking, her dream has become an obsession. Cutting Edge investigates the psychological condition known as gender disappointment, and asks why would-be parents in the UK cannot medically select the sex of the child they want.
Cutting Edge follows four eight-year-old girls as they embark on their first year at boarding school, exploring the effect on the children and their families as they begin their new lives and seek to overcome the pains of separation.
Cutting Edge enters the world of 21st-century gypsy and traveller weddings, where ancient traditions meet modern fashions. Following four brides-to-be as they plan for their big days, the programme has access to an often misunderstood community, revealing a culture where sex before marriage is still a scandal and divorce unheard of.
Cutting Edge delves into the multi-billion-Pound world of Britain's personal injury industry to find out if Britain is developing an American-style mania for suing, or if "No Win, No Fee" lawyers are finally giving the little man a chance to fight back. Featuring the lawyers and local authorities working on opposing sides, and following real-life cases as they unfold, the programme looks beyond the media headlines about personal injury claims to reveal who are the real winners and losers in Britain's compensation culture.
Cutting Edge follows two writers who work for true-life magazines, successful publications that feature moving, bizarre and unbelievable stories, including the first man in the UK to have a bottom implant, and a chef whose friend - a jailed cannibal - sends him recipes. The programme also speaks to the individuals who have confessed all to find out why they are happy to reveal their most intimate secrets.
Cutting Edge follows three boys shortlisted for the Peter Beckwith Scholarship, which could pay for them to attend Harrow School, on the day that two boys are chosen for the scholarship.
Cutting Edge follows the new editor of The Lady, once a highly respected and influential magazine, which is in need of a new lease of life. Rachel Johnson faces the daunting task of taking over the workforce and improving the circulation of England's longest-established women's weekly without alienating its current base of loyal readers
Cutting Edge gains access to the missions undertaken by medical staff and pilots in the RAF's Critical Care in the Air Support Team, flying from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. As they bring injured servicemen and women back from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, the C-17 Globemaster, one of the world's largest military aircraft, is transformed into a hospital with everything needed to bring wounded personnel home in less than 36 hours.
Cutting Edge tells the stories of two families whose children embarked on an overseas adventure but never returned. Erica Duggan's son died in disputed circumstances in Germany, while Bill Hawker's daughter, Lindsay, was found murdered in Tokyo. Faced with a foreign culture and police and lawyers they could barely communicate with, they gradually came to believe the only hope of uncovering the truth was to take on the investigation themselves.
What made a former Miss World fall for a double divorcee, who was 31 years her senior and insisted on washing his dirty socks by hand? In 1983, aged just 24, Wilnelia Merced married one of Britain's most loved celebrity entertainers. Celebrating the 68th year of his showbiz career, Wilnelia wanted to unveil the secrets of their long and highly unusual marriage, and Cutting Edge has been given unprecedented access in this intimate and revealing account of day-to-day life with national treasure Bruce Forsyth.
Cutting Edge examines the life of gay British millionaires Tony and Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, a couple who hit the headlines when their first two children were born to a surrogate mother a decade ago. The programme follows them as they decide to have more kids and meet potential egg donors online, and examines how their determination to have a family at all costs has affected their own offspring.
Cutting Edge follows two of Britain's most prolific base jumpers and finds out what motivates them to jump from famous landmarks and pull their parachutes seconds from impact?
A follow-up documentary examining whether the couples survived their first year together.
Two families swap their children of just boys or girls for the opposite gender for a weekend.
Building a psychological profile of Raoul Moat using tapes he recorded and interview with the people who knew him.
