Inaugural edition. Leads with a report on the "brainwashing" of British spy Edgar Sanders after he was captured by the Soviets. Other items include a National Coal Board representative answering complaints about the quality of coal, a discussion about the state of the fishing industry and an art review section.
Including a roving eye report on the work of the BBC's Outside Broadcast Unit.
Panorama hosts a discussion on the hydrogen bomb, with guests including physicist Joseph Rotblat, historian Bertrand Russell, the Archbishop of York and senior military and political figures.
Including a filmed interview with writer W Somerset Maugham.
Malcolm Muggeridge talks with Spanish surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, who says that even if viewers only understand a little of his poor English, it will be a wonderful thing for them. Muggeridge questions him about how he cares for his magnificent moustache, his career as an artist and his interest in 'nuclear mysticism'.
In a segment entitled "Your Vote", the returning officer for Fulham talks with Max Robertson about various aspects of voting; Grace Wyndham Goldie talks about the BBC's plans for the reporting of the results of the upcoming election; and we are given a preview of some of the visual presentation methods that will be used in presenting the results. In "Queen of the Air", Max Robertson speaks with British Overseas Airways Corporation hostess Anne Price about winning a contest in Johannesburg. In "The Viscount", George Edwards of Vickers and J.H. Carmichael of Capital Airlines discuss the recent purchase of sixty Viscount planes by Capital Airlines.
First transmitted in 1955, Malcolm Muggeridge talks with American broadcast journalist Ed Murrow about the art of interviewing, commercial television, sponsorship and his memories of Britain during the war years. Including a filmed interview with Ed Murrow.
Poet John Betjeman participates in a discussion about canals.
This edition marks the re-launch of the programme in a weekly format. Including a report by Woodrow Wyatt from Malta whose leaders are engaged in round table talks with Britain on the island's future independence. Also also featuring filmed interviews with foreign tourists in Britain and a direct line to France using the Eurovision terrestrial microwave network.
Including a report about the popularity of coffee bars in Britain.
Including an item in which reporter Max Robertson dresses as Santa Claus in Selfridges and attempts to discover what is top of the Christmas wish lists for children in 1955.
Includes an item on the Sadler's Wells Theatre.
Including a filmed item on guided missiles.
Bob Pelham takes part in a roving eye report from the British Industries Fair.
Panorama visits the southern US state of Virginia, where racial segregation is still rigidly enforced.
Including a live demonstration of the "saw through" illusion by magician P. C. Sorcar.
In the week of the tenth anniversary of the BBC Telivision Service's resumption of transmission after the War, Panorama devotes a large part of this edition to a behind the scenes look at television broadcasting.
Including a filmed report by Woodrow Wyatt from Bahrain.
Writer Brendan Behan accidentally swears on television during a drink fueled interview. Other items include an interview with War Office staff on civil defence and a discussion on finishing schools.
Including an interview with the Prime Minister of Ceylon and an account of modern Sweden.
Including an appearance by English playwright John Osborne.
The programme leads with a review of developments in the Suez crisis. Also includes a report on labour shortages on the British Railways.
Including an interview with Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd.
Woodrow Wyatt investigates the chances of surviving a hydrogen bomb attack and asks whether civil defence could help.
Including a filmed report on the Dalai Lama and Buddhist ceremonies in Tibet.
Includes interviews with British car drivers on the eve of the Motor Show.
Including a report from Hungary filmed in October, narrated by Hungarian writer George Mikes. The film shows a population joyful of a seemingly successful revolution, unaware that by the time of the film's transmission, Soviet tanks were to move into Hungary. The programme, in its coverage of the escalating Suez crisis, takes the novel approach of cutting to a news bullitin during the transmission of this edition to give the added impression of urgency. This was done at the behest of Cecil McGivern, then Deputy Director of Television Broadcasting.
Including a report by Adrian Crawley from Baghdad, Edward Ward speaking from the Hungarian Frontier, an interview by Christopher Chataway of an Australian newspaperman and a broadcast by Alistair Cooke from the United Nations in New York.
Including a live appearance by jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong.
A human birth is broadcast live on television.
Featuring a notorious film about the abundant spaghetti harvest in the Swiss valley of Ticino, near Locarno, caused by a mild winter and the near elimination of the spaghetti weevil. Also featuring a report from Poland by Chris Chataway; wine tasting with Josceline Dimbleby and a panel of experts; and a discussion of Makarios III, Archbishop of Cyprus
Including a discussion of the Spanish dictatorship with Woodrow Wyatt.
Including a look at the problems plaguing the city of Naples.
Including discussions concerning the recent poll on the various Christian denominations practiced in Britain.
Woodrow Wyatt investigates the impact of new apartheid laws, such as the Group Areas Act. Wyatt interviews politicians from all parties, including Prime Minister JG Strijdom and the president-general of the ANC, Chief Albert Mvumbi Luthuli.
Including a discussion on the health impact of smoking.
Malcolm Muggeridge visits Lourdes and discusses the reported healings with various religious experts.
Including an interview with Nigerian sculptor Ben Enwonvot, displaying his statue of Queen Elizabeth II, commissioned for the Federal House of Representatives in Lagos.
Woodrow Wyatt investigates allegations of ballot rigging in the Electrical Trades Union. Also including a report on family budgets across the country. Households from County Durham, London and Devon are compared and housewives explain how they make their housekeeping money last throughout the week.
Including a report on the spiralling costs of drugs prescribed by NHS doctors and whether the bill could be reduced using cheaper non-brand alternatives.
Including the first public demonstration of the BBC's Vision Electronic Recording Apparatus.
Including an interview with musician Lonnie Donegan.
The Panorama team explore the problems of the Middle East with interviews of significant personalities from Middle Eastern countries.
Including a report on Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution.
Including an interview with President Nasser of Egypt and filmed reports on the teaching of Latin in schools and high pressure salesmanship.
Robert Kee looks at foreign policy an interviews various diplomatic and political figures. Also including a report by Christopher Chataway and Larry Parnes on the rock and roll industry.
Panorama reports on the ultra-right wing White Defence League and the response to its call for mass non-white repatriation. The programme speaks with leader Colin Jordan about his extreme policies and a campaign group set up to oppose them.
Including a filmed report by Christopher Chataway on the new town of Harlow where experiments are being tried in mixing working and middle class residencies.
Panorama reports from India, Africa, America and Russia to highlight the problems and challenges that the next ten years will bring. The contributors include the Prime Minister of India and Proffessor J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Including a report on relations between the police and the public by James Mossman, featuring an interview with the Chief Constable of Liverpool. Also including a discussion on the merits of cremation of the dead as opposed to burial chaired by Ludovic Kennedy. In addition, Robin Day interviews Denis Healey MP and Peter Kirk MP on the subject of nuclear arms for Germany.
Including a report on the preparations for the Paris Summit in May, featuring an interview with Republican Congressman Walter Judd and Democrat Wayne Hays. Also including reports on West German bases in Spain and the British space program.
Including a discussion of overpopulation and the use of the contraceptive pill, with Margaret Pyke (Chairman of the Family Planning Association) and Father Arthur McCormack. Also including reports on the Dominican Republic and GIs in Britain.
James Mossman reports on the relationship between Europeans and Africans in the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
A report from Glasgow on the high unemployment in the area and the poor living conditions that many people live in.
In a report entitled “Planned Giving”, the director of an American firm which raises money for charity explains how his company operates.
Including an interview with Admiral Arleigh Burke, American Chief of Naval Operations conducted by Ed Murrow regarding the Polaris nuclear missile submarines stationed in British bases.
Cuban exiles share their reasons for fleeing their homeland. In Washington, Robin Day questions two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about U.S. involvement in plans to oust Castro.
After being condemned by the Commonwealth for its apartheid regime, South Africa left and became a republic. A range of South Africans express differing views on the situation, ranging from outright defiance from some white South Africans to understandable concerns from one South African of Indian descent.
Richard Dimbleby talks to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh about Commonwealth Technical Training Week. John Morgan presents a report from Madrid about life in modern-day Spain.
Fidel Castro leads a group of journalists on a tour of Cuba. Among the scenes are reminders of the recent failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Robin Day secures an interview (in English) with Castro.
Including an interview with Major Yuri Gagarin in London, conducted by Richard Dimbleby.
The news and current-affairs programme looks at the implications of the end of the Cuban missile crisis. Hosted by Richard Dimbleby, studio discussions are chaired by Robin Day in Washington and James Mossman at home, with guests including the Right Honourable Harold Wilson and the Right Honourable Earl of Home, who discuss Britain's role in the crisis. John Morgan reports from checkpoint Bravo in Berlin on whether the Soviet position there will change as a result of Khrushchev's climbdown. Sir William Hayter, a former Ambassador to Moscow, is certain that this is not the beginning of world peace.
Live edition on the night that Her Majesty the Queen asked Alec Douglas-Home to be Prime Minister, following Harold Macmillan's sudden resignation due to ill health.
Panorama that profiled Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, and asked him about the music industry in general and the Fab Four in particular.
John Morgan interviews groups of mods and rockers about their lifestyles.
This edition features Liverpool, 'the most talked-about city in Europe'.
Panorama tries to predict what the future holds for bank holiday activities
The main feature is a report by Robin Day from Pretoria, where Nelson Mandela and other defendants in the Rivonia Trial have been sentenced. Day interviews people who condemn the trial and sentence, including Helen Suzman, Alan Paton and Winnie Mandela. Additionally, Michael Charlton visits Chicago and speaks with Elijah Mohammed, leader of the militant black separatist group the Nation of Islam.
Richard Dimbleby hosts a discussion on the findings in the Warren Commission report.
Profile of Harold Wilson and Alec Douglas-Home on the election trail from 19 October 1964.
As viewers come to terms with the loss of a great British hero, Richard Dimbleby hosts a collection of tributes to Winston Churchill from his friends and colleagues. Contributions come from Churchill's Foreign Secretary Lord Avon (formerly Anthony Eden, his successor as Prime Minister), Lord Mountbatten, the Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson, Governor Harriman of the US State Department and former Prime Minister of France Paul Reynaud. The programme concludes with an item from an earlier edition of 'Panorama' on Churchill's life.
Richard Dimbleby discusses the future of public transport with Dr Richard Beeching in the wake of his second report into railway provision.
Panorama interviews church, political and literary leaders over the strict censorship laws in the Republic of Ireland. Also includes a report on the April 1965 Irish general election and an interview with Danny Rice whose bedroom is divided by the border.
Including a report on life and political oppression in Bahrain.
Film of the opening ceremony of the Volta River Project performed by the President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, and coverage of the building of the project.
Panorma gives over its whole programme to looking at cancer, the disease which the previous year had taken the life of Panorama broadcaster Richard Dimbleby.
Panorama examines the theory of a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.
A look at Britain's social services, including interviews with Professor Peter Townsend and Anthony Crosland.
A special report on Belgium.
An account of mental illness and treatment in England today including several personal stories of cases.
Panorama reports on the Vietnam War.
A look at California's technology industry and its potential impact on the future. The Californian technology industry is by far the most advanced and pioneering of its kind across the developed world. John Morgan investigates how this distinctly Californian industry developed and the questions it raises for Britain and Europe.
Panorama examines Nasser's Egypt, 10 years after Suez and looks at what he has already done for his country and what his ambitions are for the future.
James Hanratty (also known as the A6 Murderer) was a British criminal who was one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was effectively abolished.
James Mossman interviews Richard Brigenshaw about the problems in the modern press industry.
Including a report entitled “Bottom Line on Weight Loss” examining the various methods through which people seek to lose weight.
The programme includes a look at how Britons spend their bank holidays.
James Watson reports on the Six-Day War in Israel having visited Tel Aviv, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Lord Caradon, Britains's delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, is asked for his opinion on Alexei Kosygin's walkout of the UN General Assembly during a debate on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Panorama visits Cleveland, on the verge of race riots, to ask civil rights leader Martin Luther King whether his non-violent movement was now losing ground to its more militant counterpart.
In an item entitled "Health Service", two doctors propose very different solutions to the problems already besetting the young organisation. One doctor believes the NHS just needs more money, while the other suggests that business efficiency models should be introduced and talks about 'utilising resources'. Meanwhile, a GP worries about changes in the doctor-patient relationship.
In the aftermath of Israel's victory in the Six Day War, Panorama reports on the complexity and tensions of life for the differing religions living in Israeli-controlled east Jerusalem, visiting many of the city's holy sites like the Western Wall - then known as the Wailing Wall - and the Dome of the Rock.
Including an interview with Harold Wilson in which the prospect of devaluation of the pound is discussed along with the Vietnam War and unemployment.
Is Heath the right man for the job? Panorama talks to Conservative Party activists about their views on Edward Heath. He is then interviewed by a panel of journalists.
Panorama's James Mossman reports on the Catholic Church's engagement with the changing world of the 1960s and the seismic shifts in the Catholic hierarchy during the papal reigns of John XXIII and Paul VI that covered this period.
Panorama reports on the reaction to devaluation of the pound. Featuring Alan Watson, Ian Trethowan and David Dimbleby, with contributions from Patrick Jenkin MP and Douglas Jay MP.
Panorama looks at the Vietnam War. Includes an investigation into the attitudes of US citizens to the war and coverage of Sennator Robert Kennedy's speech expressing his concerns.
Robin Day introduces a Panorama special on Northern Ireland in the wake of recent clashes between the police rival demonstrators, outlining the religious as well as the political motivations on all sides.
Robin Day reports from Northern Ireland on the 1969 General Election and whether or not Terence O'Neill can hold onto power at Stormont, or will lose out to Ian Paisley or O'Neill's party opponent, Bill Craig.
Robin Day hosts this special edition of the current-affairs programme, marking man's first steps on the surface of the moon. Julian Pettifer reports on demonstrators who believe the money spent on the Apollo missions should have been used to feed the starving millions back on Earth. In the studio, contributors including science-fiction novelist Brian Aldiss debate the issues surrounding the moon landing and its possible legacy.
Richard Kershaw reports on the situation in Belfast. He visits the barricades and speaks to residents and representatives from both sides of the divide.
In the first Panorama to be transmitted in color, Robin Day chairs a discussion on the current teacher's dispute and Julian Pettifer reports on the role of the British army in Northern Ireland.
Panorama features Nicholas Harman's film profile of Margaret Thatcher, Minister of State for Education, and a report on Zambia. Amid the controversy over new policies for comprehensive schools, Panorama follows Margaret Thatcher during an average day as Minister of State for Education. The programme includes footage of Thatcher at her homes in Kent and Chelsea, a visit to Highbury Grove Comprehensive School in Islington and an extensive interview.
Alan Hart reports from Ulster and investigates how much support there is for the extremists active in the Roman Catholic community.
A film profile of Brian Faulkner, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
A report from Panorama exploring the Conservative plan to withdraw free milk for children over seven years old and increase the price of school dinners. Mothers and teachers voice their concerns, but Margaret Thatcher defends her cuts and promises to plough the money that is saved back into school buildings. Public Record documents released in 2001 show Margaret Thatcher to have been very worried about the public reaction to the end of free milk, though she also proposed cuts in other areas. Arguing that charging for library books would be too controversial, she suggested instead that entry fees to national museums could be introduced.
"The grand object of travel," said Dr Johnson 200 years ago, "is to see the shores of the Mediterranean." It's even truer today. Every year five million Britons leave their inhibitions and our damp climate behind, and head for those fabled shores. Most go for the sun - for a golden tan that will draw so many admiring glances back at the office. But there are other attractions.
Alan Hart reports from Ulster on efforts of the disbanded B-Specials to campaign for a new force.
Robin Day interviews Reginald Maulding, Home Secretary, about the events in Northern Ireland and whether there is a solution that will satisfy both communities.
On the eve of the Conservative Party Conference, Robin Day goes to Downing Street to talk to the prime minister, the Rt Hon Edward Heath MP, about his record in office and the major problems he now faces.
Two days ago, Britain was set on a new course when we signed the Treaty of Accession to the EEC. In Brussels, Panorama talks exclusively to the prime minister at this moment of personal triumph and asks him how he wants to shape and influence the Europe Britain is in the process of joining.
Item on the Governments new initiative for a peaceful settlement in Northern Ireland; Alan Hart interviews SDLP leader Gerry Fitt in his Belfast constituency and Michael Charlton chairs discussion between Angus Maude & Norman St John-Stevas.
Michael Charlton and Richard Kershaw present programme, with report from Alan Hart on the Heath initiative on N Ireland, bringing direct rule over Ulster, and reactions to it.
Michael Charlton interviews William Whitelaw (Sec of State for Northern Ireland) on the calling off of IRA ceasefire and the government response to NI problem, the refusal to give in to terrorism and violence, and the role of British army and security forces in NI.
Michael Charlton presents Panorama from Belfast during the Darlington talks. Alan Watson introduces report on Ulster and looks at the best way of tackling the problem.
A report from Chesterfield on how the prices and incomes freeze is affecting local people.
Reporter Philip Tibbenham visits the town of Hereford to guage people's reaction to the crisis ridden festive season.
Panorama looks at how the pay for a job is determined. The programme seeks the views of experts, workers and politicians. Also includes an interview with US Vice President Gerald Ford
An investigation into delinquency in girls. The programme looks at an alarming increase in violence by girls and asks if the system of care is sufficient, with young girls being passed from institution to institution.
Robin Day interviews Conservative party leader Edward Heath.
Panorama looks at Britain's early lead in nuclear power generation and how this lead has been lost, despite a £2 billion investment. The safety of American nuclear equipment, upon which Britain may now have to rely, is called into question.
A look at the underlying problems of the economy.
Panorama turns its attention to industrial relations.
Panorama looks at how the question of the EEC will affect the election.
A report from Greneda on recently installed Premier, Eric Gairy, and the opposition from some of his countrymen.
Richard Kershaw visits Saudi Arabia to profile those behind the current petroleum crisis.
A profile Chancellor Dennis Healey on the eve of his budget.
A profile of French President Georges Pompidou and the divisions within the French Socialist Party.
Julian Pettifer talks to two of the survivors of the Uruguyan plane carrying a team of rugby players which crashed in the Andes. The survivors stayed alive by resorting to eating the flesh of the deceased.
As the North Sea oil field flourishes, Panorama asks if the break-up of the UK is a real possibility.
Reporter Michael Charlton looks behind the Bamboo Curtain and asks why Conservative leader Mr Edward Heath was given such an enthusiastic reception on his recent visit.
As Nixon's presidency hangs in the balance, Robert MacNeil looks at his career, from Whittier to Watergate; and talks with, among others, friends of the President's family.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitsak Rabin, is interviewed.
An explanation of inflation and its effect.
The Prime Minister discusses Labour's plans for the future.
Julian Pettifer reports from Poland on a softening of communist policies.
On the infiltration of the United Nations by Russian Agents.
The last of three programs examining the election issues.
Dennis Tuohy looks at the care of autistic children in Britain.
Richard Kershaw visits pits and talks to miners, union leaders and employers to understand why we are experiencing a coal shortage.
Michael Charlton chairs a studio discussion from Rome about food aid on the eve of the UN World Food Conference. Millions of lives may rest on the outcome as the Haves and Have-nots meet for life and death talks. Yet decisions will not be made on purely humanitarian grounds, for food is now another weapon in the arsenal of international power politics.
David Dimbleby presents for the first time. Panorama looks at the future of the Tory Party and Merlyn Rees is interviewed on Ulster.
Julian Pettifer looks at the disturbing ruse in youth crime. He talks to the family of an 11-year-old arrested 19 times.
A look at the effects of inflation on the subsidized performing arts. Richard Kershaw carries out a number of case studies on groups such as the Scottish National Orchestra, Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet.
A report on the plight of Pakistanis facing a four year wait to join relatives living in Britain. Robert Macneil reports.
Panorama reports on the plight of the homeless.
David Dimbleby presents a report by Denis Tuohy on the internal changes that have taken place in Cuba under Castro.
The Conservative Party comes under scrutiny in this investigation of the processes and the policies behind the leadership contest. The programmes also takes a look at the electioneering of Margaret Thatcher and the media crowd following her campaign. According to an article in 'The Times' on the day following the broadcast, Mrs Thatcher withdrew from the programme at the last minute because she felt that she would not have had the right of reply.
Julian Pettifer asks if the comprehensive education system is working. He travels to Sheffield, a city with five years of experience under the new system, and talks to teachers, children and parents. He wants to know if the schools are too big and if bright children are suffering under the new system of equality in education.
A report in the EEC referendum, with a particular interest in how the pros and antis will run their campaigns. MPs John Mackintosh and Neil Marten argue in studio.
David Lomax reports with exclusive footage of the coronation of Nepal's King Berendra. The programme looks at the challenges faced by this 28-year-old former Etonian whose country is among the 25 poorest in the world.
An interview with H.R. Haldeman, former chief of staff to Richard Nixon, who resigned following the Watergate affair.
Julian Pettifer reports on a trip to war ravaged Vietnam.
A report on Britain's steel industry asking whether it can modernize without losing too many jobs. Richard Kershaw's investigation takes him to Welsh and Teesside steel works.
A report on the President Thiu of South Vietnam's resignation and the implications this holds for US policy. Also includes coverage of the first free elections in Portugal for half a century.
Panorama investigates the 1969 Luton Post Office killing for which three men were convicted and the revelations since uncovered which have led many to believe that these convictions were miscarriages of justice.
Nearly 10 years Rhodesia unilaterally decalred independence and with the future of the white rebellion looking uncertain, Richard Kershaw talks with Prim Miniter Ian Smith and asks him what terms he would consider.
Tony Benn and Roy Jenkins debate on the EEC Common Market in studio.
Robert McNeil examines NATO, which costs Britain £4.5 billion a year. The report asks if this figure could be reduced by allies agreeing to cut out duplication of weapon systems.
David Dimbleby talks to Sir Keith Joseph about his ideas of capitalism, communism and the present crisis facing the world.
An examination of the spiraling costs of council housing, with contribution from Environment Secretary Anthony Crosland.
Denis Tuohy looks at the situation facing Vietnamise refugees in the United States, visiting refugee camps, union leaders and speaking to Marshal Hy, the six-gun toting former president of South Vietnam.
David Dimbleby interviews Yitzhak Rabin of Israel and Tom Mangold reports from Syria.
First transmitted in 1975, this edition of Panorama is set at Sandhurst, the officer training academy. It follows a group of young men preparing for a life of leadership in the Army. These 'managers of violence' will be expected to perform to the very highest of traditions of the British Army and be prepared to apply their professionalism on British soil should the need arise.
A look at the threat arrival straight into unemployment faced by school leavers. In addition, a David Dimbleby follows Margaret Thatcher to America in a report entitled "Thatcher Goes West" as she spreads her conservative philosophy stateside.
Tonight's programme examines the relationship between MPs and their constituents. Michael Cockerell speaks with Reg Prentice about the balance between representing a constituency of electors and an advocate for one's political party.
A report on Ulster loyalists and a conversation with Young Conservative conservatives from Blackpool about the decline in votes.
A look at the problem of adult illiteracy, including a studio discussion with a number of people affected and an insight into the efforts made to remedy the issue.
Richard Lindley speaks to white farmer Des Bawden and black barrister Sottayi Katsere in a programme investigating whether all races can live peacefully in Rhodesia ten years after the unilateral declaration of independence.
David Dimbleby examines the issues surrounding devolution. Robin Day tals to politicians such as Edward Heath, Jeramy Thorpe and George Reid. The debate is continued in the edition of "Tonight" which ran later in the evening.
Tonight's programme ncludes a report from Sydney following the Australian election.
Tom Mangold reports on the case of Patrick Mackay case: Patrick Mackay (b. 1952) was the unhappy child of a violent father and a product of a cold institutional upbringing. He would go on a rampage of violence through London and Kent, killing at least three people. Mackay's transcripts are read by famous actor Malcolm McDowell.
A report filmed three years earlier and a discussion broadcast from Johannesburg consider current conditions in Soweto. Dean Desmond Tutu argues that the problems are caused by deep resentment over the inequalities generated by apartheid, whereas Dirk Richards, a government supporter, contends that the main violence was provoked by communist agitators.
Joined by representatives of the press, David Dimbleby chairs a discussion in which Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher outlines the policies she hopes will win her party the next election. She expresses her belief that trade unionism is a 'minority interest' and voices support for those individuals who have 'run the gauntlet' to cross picket lines. She also stresses the need to preserve the freedom of the individual and the generation of wealth through freer enterprise and less taxation.
As football hooliganism continued to grow in the 1970s, seemingly unchecked, Panorama immersed itself in this shady world, getting close to some of Millwall's notorious hooligan fans.
David Dimbleby asks whether or not Britain's schoolchildren are actually experiencing the best days of their life as they attend a typical comprehensive school in London. The program shows disruptive pupils arriving at school and attending shambolic lessons with various out of control teachers.
First transmitted in 1978, this 25th anniversary edition of Panorama with Tom Mangold examines America's and Russia's dependence on military satellites.
First transmitted in 1978, this 25th anniversary edition of Panorama with Tom Mangold continues with a report on space weaponry, directive energy weapons, particle beam weapons and high energy lasers.
Michael Cockerell's report brings all the new facts together for the first time. It includes TV interviews never before seen with the President's alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, and his killer, Jack Ruby. It examines whether the recently uncovered plots between the CIA and the Mafia to assassinate Fidel Castro backfired and led to the death of President Kennedy-as his brother Bobby feared. Producer Anthony Summers work on this film led to his seminal 1980 book 'Conspiracy'.
This episode of Panorama, featuring a fresh-faced Jeremy Paxman, takes a look at the UK Government's preparations for the public in the event of a possible outbreak of Nuclear War.
David Dimbleby follows the stories of some of the people he interviewed for his earlier programme on the Afrikaners, The White Tribe of Africa. Despite great wealth for some, and a booming economy, he finds severe hardship in the homelands of South Africa.
Michael Cockerell reports on the changes in China, and examines the elaborate apparatus used to control the thoughts and actions of 1,000 million people. The first-ever film inside the Chinese news machine reveals how the People’s Daily, the Communist Party paper, is produced. Its words are spread to the biggest readership in the world, and one vast factory monitors every single news story in China. But there is a dissident movement, and the programme includes an exclusive interview with one of those inside China who questions the Communist system.
A year ago the rumble of Russian tanks invading Afghanistan was met by a chorus of condemnation from around the world. Jeremy Paxman reports from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on what has happened since - the military and diplomatic price the Russians are paying, the effectiveness of Afghan guerrilla warfare and the plight of more than a million Afghan refugees. With the use of exclusive film, photographs and the testimony of recent refugees, he pieces together a picture of life in Kabul under Russian occupation.
Money is now pouring in to rebuild the lives and homes of the survivors of Italy's earthquake. But will the 600 stricken villages ever rise again from the rubble? What will happen to the money? And will the political shockwaves of the disaster bring about fundamental changes in the way the country is governed? Amidst reports that the Mafia is exploiting the tragedy, John Stapleton visits the scene of an earthquake 12 years ago in Sicily, where 40,000 people still live in temporary houses, and where billions of lire in aid money have mysteriously disappeared.
This week, at a special conference at Wembley, the Labour Party will decide how to choose its leader. Whatever it decides, the conference will mark a crucial stage in the party's history. Will the conference resolve the struggle between Right and Left? And what are the issues that divide them? Tonight DAVID DIMBLEBY traces the phases of that struggle, pinpoints the personalities who have played decisive roles, and describes the ideas that lie at the heart of the argument.
Before the year 2000, the world is likely to face famine on a scale hitherto unknown. Today .more than half the African countries still face severe food shortages, despite the millions of pounds of western aid which have been poured in to rural development schemes. But will increasing overseas aid, as the Brandt Commission recommends, really lead to less hunger? Or are African governments forced by their very poverty to pursue policies which actively discourage the production of more food?
At 49, the Australian millionaire is set to become one of the world s most powerful press tycoons. His critics say he makes and breaks politicians, he fires editors who don't fit, and relies on sex and scandal to sell some of his newspapers. He is derided as ' the Dirty Digger' as a result of his page three nudes in The Sun, yet hailed as the brilliant saviour of our ailing press. In Britain his controversial bid for The Times, its supplements and The Sunday Times, have led to unprecedented legal safeguards for editorial freedom. Elwyn Parry-Jones accompanies Rupert Murdoch on a visit to his Australian newspapers, talks to his critics and supporters and from New York reports on a bitter newspaper war prompted by Murdoch's brash tactics.
How far should the state look into our lives, and what should be done with the information that is collected? Computers now contain millions of records and intelligence files; the police and security services have a formidable range of surveillance devices, from simple phone-tapping equipment to advanced laser-bugs. Tom Mangold continues his report on security by examining the state's intrusion into the lives of British citizens, and asks if better safeguards are needed against the services who carry it out.
After two years in pursuit of a radical economic experiment, has the Government now decided to change course? The capitulation to the miners, the massive injections of cash into British Steel and British Leyland, all suggest that the former rhetoric of the Government is at odds with its present actions. David Dimbleby looks at the difficulties this Government has faced, the unexpected pressures it encountered, and the reasons why some plans may now be abandoned.
The Conservative Government has told local authorities to cut back and spend less. The highest-spending council in Britain is Camden in London. It is now in a financial crisis. The Labour councillors there face the prospect of being made personally bankrupt., of putting the rates up by something like 50 per cent, and of cutting services. Reporter Philip Tibenham has been following the arguments, demonstrations, open rows and disruptions from the inside, as the councillors struggled to come to terms with being the 'Last of the Big Spenders'.
'You can carry enough diamonds on your naked body to set you up for life,' said Ian Fleming. Diamonds and gold - the most precious substances known to man - excite the imagination. But by geological accident, in the real world the two biggest producers of gold and diamonds are bitter political enemies - Communist Russia and white-ruled South Africa. Both countries vehemently deny that there are any contacts at all between them. But a top executive of South Africa's leading gold and diamond mining corporation was spotted recently at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. What was he doing there? And was his visit part of an unthinkable secret partnership? Michael Cockerell investigates the secret world of gold and diamonds and the strange bedfellows it makes.
For seven years Giscard d'Estaing has been the dominant force in French politics, and French prosperity has been the envy of Europe. But his critics say he has become arrogant and autocratic, more a king than a Republican President. They blame him for not preventing rising unemployment and inflation in France. On the day following the first round of the Presidential Election, David Dimbleby reports on the state of France after seven years of Giscard's rule, and on how the French people are making up their minds about who should be their President for the next seven years.
The United States, in keeping with President Reagan's election promise, has just begun the largest and most expensive peace-time military build-up in its history. The Pentagon is embarking on a one and a half trillion dollar spending spree over the next five years. Ageing battleships are being taken out of mothballs to be re-equipped with the very latest weapons. There will be new nuclear missiles, and a ' gunboat diplomacy' force of paratroopers ready to fight at a moment's notice, if necessary, in the deserts of the Gulf. But what lies behind these military developments? Tom Mangold looks at the new weapons, at the men trained to use them and their leaders
Sir Thomas Hetherington is the Director of Public Prosecutions, the man who has to decide whether to prosecute in important or difficult cases, which charges to lay and whether it is in the 'public interest' to do so. He makes crucial decisions in the areas of obscenity, race relations and criminal justice. Robin Day talks to the DPP about accountability, his professional role and some of the hotly-debated decisions he has made.
Peter Taylor reports from within South Africa on the black opposition - an opposition which is becoming increasingly frustrated and violent. The thousands of Soweto youths who left the country after the riots in the black township five years ago are now returning secretly, fully trained, with arms and explosives. Every week the list of sabotage and machine-gun attacks grows rapidly. The white South African government is now facing an increasingly successful, but as yet unreported, guerrilla war. For the first time the people who are at war inside South Africa talk to Panorama. Do they have any chance of defeating the most powerful military machine in Africa? What will be the political consequences of a war which both whites and blacks swear they will fight ' to the last drop of blood '.
The Palestinian Liberation Organisation, responsible for some of the world's worst acts of terrorism, has found a new respectability. Less than a decade after the slaying of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, while they are still mounting rocket and guerrilla attacks on Israel, European foreign ministers now acknowledge that the PLO must be involved in the Middle East peace process-a move which a few years ago would have been deemed unthinkable. Tonight John Stapleton examines how, through a well financed and highly organised diplomatic and propaganda offensive. the PLO has achieved its new status.
In April 1980, Dan Air Flight 1008 crashed en route from Machester to Tenerife, claiming 146 lives. The programme covers the disaster from as many angles as possible, interviewing experts and investigators and drawing on eye witness accounts and crash footage. Consideration is given to the lessons which can be drawn from these events in order to make air travel safer.
After the Israeli raid on Iraq's nuclear reactor, Pakistan alone is developing the Islamic worlds first nuclear weapon. With millions of pounds from Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, the Pakistanis are using Western technology to build the 'Islamic Bomb'. Tonight Panorama takes its prize-winning investigation into the project a stage further. Reporter Philip Tibenham and producer Christopher Olgiati , who won the 1981 Royal Television Society Award for Investigative Journalism, report on the latest moves in the Pakistan project. How near are the Pakistanis to their first explosion?
For-the past 12 months Panorama has been following the fortunes of the 250 school leavers at Craig-bank Secondary School in Glasgow. John Stapleton follows what hap pened to them In their preparation and search for a job during the worst recession since the 1930s. Headmaster. Norman Macleod sums up their prospects: ' We've bien. preparing them for what is sometimes laughingly cal-led the world of work, and here, at the brink, when they are about to. leave school, they find this world of work is further away than it ever was.'
Panorama's Peter Taylor reports from the Maze prison during the hunger strike campaign and addresses the political and military consequences.
Labour's choice of a deputy leader is the culmination of a momentous struggle for the party's future.
Soviet Intelligence has a huge presence in every Western country; some four out of every ten Russian diplomats are KGB officers. They wage war by clandestine means. Their methods - disinformation, sexual entrapment, blackmail and the use of' illegals', old-fashioned spies. Tom Mangold investigates how serious is its threat, and how effective its contribution to ultimate Soviet ambitions.
In this report from a longer programme, Tom Mangold speaks to Leo Long, one of the men whom Anthony Blunt recruited into his Cambridge spy ring.
In Britain, Libyan hit squads murder Colonel Gaddafi's exiled opponents. All over the world the Libyans back terrorist groups - including the IRA. Now Panorama reveals the key men behind Libya's world-wide terror campaigns - ex-CIA officers who trade expertise for cash. Former CIA man Kevin Mulcahy , once part of the scheme, admits that American mercenaries are training terrorists in secret desert camps, while American businessmen sell the Libyans everything from plastic explosives to poison. In this special edition of Panorama, Jeremy Paxman reports on the lucrative trade in terror that Western governments are seemingly powerless to stop.
Panorama tonight examines the Government's controversial proposals to limit the power of trade unions. The Rt Hon Norman Tebbit , mp, Secretary of State for Employment, explains why he believes new laws are necessary. Trade union leaders and employers debate whether changes in legislation will bring chaos or calm to industrial relations.
Next year there'll be a boom in test tube babies. Laboratory fertilisation is becoming commonplace, and human embryos are now being frozen for future use. Margaret Jay examines the implications of this brand new world. How should we define the rules under which scientists help create life?
Vincent Hanna reports on future options for British Rail in light of the Serpell Report followed by a studio interview with transport secretary David Howell.
Michael Cockerell reports for Panorama on the way Margaret Thatcher's image was created.
Robin Day interviews Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street.
The prospect of closure for collieries across Britain is believed to be pushing moderate areas towards more militant approaches. Led by Arthur Scargill of the National Union of Mineworkers, many believe that participation in the strike is their only hope of securing a future for the mining industry. In the studio, Scargill and Ned Smith of the National Coal Board discuss the issues surrounding this wave of industrial action.
David Lomax reports on the policies Bradford council has devised to meet the needs of the city's Muslim Asian schoolchildren and combat the lack of integration, poor attendance and attainment among that community - while simultaneously trying to not alienate the white majority.
Six months into the miners' strike, 'Panorama' speaks to all sides about the ongoing dispute. Representatives of the National Coal Board explain their 'back to work' policy, while those who have already returned to work explain their decision and their feelings about being branded 'scabs'. We also hear from the wives of the miners still on strike, whose fury over strike-breakers matches their determination to win the battle.
Profile of recent shoot to kill incidents and supergrass trials. Panorma asks, can terror be defeated by ordinary law of the land and what rules should govern the Sectarian Forces.
With the winter of 1984 biting, and a solution to the Miners' Strike no nearer, Panorama spends 10 days filming exclusively with the police and the striking miners themselves in South Yorkshire.
Back on Speaking Terms After the deep freeze the United States and the Soviet Union are talking again in Geneva to try to halt the nuclear arms race. From Washington Peter Taylor reports on how a hawkish administration has got itself back round the table with the Russians, and in London Fred Emery discusses whether the talks can lead to a new agreement.
Starvation and drought have seized the conscience of the West: millions of pounds have been raised by ordinary people for the relief of the worst hit areas. But governments have followed different priorities and different objectives.While Marxist Ethiopia has received little Western aid, across the border in Kenya it's another story: billions of dollars have poured into a country whose government favours the West. But even then, there's a price to be paid. Panorama reports on the problems of the country the Americans have called 'the shining star of Africa'.
Nearly half-a-million people already born will be denied the university place they could have had before the Government cuts. The financial squeeze has forced the universities to cut student numbers to save money for research. And now the students' own grants are being cut. Richard Lindley reports as would-be graduates begin a campaign against moves to make them pay for their own higher education.
Talks between the National Union of Mineworkers and the National Coal Board have reached stalemate. As official figures report more and more miners breaking the strike and returning to work, 'Panorama' asks strikers in Barnsley how long they believe they can continue. In the studio, National Union of Mineworkers president Arthur Scargill reaffirms his concerns over media representations of his union members.
As unemployment keeps on rising the demands are growing again for the Government to spend more money creating jobs. Some Tory mps have joined voices urging that jobs could be found in repairing Britain's crumbling roads, sewers, and public buildings. But Mrs Thatcher and her ministers are adamant that the only way to get 'real jobs' is their strategy to cut taxes in next month's Budget.
With Tom Mangold Britain's plan to deploy 11 flying radar stations to protect us against surprise attack has gone terribly wrong. The project will be at least five years late; it will cost nearly twice as much as planned - over one billion pounds -and the system still doesn't work effectively. Tom Mangold investigates what's gone wrong with Nimrod, the world's most expensive plane, and reveals startling new details of the defence project which is fast turning into a Bad Deal for Britain.
Next month Zimbabwe goes to the polls for the first time since Independence in 1980. Prime Minister Robert Mugabe -known as Comrade Bob - not only wants to win: he also wants popular approval to set up a one-party Marxist state. His opponents are fighting for their political lives amid tribal and regional conflict while the country's remaining whites look on with apprehension.
What is the future of Britain's mining industry in light of the end of the miners' strike? Donald MacCormick chairs a discussion between the miners and townspeople of Eckington from the Town Hall. With views on returning to work, further strike action, attitudes to miners who broke the strike, fears of intimidation to working miners, and relationships within the town.
In night shelters and seedy guesthouses, some of the hundreds of mental patients discharged each year from hospital struggle against despair and neglect. Care in the community has been the great hope for the mentally ill, but with limited resources outside, has the policy of running down the old asylums gone too far too fast?
Inna Begun has not seen her husband Yosif, a prisoner in a Soviet labour camp for two years. She's just started a hunger strike in protest. Tens of thousands of Russian Jews are desperate to leave the Soviet Union, but only a tiny handful are being allowed to go. Cut off from their families abroad, those left behind are harassed by the KGB. Many have been sacked from their jobs, others like Yosif Begun have been jailed. In a report filmed secretly in Moscow and Leningrad Richard Lindley talks to the 'refuseniks' who fear that they are now Soviet pawns in the superpower game
One of the most powerful Mafia Godfathers has broken the organisation's code of silence: omerta. The confession of Tommasso Buscetta gives a unique insight into Mafia operations in Italy and the United States. His evidence has already led to over 100 arrests. Martin Young reports on the organisation which included the world's biggest drugs racket and on the secret operations of the FBI which show how a billion dollars worth of narcotics were smuggled into America. In Italy, Buscetta reveals the links between organised crime and respectable politicians. On both sides of the Atlantic it is being hailed as a historic breakthrough in the battle against the Mafia - the so-called Men of Honour.
Enoch Powell 's Bill to ban research on human embryos is racing through Parliament. It's supported by a big majority in the House of Commons and massive petitions from the public. But infertile couples and parents of handicapped children are desperately trying to stop it. They see human embryo research as the only hope for avoiding human tragedies in the future. Do these ends justify the means? As Parliament reassembles Margaret Jay reports on this crucial debate - where both sides think they are the best protectors of the unborn child.
As the 40th anniversary of the end of World War D. approaches, Panorama reports on the conflicting emotions of Germans in both parts of their divided nation. In West Germany it will be officially a time of solemn remembrance of the disaster of defeat and the rebirth of democracy. In East Germany the regime will celebrate Soviet liberation from fascism, and the setting up of their Communist state. On both sides of Germany's Iron Curtain Fred Emery talks to Germans of all ages about their views of the war and the division of their people.
As the Israeli Army starts the last stage of its pull-out from Lebanon, settlers on Israel's northern border are again building shelters and bracing themselves for attack. The costly invasion was launched as a quick operation to protect them from PLO attacks across the border. But it has dragged on for three years: over 650 Israeli soldiers and thousands of civilians have died. Hopes that the defeat of the PLO could lead to peace are being undermined by the new threat from militant Shi'ites. Peter Taylor reports from South Lebanon and from Israel on the war which has divided military and political opinion and left an uncertain future.