Cutting Edge follows the fortunes of Simon Hales,a 20-year-old who suffered a brain injury after falling 20ft on a night out. After five weeks in a coma, he eventually woke but realised he could not remember anything about the incident. As he returns home to his parents and begins the rehabilitation process, the documentary shows the daily struggles he and his family face on the road to a recovery that even doctors cannot be sure of
Since it started in 1994, the National Lottery has created over two and a half thousand new millionaires. This Cutting Edge film tells the story of a number of lottery winners and the moment their lives were suddenly turned upside down, revealing their extraordinary experiences and capturing their lifestyle today. Jackpots and Jinxes: Lottery Stories also enters the mysterious halls of Camelot to discover the inner workings of the organisation behind the lottery. The film makers gain insight into how Camelot manage the lucky ticket holders and their friends and family by filming with new winners before they decide to make their identities known. And they meet the staff - from the weights and measures man who calibrates the balls, to those taking the potential winners' calls, to the person who helps them to decide whether to keep their win a secret or go public with the news. Some of Britain's luckiest people open up about what it's really like when your fortune changes overnight; some revel in their newfound celebrity, whereas others find their win has caused surprising challenges and difficulties in their lives. As well as seeking to answer the questions all of us have when we imagine winning the lottery - what will you buy first, who would you give money to, would a lottery win really change your life? - this humorous and touching film also delves deeper into some of the best winners' stories to explore just how profoundly their lives have been altered. Mark Gardiner, who was one of the first lottery winners 16 years ago, is fully aware of the highs and lows of winning the jackpot and during the film, advises a winner who is struggling to come to terms with their sudden wealth. Five years ago, Tony won £2.2 million but soon after discovered the true cost of love when he divorced his wife and had to pay her almost half the money. Ray and Barbara Wragg won £7.6 million and have given nearly £6 million away to family, friends and charities - their win has
This Cutting Edge film explores one of the longest-running, most emotionally charged battles in British medical history. In one corner, a pioneering doctor who dared to accuse mothers of abusing their own children. In the other corner are the mothers who counter-claim that the doctor was the abuser - using his power so that he could research on the children to test his own medical theories. With unprecedented access to both sides of the story, this authored documentary by Bafta award-winning film-maker Leo Regan explores the controversy surrounding paediatrician Dr David Southall and the group of mothers he accused of abusing their children. Filmed over two years, Regan gets to the heart of this war between doctors and mothers and tries to find out who's telling the truth.
The expansion of the EU and open borders in the UK have led to a surge in foreign criminals heading for Britain. The number of requests for wanted fugitives has risen ten-fold over the past five years and now totals more than 4300 a year. Over the course of three months Cutting Edge has unique access to New Scotland Yard's Extradition Unit as they track down murderers, suspected rapists and armed robbers from abroad. A record 1500 foreign fugitives are now arrested each year and with more and more coming to these shores it's a job that is stretching the unit and its officers to the limit. Some of these criminals go to extraordinary lengths to evade capture, changing their name and ID, so it's a painstaking and often frustrating experience tracking them down. The film-makers are there as officers follow up on leads tracing potentially dangerous criminals, and capture high-tension arrests as the unit's hard work finally pays off. The cameras are also with the unit when it deals with some of its biggest ever high profile cases, including the arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, wanted in Sweden for alleged sex crimes, and the arrest of Shrien Dewani, wanted in South Africa in connection with the death of his wife, Anni, on their honeymoon. Other cases include the hunt for Hungary's most wanted fugitive, a Turkish man who conducted an honour killing, a suspected Croatian war criminal and an alleged serial rapist who's escaped the French authorities and who they must close in on before it's too late
Colin Blanchard, Vanessa George, Angela Allen, Tracy Lyons and Tracey Dawber provoked widespread revulsion and made international headlines after their sexual offences against children came to light in 2009. With unique access to the police investigation, Cutting Edge is the first film to take an in-depth forensic look at this criminal web, detailing how it operated, and what motivated the five people within it. This carefully crafted, sensitive and revealing documentary uses police interviews with the offenders, and first-hand testimonies from family members of the offenders and the parents of a possible victim. Chilling unseen police evidence from a multi-force inquiry is pieced together in an attempt to understand how Colin Blanchard persuaded four women - all mothers - to abuse children. The film also reveals the painstaking police investigations in Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Plymouth and Portsmouth that led to five arrests and subsequent successful convictions. To understand the emotional and psychological fallout for those most intimately affected by the ring, the film-makers hear from the parents of a child who attended the Little Ted's Nursery in Plymouth, where Vanessa George worked. Unaware of the secret lives of their loved ones, the perpetrators' relatives also talk candidly about how the legacy of abuse continues to affect them. The husband of one of the offenders gives detailed insight into the trauma of betrayal. And in another powerful interview, a close relative of one of the female abusers - a young woman who has been forced into hiding - describes how she was driven from her home after the news was made public.