When a tube traveller turned on four men he thought were robbing him, and shot them, he also fired one of the most intense debates on crime in America this century. The implications of that one act have continued to reverberate and widen into deeper issues of vigilantism and racism. Tom Mangold rides with TONY IMPERIALE 'S white vigilantes and with the undercover cops in an investigation into the uncomfortable truth now emerging from the case of the 'subway vigilante'
Six months ago, at least 2,500 Indians were killed and thousands more injured in the world's worst industrial disaster. After the gas leak at the Union Carbide plant, the people of Bhopal are still trying to rebuild their lives while the company is learning to live with the stigma of the tragedy. On the sidelines, the lawyers and politicians are bickering over questions of blame and compensation. As Nick Clarke reports from Bhopal, there's a sense throughout the chemical industry of 'there but for the grace of God ..."
President Reagan sees in Nicaragua a Communist tyranny which threatens the stability of Central America. The US Government back the guerrillas who are fighting to bring down the Sandinista regime and has imposed an economic embargo. Others in the West are more doubtful about the reality of the threat from Nicaragua. David Lomax reports from the front line of the mountain war in Nicaragua and from the US bases across the border in Honduras.
When football hooligans and other young offenders are sentenced by the courts, what sort of punishment do they get? Panorama has spent three weeks behind the walls at New Hall, where the Government has introduced a tougher regime for young prisoners. Philip Tibenham investigates how tough it is in practice, and whether the offenders really can be deterred from further crime.
The number of home owners who can't pay the mortgage is rising sharply. Last year 11,000 families lost their homes when the building societies repossessed them. Millions more live in crumbling houses they can't afford to repair. As people struggle to buy their own homes, Richard Lindley talks to the families and old people who have found home ownership not a boon but a burden — and more than they can bear.
President Reagan believes his 'Star Wars' defence initiative may end the threat from nuclear weapons. His critics say that the massive research programme could upset the balance of terror with the Soviet Union and make war more likely. Tomorrow Vice-President Bush arrives in London, campaigning for support. Fred Emery reports on the debate, and discovers how scientists and businessmen on both sides of the Atlantic are getting in on the race for the new technology.
In America the biggest spy scandal for decades continues to unravel: already it threatens the security of Britain and the rest of NATO. Three members of the Walker family, and a friend, are accused of betraying to the Russians some of NATO's most sensitive and closely guarded secrets. For 20 years they had access to the vital details of submarine warfare - codes, communications and tactics - central to the nuclear deployments of the West. Tom Mangold reports on the gravity of the revelations for the USA and for Britain, and talks to some of the people involved in the case of the Family of Spies.
Two months ago the Live Aid pop spectacular raised millions of pounds for famine relief in Africa. But the idea which caught the imagination of the world has now come face to face with reality. For in Sudan the truth is that the famine has been made much worse by human errors. Gavin Hewitt reports on the complex problems Live Aid and its organisers will have to overcome to make sure that the generosity of millions will not be squandered.
Asked who she thought would be the next Prime Minister, Mrs Thatcher replied 'David Owen '. But how much do we really know about one of the most familiar faces in British politics? Dr Owen's opponents label him arrogant, ambitious, and unprincipled. He claims he's courageous and tough, but tender. At the SDP conference Michael Cockerell presents a revealing profile of the party's leader.
British prisons are bursting at the bars, and now hold 8,000 more inmates than they were built for. But in the United States, where overcrowding is just as bad, local authorities have come up with a bold breakthrough. They're allowing private industry to build and run their prisons. The result, as Tom Mangold reveals, is startling. Everyone interested in the problem, from Wall Street financiers, who are already making money from prisons, to the 'lifers' serving time inside them, is now debating the issue in earnest. Are 'prisons for profit' a new curse, or a possible cure for the intractable problems of our jails?
In the general election two years ago Labour suffered one of the most crushing defeats in its history. Since then its new leader, Neil Kinnock, has embarked on an energetic campaign to modernise Labour's image, appearing on pop videos, importing American marketing techniques and streamlining the party's organisation. Today, as the party conference opens in Bournemouth, Labour has won back some of the ground it lost. But is it enough? Robert Harris has been behind the scenes with Neil Kinnock and his advisors, already preparing for the next general election.
What should the Tories do to get out of the slump they are in with the voters? Is it merely a matter, as Mrs Thatcher maintains, of getting the policies across better, of sharper marketing of basically the same policies or is pressure building up within the party for a change in policy? On the eve of the Tories' Conference in Blackpool, Fred Emery interviews both the Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher MP. and The Rt Hon Norman Tebbit MP, the new Tory Chairman. He also reports on the Tory mood around the country.
Jasmine Beckford's stepfather was jailed for beating her to death. It was the first of a series of terrible cases of child abuse which have shocked the country this year. Jasmine was in care when she was killed. Social workers were her legal parents, but they only saw her once in the last 10 months of her life. A major public inquiry has just finished investigating Jasmine's case. Margaret Jay looks at Jasmine's life and the lessons to be drawn from her death.
A look at the effects of the Apartheid laws on the lives of black South Africans.
In 1985 more people have already died in air crashes than in any previous year. At Manchester airport in August, 77 people escaped from a blazing jet, 54 did not. Are the airlines spending enough to ensure that their passengers have the best possible chance of living through the horror of an air crash?
'London is now the fraud capital of the world and the profits are astronomical,' claims fraud investigator RICHARD JURGENSON. Police, lawyers and civil servants all agree that millions of pounds disappear through fraud every year in the City of London. Yet the detection and conviction rate, admits the Attorney-General, is 'disappointingly low'. Scandals at Lloyds, at the Stock Exchange and in the banks have revealed that at a time when fraud is becoming more complex, the policing of Britain's financial institutions is splintered and weak. Having failed to successfully defeat city crime, the government now proposes that the financiers should police themselves. 'A sure recipe for bigger frauds,' is the cynical conclusion of city insiders. Will Hutton reports on the new system where the poachers will become gamekeepers.
In London a senior Russian KGB officer defects: his tip-off traps a top KGB agent in Oslo. In Bonn the West German Head of Counterintelligence flees to the East, while in Rome a KGB colonel suddenly flees to the West. In the United States a KGB double agent vanishes: in Russia the CIA agent he betrays is arrested. Tom Mangold reveals what lies behind this complex pattern of defection and deceit: and looks at the impact of spy wars on next week's super-power summit and at which side is really winning in this extraordinary Year of the Spy.
On the eve of the historic Reagan-Gorbachev summit meeting in Geneva, Panorama brings young Russians and Americans together for a special debate. In an attempt to get behind the rhetoric, the Panorama team went to top American universities and to Moscow's foremost Study Institutes to choose young people who specialise in East-West relations and who will be shaping their countries foreign policy in the future. Fred Emery chairs the studio debate on the issues that the two leaders will be grappling with tomorrow.
In the wake of the violent riots this autumn, much has been said about policing and punishment in Britain's inner cities. But little has been heard from people who live in the affected areas. For the first time the people of Toxteth in Liverpool have allowed cameras in to film the everyday life in the ghetto.
AIDS is the biggest public health threat for a generation. To date there have been a few hundred victims in Britain, but experts predict there will soon be many thousands. AIDS will affect men, women and children and, unless a cure is found, all those who get it will rapidly die. Doctors and scientists are desperately searching for a drug or a vaccine to knock out the virus. Will prevention - safer sex - prove better than a cure? Can alternative medicine bring hope to AIDS victims?
Four years ago this week martial law was imposed in Poland and the short-lived free trade union movement Solidarity was suppressed. Panorama has been back to Poland to discover that the underlying economic problems that fuelled the rise of Solidarity are as great as ever. The movement itself lives on underground, with the Church as the shield and the focus for the opposition. Robert Harris has talked to top Government ministers and to Solidarity leader Lech Walesa who is deeply pessimistic about Poland four years on from martial law.
Yassar Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) are fighting for survival after the blunders and killings of the last few months. Arab backers are now telling Arafat to give up the gun and start talking. With the PLO in crisis Arafat admits to Panorama he now has few cards left to play. And, with the PLO's fighters scattered across the Middle East, Gavin Hewitt reports on how Palestinians in Israeli-occupied Gaza and the West Bank are no longer looking to the PLO but to themselves for resistance.
While revolution has not yet come to South Africa, it already has to its townships. Throughout the country, young people calling themselves the 'Comrades', are assuming control and mobilising the black population. Panorama reports on the Comrades' struggle to impose their will on both black and white.
John Sweeney investigates the Church of Scientology, endorsed by some major Hollywood celebrities, but which continues to face the criticism that it is less of a religion and more of a cult.
Sir Robin Day interviews Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on her and her party's record and policies.
Mrs Thatcher has now been in office for 3,167 days - overtaking Asquith as the longest serving Prime Minister this century. Only four premiers have now served longer terms - Robert Walpole , William Pitt the Younger and Lords Liverpool and Salisbury. Robert Harris, Political Editor of the Observer, looks at how the Prime Minister has stamped her personality on the government of Britain, and talks to more than a dozen men who have worked closely with her. Lord Hailsham on her place in history: 'You've got to put her in the same category as Bloody Mary, Elizabeth 1, Queen Anne and Queen Victoria.' Lord Havers on her ruthlessness: 'If she thinks a minister is no longer up t
Later this month Britain's 100,000 miners will vote on the future direction of their leadership and in particular on Arthur Scargill. It's the first opportunity since the bitter year-long coal strike in 1984 for miners to express support or condemnation for their charismatic president. Panorama investigates who and what made Arthur Scargill, his record as union leader and what would be the impact of his re-election. Steve Bradshaw has been on the campaign trail, talks to miners at the coalface and examines the extraordinary influence Arthur Scargill still exerts over the NUM.
As an airline pilot, Rajiv Gandhi would press a button, pull a lever and get results. Now, as Prime Minister of India, he's discovering that the world's largest democracy doesn't respond so readily. Ruefully he tells Panorama's Richard Lindley 'there's a bit of slack in the controls'. In New Delhi, Rajiv is attacked for being too dependent on foreign technology, almost a stranger in his own country. In the Punjab he's at daggers drawn with the Sikhs in the Golden Temple, and in Sri Lanka his bold initiative to send troops to protect the Tamils could still turn it into India's Vietnam. Flying with Rajiv Gandhi across the vast expanse of India, Panorama watches the pilot prime minister tug at the nation's controls, hoping that India will respond to him.
The Prime Minister, the Right Hon Margaret Thatcher, MP, in a live interview with David Dimbleby. At the beginning of this year, Mrs Thatcher became the longest-serving British Prime Minister this century. Now in its third term in office, her Government shows no sign of flagging. It is embarking upon a set of radical proposals for education, for local Government, for welfare provision and for privatising water and electricity industries. Her critics, not all of them from the Opposition benches, accuse her of pursuing her vision of a new Britain at the expense of the social fabric of society. Mrs Thatcher answers her critics and talks to Panorama about her plans for Britain's future.
Forty years after its birth, the National Health Service is in the grip of continued crisis. Can it be resourced by more money and better management, or is its disease so serious that the only remedy is dismemberment and a vastly boosted private sector? At St Bartholomew's Hospital in London and in the health district of Gloucestershire reporter David Lomax talks to managers, health economists, doctors and patients, and at Westminster asks what Government and Opposition would prescribe as NHS medicine.
The Two Billion Pound Rip-Off With few effective controls and checks the EEC's Common Agricultural Policy has been described as 'the greatest incentive to crime in Western Europe'. In Northern Ireland grain and cattle are smuggled over the border and in some cases the IRA takes a cut of the Profits. In Germany, beef traders have earned millions by forging export documents. And in Sicily the Mafia claims subsidies for tons of oranges that don't even exist. As the near-bankrupt Common Market prepares for Thursday's emergency summit on its finances, Robin Denselow investigates Eurofraud - who's involved, how it's done and why it's estimated to cost the Community ten per cent of its budget each year.
Violence on Television Since the Hungerford massacre violence on television has become a hot political issue. The Government is acting on the belief that there is a connection between TV violence and increased violence in society, and is now introducing new controls over programmes showing violence. What is the evidence that violence harms the viewer?
A history of the Provisional IRA political and military campaign.
Vice President George Bush and Senator Bob Dole are battling for the Republican Presidential nomination. Their mutual dislike is now a major factor in a bad-tempered campaign. John Ware examines the records and reputations of the two men determined to inherit President Reagan's mantle.
The Underclass of 88 In tomorrow's Budget the Chancellor is widely expected to announce further tax cuts for the better off. But what of Britain's poor? Next month will see the most radical change to the Social Security system in 40 years. Nine million claimants will be affected. The Government says the changes will help those in greatest need. Others say that many of the poor will be made more dependent on charity and that far from escaping poverty they're falling further behind.
Disturbing new evidence of a connection between electricity and small but significant increases in childhood and adult cancers are mystifying scientists and causing international concern. In the USA property values under power lines have already begun to tumble. Tom Mangold investigates the latest developments in this scientific detective story, reporting from Britain, in the USA and Sweden on the race to find out whether the ubiquitous source of energy for life may also have a shock in store.
In the Church of England the recent passionate arguments about the ordination to the priesthood of women or of practising homosexuals are symptoms of a much wider debate. Should the hierarchy of the established church - with its historical emphasis on compromise and consensus - yield to the increasingly vocal calls from both Evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics for a more clearly defined lead? Should the C of E be more involved in politics or less? David Lomax talks to the Archbishop of Canterbury and assesses the mood of the Anglican faithful in parishes in Essex, Cornwall and County Durham.
Charles, Prince of Conscience Is the Prince of Wales sharpening an impression that he is increasingly out of tune with Thatcherite Britain? Or is he ahead of the times, exploiting a freedom he will lose as King - to lead public crusades for more community co-operation in national regeneration? Panorama goes behind the tabloid preoccupations with the Royal Family to examine the implications when an activist prince expounds policies beyond partisan concerns. Out with the Prince - in the inner cities and with the unemployed young - Fred Emery reports that the Prince's frustration lies not in his lack of active involvement but in the lack of attention to the results he is getting.
Clare is 4, and her mother fears she has been sexually abused by her father. She's just one of 30,000 children on the local authority 'at risk' register - an increase of 22 per cent in a year. Robin Denselow reports from Greenwich and from Newcastle on the effects of this increase on social workers, a group who have often been criticised for their handling of cases, but who face considerable personal risk as they try to protect children. Have they the right training for the job, and can they cope with the rise in child abuse alongside all their other responsibilities?
Next week, as Israel celebrates 40 years of statehood, Panorama reports on the growing-problems of the troubled nation which has yet to find peace with its neighbours and within itself. Tom Mangold speaks to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, now in their fourth month of uprising against Israeli occupation, and reports from the West Bank where the first Israeli settler has been killed in the uprising. And as the Schultz peace initiative remains deadlocked, Panorama reports from inside Israel and asks politicians and soldiers, Jews and Arabs - why does the Zionist dream still remain elusive?
Ten years after Pol Pot 's reign of terror, Cambodians fear that the horror of the killing fields may return. Britain and the West recognise the exiled Khmer Rouge and their allies as the true government, so Cambodia is denied the aid her people so desperately need. The Khmer Rouge continue to wage a bloody guerrilla war. Russia supports the Vietnamese controlled government in the capital Phnom Penh. After Afghanistan, Mr Gorbachev wants a settlement here too. But if the Vietnamese army go, will Pol Pot return? Jane Corbin reports on the desperation of a people trapped in the land the world forgot.
Few people know that Britain has a class of nuclear bombs other than those carried in the Polaris submarines. Even their name was kept secret for 20 years. Now, without consulting Parliament, the Government has started work on a replacement. What Britain does next will have vital implications for our future defence and for relations with both Europe and America. For Panorama, Mark Urban , defence correspondent of the Independent, unravels the story of Britain's 'other' bomb. questions the military and political leaders involved in the decisions and the pilots who may have to bear the consequences.
Mikhail Gorbachev has called his attempt to reform the Soviet Union 'a revolution without shots'. But he is facing stiff resistance from bureaucrats and officials. The battle is largely being fought in code, through differing attitudes toward the former dictator Stalin. Panorama has been to the Ukraine, Soviet Central Asia and the Russian Republic to examine how the reforms are working, where the opposition comes from and what the limits to the new freedom are.
When the Government privatises the electricity industry, everyone in Britain will have the chance to buy a stake in nuclear power. But while the Government wants to protect the nuclear industry, there are fears that privatisation may seriously undermine it. In America, some politicians are trying to take private nuclear power stations into public ownership, blaming them for high electricity prices. Is the dream of power 'too cheap to meter' finally over? Or can the Government succeed in persuading 'Sid' to back nuclear power with his own money? Stephen Bradshaw talks to Energy Secretary, the Rt Hon Cecil Parkinson , mp, and reports from nuclear installations in Britain and America on the prospects for a nuclear future.
After 20 years of unrest, there are the first signs of a wind of political change in Northern Ireland. The Anglo-Irish Agreement between London and Dublin has changed the political assumptions of a generation. Northern Unionists are prepared to talk to Dublin, while the nationalist parties of the North - the SDLP and Sinn Fein, try to work out a common front. Peter Taylor examines the tortuous road towards an elusive solution in Ireland.
In his last Budget, Chancellor Lawson gave to those who already had. He cut tax for the well-off. The Opposition now accuse him of creating a 'loadsamoney' economy - a spendthrift generation, who will not secure the nation's future. The Government argue that the enterprise culture will spread wealth and encourage a new morality. Ian Smith asks Britain's millionaires how they will spend their money. Will they be exhorted by the Government and their conscience to give more away in charity to those for whom the heat of the free market is too great?
Britain's South East is beginning to boom. In a crescent around London, new business parks and housing estates are fast expanding. But as house prices spiral and skill shortages grow, many who have so far admired the results of a free market economy are beginning to protest at its effects. Do the Home Counties need planning constraints to preserve what green is left and to close the widening gap between North and South? Or will the South East inevitably float away from the rest of Britain? David Lomax reports from his home county of Berkshire - where the environmental battle is fiercest - visits the latest enterprise zone in Scotland and talks to Environment Minister, the Rt Hon Nicholas Ridley , mp, and the Rt Hon Michael Heseltine , MP about their conflicting views of how the heat of the South East should be conducted to those who have been left out in the cold.
The death of hole-in-the-heart baby, Matthew Collier , has provoked the most fundamental review of the National Health Service for 40 years. The decisions are ready to be taken and an expansion of private medicine with tax breaks for private patients is on the agenda. Jane Corbin examines how those changes may affect everyone in Britain. The NHS is 40 years old this week. Will there continue to be free medicine for all?
As the son of Greek immigrants is about to be sent forth as the Democratic Party's challenger to recapture the American Presidency, Panorama examines the credentials of Michael Dukakis. As Democrats prepare to gather for their Convention in Atlanta, Fred Emery assesses Mr Dukakis 's record over nine years as Governor of Massachusetts, and, from California to Georgia, asks voters whether or not they want a change from the Reagan years.
The property boom has brought with it a brand new crime - mortgage fraud. It involves estate agents, valuers and solicitors as well as ordinary purchasers, and it's happening both because mortgages are so easily available and because the bodies set up to monitor house sales seem unable to cope with the frantic buying market. Robin Denselow reports from London and Birmingham, where house prices have risen by 50 per cent this year, and where building societies and financial institutions are buying up strings of estate agents. Will the arrival of the powerful new player clean up the property market or just bring new problems?
At a time when the Opposition should have been making capital of the Government's difficulties, Labour's leaders have helped create something of a crisis of confidence in themselves. In the week of the TUC, Fred Emery reports on what's behind the fundamental reappraisal of policies launched by Neil Kinnock and his trade union allies. And with the Kinnock- Hattersley leadership facing re-election challenges from Tony Benn , Eric Heffer and John Prescott , Panorama reports from Scotland and Southampton on the conflicting directions the party is being urged to take to regain power in the 90s.
By the year 2000, there will be up to 30 per cent more cars on the road. Peter Taylor examines ways of getting out of the jam and interviews Secretary of State The Rt Hon Paul Channon. The Government wants private enterprise to invest in transport. But if urban motorways are ruled out would the Government charge motorists directly for their journeys?
In July, 167 men were killed in the world's worst ever oil disaster. Jane Corbin talks to crucial eyewitnesses aboard the Piper Alpha that nigbt and examines what mighr have gone wrong. There are lessons for the whole industry. Did the oil companies design for disaster - are their safety and maintenance procedures effective enough and what are the implications for the men who produce Britain's black gold?
One-hundred-and-eighty children have just begun term at the most controversial school in Britain, the brand new City Technology College in Solihull. Robin Denselow reports on the bitter national debate behind the glare of publicity. Are CTCs the new departure in hi-tech education for the next generation? Or are they wasteful in resources and part of a wider political design, to undermine Local Education Authorities and the whole system of comprehensive education?