The British hospitality industry is under attack. Businesses are being assaulted by ever-more nit-picking and abusive reviews. It's bad for their livelihoods and their sanity. But it's not the professional critics who are reviewing their hosts; a nation of virtual AA Gills and Michael Winners are using the Trip Advisor website to get their own back on hotels and restaurants. With more than 40 million users a month, Trip Advisor is the largest and most powerful travel guide in the world. But is it a force for good that gives the customer a voice, or an abuse of power that undermines businesses and ruins lives? How long can Britain's small businesses cope with relentless criticism before they pack it all in? This Cutting Edge film reveals Britain's most meticulous Trip Advisors and meets some of the hoteliers and restaurateurs at war with the site.
With exclusive access to Mark Kennedy, Britain's most controversial undercover police officer, this gripping and revelatory documentary tells the definitive, inside story of Mark Stone/Kennedy. Directed by BAFTA Award-winner Brian Hill and narrated by Kennedy, the Cutting Edge film also features interviews with the police to reconstruct the story of how Mark Kennedy went from being a regular south London police officer, with a wife and two children, to becoming Mark Stone. This was Mark the environmental campaigner, militant activist and undercover cop who broke into power stations, learned how to make bombs, infiltrated groups hell-bent on attacking major corporations and stood arm-in-arm with anti-capitalist anarchists. He also had a relationship with a female activist for four years and was even beaten up by fellow police officers who were unaware he was undercover. All the time he was feeding intelligence back to his handlers. Now, with his cover blown, he lives in fear for his life. He is separated from his wife and family. The woman he fell deeply in love with as Mark Stone never wants to see him again. For the first time, Kennedy is returning to face up to himself, his actions and to the people who claim he betrayed them.
Alan Turing is the genius British mathematician who was instrumental in breaking the German naval Enigma Code during World War II, arguably saving millions of lives. He was also the visionary scientist who gave birth to the computer age, pioneered artificial intelligence and was the first to investigate the mathematical underpinnings of the living world. Turing is one of the great original thinkers of the 20th century, who foresaw the digital world in which we now live. In the eyes of many scientists today Turing sits alongside Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin at the table of scientific greats. Turing's achievements went unrecognised during his lifetime. Instead he ended up being treated as a common criminal, for being homosexual at a time when homosexual acts were a crime. In 1952, he was convicted of 'gross indecency' with another man and was forced to undergo so-called 'organo-therapy' - chemical castration. Two years later, he killed himself with cyanide, aged just 41. Alan Turing was driven to a terrible despair and early death by the nation he'd done so much to save. In the last 18 months of his short life, Turing visited a psychiatrist, Dr Franz Greenbaum, who tried to help him. This film brings Turing's ideas to life by dramatising this relationship and these sessions, based on historical records, Turing's writings, and accounts of those who knew him. The film includes the testimony of people who knew and remember Turing. Plus, contemporary experts from the world of technology and high science, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, bring Turing's exciting impact up to the present day, explaining why, in many ways, modern technology has only just begun to explore the potential of Turing's ideas.
Seven years ago, they were the happiest, perfect family. A loving husband and wife with two beautiful boys. When the children were 17 and 10 the oldest son, Henry discovered his mother half dead in the garden. She was unrecognizable because there was so much blood and his father just stood there watching her try to crawl to safety. His father had blindfolded his mother and walked her out to the garden where he hit her in the head with the back of an ax, fracturing her skull in three places and leaving her to die. He only served 5 months in prison and then tried to return to the family as if nothing had happened. The family hid the whole tragedy from the youngest son, Felix. Now that Felix is 17 yrs. old Henry decides to tell him the whole story, while trying to heal himself.