On the eve of the Conservative Party Conference, the Home Secretary the Rt Hon Douglas Hurd , MP is preparing for one of his toughest challenges of the year - his speech in the law and order debate. In the face of rising public concern about violent crime, Andrew Marr of the Scotsman interviews the Home Secretary and some of his fiercest critics about a new initiative which will mean fewer young criminals behind bars. Will the Home Office alternatives, like imposing curfews, be acceptable to the Tory party and the public? Panorama talks to young offenders, their victims and the police about the future for an increasingly violent Britain.
Few people know that Britain has a class of nuclear bombs other than those carried in the Polaris submarines. Even their name was kept secret for 20 years. Now, without consulting Parliament, the Government has started work on a replacement. What Britain does next will have vital implications for our future defence and for relations with both Europe and America. For Panorama, Mark Urban , defence correspondent of the Independent, unravels the story of Britain's 'other' bomb. questions the military and political leaders involved in the decisions and the pilots who may have to bear the consequences.
Using the latest DNA technology, scientists are identifying the genes which help to determine the kind of people we are. In an exclusive interview, Nobel Prize winner Dr James Watson , who helped to discover the structure of DNA, warns their work may harm our lives as well as improve them. Steve Bradshaw analyses the genetic revolution with scientists, Baroness Warnock, and some of the people whose lives have already been profoundly affected by choices that may later confront us all.
Pakistan has been the chief backer of the Afghan guerrillas in their Holy War against the Soviet army. But what price has Pakistan paid for being a frontline state? Panorama examines how KGB-trained agents brought terror to Pakistan; how the war has bred a Kalashnikov culture and an epidemic of heroin addiction. And, as Pakistan goes to the polls following the death of President Zia, the programme talks to Benazir Bhutto , his likely successor. From inside Pakistan and Afghanistan, Gavin Hewitt reports on the prospects for peace for the region as the Soviets withdraw.
Mrs Thatcher claims the Conservatives are green at heart. The local authorities monitoring Britain's booming waste industry have yet to be convinced. Ever since she came to power, they've been asking for tougher laws to regulate the waste cowboys. John Ware investigates the legal loopholes that have made Britain dirty.
After 15 years, the people of Chile have voted to get rid of General Pinochet. But his dictatorship continues for the next year-and-a-half as a nation, divided hy hatred, tries to move towards democracy. David Lomax reports on whether the military junta will really surrender power to the opposition without a fight.
On the eve of the Summit of Common Market Leaders, Fred Emery reports on the battle for the future of Europe after 1992. Mrs Thatcher has challenged Britain's European partners not to rush ahead with schemes for a united Europe, introducing socialism by the back door. The Rt Hon Norman Tebbit , MP and the Rt Hon Michael Heseltine , MP, EEC Commissioner Lord Cockfield, Eurochief Jacques Delors and former French president Valery Giscard D'Estaing join the argument.
Council estates are the Conservatives' next political battlefield. Once, council housing, subsidised and secure, symbolised the Welfare State. But the Government has cut back council housing and introduced the right to buy; and now the Tories plan to sell off whole estates to new style 'social landlords'. If the Tories replace council-house culture by enterprise culture, who will lose and who will gain? Vivian White reports.
Half a century after the war, the hunting down of old Nazis has never been more intense. In America, Canada and Israel, Nazis and their collaborators are facing trial. Soon Britain will decide whether to try alleged war criminals in British courts. Jane Corbin investigates the Nazi-hunters, their methods, and the problems of finding evidence 40 years on.
The Government has embarked on the most radical reforms to the National Health Service in its history. Hospitals will be run on business lines, competing for patients. Mrs Thatcher says it will give the patients more choice. Labour warns it's paving the way for the privatisation of the NHS. The battle to win the argument among doctors, nurses and patients is now raging. Fred Emery reports from the Health Secretary's own Nottinghamshire health district and from Peckham, in inner-city London.
Panorama Episode featuring Jane Corbin on the threat posed by the Argentinian Condor Missile Programme
Anthony Howard reports for BBC Panorama into the thoughts and stratagems of the Conservative powerbrokers, from 1989.
After fleeing the capital as revolutionary fervour spread, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife were captured and returned to Bucharest to face the revolution's summary justice on Christmas Day 1989.
Reports on the central issues of the day at home and abroad. As the Gulf crisis reaches a critical stage and the UN deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait runs out, Panorama assesses the chances of averting war.
The full story of Saddam Hussein 's supergun is revealed. It began as one scientist's dream and ended in murder, illegal arms shipments, and serious embarrassment for the government. With previously secret documents and interviews with some of those most closely involved, Panorama shows how the Iraqis ordered three different guns, how British companies helped build the parts, and how confusion and rivalry in Whitehall nearly led to potentially lethal technology falling into Saddam's hands.
While the world has been distracted by the Gulf crisis, momentous political events have been taking place in the Soviet Union, which put a question mark against President Gorbachev's entire programme of reform. Gavin Hewitt reports on how the struggle for independence in the republics combined with mounting economic chaos to provoke a formidable conservative backlash.
As foreign ministers gather in Brussels to discuss the next steps towards political union, Panorama examines the impact of the Gulf crisis on Europe. There's been bitter criticism in Britain of some European countries for their lack of support for the war effort, while Europeans have said that Britain is more interested in its 'special relationship' with the USA than in closer co-operation with the Continent. Has the Gulf crisis proved that political union is simply impossible - or shown that it's needed now more than ever?
On the eve of the Budget, Panorama asks whether the recession is doing lasting damage to Britain's industrial fabric. As unemployment soars to two million, it is already clear that the latest recession is deeper than expected. But now that it has spread north from services to Britain's industrial heartland, industrialists are asking whether manufacturing industry can recover from its second body blow in a decade.
Intelligence gathering played a vital role in the military success of the Allies in the Gulf War. Tom Mangold reports on how a war which started disastrously for the Americans, by failing to predict the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, ended in triumph.
In 1991 Panorama investigated the rise of racist violence in the UK and the role of the openly racist British National Party. Formed after a split with the National Front in the 1980s, the British National Party continued to follow an openly racist agenda advocating involuntary repatriation of non-whites. The programme found their policies and their presence inflaming racial tensions in the east end of London.
John Major's honeymoon is over. Now he's faced with tough decisions on the poll tax, the economy and the timing of the next election. Has he got what it takes to come up with the right answers?
Every cancer patient wants the best treatment, but finding it may be a matter of chance. Some doctors believe that thousands of cancer patients are dying unnecessarily in Britain every year. Stephen Bradshaw presents disquieting new evidence on the treatment of a disease that one in three of us will develop and one in four will die from.
In the week when millions vote in local elections and the government unveils its replacement for the poll tax, the spotlight is on local government. What should it do and how should we pay for it? From Nottingham, David Dimbleby leads a debate with politicians, councillors, experts and ordinary citizens.
Tonight's special edition traces the extraordinary career of James Jesus Angleton, the most famous spycatcher of them all. Angleton was the CIA's guru of counter-intelligence through most of the cold war, but his increasing paranoia and the obsessive mole-hunt he launched paralysed the west's spying operations against the KGB and led at least one innocent man to his death.
Two years ago England's last big merchant shipbuilding yard was closed for good. But there were and remain shipbuilders who wanted to buy and run the Sunderland shipyards without subsidy. Fred Emery reports on the political deal between Whitehall and Brussels which sacrificed Sunderland in the Government's rush to privatise what was left of British shipbuilding.
Two years after the massacre in Tiananmen Square, Panorama reveals the story of Yellow Bird - the underground operation that spirited many pro-democracy activists out of China under the noses of the communist authorities. In the programme, much of which was made secretly inside China, Gavin Hewitt also talks to the students who stayed behind.
David Dimbleby presents a special programme from Moscow in the week of the first free election since the Revolution. Will Boris Yeltsin be voted Russian president - and if he is, where does that leave Mikhail Gorbachev ? The BBC's Moscow correspondent is on the campaign trail with the candidates, while David Dimbleby debates the implications of the election with rival political leaders.
After the refugee crisis, what hope is there for the Kurds of attaining their own homeland? Robin Denselow reports from northern Iraq, where Kurds are nervously enjoying a taste of freedom, and from Turkey, where a bitter guerrilla war is intensifying.
In the aftermath of the Gulf War, western leaders say it is time for the world's major weapons producers to cut back on arms sales. But is the arms trade now beyond our control? Jane Corbin reports from Chile and Egypt on how major British defence companies are selling weapons technology which could make attempts at arms control worthless.
The Government is committed to closing down old asylums and caring for the mentally ill in the community.-But as thousands of beds are lost for ever, more and more of the mentally ill find themselves out on the street, and many end up in prison. Polly Toynbee reports on the plight of the mentally ill, and asks whether closing mental hospitals so quickly leaves them with nowhere to go.
Labour now has a good chance of forming Britain's next government. But post-war Labour prime ministers have faced the same persistent problems: sterling crises, pressures on spending, strained relations with the ' unions, and internal party 4 strife. Michael Crick asks ? whether, if history repeats itself, Neil Kinnock could g tackle these problems any more effectively than his predecessors.
As Britain's armed forces wait to hear who's going to be on the receiving end of the government's military cutbacks, David Dimbleby chairs a special debate on the future of our defences. Is a leaner, meaner force the right answer or did the Gulf War prove that it could be dangerous to give up the traditional strengths of our army, navy and airforce?
John Ware investigates a chain of recent killings by British soldiers in Northern Ireland. In some instances, new forensic documents or new eye-witnesses suggest that soldiers lied about what happened, or tampered with the evidence. In another incident, one of the security forces' own informers was shot dead. 'Shoot to kill' may not be official government policy; Panorama examines if it's developed into a practice.
A state of war exists between ICI, Britain's top chemical company, and Hanson pic, over the prospect of Britain's ; largest ever takeover. It was sparked by a city raid that i made Hanson pic ICI's second ' largest shareholder, and was followed by a proposed merger . from Hanson chairmen Lords Hanson and White. ICI coldly refused. Now, amid workforce anxieties and excitement in the financial world, Fred Emery reports on the key issue: should ICI simply be sold to the highest bidder or are there longer-term national - interests to be served in safeguarding a British company that claims to be j world class?
The first of three special programmes about the Gulf War and its aftermath. Jane Corbin returns to Kuwait one year after Iraq's invasion where she discovers that for many people, liberation has brought persecution rather than freedom.
Did Saddam really lose the Gulf War? In the second of three special Panorama documentaries about the war and its aftermath, the BBC's award-winning Foreign Affairs editor John Simpson reports from Iraq and its neighbours on how the dictator survived a crushing military defeat and the uprisings that followed it, and talks to the Iraqi dissidents who still hope to topple him.
The last of three reports about the Gulf War and its aftermath. Interviews with military commanders and previously unseen Pentagon film cast new light on some crucial events in the war.
As the Soviet Union breaks up, reporter Gavin Hewitt explores the death of a superpower. Will its end be bloody or peaceful? The iron grip of the Communist Party and the Kremlin have now been loosened. In the new freedom can the democrats prevent the economy from descending even further into chaos? And will the desire for revenge against communists, and renewed ethnic feuding cause further bloodshed?
On the eve of the Conservative Party Conference, the BBC's political editor John Cole assesses the current state of John Major's party. Will the change of leadership and change of style be enough to win the Tories a fourth election victory?
The British have just banned Halcion, the world's most popular sleeping pill. Tom Mangold reveals the astonishing facts behind the decision to remove a drug associated with serious psychiatric disturbances including violent and suicidal behaviour.
This summer, hopes for a political settlement in Northern Ireland flickered then died. But Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Brooke refuses to give up the search for peace. John Ware assesses his chances and reports on why, against all odds, this most tenacious Northern Ireland Secretary remains optimistic.
Last month, several British cities were blighted by rioting, and politicians and church leaders cast around for explanations for the civil unrest. Jane Corbin looks for the causes of inner-city riots and asks what can be done to prevent further unrest; whether the riots represent a failure of the Government's policies in deprived areas; and whether there is an "urban underclass" trapped in a vicious circle of poverty.
When last July the Bank of England co-ordinated action to close down BCCI, one of the world's largest international banks, it ended a fraud but started a furore. For no sooner had the bank acted than the questions began. When did the Bank of England suspect a fraud? Should the auditors have sounded the alarm earlier? And should the closedown have happened sooner? As depositors wait to find out how much they might retrieve, Fred Emery reports on whether the largest banking fraud in history could have been avoided.
The Government has renewed its onslaught on "trendy educationalists", claiming they have spread a mania for equality through Britain's schools and betrayed generations of children. But many teachers fear that the government is trying to abandon methods which have inspired thousands of children to believe that education is worthwhile. As the government plans new laws to change the way teachers are trained, Panorama reports on the war for the hearts and minds of Britain's schoolchildren.
Has the Thatcherite housing agenda led to a housing crisis, with family homes being repossessed because of over-extended mortgages and too little money going into public housing? In the month when the housing charity Shelter is 25 years old, Nisha Pillai examines the housing crisis in Britain.
In the week that European Community leaders meet in Maastricht to discuss political and monetary union, David Dimbleby chairs a special debate from the Banqueting House in London to discuss whether Britain should relinquish any more sovereignty to Brussels.
King's Cross, Zeebrugge, Piper Alpha ... more than a thousand people died in the big disasters of the late 80s. Each year more than 600 die in everyday workplace accidents. Yet after most disasters and deaths at work, company managements escape unpunished. Only one director has ever been convicted of manslaughter for a workplace death, while the average fine for safety offences is little more than £800. Michael Crick asks whether the law on safety is too lenient.
The Prime Minister has praised the NHS for the treatment his parents received when they were ill in their old age. But many health authorities are now cutting back or even abandoning long-stay beds, moving the elderly to private nursing homes. In a special Panorama investigation, Robin Denselow reveals that the result can mean financial hardship and in some places disturbingly inadequate care.
The collapse of the Soviet Union has left thousands of nuclear warheads, vast amounts of plutonium and entire cities full of scientists who know how to make nuclear weapons: what happens to them now? How safe are the warheads? Where is all the plutonium? And could other countries entice the scientists to make their own atomic bombs and spread the threat of nuclear war around the world? David Dimbleby presents a debate on the "nuclear nightmare" with experts from the USA, Russia and the UK.
As the General Election approaches, opinion polls suggest an increasing likelihood of the result being a hung Parliament. If so, the balance of power may be held by Paddy Ashdown , the leader of the Liberal Democrats. Gavin Hewitt examines the "Third Man" in British politics. What do he and his party stand for and how would he use his first experience of real political power?
Next week George Bush sets out on the long electoral road to a second term in the White House. But the souring mood of America is ill disposed to reward the President of his foreign policy successes. Instead the campaign spotlight has focused on the ailing United States economy. Under attack from Democrats and even the right wing of his own Republican party, can Bush win through? Fred Emery assesses the President's chances.
As the opinion polls indicate that-half the Scottish electorate now favours independence, David Dimbleby chairs a debate from Edinburgh on the future of Scotland's government. Taking part will be four men who will help decide it: the Rt Hon Ian Lang , the Secretary of State for Scotland; Donald Dewar , Labour's Scottish Spokesman; Alex Salmond , Leader of the Scottish National Party; and Malcolm Bruce of the Liberal Democrats. Each gives his answers to the question which will dominate the general election in Scotland.
Three men are serving life sentences for the gruesome murder of a Cardiff prostitute. Tom Mangold investigates some of the methods used by the police in a case that led to the longest murder trial in British history, and uncovers disturbing new evidence that raises serious doubts about the men's guilt. Is the case another example of the failure of the British criminal justice system?
Since the miners' strike seven years ago, productivity in Britain's mines has soared and efficiency improved beyond all expectations. But these gains have been accompanied by dozens of pit closures and thousands of redundancies as the coal industry has felt the chill blast of market forces. Now the Conservatives are pledged to privatise the remainder of British Coal if they win the General Election. Jane Corbin reports from the coalfields of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and South Wales on the bitter mood of betrayal in the pits.
Now that it is officially admitted that Britain's current economic recession is the longest since the Second World War, a bitter debate has broken out about its ; origins. The BBC's Economics Editor Peter Jay talks to those who have shaped recent economic policy and asks if the slump was inevitable.
David Dimbleby chairs a debate on one of the issues crucial to the outcome of the imminent General Election.
David Dimbleby face-to-face with the party leaders. Tonight: Paddy Ashdown , Leader of the Liberal Democrats.
David Dimbleby face-to-face in live interviews with the party leaders. Tonight: Neil Kinnock , j Leader of the Labour Party.
The Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party, John Major , is interviewed live by David Dimbleby. Can the Conservatives win the election despite the longest economic recession since the war?
What are the implications of the election result for the nation and for its political parties? David Dimbleby and the Panorama team assess last Thursday's poll.
Summer has not yet arrived but already large areas of southern Britain are subject to hosepipe bans and other restrictions on the use of water. The south has suffered its lowest rainfall for 200 years, rivers have run dry and the water table is at an all-time low. But is nature alone to blame? Nisha Pillai investigates why water has become so scarce in parts of a country renowned for its rainfall, and asks what can be done to supply water to the regions suffering shortages.
Now that it is officially admitted that Britain's current economic recession is the longest since the Second World War, a bitter debate has broken out about its origins. Economists and politicians are divided over a question which lay behind the election campaign: what caused Britain's recession and was it avoidable? Peter Jay , the BBC's Economics Editor, talks to those who have shaped Britain's recent policy and asks was the slump inevitable?
Are the golden days over for British home owners? Reporter John Plender looks at whether in future owning a house will still be a sure way of doubling your money or whether, now that Britain is in Europe, the bubble has burst forever. Plender visits Chippenham in Wiltshire - a housing boom town until 1989 - and its twin towns in Germany and France and discovers what a Continental-style housing market, restrained by the ERM, is like.
The Citizen's Charter, which John Major launched as the Tories' "big idea" for the 90s, is rapidly breeding mini-charters setting new standards for most public services. Fred Emery reports from hospitals, schools, trains and refurbished benefits and job centres on how citizens are using their rights. Can the charters deliver their promise of public services more responsive to consumers or is the Prime Minister's initiative destined to be written off as a gimmick?
At the Earth Summit in Rio this week, tax payers in rich countries like Britain will be asked to pay billions of pounds to save the world from environmental disaster. Leaders of the poor countries in the south say the rich have polluted the planet and should now pay the bill: claims that they are destroying rainforests and having too many children are dismissed as the new imperialism. Steve Bradshaw reports from Malaysia - where environmentalists have been compared to Nazis - and the Philippines, and asks whether anyone will make the sacrifices necessary to save the planet.
Are the police now calling a truce in the war on drugs? Fewer users are being prosecuted, but does this mean there is a move towards a decriminalisation of drugs use?
As Israel prepares to go to the polls, the Middle East peace process hangs in the balance. The main parties face mounting pressure from an electorate trying to cope with the influx of Soviet Jews, and from Americans demanding the exchange of land for peace. Jane Corbin reports on how the Israeli voters will affect the prospect for peace.
In the wake of the Maxwell scandal, there are fears that pension funds are vulnerable to theft and sharp practice by the people who run them. Nisha Pillai reports on the urgent calls for reform and asks how safe are company pensionfunds
In a few days' time, Britain's last governor will arrive in Hong Kong - in preparation for handing the colony over to China. Can Chris Patten save the way of life of its people, or will it fall prey to the regime in Peking? David Walter reports on the last chance for freedom in Hong Kong.
Almost a year after the abortive coup against Gorbachev, the ghost of communism still haunts the former Soviet Union. Reporter Gavin Hewitt reveals how the hardliners have seized many of the economic reins of power, despite the country's attempts at reform.
New fears about an Aids epidemic in the heterosexual community have been raised by recent highly publicised cases. Reporter Tom Mangold looks at new evidence on how Aids spreads among heterosexuals, and asks whether current health policies are effective.
Is free dental care in danger of becoming a thing of the past? As dentists threaten to withdraw from the NHS over the Government's attempts to regulate their fees, Steve Bradshaw reports on the widening gap between private and NHS dentistry.
Supporters of the death penalty in America used to claim it was a deterrent to violent crime. Now, more and more, they support it simply as a form of revenge. John Ware reports on how, in pursuit of retribution, America is putting to death juveniles, the mentally retarded, the insane, and even the innocent.
Britain is poised to become a major player in an international trade in deadly plutonium, one of the most toxic substances known to man and the raw material for nuclear weapons. There is growing concern that the movement of enormous quantities of plutonium around the world is both unsafe and unnecessary. John Taylor asks whether it is worth the risk.
Forced to remain in harbour against their will and obliged to throw almost half their catch back into the sea, British fishermen are angrier than at any time since the "cod war" of the early 1970s. The Government says that it is enforcing conservation; fishermen say they can only survive by breaking the law. John Nicolson reports on Britain's oldest industry, in peril on the sea.