Cash-strapped Britain is in the grip of a bargain-hunting boom. Every week a staggering 40 million of us use money-off deals and voucher sites to buy anything from holidays to clothes, car insurance and even dental care. Cutting Edge takes an entertaining and revealing look at the lives of some of the country's thriftiest people, from frugal families obsessed by discount vouchers and competitions to a penny-pinching bride who's determined that her wedding day will cost less than the price of the average wedding dress. The Ultimate Guide to Penny Pinching offers a warm insight into the lives of people who take watching the pennies to new extremes. Thirty-eight-year-old Judith is a voucher-loving midwife who can slash her supermarket bill from £50 to less than five pounds. By the age of 15, Judith had opened 170 bank and building society accounts to get the free gifts they were offering to children. Her family also live by Judith's cost-effective ways, using solar panels to heat their hot water and missing showers when the weather is bad, or eating the same meals for weeks because it was bought on offer. For Judith getting a discount or using coupons is a way of life. Betrothed bargain hunters Rebekah and Steven believe you don't have to spend thousands to have your dream wedding, but neither does it have to look cheap. Rebekah is having her dress made by her mum, she'll arrive at the ceremony in a minicab, and the flowers are from the local supermarket. Together with their finger buffet and alcohol-free reception, the couple's overall wedding spend is less than the average cost of a photographer. Cost-cutting carnivore Jonathan reckons he saves £1500 a year by replacing meat from the butcher with freshly collected roadkill. When friends come over for dinner, their barbeque could be anything from squirrel to pheasant, and it can often be a guessing game around the table. IT worker Jalaj uses the latest technology to ensure he pays rock-bottom
Cutting Edge explores the world of extreme Christmas decorating, meeting people who adorn their houses in festive regalia every year, and finding out why they do it
In a pretty English village in the Surrey stockbroker belt lives the infamous Mr Wallace, whose hoarding habits have spread across a million pounds-worth of property that used to belong to his parents. His detached bungalow, four-bedroom semi-detached house and separate double garage are all stuffed from floor to ceiling with newspapers and other household items. Cutting Edge is given unique access into his intriguing home, where no one else has ever ventured. Mr Wallace is arguably the UK's most extreme hoarder and his house has become a death trap. It is so packed that he has to crawl over mountains of papers and magazines simply to move from room to room; it takes 40 minutes to get to his front door from the chair he eats and sleeps in. The garden also acts as a dumping ground for tonnes of refuse so old that it is overgrown by foliage and trees.
Every year in Britain, more than 600 people commit murder. The majority of these killers will eventually be sent to Gartree Prison in Leicestershire.
Ian Brady, psychopath, sadist and child murderer, has been in captivity for nearly 50 years, but he is still a powerful and disturbing presence in the nation's consciousness. This Cutting Edge film, which has unprecedented access to those closest to Brady, charts his ongoing attempts to influence and control those around him. When acclaimed director Paddy Wivell set out to make a film about Ian Brady's legal bid to be transferred from a psychiatric facility to a prison, he had no idea that he would find himself witnessing one of Brady's notorious power plays. At the outset of filming, Wivell met the solicitors and psychiatrists who've been closely involved in his cases over the last decades, many of whom would be speaking publicly for the first time. But a meeting with Brady's mental health advocate for the last 15 years changed the course of the film. His mental health advocate is also one of the executors of Brady's will and recently applied for power of attorney for his health and welfare. Following Brady's seizure and the subsequent indefinite postponement of his mental health tribunal, she discloses, on camera, some startling information that appears to present further important evidence of Brady's ongoing attempts to assert power over the victims' families. This film presents the inside story of the Moors Murderer since his crimes were discovered and charts his continued determination for power and control.
In Britain, chicken used to be a luxury. We used to eat the equivalent of just one a year. Now we slaughter over three and half million a day - and eat more of it than any other meat. How and where we eat chicken has changed and our high streets are changing with it. There are now over 2100 chicken shops in the UK in a fast-food market worth over £4 billion per year. Roosters Spot is an up and coming franchise in the increasingly competitive market of fried chicken. Exploring the phenomenal rise in public affection for everything fried chicken through a single shop in south London, this Cutting Edge documentary offers a unique and intriguing insight into contemporary London life. A 'mini-rig' of fixed cameras provides unprecedented access to Roosters Spot's flagship store on south London's party-strip, Clapham High Street. Flooded with regulars in the week and revellers on the weekend, it's a space that feels unpredictable at times and life-affirming at others. No two days or nights are the same, and at the weekend the staff serve up to a thousand customers a night and stay open until 6am.The Roosters team, working on both the front line and breadline of Britain, reveal their personal experiences of what it's like to serve the great British public. The Chicken Shop is a place anyone can come, anything can happen and where, most of the time, anything goes.