Horse racing in Britain is in crisis. Is it because it's not run in a business-like way or because the bookies aren't paying their fair share? Jane Corbin investigates the reasons for the decline in the sport of kings.
Despite the recession, the pay of Britain's company directors is rising faster than ever. When others are being urged to show restraint, how do they justify j double-figure increases? ; Michael Crick finds out who sets the boss's pay and whether there is a better way
New payments to farmers to produce less food will result in an area of farmland bigger than Devon being released. Will this lead to widespread dereliction? Should the land be used for housing and industry or returned to nature as a resource for us all?
On the eve of the Conservative Party conference, another in-depth investigation and analysis of current events with the Panoramateam.
Recent events have shaken the foundations of the EC. As the 12 gather for a summit in Britain this week, Martha Kearney looks at the view from France and Germany and asks whether these fast-track nations will push ahead and create a premier league Europe.
This year, hundreds of thousands of people will be smuggled into the west from the former communist states of eastern Europe. Nisha Pillai reports on this crime which is fast becoming a European growth industry as Panorama follows the refugee trail from the turmoil of Bosnia, Croatia and Romania to an uncertain welcome in the west.
Bill Clinton has suffered the most sustained attacks on a candidate's character in recent American history, over sex, drugs and the draft. Yet he goes into next week's presidential election with the best prospects ' a Democrat has had in 16 years. Julian O'Halloran reports on how Clinton has survived the campaign and whether he can revitalise a nation plagued by economic uncertainty.
The future of some popular BBCtv shows, from Eldorado to the Generation Game, is under scrutiny. Why should viewers pay a licence for the kind of programmes that may be widely available on rival channels in the 90s? As the Government opens the debate on the BBC's future, Stephen Bradshaw reports on the case for renewing its Charter and interviews former heritage secretary David Mellor.
Animal sacrifice, child sexual abuse, cannibalism and murder: crimes committed, claim some, in the name of Satan. According to one estimate, satanic ritual abuse is rife in every town in Britain, but is this myth or reality? Martin Bashir examines the claims and counter-claims both in America and in Europe.
Crack cocaine is one of the most dangerous illegal drugs ever to reach Britain. The intense pleasure it gives soon leads to addiction, and a deadly spiral of depression and destructiveness. Tom Mangold 's investigation reveals that the first signs of the long-expected crack epidemic have now surfaced in Britain. This extended edition includes front-line reports from the cocaine cartel's hide-outs in the Colombian jungle, from an anti-narcotics patrol in the Caribbean, and from the streets of Nottingham and London.
Under Mrs Thatcher , ministers j said they meant to privatise | British Rail, but left it in public ownership. Now John Major 's i government intends to show I how radical it is, by de-nationalising the industry. The plan is to "franchise" British Rail's passenger I services as soon as possible, I until they are all in private t hands. Will it work - and is it in the public interest? Vivien White investigates.
Tom Mangold investigates the tobacco industry's secret scientific research.
Will government plans to spend £23 billion on Britain's roads ease traffic jams or encourage more people to take to their cars? Transport secretary John MacGregor does not believe the public rejects the prospect of bigger and better roads, saying: "If they felt that strongly, they wouldn't drive as much as they do."But former minister George Walden MP, argues: "They [the government] have no idea where our transport policy is going other than building more and more roads for more and more cars." With some Tory backbenchers arguing against government policy Mr MacGregor faces opposition other than banner-waving protesters. Reporter John Penycate talks to people affected by schemes such as the widening of the M25 and M62 and to the strategists, including John MacGregor , who must tackle a seemingly intractable problem.
Simon Studholme died of leukaemia in 1992. His bedroom was next to the electricity meter and outside the house stands an electricity substation. Now the family lives in the half of the house furthest away from it, convinced that electromagnetic fields were responsible for Simon's disease. His father Ray says: "You take responsibility for your children. You don't let them cross the road on their own - you're there, holding their hand. For God's sake, you don't think that they're going to be in danger when they go to bed at night. Tonight, Sarah Spiller asks why the public have been told nothingof the possible link between electricity and childhood cancers, when statistical research in the US and Sweden suggests that the link exists.
With 1994 designated Year of the Family, it is disturbing that trends emerging from the 1980s show that more children than ever will go through not just one, but two or even more family breakdowns before they are out of their teens. It has been suggested that one cause of divorce is the changing expectations of men and women's roles within the family - particularly in relation to childcare and household chores. The idea of warring couples "staying together for the sake of the children" has generally been rejected as old-fashioned, but is it such a bad idea? Francine Stock talks to children, parents, step-parents and experts in the field to find out how family breakdowns can affect children's health, schoolwork and behaviour.
Two thousand people die of asthma each year in Britain. The number of sufferers is growing, and blame is being leveled at air pollution. Asthma blights the lives of perhaps one in seven children, and many more young asthmatics remain undiagnosed and untreated. Tonight, Roger Harrabin investigates Britain's hidden epidemic and reveals how traffic pollution may be shortening people's lives.
Five years ago the government created the personal pensions industry -and a big problem. The government now promises that the industry's system of "self-regulation" is to be tightened up, but reporter Vivian White reveals that even after all the publicity, there are still pensions salespeople giving expensive, bad advice.
America began to conduct atomic tests at Yucca Flats in Nevada soon after the Second World War, and the "down-winders" across the border in Utah were repeatedly told they were safe. Now whole families have been devastated by cancer. Elsewhere, American doctors apparently administering radiation therapy were in fact experimenting with potentially lethal doses. After half a century of atomic and nuclear bombs, the horrors inflicted by America on its own people, in the interests of the arms race, are coming to light with the release of previously secret documents. Julian O'Halloran, who talks to "down-winders" and radiation doctors among others, investigates a scandal that has been compared to the experiments carried out on humans by Nazi doctors.
The Scott Inquiry into exports to Iraq has put the inner workings of the government on public display as never before. Using new evidence, this programme reports on an investigation that has become a devastating exploration of how we are ruled and the integrity of those who rule us.
An investigation into one of the biggest killers of middle-aged women in Britain - breast cancer. The programme reports on how doctors are either unaware of or are apparently ignoring the latest research on treatment, and questions whether Britain's hospitals are giving sufferers the best available treatment. "I feel that had I been assessed properly I would have had a much better prognosis. I feel that I've had years taken off my life because of somebody's mistake at the outset", says breast cancer sufferer Suzanne Judge. Steve Bradshaw investigates why Britain has high rates of breast cancer and low rates of survival compared to other European countries.
After the success of Vladimir Zhirinovsky in Russia's recent elections, Panorama examines the threat to world peace. "Zhirinovsky epitomises the strong and aggressive nationalist feeling in Russia, with talk of invading Finland and the best borders being sea borders," says editor Glenwyn Benson. "His election result has made people stop and think that Russia might be a force to be reckoned with after all." Presented by the BBC's former Moscow correspondent, Bridget Kendall , the programme examines the dangers Zhirinovsky's popularity poses to the west in terms of stability. The strongfeelings of national pride and resentment running high in Russia could form the seed-beds of nationalist aggression, with attempts to regain control of former territories such as the Baltic lands and the Ukraine.
In 1987 the BBC's Michael Buerk (along with Peter Sharp of ITN) was refused a renewal of his work permit to report from South Africa - effectively he was expelled, as part of the increasing government clampdown on coverage of the apartheid regime.Now Buerk has returned to follow and talk to a man who was then a prisoner, Nelson Mandela , in the build-up to an election that should confirm him as president of the country that once tried to crush him. Can the country Michael Buerk knew really become the nation Mandela has dreamed of for 75 years? Mandela talks to Buerk about his early life, the days of his imprisonment and his solitary decision to open talks with the white government.
Government schemes to train the long-term unemployed sound like a good idea but this investigation reveals they are often very expensive, ineffective and merely a way to massage the unemployment figures. "People on government training schemes not only come off the unemployment register, but they are also included as people at work. So, the government gets a double effect," explains Dan Finn of the independent research body the Unemployment Unit. But the government is also being swindled out of millions of pounds. One former manager of a training company reveals that the schemes were primarily tailored to make her company a fat profit while an unemployed man tells how his "training" consisted of weeding railway tracks all day.
On the South Seacroft estate in Leeds, syringes lie in gutters and drug dealers cruise the streets in fast cars confident the police won't catch them. For the children in this area, drugs are a way of life. But this estate is not unique according to West Yorkshire chief constable Keith Hellawell : "What's happening on the Seacroft estate is happening in many other British towns and cities. Seacroft is Britain." In tonight's programme Hellawell takes reporter Steve Bradshaw on a tour of the area to meet the users, addicts, burglars, young offenders, parents and teachers who face this problem daily. He believes drugs are responsible for much of Britain's property crime and that present policies on drugs are inadequate. It's time, he says, to take radical action - policing alone won't work. NOTE: As we went to press, the topic of this week's edition of Panorama was unconfirmed, and therefore subject to change .
PLO Chairman Arafat "is no Nelson Mandela" according to a Palestinian commentator, but he has agreed a fundamental change in the way Arab and Jew will live together in the Middle East. Panorama reporter Jane Corbin charts Arafat's historic return to Jericho, a symbol of the new mutual recognition between the Palestinians and Israel. There is no way back, but will the deal succeed?
Are our dental fillings making us ill? Tom Mangold reports on alarming new evidence about amalgam, the substance metal fillings are made of.
The police force should not be enticing people to commit crime... Ana that is what they have been doing," says James Daniels , a small-time villain who claims he was set up by a police informer on a major firearms charge, although the charge was later thrown out by a judge. Informants, grasses, narks - whatever they are called, they have always played a vital role in the police's fight against crime. However, disturbing evidence is revealed in tonight's programme that informants are now being used to set up crimes so that the police's success rate is boosted. John Penycate examines the work of three police informers and uncovers a pattern of set-ups, pay-outs and headline-making arrests that points to a corruption and devaluation of the system.
"If the baby comes out and looks a 'goer', we will try for it" says a doctor to a woman who is 22 weeks pregnant and starting contractions. In tonight's programme, Salvaging Babies, Sarah Barclay examines whether it is miraculous or madness to try to save babies born so prematurely that they fall within the legal limit for abortion. She talks to those doctors who argue that too many of those who survive are likely to be seriously damaged and also to the parents of a premature baby who died because it was not hospital policy to try to save babies under 24 weeks.
The landlord is back. But is he up to the job? In tonight's programme, Mike Embley investigates the rent revolution - millions of people who've always looked to the state for a home are being forced to go to private landlords. As the home ownership boom is followed by bust, will landlords be the winners?
What is the future for the Rwandans who survive the refugee camps? The United Nations is trying to persuade survivors to return to what is left of their homes in Rwanda but many refugees see little alternative to the life of dependency of the camps. As the biblical proportions of the Rwandan tragedy continues to unfold, Steve Bradshaw asks - is there the will in the UN to provide a future for this desperate country, and can it succeed?
Why should a company director of two years' standing get a "golden handshake" of half-a-million pounds when a middle manager has to work for 20 years before he or she is offered a year's salary? Panorama investigates the pay-off culture: are "golden handshakes" rewarding failure or justified by the entrepreneurs that receive them?
Tonight Panorama introduces Tony Blair , the man behind the rhetoric and headlines. In the town of Southampton, Blair meets the middle England he is said to represent. What does he have to offer?
Peter Jay, BBC Economics Editor, looks at job insecurity, the issue of the 90s. With "a job for life" now an outdated concept, parents fear their children will suffer a drop in their standard of living. But is this sense of anxiety justified?
In the wake of the IRA ceasefire, Panorama reports on the mood of the Unionist community. A member of the unionist Orange Order alleges that Northern Ireland has been undergoing IRA "ethnic cleansing" for some time. What future does the unionist community see for Northern Ireland? Fergal Keane reports on the troubled mood of the Unionists as the British goverment tries to reassure them of the future. Is the IRA ceasefire the breakthrough it promised to be?
From babyhood to boardroom, women are now set to out-achieve men. Panorama reveals evidence that the future is female - and the weaker sex is now male. Girls now do better than boys at virtually every level of education; even the best schools can't close the gender gap, and many employers now favour women for top jobs. Have women won the war of the sexes?
He was the boy from the other side of the tracks, poor, black, who made it in a white man's world. The trial of 0 J Simpson, one of America's greatest sporting heroes, on charges of brutally murdering his wife and her friend has become the crime story of the decade. Panorama investigates the public and private sides of O J Simpson and reports on the issues behind the trial - race, domestic violence, money and justice, and the power of fame.
Is "the greatest nightmare" of being "old, sick, poor and uncared for" referred to by John Major at the Conservative Party Conference already a reality for thousands of Britain's sick and elderly? Panorama reveals how local authorities are swamped by the people that the NHS will no longer pay for. The programme uncovers evidence that money put aside for care has run dry. Not only is none available for nursing-home places but home help is also being withdrawn. Reporter Sarah Barclay talks to the elderly people who cost too much to care for.
On 28 September the ferry Estonia sank in minutes in the Baltic Sea with the loss of 900 lives. It was the second major accident involving roll-on roll-off passenger ferries in seven years. Jane Corbin reports on the failure of governments and ferry companies to address the real problem of these vessels - their design, which makes them fatally vulnerable once water gets onto the car deck. Why were warnings ignored and why have considerations of cost been allowed to prevail over safety at sea?
In the wake of books, biographies and annus horribili, the monarchy is facing its biggest crisis for half a century. Even establishment circles are now worried that the cracks in the royal facade are beginning to show. Nicholas Witchell reports on the personal, public and political pressures on the royal family. How is the monarchy going to retain public support? Is it still too grand for modern Britain, and what shape will it be in for the next century?
As British Rail is broken up into more than 80 new companies, trains are grindingto a halt with more cancellations and late trains, leaving even more passengers waiting at the station. Panorama asks whether the Government's railway privatisation will be back on track before the next election?
Tonight's programme investigates the spread of Hepatitis C through contaminated blood. Britain was the last country in Europe to screen its blood donors for the potentially fatal virus, and as a result thousands may have been contaminated, many of whom do not know that they carry the virus.
As he completes his controversial mission as commander of the UN protection force in Bosnia, British General Sir Michael Rose gives Panorama a unique insight into the most dangerous military posting in Europe. The BBC's Foreign Affairs Editor, John Simpson, has followed the General to scenes of the worst fighting during his year in Bosnia. The General answers American accusations that he is a "Chamberlain-type appeaser" to the Bosnian Serbs. Has he made too many compromises, or is he the victim of some potent propaganda fed to the western media by the mainly Muslim Bosnian government?
This remarkable profile of Gerry Adams shows him in a surprisingly positive light, and asks if the government is doing enough to help him keep IRA hardliners on side. See today's choices.
In an exclusive interview with Aldrich Ames , allegedly the most damaging traitor in CIA history, Panorama tells the extraordinary story of how he became the world's most highly-paid spy.
Average life expectancy in England is 73 fora man and 79 fora woman - but not if you are poor. Panorama looks at new evidence that death rates among Britain's poor are rising for the first time in decades. The rich are now living longer and the poor dying younger, and in some cases that gap has widened by as much as 45 percent during the 80s.
In the week that Oliver Stone's controversial film Natural Born Killers is finally released in Britain, Panorama asks if violent films cause real life violence.
Should doctors respect the wishes of the seriously ill who want to die? Panorama investigates whether patients should have the right to tell doctors in advance not to treat them, or whether it is impossible to predict personal reactionsto serious illness or injury. Do "living wills" represent the ultimate freedom of choice, orthe first step towards reducingthe emotional and financial cost of caringfor the very sick?
Are we facing a future of violence and chaos? In the programme's contribution to Science Week, Panorama looks at the alarming prophecies of post-apocalyptic films such as Mad Max and Blade Runner, and asks whether western governments are simply accepting worst-case scenarios, rather than taking action to avoid them.
Tonight's programme poses some tough financial questions for the privatised British water industry. Are its customers footing more than their fair share of the bills?
The slump in the housing market has left more than a million homeowners victims of negative equity. Young families who bought in the boom now owe thousands in housing debt, and Britain's house builders say the Tory home-owning dream has turned into a nightmare. How did it go so wrong, and will your house ever recover its value again
How safe are Britain's aeroplanes? Why are parts from war wrecks, cars and even bed springs ending up in planes used by airlines all overthe world? Panorama investigates the alarming trade in bogus aircraft parts. Jane Corbin reports. Producers Richard Betfield and Dan Chambers
Two men fire guns in the street. One is in west Yorkshire firing blanks: British police shoot him dead. The other is in New Jersey, USA, with 200 live rounds: American police arrest him unharmed. Using video footage, interviews with witnesses, and a first-hand account from the gunman at the centre of an armed siege, Panorama investigates the police tactics in both incidents and asks why the less dangerous man was killed.
Panorama investigates rough justice in Europe. British citizens who are arrested for alleged crimes in EU countries such as Germany, Spain and Portugal are almost never given bail, are often not told what's happening to them and often feel isolated from any assistance the British Consulate is able to offer them. Tom Mangold looks at the cases of four Britons for whom the theory of Europe without frontiers ended in the reality of prison behind bars. When everything else in Europe is being standardised, why not the legal and judicial systems?
Panorama reveals the desperate plight of one in ten mothers who suffer from postnatal mental illness. New research shows that mothers with postnatal illness are a long-term danger not only to themselves but also to their children. Yet, such women are met with a health service lottery for care.
Murders, machete attacks, shootings and a firebombing have hit a quiet Scottish town - and all because of a sleeping pill. Panorama reports on the crime, violence and fear caused by addiction to Temazepam. It is commonly prescribed by GPs - but used regularly it can be addictive, and taken with alcohol it can lead to violence. Street demand for it is so strong that criminal gangs are fighting pitched battles for control of the lucrative black market in the drug.
On the day that the Labour Party Conference opens in Brighton, Gavin Hewitt examines what a "new Labour" government could offer Britain - if Tony Blair makes it to number 10.
The Home Secretary, Michael Howard , claims that he is beating crime - in fact, crime recorded by the police has fallen for the second year running. On the eve of the Conservative Party Conference Panorama talks to key players in the criminal justice system, some of whom take a different view.
Panorama reports on the plight of many young men who appear to be losing out to women - at home, at school, at college and, more significantly, in the jobs market. Stephen Bradshaw reports from Darlington in County Durham, where he uncovers an astonishing tale of demoralised and underachieving men. Once guaranteed industrial jobs for life, these young men now face a future on the dole, while their female counterparts are convinced that they will be the breadwinners of the future.
In Panorama tonight, Lord Owen tells the story of his years as European negotiatior in war-torn Yugoslavia. Speaking candidly about his views on the senior American, Balkan and British figures that he dealt with, Lord Owen reveals frustration at the lost opportunities of the past and offers his views on the current US-brokered peace plan.
Are Britain's children being let down by bad teachers? The latest research from the government's education inspectorate, Ofsted, suggests that some teachers may not be up to their jobs. But many teachers do not approve of the government's education reforms which put the spotlight on teaching standards. Tonight's Panorama investigates both issues and visits three schools in the frontline of the new "class struggle".
Diana, Princess of Wales, speaks openly for the first time about her separation from the Prince of Wales in a frank interview for the BBC's Panorama programme.
Alcohol abuse is responsible for up to 40,000 deaths every year in Britain, as well as domestic incidents, absenteeism and crime. But the government, which spends £10 million per year combatting drugs, has no similar policy for dealing with drink. Panorama asks why the government has failed to change such destructive drinking habits.
Tonight, in the first programme of a special two part investigation on the reality of the welfare state, reporter Stephen Bradshaw looks at broken promises. Like families having to sell their parents homes to pay for old age care which they thought the state would provide, and the redundant who discover that claiming benefit traps them into dependency on the state.
The second programme of a special two-part investigation into the welfare state. Stephen Bradshaw looks at the implications of the middle classes increasingly looking to private insurance for everything from pensions, schools fees and medical care. However, forecasters predict that only five to ten per cent of British families will be able to afford the cost of private welfare, creating a divided society.
On 8 December last year, a ten-year-old boy from Stockport, Nicholas Geldard , died in a Leeds hospital. He had fallen ill the previous afternoon while playing on his computer at home. In his last hours he was taken to four different hospitals; refused an intensive care bed at four others - and denied access to one hospital's scanner because there was no cash to run the equipment at night.
The Bosnian Serb army stand accused of some of the worst war crimes to be committed since the end of the Second World War. As the war crimes tribunal gathers evidence, Panorama tells the inside story of what really happened when Srebrenica fell in July 1995.
Gerry Northam presents a programme looking at controversy surrounding perceived results of drugs trials on AZT (marketed as Retrovir) since early 1980's, which have been interpreted by drug companies to show benefits of taking drugs early.
As part of the week-long series Dealing with Drugs, a look at the increasing use of recreational drugs, not just among the young, but among the professional middle-classes. Panorama investigates whether society is beginning to adjust and even tolerate the drug culture.
Last year nearly 200 people were publicly beheaded in Saudi Arabia, yet the British Government does not criticise its closest Middle East ally. As the Home Office reconsiders its decision over the deportation of Saudi dissident Dr Mohammed Al Masari, John Ware reports on Britain's relationship with the regime.
Thomas Creedon was born severely brain-damaged. Unable to see or hear, he was kept alive only through modern medicine. His quality of life was such that his parents were prepared to take their case to the high court to fight for the right to let their son die. Thomas died of natural causes before his future could be decided in the courts. But for other families the same dilemmas still apply.
Are our children being let down by primary school education? New research suggests that over the last 25 years, standards in maths have fallen noticeably. Vivian White reports on what is going wrong in our primary schools and asks if there are hard lessons to be learnt from abroad.
So far BSE has meant the deaths of 160,000 cows and may lead to the condition Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease in humans. As the Government's handling of the "mad cow" crisis threatens to split Europe, Gerry Northam reports on a decade of official mistakes and cover-ups.
In the brave new world of privatised railways, it's cheaper to send trains by road than by rail. When trains need to be serviced, the new owners of the track charge operators so much that many prefer to load them onto trailers to be sent down the motorway. So trains can now cause traffic jams.John Ware asks, has privatisation of the railways gone off the rails?
Swifter, higher, stronger is the Olympic motto but has the athlete's ultimate dream to win gold created a culture of world-class cheats? Reporter Tom Mangold talks to Olympic athletes en route to this year's games who admit to having taken drugs and talks to the steroid gurus to reveal the hidden underground network behind the glamour of the centennial games.
Panorama begins with this report on the aftermath of the massacre when Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and their teacher at Dunblane Primary School. As the Cullen Inquiry prepares to publish its report, BBC Scotland correspondent Jane Franchi talks to families whose children were murdered and the two teachers badly wounded in the shooting. She reveals how, despite so much being known about Hamilton's activities, little was done to stop him.
The spin doctors politicians rely upon to influence the news have been called "the men in the dark" . Do they pressure and cajole journalists and help politicians float stories that can later be denied, or simply protect their parties from a media obsessed with splits and personalities? In the run-up to the general election, reporter Steve Bradshaw reveals the spin doctors' tricks of the trade and asks whether British voters get the political debate they deserve.
Sir James Goldsmith is a billionaire at the gate of British politics - a financier who intends spending huge amounts of money promoting the Referendum Party at the next general election. The party's one-policy campaign has been dismissed in some quarters, yet Goldsmith's impact and money is widely feared.
As America prepares to vote for its next President and the candidates' election campaigns roll towards their conclusion, Edward Stourton journeys across the country on the trail of President Bill Clinton.
Statistics show that British women are committing more and more violent crimes. Panorama investigates the shift in the traditional role of women as victims or accessories to crime to the aggressor. Su Pennington talks to women who get a thrill from their own brutality, and to some victims of the disturbing trend.
Martin Sashir reports on what seems to be a wide scale ignorance of the easily-treatable Kawasaki disease, the biggest cause of heart disease among children in the western world.
Tonight, Peter Jay contrasts the political rhetoric of the last 20 years with the realities of the tax burden, to discover if anything has changed. Panorama hears from families, former Chancellor Norman Lamont and former Treasury chiefs to assess what impact changes have had.
With Christmas imminent. Panorama investigates allegations that the prices of hi-fis, televisions and fridges are being kept artificially high. and reporter John Ware explains why finding a bargain might be difficult this year.
The long-running debate over hospital closures.
A report on acquisitive drug crime.
Will tougher sentencing result in crisis in British prisons?
Live studio debate, including audience, as to whether there should be a single currency.
The effects on children of working mothers.
The story of 16-year-old survivor of the 1994 Tutsi genocide.
Investigation into financial scandal in the copper market.
A look at current treatment in prison of psychopaths.
Investigation into paedophilia in children's homes in the North-West.
A look at the future of motoring in Britain.
Dilemmas facing abortion doctors.
How the water industry makes money.
Investigation into Iranian terrorist network.
Potential problems of radiotherapy treatment.
On the eve of the vote for a new leader, a look back at Major's premiership.
Labour government plans for London's elderly tube system.
Doctors and dentists who rip off the NHS by filling out fraudulent prescriptions.
Deaths due to Methadone, the state's alternative to Heroin.
An investigation into the reason for the crash of TWA 800.
A report on illegal immigrants smuggled into Britain.
A debate on devolution hosted at Edinburgh's Old Royal High School.
A Mercedes has crashed in a tunnel in Paris. A princess and her companion are dead. Panorama asks, what really happened that night?
An investigation into the increase in the number of young arsonists in Britain.
Government policy on single-parent families.
A look at the abuse of children and teenagers by women.
Report on the controversial NHS care in the community programme.
How will hospitals cope with increasing waiting lists?
Vivian White reports on changes in political attitudes to issues such as gays in the military and homosexual marriage, parenting and education. Some politicians, including Chris Smith and Ben Bradshaw, have taken the decision to be open about their sexuality, while changes in the law have created a greater feeling of equality for gay people. Yet a poll commissioned by 'Panorama' suggests that many people do not want homosexuals to be treated equally in a number of key areas.
An exclusive report on the case of surrogate mother Karen Roche.
The presence of new variant CJD in British blood supplies.
A report on the Royal Family's plans for the future of the Monarchy.
Thirty-one years on, should life still mean life for Myra Hindley?
Is there a hidden agenda behind Kyoto Climate Conference?
How football, the glory game, has become the money game.
A debate over Britain's new Eurofighter aircraft.
Follow-up exposé of corrupt policemen.
Housing development in the English countryside.
Illnesses suffered by Britain's nuclear submariners.
Sexual scandal leading to crisis for Clinton's presidency.
Should benefits be cut to people who say they can't work?
The failure of privatised railways.
Investigation into whether the Millennium Dome is a waste of money
Farmers fight for their survival.
Will budget boost standards of childcare for poorer families?
The crisis in teacher recruitment.
Government plan to close Britain's top security hospitals.
The battle to get rid of bad neighbours.
Will Sinn Fein and the IRA be part of a new peace agreement?
Investigation into doctors and opticians who cost NHS millions.
Studio debate with Keith Hellawell following new drugs strategy.
How should we treat, punish and rehabilitate paedophiles?
Inside account of rows and dilemmas faced by memorial fund.
Following their return home, story of 2 British nurses convicted of murder in Saudi Arabia.
NHS failure to prevent deaths of babies following heart surgery in Bristol.
Two days before the World Cup, an investigation into the football industry.
Louise Woodward, the British au pair convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of a child under her care in Massachusetts, gives her first television interview since returning home to Britain. She claims she was made a scapegoat for the death of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen.
Price-fixing rackets in British car industry.
Interview with David Shayler, former MI5 officer awaiting extradition from French jail to face charges of breaking Official Secrets Act.
A look at the events leading up to political scandal surrounding Bill Clinton.
Should the impotence drug Viagra be available on the NHS?
Are long working hours really bad for people?
The growing trend to start children's education at four.
Are children who are cruel to animals more likely to become murderers?
Corruption in the West Midlands Police.
Osama Bin Laden's terror network.
How relevant are Britain's porn laws?
A fiftieth birthday portrait of Prince Charles.
Investigation into Bernie Ecclestone and Formula 1.
Are we getting a good deal from our supermarkets?
The anxiety of people in the north-east affected by job cuts.
Investigation into why our leaders abandoned people of Rwanda in 1994.
Report on the increase in suicide rates among young men.
Report on Met Police Force's commitment to tackling racist crime.
Life in black South Africa today.
Report on the alarming rise in food poisoning.
Will the British ever learn to love the Euro?
Investigation into scientists trying to create the first human clone.
Undemocratic tendencies within the Labour government.
Report on Britain's recent upsurge in meningitis.
Report on Dr Richard Neale a British gynaecologist accused of professional incompetence.
Report on young people starting out on their sexual lives and what makes first sex so dangerous.
Report from America and Europe on the Olympic officials who are accused of turning a blind eye to athletes' drug use.
Report on how the UN's attempt to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction ended in humiliation.
Report on the man behind the war in Kosovo.
Report on traders that try and undercut the big brand names who feel bullied and intimidated into submission.
Report on how NATO went to war in Kosovo, and the strategy behind the campaign.
Report on the Scottish elections taking place on May 6 1999.
Report on refugee camps in Kosovo and whether those responsible for the atrocities will ever stand trial.
Report on the increasing numbers of children from broken homes who are being snatched by one of their parents.
Report on who made the decisions that allowed Genetically Modified food to become so widespread here.
Report on the growing concern about the health implications of mobile phones and examines accusations that the industry has covered up possible risks.
David Dimbleby chairs a Panorama studio special which charts the road to the peace deal.
The life-threatening dilemmas encountered by the team and families at Europe's largest transplant centre in Birmingham.
The new Minimum Wage was meant to be good news for Britain's worst paid workers; but thousands have ended up no better off and some are getting even less than before.
Two lawyers have now been murdered in N. Ireland. Both represented IRA suspects; both claimed before their deaths that the RUC had threatened to have them assassinated.
Report on how house prices in London are going through the roof, but how in some Northern Cities entire streets are being bulldozed because no-one wants to live there.
As the refugees of Kosovo return to their devastated land, Panorama reveals the true extent of the atrocities by Serb paramilitaries and police.
Investigation into the disturbing truth about a type of aircraft wiring which can lead to fires in the air.
Children are being left with parents who neglect and abuse them because the law says keeping families together is best. Now, a confidential report says the law should be changed, with children taken away and adopted much sooner.
Millions of people who pay for private healthcare believe they are buying better treatment than they would have got with the National Health Service. But, do some private hospitals present special medical risks of their own?
As Britain's congested roads descend into carmageddon, Panorama investigates how far the government is prepared to go to force us out of our cars. Will they dare to charge us for driving through our own towns and cities?
You may be loyal to your bank, but how loyal are they to you? Panorama uncovers the banking industry's dark secret; 'customer deselection'. New research shows that more than half of Britain's banks are trying to 'fire' the customers who cost them money.
Investigation into the Paddington rail crash on October 5th 99. Panorama also looks at the state of the railway system at Paddington, where for years danger signals were overlooked.
Matthew Hill investigates the psychiatric approach to the treatment of children with the disabling illness of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Are the police going soft on drugs? Panorama has the startling results of a unique three-year study into what the police really think about the drug laws.
Stephen Sackur investigates the US gun laws and reveals those who have decided they must act now to curb guns, by targeting manufacturers and sellers directly through the courts.
Birmingham has one of Britain's most congested railways. Who is to blame for under-investment and delayed trains? Is it Railtrack, ask passengers, or the privatised railway companies?
Exclusive Interview with Simeon Mogelevich, the most notorious crime figure in Russia.
New Labour, the 'People's Party', tried to stop Ken Livingstone from standing - even though the polls show him to be the 'People's' favourite; and how the party machine is still working against him - even though he is now officially one of Labour's candidates.
An investigation into Paramedics. Panorama uncovers evidence of poor training, lack of skills and chaotic organisation, which are costing thousands of lives every year.
Women who try to combine fulltime jobs with bringing up children are giving up the struggle. New evidence suggests that the children of working mothers may suffer too if their parents try to "have it all".
Killer doctor Harold Shipman was locked away today for murdering 15 of his patients, but the true toll could run into hundreds.
Britain attracts 6,000 asylum seekers every month. From April 2000 the Government is cutting cash benefits to asylum seekers and launching a massive programme to relocate them from out of the South East to all over Britain.
The most dangerous child killer in Britain is the motorist. The death toll could be substantially cut if cars in residential streets were forced to slow down.
An investigation into Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool where the organs of 850 children were kept in pots on laboratory shelves - for years.
New Labour's tasken a bruising over its handling of New Britain. Tony Blair's top man in Wales has been dumped, the contest to be Mayor of London has left No 10 looking severly embarrassed, and support in Scotland is under threat.
Gerry Conlon, one of the Guildford Four, speaks out about the growing number of innocent people wrongly accused of serious crimes. Panorama reveals that the law to clarify what should be disclosed, has made the situation worse.
Almost every day, government press releases claim to be spending "extra" money, "new" money, or handing out a cash "boost". But- did you know that "new", "extra", and "boosts", no longer quite mean what they say?
In Cheshire an ICI toxic dump has poisoned a village. In London and the South East thousands of new homes are being built on polluted land. The Government promises that most of the new houses Britain needs will be built on recycled land. But how safe are we from the legacy of industrial contamination?
Two companies, British Nuclear Fuels - who've been found guilty of "systematic management failure", and Lockheed Martin - officially criticised over safety at several American sites, are part of the new consortium at Aldermaston.
As Dot Com fever sweeps through Britain, Panorama investigates the internet phenomenon that is becoming Britain's millennium gold rush.
Panorama reports on the flourishing illegal trade in ivory spurred on by demand from the far east, which has resulted in elephant orphanages in Kenya.
The prescription of psychiatric drugs to young children has rocketed in the last few years. Drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac are being increasingly used to treat what psychiatrists argue are recognised behavioural disorders. There is growing concern on both sides of the Atlantic that pills are now being used as a substitute for good parenting.
Fergal Keane investigates the fastest growing AIDS epidemic in the world. Four million South Africans are already HIV positive. 1700 more are infected everyday.
The impending auction of football's TV rights will result in a two billion pound bonanza for the beautiful game. The competing TV companies are promising better coverage than ever before but there's a cost for both the fans and football itself.
Anxiety is gripping millions of homeowners as the hear that they could be thousands of pounds short of paying off their endowment-linked mortgage. David Lomax reveals how companies which pushed endowments in the past, are now giving bad advice on how to deal with the shortfall.
It's the golden retirement dream - leave work early and live it up on a generous occupational pension. And many people have managed to make that dream a reality. But now companies are changing the rules and calling time on the pensions party.
Undercover investigation into the criminals who send gangs of illegal workers to companies that supply some of our biggest supermarket chains.
In a special investigation, Panorama goes undercover with English supporters at Euro 2000.
We're all chucking out more than ever before, but we're about to face attempts to force us to change our ways.
Neo-nazi David Copeland launched a a nailbombing campaign in London in 1999, culminating in the bombing of the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho which killed three people. In this special investigation Panorama investigates and confronts the right wing extremists who inspired him to do what he he did.
With the world still reeling from the Lovebug virus, which infected millions of computers, an investigation into the security of personal information on the Internet.
The inside stories from the biggest popular protest Tony Blair's ever faced.
Panorama uncovers the controversial British-backed biological weapon that's being developed to destroy the world's heroin drug crops.
Twenty nine people, many of them children, died on a summer Saturday in the worst atrocity of the troubles. Two years on, no one has yet been brought to justice.
Gap and Nike say their top-selling clothes are made under the strictest ethical codes. Paul Kenyon uncovers some disturbing realities.
The secret story of the Gore v. Bush presidential fight. Negative adverts, allegations of dirty tricks, the involvement of America's most notorious pornographer - it's all part of this hidden world.
The number of street muggings in Britain rose by over a quarter last year and most of the victims were children. Panorama reveals the controversial tactics being used by West Midlands Police to crackdown on these young robbers.
The Roman Catholic Church in Wales is in turmoil over its second child abuse scandal in two years with a priest yet again receiving a lengthy prison sentence for indecently assaulting children. Phil Parry investigates the background to these cases and the role of the man in charge of the Church, Archbishop John Aloysius Ward.
Reality TV is the social phenomenon of the millennium. Programmes like Big Brother and Survivor have taken the TV schedules by storm on both sides of the Atlantic, but they have also raised disturbing issues about the exploitation of participants.
A Panorama special reveals what is behind this autumn's weird weather, and how it will affect our lives.
It is the crime guaranteed to horrify every jury - the sexual abuse of children by the carers entrusted to look after them. But are there men being branded paedophiles and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment for crimes they did not commit?
A police detective turned supergrass tells the remarkable story of corruption in the Metropolitan Police's Regional Crime Squad. A tale of policemen engaged in robbery, drug dealing and violence. He talks exclusively of how he and fellow officers became criminals. Then the dramatic change of heart that led him to blow the whistle.
Nearly 20 years ago the man who is now Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, sent Lebanese militiamen into the Palestine refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla. When they left 36 hours later at least 800 people lay dead after a rampage of murder, torture and rape. Panorama asks whether new evidence that has come to light should lead to indictments for what happened in the camps
For Comic Relief, Panorama sets celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson a challenge: to create a world-class meal from ingredients that reporter Steve Bradshaw has bought from some of the world's poorest farmers. From voodoo villages in Haiti to tomato fields in Ghana. The film investigates whether we harm the world's poor more through unfair trade than we help them through aid.
They brought us war against Iraq - what do the hawks in Washington have in store for us now? Panorama investigates the "neo-conservatives", the small and unelected group of right-wingers, who critics claim have hijacked the White House. Throughout the war with Iraq, Steve Bradshaw was with the neocons in Washington - discovering whether they're really trying to run the world the American way.
This Panorama investigation looks into the proliferation of the crack cocaine trade, how quickly it is spreading and how the police are struggling to cope. The programme also hears the desperate stories of young people and their families whose lives were ruined when the crack dealers came to their town.
Panorama investigates the source of counterfeit money so realistic that even the experts can't tell the difference. Using exclusive surveillance footage, the programme goes on the trail of the superdollar. The trail leads the rogue state of North Korea to Moscow, where massive counterfeit deals take place on a regular basis.
An investigation into medicines regulation in the UK has led to influential names in medicine asking if we're being told the truth about the drugs we take.
As Iraq holds historic elections, Panorama presents a major film examining the state of Iraq today. Will the elections put the country on the road to peace - or push it deeper into war?
Reporter Steve Bradshaw travels from the Sahara to the Andes to discover some of the harsh truths about free trade and its impact on the developing world.
Last Summer the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, made an impassioned plea to draw a line under the Iraq issue. On the second anniversary of the Iraq war, Panorama reveals how several of the claims he made in public during the build up to the war - and afterwards - conflict with what we now know was going on behind the scenes, as evidenced for instance by government officials and documents. The programme is produced by the team that made the RTS award-winning "A Fight to the Death", on Lord Hutton's Inquiry into the death of the British Government scientist Dr David Kelly.
Britain has the highest proportion of young cannabis smokers of any European country - 38 per cent have tried the drug by the age of 16. Until recently, little was known about how cannabis affects developing brains, so reporter Justin Rowlatt gets to grips with the latest research to explore growing evidence of links between the drug and psychotic illness in young people.
The overwhelming majority of heroin on sale in the UK originates in Afghanistan. Panorama looks at the traffic of this drug from the fields of Afghanistan to British shores and the efforts of the Afghan and UK governments to thwart the efforts of smugglers.
Panorama investigates why at least one thousand foreign-national prisoners have been released from prison since 1999 when they should have been considered for deportation under laws introduced by David Blunkett as Home Secretary.
A US government whistleblower tells Panorama how scientific reports about global warming have been systematically changed and suppressed.
His is the story of how high street banks can lure their customers into debt; it's told by a powerful insider. It's the story of how banks routinely encourage customers to borrow more than they can afford, sometimes with fatal consequences. The bank with the biggest slice of our credit card business doesn't want to talk about debt suicide. But a top executive from one of the biggest financial institutions in the UK is prepared to speak out.
In March 2006, Panorama investigated how sick and elderly people are compelled unlawfully to sell their homes to pay for NHS care. The film prompted the biggest viewer response Panorama has ever had with 1,700 emails and 3,000 phone calls. A number of those who wrote to Panorama were selected by the production team and are featured in this new programme.
Panorama carries out an undercover investigation into previously unreported hooligan violence at World Cup 2006.
Using undercover filming, Panorama investigates corruption and bribery in the English football Premiership.
A secret document which sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church is examined by Panorama.
An engineer who worked inside the world's biggest black market nuclear network which supplied countries including Libya, Iran and North Korea with atomic knowhow and technology, speaks exclusively to Panorama
Shahida Tulaganova sets herself the task of getting a fake passport for every EU country, going under cover to immerse herself in the illegal passport trade.
Police officers have made unannounced visits to two clinics run by Britain's most successful test-tube baby doctor.
John Sweeney investigates a real-life spy thriller that would baffle James Bond, when ex-KGB spy and Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned and killed by radioactive Polonium 210 in November 2006.
Secret emails reveal that the UK's biggest drug company distorted trial results of an anti-depressant, covering up a link with suicide in teenagers.
A Home Office minister has suggested people "distract" potential criminals while waiting for police to arrive and intervene. Tony McNulty MP agreed that jumping up and down could help.
Older people were put at risk in two substandard nursing homes, according to the regulator for homes in England. A whistleblower describes the "mental torture" of residents by staff to Panorama.
The armed forces minister has said the government should have acted sooner to deal with the backlog of inquests for soldiers killed in Iraq.
Violence and abuse against staff costs the NHS more than £100m a year in extra security, absenteeism, training of staff and legal bills.