This insightful film explores members of Victim Supports National Homicide Team as they work closely with families who have been bereaved by murder or manslaughter. The murder workers offer practical and emotional support for families at different stages of bereavement, from the initial shock to starting to rebuild their lives. The families are often thrown into a world of police investigations and forced to navigate the confusing world of the criminal system, and its the murder workers responsibility to guide them through this difficult time.
Last year, Sally Roberts ran away with her son Neon, so he wouldn't receive treatment for a brain tumour. This Cutting Edge film speaks exclusively to both parents.
With 675,000 burglaries reported each year and a house broken into every 47 seconds, Britain is the most burgled country in the EU. With exclusive access to the police force tackling the problem in Britain's most burgled neighbourhoods, in Leeds, Cutting Edge takes viewers onto the frontline of the battle against Britain's burglars.
This Cutting Edge documentary explores the art of ageing with six extraordinary women who have an average age of 80, and who are determined to look fabulous, have fun and redefine old age.
Three true stories of teacher-pupil relationships in the age of social media.
This Cutting Edge documentary explores the surreal world of Ann Barnes, Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent. In 2012, elections to appoint 41 Police and Crime Commissioners were described as the biggest shake-up to policing for 50 years and cost £75 million, but resulted in the lowest voter turn-out since World War II. The low turnout meant that some obscure and 'eccentric' candidates were voted in. Initially, Ann railed against the introduction of PCCs, describing the policy as 'naïve and disastrous' and 'a wilful waste of money', before deciding to stand as one herself. She had a rocky first year in office, best known for a Twitter-based scandal, her official presidential-style camper van 'Ann Force 1' and her distinctive anti-politics style of connecting with people. But do the public see her as an independent breath of fresh air, who will roll her sleeves up to get things done, or a gaffe-prone amateur who stands no chance in the face of a massive cuts to police funding?
In this Cutting Edge documentary, multi-award-winning filmmaker Penny Woolcock is reunited with former gang member Dylan Duffus to explore the criminal subculture of the dog fighting world, as they examine our conflicted relationship with animals. Demonised by the media, certain breeds of dog are seen as status symbols, and some are also trained to fight. Dog fighting has been identified by the police and RSPCA as a growing problem in inner-city areas. In this challenging film Penny engages with those involved in dog fighting and meets academics and historians to question attitudes to blood sports and our treatment of animals as commodities.
This Cutting Edge documentary follows four patients involved in trials for some of the most advanced new cancer treatments in the world, and the doctors at London's University College Hospital who are leading the way.
Fat Fashion Wars features exclusive access to some of the country's largest plus size brands as they go through a period of expansion, opening new shores and designing new styles for women that are liberated by having a range of clothes that are fashionable and that they can actually wear.
This Cutting Edge film explores the jet-set world of the young and super rich, who share their luxury lifestyle and the lavish trappings on Instagram, from Kazakhstan to California.
This Cutting Edge documentary explores the wealth gap in Britain through two charismatic but estranged brothers. Multi-millionaire Tory businessman Ivan Massow lives in a luxurious five-storey home in central London and goes hunting in his spare time. His younger brother David ekes out a living as an odd-job man and lives in a white van on a lay-by, with no running water. The brothers' incredibly different lives tell the story of an increasingly divided Britain, where more people than ever before are fast-tracking it to millionaire status, sometimes leaving behind family members who've had less good fortune. So what happens to a family when one sibling suddenly becomes rich, and the other one doesn't?
To understand how and why guns are so central to American life, this Cutting Edge documentary goes behind the scenes at a small gun shop in Michigan. Who are their many, varied customers?
A major new documentary revealing the brutal reality of life inside British prisons, featuring numerous videos shot illegally by prisoners on smuggled-in mobile phones.