We are told climate change is the biggest threat facing the world but is there anything the average family can do about it? The Rowlatts "went green" for an entire year.
The UK is 15 years behind the US in preventing attacks and murders by stalkers, BBC's Panorama is told.
Panorama reveals that British soldiers suspected of torturing Iraqi civilian detainees were not brought to justice.
AWOL soldiers tell BBC Panorama the army fails to help them cope with the traumas of serving in Iraq.
Safety checks at a hotel bungalow where two children died were not made by a gas expert, BBC Panorama learns.
Panorama investigates the reality of life behind bars in one of the UK's increasing number of private prisons.
GMTV suspends phone-ins after a BBC investigation finds callers have been defrauded out of millions of pounds.
The show looks at the murder of Bob Woolmer which happened at this year's cricket world cup. Since the transmission of this programme, Jamaican police have attributed the death of Bob Woolmer to natural causes.
The series looks at St Mary's hospital in Manchester and Barnet hospital in London. The show looks at the staff working in the maternity wards and the difficulties they face each day.
The show looks at several communities which have been split by colour and religion.
The show looks at the Church of Scientology which was founded in America.
This week the show looks at the hidden health costs in the communications market in the United Kingdom.
Britain's biggest terrorism trial has just ended with the conviction of men who conspired to build a massive homemade bomb. But with the lifting of reporting restrictions, Panorama reveals the truth about what MI5 really knew about the July 2005 London bombers.
The internet is without question one of the greatest inventions of our time. For the majority of users it's a great source of information - the good by far out-weighing the bad. But the bad is becoming more and more of a concern. When we first came across the hundreds of violent videos that had been uploaded to various websites, we were shocked by the senseless and excessive violence, the age of those involved and the lack of sympathy from those watching and those who used their mobile phones to film the incident and egg-on the attacker/s. No matter how many videos I witnessed during our research I was shocked and flinched, and still do, at the impact of the blows that rained down on the victims. Be it by foot or fist or weapon. Meeting and speaking to victims and their parents, like "Joe", from Glasgow in Scotland, who had no idea the assault on their son was on the internet for others' entertainment made our investigation all the more important.
Panorama talks to Shiraz Maher, a former member of the Muslim extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir which campaigns for an Islamic state.
Panorama follows a unit of the Queens Company of the Grenadier Guards for six months in Afghanistan
Re-enacting battles from World War Two is a popular summer pastime in the UK, but although we won the war it's the Germans that most people want to portray and the 'SS' who are the most popular of all. John Sweeney tours the biggest event of its type in Kent and discovers a darker side to the fun, with a convicted holocaust denier signing books, a trader selling a relic from Belsen and some Nazi enthusiasts expressing extreme racist views.
An update to our film 'One Click from Danger' about internet paedophiles exploiting vulnerable youngsters online.
Panorama's Paul Kenyon follows one of the most dangerous illegal immigration routes into Europe. A route used by thousands of migrants seeking a better life.
Panorama goes undercover in Britain's security industry and discovers criminals continue to operate in the business.
Alex James confessed to spending a million pounds on champagne and cocaine in his Blur years. He travels to Colombia to see the damage caused by the drug.
Panorama discovers how the buy-to-let dream for some investors has turned into a nightmare.
Fergal Keane witnessed the end of apartheid. He returns to South Africa for Panorama, to find out what happened to the hope from that time.
Tom Heap sets out to discover if the popularity of bottled water is a triumph of marketing over common sense.
Panorama investigates allegations of abuse by the British Army against former Iraqi prisoners who are now claiming compensation.
Richard Bilton looks at the dilemma of whether to tackle vandals and teenage gangs or to surrender the streets and thus create more victims.
Panorama's John Sweeney investigates the row behind Shaken Baby Syndrome following the conviction of childminder Keran Henderson.
Girls as young as 12 are being sold for sex by organised gangs on the streets of Britain, Gerry Northam investigates for Panorama.
As police continue their investigations into allegations of abuse at Haute de la Garenne, Panorama looks at claims of abuse at a second home.
Ten years on from the Good Friday Agreement, Declan Lawn returns to Northern Ireland to see how far lives have changed.
BBC Business presenter Declan Curry asks if Britain has what it takes to weather the storm of the global forces buffeting our economy.
Can polluted air on board planes damage your health? Panorama carries out its own tests to discover just what's in the air we breathe when we fly.
The superbug c.difficile is rife in our hospitals. Sally Magnusson reveals how sloppy hygiene, understaffing and overcrowded wards contributed to its spread.
Panorama talks to ex-militia leaders accused of murdering men, women and children. They now face war crimes charges.
Panorama investigates claims that unsuitable and dangerous convicts are being sent to open prisons to help solve the overcrowding crisis.
Are schoolchildren in England given too many exams? Vivian White reports.
Experts and diplomats including Lord Hurd, Christopher Mallaby and Bernard Lovell assess the predictions made about the world's future in an edition of Panorama from 1960.
Shelley Jofre examines the Government's tough new benefit rules.
A look at how Panorama's simple experiment of putting a young girl's details onto social networking websites ended with the arrest of an online predator.
Vigorous investigation of a topical issue. Richard Bilton meets the winners and losers in the property market. Is the British love affair with home ownership over?
Panorama meets the soldiers featured in last year's Taking On the Taliban special, to find out what they're doing now.
Jane Corbin investigates the cases which threaten to reveal the corruption behind the past five years of war in the Middle East.
Panorama investigates the rise of armed teenage street gangs and discovers how shockingly ingrained the culture of guns and violence is in parts of Britain. The programme sees how teenage gangs and their turf wars devastate whole communities, and meets parents of teenagers who are being dragged into gang culture.
Panorama puts Primark's claims that it can deliver cheap, fast fashion without breaking ethical guidelines to the test.
Panarama investigates the rise of armed teenage street gangs and discovers how shockingly ingrained the culture of guns and violence is in Britain.
Sally Magnusson investigates the creeping privatisation of the NHS.
Panorama provides evidence of how China is supplying the Sudanese government with arms to enable it to wage a campaign of violence in Darfur - all for oil.
Panorama investigates the government's proposals for a third runway at Heathrow which, critics argue, will have a dramatic effect on the environment.
With the price of fuel rocketing at the pumps, Jane Corbin reports on how fuel prices are affecting Britain and what alternatives might be available.
Panorama investigates horse racing and reveals why those running the sport are so concerned about gamblers betting on horses not to win, but to lose.
As the Games approach, award-winning journalist John Sweeney travels across China to discover whether foreign journalists are being allowed to report freely.
Travel writer Bill Bryson presents a personal and passionate account of how Britain has become a rubbish tip since his arrival from the USA in 1972.
Shelley Jofre takes a road trip around the UK and discovers how the quality of treatment from the NHS very much depends on where you live.
An investigation into how factors such as mass immigration and devolution are forever changing the concept of 'Britishness'.
Jeremy Vine presents personal stories of regular Britons affected by the credit crunch.
Panorama asks whether the money markets can achieve what campaigners and law enforcement have so far failed to, and make trees more valuable alive than dead.
Peter Taylor uncovers the inside story of the operation which thwarted a terrorist plot to cause explosions and led to increased security at British airports.
Panorama reveals the secret intelligence which was withheld from the detectives when 29 people and two unborn babies were murdered in Omagh.
Jane Corbin looks at how the crisis facing the world's financial insitutions could impact on the nation's banks, mortgages, insurance and pensions.
But can you hide? Simon Boazman investigates how much information is held on him, whether it is secure and if he can reduce his data trail.
Nick Robinson accompanies Conservative Party leader David Cameron to Birmingham as he attempts to persuade voters he is prime minister material.
In the wake of the resignation of Britain's top police officer, Panorama investigates racism in Britain's police force. Mark Daly - who exposed racism amongst police recruits in The Secret Policeman five years ago - returns to uncover the truth about being a Black Ethnic Minority Cop today.
Mark Franchetti meets Vladimir Putin's inner circle in an attempt to decipher Russia's intentions on domestic and international fronts.
Matt Frei investigates Barack Obama's rise in the opinion polls, and asks if the current financial crisis has put him on the home straight.
Jeremy Vine asks why our economy ran into trouble, and who is to blame for the credit crunch and banking crisis which threatens to affect us all.
The British Commander on the ground admits the war against the Taliban cannot be won by force alone in this eye-opening assessment of the Afghanistan conflict.
With the credit crunch affecting everyone, Panorama reveals the lengths some lenders are now going to in order to get borrowers to pay off their debts.
A six-month investigation by the programme reveals the mistakes and missed opportunities that led to the death of a 17-month-old boy known only as Baby P.
Reporter Sorious Samura visits Uganda and his home country of Sierra Leone to reveal how aid money is lost, stolen and frittered away.
An investigation into the Government's support of a new wave of opencast coal mining, in spite of fierce opposition from local communities.
Panorama presents the inside story on the disappearance of Shannon Matthews, as it investigates the events that led to Karen Matthews being convicted for the kidnap of her own daughter.
Politician and Parkinson's sufferer Margo MacDonald uncovers the truth about assisted dying, meeting those with illnesses like hers who are desperate to die.
Jane Corbin makes the hazardous journey to the frontline in the War on Terror, the remote and forbidding mountains along the Pakistan-Afghan border.
It has been a cataclysmic year for our banks and economy, and a year in which the role of the BBC's Business Editor has been in the spotlight as never before. With exclusive interviews with the major players, Robert Peston reflects on how these momentous events will affect us all.
Whether it is 10-year-olds talking about who they have snogged or schoolgirls calling themselves sluts on their social-networking profile pages, it seems our kids can't get away from sex. But what happens when the banter and name-calling gets physical? Jeremy Vine reveals the problem of sexual bullying in our schools and hears from experts, parents and teachers - but most importantly from the kids themselves - on what we can do to tackle it.
Raphael Rowe goes inside prisons to gain rare access to the young offenders convicted of carrying, using or even killing with a knife.
Barack Obama takes over as US President with a promise to change America and make it a fairer place. Can he reshape the world's most powerful country?
Frank Skinner is one of Britain's most controversial comedians but even he felt the comments broadcast last year by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand on BBC Radio went too far. As he experiments with reducing the expletive count in his own stand-up show, Frank sets out to discover if the Ross-Brand storm really was a watershed in broadcasting's debate about bad language and offence.
Britain is bust and ordinary taxpayers are getting hammered, but it seems that the super-rich can still squirrel their money away in tax havens like Liechtenstein, Jersey and the Caymans. John Sweeney follows the missing millions, and asks if it is time to close the tax havens down.
As Israel prepares to vote on its future, the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen travels through a devastated Gaza to ask where the recent Operation Cast Lead now leaves the future of the region.
MI5 say that they cannot keep tabs on all of the country's Muslim extremists. As ministers prepare to announce a new counter-terrorism strategy, Panorama asks whether we should isolate or talk to the radicals, and examines suspicions that government-funded community projects are being covertly used to gather intelligence.
Business dragon Theo Paphitis asks if the banks and the government are doing enough to help Britain's 4.7 million small businesses survive the recession. Providing jobs for some 13 million people, they are currently going bust at a rate of 120 a day, according to the Federation of Small Businesses. In a bid to stop the rot, the government says it has ordered the banks to be more supportive, but what is really happening? Are Britain's small firms are getting credit where it's due?
As RBS announces what are predicted to be the biggest losses in British history, Panorama tells the story of the bank's dramatic fall from grace. In February 2009 the bankers responsible, including former RBS chief Fred Goodwin, apologised publicly for their parts in the banking crisis. Now Panorama asks,"What happens after sorry?"
Panorama looks at a proposed amnesty for hundreds of thousands of long-standing illegal immigrants, offering them the right to work and full citizenship. London Mayor Boris Johnson is in favour of the idea, and 93 MPs from across the country support it. But it is a big ask with the UK in the grip of a credit crunch, and amid protests calling for British jobs for British workers.
Panorama reveals how organised crime is defeating attempts to claw back its profits. Reporter Samantha Poling goes undercover to show how major drug dealers and money launderers are making a mockery of high-profile laws designed to take the proceeds of their crime. And the programme discovers the Crown is now reduced to making deals with criminals that can result in a drug dealer paying less "tax" than the rest of the population.
As the credit crunch pushes Britain's long-running pensions and savings time-bomb to a critical new stage, Panorama takes the experts to those facing a very uncertain retirement to see if they can find a solution. Record low interest rates and miserly returns are punishing those who put money away for the future, yet the bankers who created the economic problems are being bailed out. Panorama asks: just who is on the side of the savers?
Documentary looking back at 1959 through the eyes of the long-running BBC current affairs programme Panorama, recalling a time when Britain finally realised that the old world was fast disappearing. The game was up with the Empire and attitudes to class, race and gender were beginning to shift, while television was entering a golden age, with Panorama playing a key role in documenting the birth of modern Britain.
With soldiers and police once again being killed in Northern Ireland, Panorama offers the most detailed analysis yet of the resurgent terrorist threat in Northern Ireland based on ten years' work investigating the breakaway Republican movement, its aims, its roots and its tactics.
Panorama goes undercover in the millionaires' playground of Dubai to look at luxury developments. Reporter Ben Anderson discovers that behind the glossy sales brochures is an army of construction workers living in poor conditions.
Panorama goes undercover to expose a world of chaos and alleged neglect in the care of the elderly. Carers on minimum wages - often with very little training - are frequently frustrated by poor management as they try to provide decent care. Paul Kenyon looks at how big business is in some cases driving the price of care down to as little as 10 pounds an hour.
When high street retail giant Woolworths closed down in January 2009, 27,000 people found themselves out of work. The collapse of one of the country's iconic high street names provided dramatic evidence that the UK was heading towards a recession. Since the closure of the company's 807 outlets, Panorama has followed former Woolies staff from across the country as they desperately try to escape the burgeoning ranks of the unemployed.
Panorama investigates why the deadly serious matter of health and safety has become a laughing stock.
Undercover Nurse Margaret Haywood put a twenty year career on the line to help Panorama expose serious failings in the care of the elderly at one NHS Hospital. She dared to go public four years ago and has been fighting attempts to have her struck off the nursing register ever since. As her case finally comes to a head Panorama asks why more aren't willing to speak out when vulnerable patients are put at risk.
Reporter Alison Holt has further revelations on the case of Baby P, the baby boy who died while under the care of social workers in Haringey, London.
Twenty-twenty cricket promoter and banker Sir Allen Stanford arrived at Lords last summer by helicopter and was hailed as the saviour of the English game. Now the Texan is accused of a multi-billion dollar fraud. John Sweeney goes on the trail of the dark side of the off-shore banker who bowled over English cricket.
The current affairs programme follows a British family to China as they pin their hopes on a new stem cell therapy to give their daughter sight. As evidence mounts that some treatments offered abroad are bogus, will the child's eyesight improve, or are they destined for disappointment?
The expenses scandal is just the beginning and not the end of Westminster's troubles. Shelley Jofre reports on the other ways in which the new appetite for transparency may embarrass honourable members.
David Southall has been branded a 'very dangerous doctor' and is notorious for accusing a man of killing his child after watching a TV documentary. But he's also faced false accusations himself and been subjected to a vicious hate campaign. With child protection again in the spotlight Vivian White challenges him to answer his critics and uncovers new evidence that may support his claim of victimisation.
Iran could be the West's enemy number one; its leaders have called for the destruction of Israel, and have questioned the holocaust. But it could be a powerful broker for peace. As Iranians prepare to elect a president beneath the gaze of its Ayatollah and supreme leader, Jane Corbin asks whether Obama's recent plea for greater understanding will be heeded.
A Chelsea footballer accused of cheating on his wife and a sports boss with a taste for spanking are at the forefront of an assault on the way the British press operates. Celebrities and public figures alike are turning to privacy laws to suppress stories and photographs that show them in a bad light. But it is not only kiss and tell stories that are under threat, and editors fear serious investigative journalism could be jeopardised; Panorama investigates this growing trend.
Exclusive access to airborne troops and to footage shot in Taliban-controlled towns reveals the inside story of Pakistan's fight against extremists in its mountains and valleys. Reporter John Sweeney comes under fire as he joins troops battling to regain territory from the Taliban, whose rule of terror has left shootings, beheadings and burning of schools in its wake.
Ten years after devolution the Scots want still more power concentrated north of the border, and the Scottish Nationalists want to force a referendum on independence. Can the UK be kept in one piece, and if the Scots left would the rest of the country miss them? Panorama talks to the people who could hold the fate of Scotland and the union in their hands, from Alex Salmond to Gordon Brown to David Cameron, and to Tony Blair, the man who began it all by giving the Scots their Parliament.
When we want to fight plans to build a waste dump in our back yard, we take to the streets in protest. But what if that results in the police filming and searching us, noting down our car registrations and keeping our details on file for up to seven years? Panorama asks if police tactics aimed at preventing troublemakers taking over demonstrations are eroding the freedom to protest for all but the most hardened activists.
Panorama investigates whether the interrogation techniques used by the Bush administration after 9/11 broke US and international law. Evidence uncovered by Hilary Andersson is likely to fuel the debate over whether interrogators, lawyers or politicians should be charged.
Panorama helps citizen journalists Steven, Belinda and Tony find out the future of the steel industry, which employs tens of thousands of people. They research the Welsh industry's past and talk to experts about its chances of surviving the recession, travelling first to London to ask a minister why the government will not subsidise it, and then to Mumbai to tackle the MD of Indian parent company Tata.
Veteran BBC war reporter Allan Little investigates how the battlefield trauma of the Vietnam War - post-traumatic stress disorder - now ends up in British motor insurance claims, workplace accidents and school bullying.
With compelling first-hand accounts, Panorama reveals the endless game of cat and mouse between prisoners determined to get their fix and officers equally determined to keep drugs out of their jails. With exclusive access to a Category A jail, reporter Raphael Rowe hears from inmates and officers as well as from smugglers, mules and even a corrupt prison officer, fresh out of jail himself after being caught taking in drugs in return for money.
Panorama visits the town tackling binge drinking with a radical new approach. Richard Bilton looks at reclaiming Britain's town centres from the drunk and violent, with the bar that makes it too difficult to get drunk and the battle against cheap drink promotions.
Jane Corbin attempts to find out if the lives of Afghan women have got any better since the start of the war there as it was one of the justifications for going to war in the first place.
Panorama reports on the frail and elderly people on the warpath, claiming that a promise made to them has been broken. They live in sheltered housing with a residential warden, but the warden is being taken away. Up and down the country, old people have been taking to the streets in protest, as well as threatening legal action, to save their wardens.
Sand, sea and sewage. With the quality of bathing water on the UK's beaches in decline, Panorama investigates the outflow pipes that discharge sewage, tampons and condoms after heavy rain, and commissions its own scientific tests, with some disturbing results.
Paul Kenyon travels three thousand miles along the most dangerous illegal immigration route out of Africa. Many die crossing the Sahara, or at sea on the way to a better life in Europe, but can the survivors convince those who follow that Europe in recession is no longer worth the risk?
Everything you need to know about the first flu pandemic of the 21st century. Jeremy Vine, Sophie Raworth and Fergus Walsh travel through the UK and the world to expose the myths and the dangers of swine flu. Who is most vulnerable? How do you avoid it? And can the NHS cope?
Billions of taxpayers' money has been handed out to keep the banking system afloat, but what exactly have the banks given customers in return? Panorama sets out a sorry tale of tax avoidance and bonus schemes, set against a backdrop of businesses going bust and first-time buyers struggling to find a mortgage.
The recession may be over its worse, but now it's payback time. Whoever wins the next election will be faced with the biggest overdraft in this country's recent history. Everyone now accepts that public spending will be cut, but by how much? How quickly? And which areas will be squeezed the most? John Ware challenges the politicians to come clean about their plans to slash public spending.
In a Panorama special, the programme investigates a key Labour health policy that slashed waiting lists by using the private sector to treat NHS patients. Six years on, was it worth the price? Thousands benefited from fast-track operations, but bereaved families and senior surgeons say risks were taken with patient safety and millions of pounds wasted.
Reporter Paul Kenyon continues his journey out of Africa following the route taken by 40,000 migrants a year seeking a better life in Europe. He discovers the way to the UK blocked by a new hardline policy in France to round up economic migrants and send them home, and an unlikely partnership with Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, who has reached an agreement with Italy to capture Europe-bound migrants at sea and lock them up in desert prisons. But what about those fleeing war and persecution, and relying on Europe to protect them? Can it really justify handing them over to a military dictatorship outside the rule of international law?
Vivian White investigates the reasons why the ultimate 'no frills' airline has gained a reputation as the brand Britain loves to hate but can't stop using. Passengers, suppliers and insiders contribute, and chief executive Michael O'Leary doorsteps the programme makers in his own unique style.