Cameras follow the marketing director of British Naturism, Andrew Welch, as he attempts to get young people to give naturism a go by organising a series of nude swims across the UK.
Comedian David Baddiel has a problem: his 82-year-old dad Colin has a rare form of dementia, which makes him prone to extreme outbursts of swearing, aggression and sexual-inappropriateness. Colin suffers from one of the most extraordinary forms of dementia, called Pick's disease, which has stripped Colin of all his inhibitions, and is stripping him of his memories. Filmed over the course of a year, this extraordinarily intimate Cutting Edge documentary charts David and his brothers' attempts to care for their dad in the aftermath of their mum's death. With the help of his older brother Ivor, David is trying to hold on to what is left of Colin, while at the same time attempting to have a more emotional connection with his dad - the man who he says gave him his sense of humour - before it's too late. By turns deeply moving and funny, The Trouble with Dad is a touching portrait of a family dealing with a situation that many of us may find ourselves in.
Every day a child in England and Wales loses a family member through murder or manslaughter. This powerful Cutting Edge film meets eight such families as they attend the UK's only residential weekend for children bereaved by murder or manslaughter. A Killing in My Family tells the stories of children and families whose lives have changed overnight, and the extraordinary team of grief professionals from the charity Winston's Wish who are helping to rebuild them.
On a cold dark December day in 2015, a tall grey haired man entered a London train station, bought a return ticket to Manchester and never came back. The following day his body was found on Saddleworth Moor, near Oldham. He was poorly dressed for the weather and carried few clues to identify him - no phone, no wallet, no passport or driving licence. For 12 months his identity remained a mystery. With exclusive access to the year long investigation by detectives from Greater Manchester Police, Mystery of the Man on the Moor tells the remarkable story of their painstaking work to identify him and to understand his lonely death. The film features previously unseen footage of the key moments of discovery as well as moving interviews with the man's family and former girlfriend who, despite extensive media coverage, both at home and abroad, had no idea he was missing.
Whether our children are behaving worse than ever before or our schools have got keener to weed out the ones that are being naughty, in 2017 record numbers of children are being permanently excluded from primary schools. Filmed over two terms at The Rosebery - a short stay school in Norfolk - this Cutting Edge documentary follows six excluded primary children who make up its youngest class. Young, funny and riotous, the children sulk, rage, delight, make friends, try to be good and, above all, hope to find new primary schools that will give them another chance. Intimately filmed from the point of view of the children, the programme reveals what it feels like to be excluded at seven.
documentary telling the story of 22-year-old father Taylor Britton, who broke his neck in a car accident, as he fights for his life in intensive care. Damage to his spinal cord suggests he may be paralysed from the neck down, but no one yet knows the full extent of his injuries. As doctors have decided to put Taylor into a coma so that a machine can support his breathing, this documentary sets out to record Taylor's medical journey, as well as the love and support of his family and friends as they visit him in hospital.
As part of the War on Terra season, Marcel Theroux travels through the weird and scary world of climate change to talk to the experts — the environmentalists, scientists and economists — and meet people who have already had a taste of what global warming has in store for us all. Global warming is the biggest problem facing us this century … bigger even than the problems of global terrorism.' — Sir David King, Chief Scientific advisor to the British Government. The icecaps are thinning, the forests are dying, the sea levels are rising and the Gulf Stream is slowing. Theroux explores how the threats posed by climate change call for a radical re-thinking of our priorities. To save the planet, scientists say we need to slash carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60% which leads Theroux to the unthinkable conclusion: that nuclear power may be the way to avert catastrophe.
As the nation breathes a sigh of relief as Shannon Matthews is found alive, this Cutting Edge special offers a unique insight into the intense emotional turmoil experienced by her family in the five days leading up to her rescue. With unprecedented access, the film follows Shannon’s mother, Karen, and stepfather Craig, as they deal with every parent’s worst nightmare, a missing child, while finding themselves at the centre of a media storm. Filmed within the family home this documentary offers an intimate portrait of the Matthews family and a community united in worry; from moments of despair to relief as Shannon is found.