Bullied, attacked and racially-abused more than fifty times in eight weeks. That's the experience of two British Asian reporters posing as a couple and living undercover on a housing estate in Britain during summer 2009. In a shocking insight into race hate and anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods, Tamanna Rahman was pelted with glass and stones and threatened with a brick during an attempted mugging by an 11-year-old boy. Her "husband," Amil Khan, was punched in the head. Yet the head of the government's equality watchdog has said that having a neighbour of a different ethnic background isn't an issue any more. Panorama investigates the truth about racism and anti-social behaviour in Britain today. Contains racially offensive language.
Are we safe from dangerous prisoners released back onto our streets? A Panorama investigation reveals that known sex offenders and violent offenders are committing many more serious crimes, including rape and murder, on their release from prison than the government tells us about. With reporter Raphael Rowe.
In the aftermath of Baby Peter, Panorama has gained exclusive access to Coventry's social workers. The film follows the city-wide emergency response team and one of the local neighbourhood teams - all tasked with identifying children at risk, assessing parents' capabilities and, if deemed necessary, separating families. Child protection social workers are facing huge caseloads, working with marginalised families, juggling the time-consuming problem of multi-agency coordination and tackling the mountains of paperwork. Not to mention low pay, a staffing crisis and the knowledge that they are always only one phone call away from finding themselves at the centre of a tabloid witch-hunt. In the midst of all this, are they managing to keep children safe?
A man given a beating in his own home. A young woman bitten and punched by a man. A bottle smashed onto the head of an innocent bystander in an argument. Three victims, all violently assaulted - yet their attackers escaped prosecution, receiving cautions instead. Half of all criminal cases brought to justice in England and Wales are now dealt with out of court. It's fast justice...but is it fair? The government says out-of-court punishments, like cautions and fines, are helping to unclog the overburdened courts system and deal swiftly with antisocial behaviour. Critics say it is simply justice on the cheap, letting some serious criminals off the hook and, crucially, denying victims their day in court. Shelley Jofre investigates whether these decisions, made behind closed doors instead of in open court, are tough on crime or the causes of crime.
Loan sharks are thriving in recession-hit Britain, as the poor and vulnerable run out of credit and find themselves relying on criminals instead. Reporter Simon Boazman finds the victims who have suffered brutal violence, and looks at the lenders who can charge 17,000 per cent interest.
Who are your children hanging around with, and what would happen if a fight started? Because of a little-known law called joint enterprise, anyone caught up in a serious incident could face the same jail sentence as the person wielding the boot, knife or gun. The police say it helps to curb gang violence, but Panorama investigates whether this catch-all policy is also leading to miscarriages of justice.
It has been blamed for concreting over the countryside, and running up endless air miles importing food and trucking it the length and breadth of Britain, but is Tesco now leading the business fightback against man-made global warming?
Six months on from the MP's expenses scandal, the series takes a look at what has changed and if MP's can be now be trusted and whether the public has forgiven them.
What is wrong with the Royal Mail? Panorama investigates the service that gets around 5,000 complaints a day, and asks if it is failing its customers.
The series takes a look at Iris Robinson, the Member of Parliament at the centre of a current political storm.
The series takes a look at the division between the Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem and the problems it has caused for those living there. Staking claim underneath east Jerusalem By Jane Corbin It has been called the 'volcanic core' of the conflict and if there is ever to be peace between Palestinians and Israelis it will have to be made in the alleyways of this ancient city - holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims. - Eviction orders - Demolition threat - 'Planning gaps' People: Hanoun family, Arieh King, Jawad Siam, Nir Barkat (Mayor of Jerusalem), Doron Spielman BBC Panorama related page: http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8447000/8447147.stm
With one on five of all children in the United Kingdom starting school over weight the series takes a look at what is being served for dinner in homes in the pre school years.
The series takes a look at the reason why some parents will go to any lengths to help their children.
Panorama exposes the myths and realities of the new child protection register, and asks whether the new system will actually work.
Simon Green, who is confined to life in a wheelchair, films undercover what its like to endure disability related hate crimes.
The series looks at how your favourite chocolate bar could be contributing to the extinction of the orangutan or could be fuelling global warming by using palm oil, as an ingredient. It also looks at how the oil is found in other products including biscuits, fish fingers and toiletries.
With the World Cup in South Africa, the series looks at whether the game can save a generation fighting to survive in the country.
Simon Boazman reports on how hundreds of patients may have died unnecessarily at several hospitals despite one of them being rated as good.
Jo Whiley looks at how a proposed new law could end up disconnecting the millions of internet users who unlawfully download free music, films and TV.
We spend more on chocolate each year than investors spend on gold - but as Easter approaches, how much do we really know about where it comes from or how it is made? Panorama reporter Paul Kenyon goes undercover as a cocoa trader in West Africa and discovers children as young as seven working long hours on cocoa farms, helping to make the chocolate we love so much. He buys a tonne of cocoa made with child labour, and sees how easy it is to sell it into the supply chain which leads to our high streets. He also helps rescue a 12 year old boy - trafficked across borders - to pick cocoa as a modern-day slave and reunites him with his mother. For the first time, we meet the kids who harvest our cocoa but who have never tasted chocolate.
The series looks at the murder of Mahmoud al Mabpouh which was captured on CCTV in a hotel in Dubai. Jane Corbin looks for answers in Israel, Gaza and Dubai and looks at how British passports and stolen identities were used in a crime which was never meant to be revealed to the the rest of the world.
In the 1950s, politicians cared little for what Churchill called the 'idiot's lantern'. Now television is central to a political leader's image and his chances of winning an election. This is the story of how politicians abandoned the soapbox for the studio - from the early performances of the two Harolds, Macmillan and Wilson, through the TV campaigns of Margaret Thatcher to the spin-doctored presentation of Tony Blair. Has television finally reduced our politicians to actors spouting soundbites? With six decades of fascinating archive from television's longest running current affairs programme - Panorama - this is the story of how television has changed British politics.
With unprecedented access to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, Panorama meets the children suffering from preventable conditions as a result of their lifestyles.
Panorama investigates overcrowding in the UK. Some argue that the extra population will boost the economy, but will it? What can politicians do to stop the growth?
Panorama follows the fortunes of four young people searching for work in Swindon, and discovers how they have responded to the challenge of recession.
Reporter Shelley Jofre looks at the fight to save frontline services as councils across the country tighten their budgets.
Army widow, Christina Schmid reveals how the Army is not taking care to the tiny elite band of soldiers who are at the very forefront of the war in Afghanistan.
As 12 people are murdered and 11 others injured in a shooting spree lasting several hours, Panorama's Richard Bilton reports on the events of Wednesday 3rd June with first hand accounts from eyewitnesses, emergency teams and survivors. What made Derrick Bird switch from quiet cabbie to gun toting psychopath and were any warning signs missed?
John Sweeney takes a look at the battle for control of Manchester United and the the true scale of the debts the club is in.
Two months after an explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 people, Panorama's Hilary Andersson tells the story of America's 'greatest environmental disaster.' Dubbed an environmental '9/11' by President Obama, the leak caused by the explosion is still releasing thousands of barrels of crude oil a day into the waters of the Gulf - livelihoods and ecosystems are threatened, fishermen are unable to work and billions have been wiped off the value of BP shares.
The series takes a look at what we really know about our climate and how it will affect us in the future. Tom Heap talks to some of the world's leading scientists on both sides of the argument about global warming.
In the last twenty years less than twenty teachers have been struck off for incompetence in the whole of the UK. That is despite the fact that education experts put the figure of bad and failing teachers closer to 15,000. With new research showing that the standard of your teacher is the most important factor to a child's educational attainment in a school, we ask why so many bad teachers are being allowed to teach. Talking to parents, head teachers and school watchdogs, Panorama reveals the shocking affects that bad teachers are having on our children and uncovers the loophole that could allow struck-off teachers back into our classrooms.
Six months to the day when a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, Raphael Rowe returns to uncover what has happened to the country's orphaned and abandoned children. There are more than four hundred thousand children now living in Haiti's orphanages. Many of those rescued from the rubble are still unidentified or have simply been abandoned by their parents. Panorama meets others still living on the streets - vulnerable to child traffickers - and asks whether meeting the demand for them to be adopted in other countries, especially America, is really the best answer.
Adam Shaw takes a closer look at the current state of Britain's high street banks and reveals that while base rates have remained low, the cost of borrowing for customers has risen greatly.
The series takes a closer look at one of Britain's largest veterinary chains and it reveals that there are many questionable bills being charged and inadequate care of people's pets.
With nearly a quarter of the population expected to be over 65 within 20 years, and three out of four older people likely to need some form of social care, how we pay for it is fast becoming an urgent question for us all. In this specially-authored report for Panorama, the former government adviser on older people - Dame Joan Bakewell - looks at some of the innovative ways Britain's baby boomers are looking to future-proof their old age, and warns that with local authorities facing 25 per cent cuts across the board, there is real danger of neglect.
2009 saw a big increase in the numbers of stray dogs recorded as being picked up in the UK. Tom Heap discovers that many of the unwanted dogs in pounds and rescues are Staffordshire bull terrier types - and asks why so many of them are being let go and destroyed. Has the fashion for aggressive looking 'status' dogs contributed to the numbers of abandoned pets the authorities are now having to deal with? Panorama has gained access to one of the most famous animal rescues in the world, Battersea Dogs Home, and reveals the shocking truth of the numbers of dogs it is having to put to sleep.
Panorama investigates companies who make a good living from writing your Last Will and Testament, and exposes the shocking financial pitfalls that face unwary consumers. Is it time for this industry to be properly regulated by law?
As controversy over Israel's blockade of Gaza still rages, Jane Corbin asks what really happened on the Mavi Marmara, when Israeli commandos seized the ship and nine people died. Panorama has exclusive new video and interviews with Israeli soldiers and activists involved.
Each year around 20,000 children have their futures decided by the family courts. Baby William Ward was one of them. His parents Jake and Victoria were investigated by police and social services when they were unable to explain a serious injury to their three-month-old son. It took them two years to clear their names and a further three years to win the right to speak completely openly about what happened to their family. Panorama's Darragh MacIntyre reports on the case of this ordinary couple and their extraordinary fight to open up the world of the family courts.
A look at the decline of UK wildlife. There is more at stake than simply protecting the beauty of nature - our food supply could be under threat.
Shelley Jofre investigates the drug Avandia and asks whether the medicine's regulator is putting the interests of the drugs industry before patients.
On the eve of the first Papal visit to Britain in 28 years, Fergal Keane investigates the Pope's personal track record of dealing with paedophile priests.
Panorama reveals the results of an extensive investigation into public sector pay.
In two separate inquiries, the British Army stands accused of committing war crimes in Iraq, and ex-Defence Minsters are now being called to account. With the MOD and the military justice system tainted by allegations that soldiers have got away with torture and murder, Paul Kenyon asks if the British army can really be trusted to police itself.
Reporter John Sweeney's last investigation into the Church of Scientology resulted in an explosive confrontation with church officials. This time, in a Panorama Special, one of those officials has turned whistleblower to help him reveal the dark secrets of the church, which boasts Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its devotees.
We all know our pensions are in crisis - we aren't paying enough into them and we're living too long. But could there be another reason? Penny Haslam reveals the fees and commissions that take vast amounts from our pension pots. In some cases, more than two-thirds of the amount of money we pay into our pensions over the years is taken out in fees. Rather than heading for retirement with a golden parachute, some of us will be left holding a lead balloon.
Since the case of Baby P, there has been a 40% increase in the number of children taken into care by the state. There are now 70,000 children being 'looked after' in the system. What happens to them? Can the system offer them a better life? Panorama follows children in the care of Coventry Social Services for six months to find out if the state can be a real parent - even though children in care are more at risk of failing school and committing crime than any other group. Narrated by Samantha Morton, who herself grew up in care.
Lord Ashcroft, the biggest political donor since records began, resigned as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in September 2010. His millions helped bank-roll David Cameron into power, but where does Lord Ashcroft's money come from? Panorama travels to other countries he calls home, and hears allegations about secret deals and tax avoidance.
Trapped alive longer and deeper underground than anybody in history, the 33 Chilean miners somehow survived to be rescued. For weeks, Panorama followed and engineers at the surface as they worked to free the men. But should they ever have been trapped in the first place? Reporter Dan McDougall reveals new evidence of massive safety problems in the mine being ignored just weeks before the collapse.
With a shortage of social housing, and the private rented market booming, reporter John Sweeney investigates the so-called 'rogue landlords' - the housing barons accused of receiving large amounts of housing benefit while using the small print in their tenancy agreements to exploit the poor and vulnerable. Councils say they don't have the right laws to combat them, but with the new housing minister ruling out any changes in the law, Panorama examines a problem that is not going to go away.
An elderly father sedated with a 'chemical cosh' of powerful drugs and secretly filmed by his daughter. Families who care for their loved ones at home to help them come off the anti-psychotic drugs that worsen their symptoms and shorten their lives. As the government orders a crackdown on the use of these drugs among the elderly, Vivian White reports on the crisis of care in the treatment of patients with dementia.
Panorama reporter Adam Shaw recruited his own "A-Team" of tax consultants to help civil servant Douglas Marsh after money started disappearing from his pay packet. Mr Marsh is one of millions caught up in HMRC's glitch that led to him being told he has been underpaying and now owes more than £11,000.
Britain is the fattest nation in Europe, and it's slowly killing us. So is it time to tax the fat? Would putting up the price of junk food, high in sugar and fat, cut obesity rates in the same way as a tax on cigarettes has helped reduce smoking? Panorama travels to Denmark - the first country in the world to implement such a tax - to see how it's working there, and to the US, where a proposal to tax sugary drinks like Coca Cola has met with fierce opposition. Could a fat tax here help the NHS to afford the ever-rising cost of treating obesity-related illnesses like diabetes and heart disease? Reporter Shelley Jofre puts the idea to the Health Secretary, and to families who would have to pay more for junk food.
Investigation which uncovers disturbing evidence that some Muslim children are being exposed to extremist preachers and fundamentalist Islamic groups. We also expose the part-time schools where hate is on the curriculum. The programme asks why school inspectors have missed the warning signs and examines the impact this could have on young Muslims' ability to integrate into mainstream British life.
Panorama investigates corruption allegations against some of the Fifa officials who will vote on England's World Cup bid. Reporter Andrew Jennings exposes new evidence of bribery, and accuses some executives of taking kickbacks. He also uncovers the secret agreements that could guarantee Fifa a financial bonanza if England hosts the World Cup.
As pester power kicks in and the computer games' industry launches its latest products on to the Christmas market, Panorama hears from youngsters who've dropped out of school and university to play games for anything up to 21 hours a day. They describe their obsessive gaming as an addiction. Reporter Raphael Rowe, meets leading experts calling for more independent research into this controversial subject, and reveals the hidden psychological devices in games that are designed to keep us coming back for more.
Panorama reveals the controversial video-taped interview with the mother of Baby P and asks whether crucial warning signs were missed. Tracey Connelly tells clear lies in the training interview with a senior social worker. But she also gives some vital clues about what was going on in her son Peter's life. Panorama investigates whether these clues were adequately followed up, and examines the ground-breaking research into child protection that is now a part of Baby P's legacy.
As Christmas approaches and Britain's bankers prepare to receive their annual bonuses, Panorama asks if anything has changed since the financial crisis of two years ago, or whether it is a case of 'Carry On Banking'. Focusing on Britain's two largest bailed-out banks, Royal Bank of Scotland and Halifax Bank of Scotland, reporter Mark Daly investigates what has happened in the world of banking since the bailout. He traces what has happened to the bankers responsible for the mistakes that led to the crisis, and asks if big bonus culture is back.
The Big Four supermarkets are expanding at an unprecedented rate. It's being dubbed the new "space race", with Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrison's fighting for dominance on high streets and shopping malls across the UK. But how can they keep on expanding, and slashing our food prices, when we're in the middle of a global downturn? In a Panorama Special, reporter Paul Kenyon looks behind the cellophane wrappers and the "Buy-one-get-one-frees" to examine the true cost of our cheap food. He visits the mega-farms coming our way from the United States, with cows being kept indoors and milked on giant "dairy-go-rounds", and pigs housed in "sty-scrapers". He also takes a look at space-age greenhouses where fruit grows without soil. The Big Four's UK expansion has never really been charted, until now. Panorama has pieced together the location of every new store currently being planned and built. And as the production costs of our food are driven downwards, saving us pounds during the recession, Panorama carries out pioneering scientific research to discover whether "Made in Britain" always means what it says.
Provocative clothing, raunchy dancing on prime-time TV, access to pornography - Panorama examines the growing concern about the sexualisation of children in the UK. Sophie Raworth, a mother of three, goes behind the headlines to discover what images young people are being exposed to, and asks what impact the sexualised world is having on our children. Is too much, too young, putting them at risk?
Are actively-involved dads becoming an endangered species in some parts of Britain? Panorama meets the dad who can't remember all his kids' names, as the government's 'poverty tsar' Frank Field says there are just too many 'feckless' fathers. This programme examines why many men are losing contact with their children and asks what can be done to keep them in the picture. Reporter Declan Lawn has been given access to a ground-breaking project in South London that might have found the answer.
Imagine you were being constantly threatened and abused by someone who wouldn't leave you alone. And no-one believed you. Stalking affects an estimated two million people in Britain a year, most of them women. Panorama tells the extraordinary story of one woman who's been recording years of abuse - as it takes away her job, her home and her child. Reporter Richard Bilton investigates how the UK fails to deal with stalkers.
For four years, thousands of British servicemen fought with the Taliban for the district of Sangin - the most violent part of Afghanistan. The fighting cost 106 British lives, including Staff-Sergeant Olaf Schmidt, who won the George Cross there. Last year, the British withdrew - handing the area over to the US Marines. Ben Anderson, who was with the British forces in 2007, returns to see if the Americans are faring any better. His remarkable film follows Lima Company, a unit of the US Marines, as they dodge improvised bombs and struggle to reclaim the same territory the British previously occupied. As the war enters its tenth year, with Sangin still far from secure, real questions remain as to what so many British men died there for.
For the last 14 days, the world has watched as hundreds of thousands of Egyptians have thronged the streets to protest - and then battle it out - in a popular uprising against the 30-year-old regime of President Mubarak. Panorama's Jane Corbin has been filming inside these extraordinary scenes - in the main squares with the protest organisers, and in the mean back streets where vigilantes and undercover police fight for control in a tense and terrifying struggle for power.
Colonel Tim Collins, whose eve of battle speech before the invasion of Iraq brought him international fame, meets the soldiers who return home only to find that their service for Queen and country counts for little on civvy street. In a Panorama Special, Collins meets veterans who struggle to find work and housing. He sleeps rough on the streets of Brighton with a former soldier who's spent much of the past six years either on the streets or in jail. He meets veterans who fear for their sanity as they suffer flashbacks, night terrors and violent outbursts and talks to families who struggle to cope with the husbands and fathers who went to war, only to come home as strangers.
John Sweeney assesses what WikiLeaks and its exposing of sensitive official material has achieved and asks whether it has lived up to its own ideals on openness.
Will the death of Ireland's boom-time economy spell big trouble for the UK? Fergal Keane returns home to find out why Ireland went from being one of the richest countries in the world to the brink of bankruptcy. Bailing out Ireland has put Britain on the hook for billions, but will it be enough to save one of our most important business partners?
Panorama goes back to school to examine government plans to send in the troops to Britain's troubled classrooms. Can they help restore discipline, leadership and respect? It is an idea born in the USA, where around 15 thousand ex-military personnel have become teachers and done their bit in some of America's toughest inner-city schools. Vivian White reports on the military manoeuvres claimed to be building David Cameron's so-called "Big Society".
Panorama investigates the multi-billion pound world of the criminal tobacco trade. Reporter Sam Poling reveals that more than half of all hand-rolled tobacco in the country is now either counterfeit or smuggled, and one in five cigarettes smoked is fake. Using secret filming, the film exposes the gangs which are costing British tax-payers four billion pounds in lost revenue each year. Taking you to the heart of the supply chain, Sam Poling buys directly from the criminals, and reveals their products are up to thirty times more toxic than ordinary cigarettes. And with exclusive access to Customs investigators, we watch as they take out a major organised Chinese tobacco gang which has set up home in Britain.
Phone hacking was once dismissed by executives at News International as the illegal work of "one rogue reporter". The defence collapsed with one journalist at the News of the World being sacked and the original police inquiry having to be re-opened. Panorama exposes the full extent of the "dark arts" employed by journalists across the industry to get their story. The programme reveals a dishonourable history of law breaking that went beyond phone hacking and questions the police inaction that let it continue.
As the world unites against Colonel Gaddafi, Panorama reveals the real story behind the country's revolution. Using remarkable new footage, it tells how a group of young professionals bravely stood up to 42 years of dictatorship. Reporter Paul Kenyon travels across the front line to uncover how the Libyan military fired on unarmed protestors and tracks down the man accused of ordering the shooting - Colonel Gaddafi's son, Saadi.
It should be the most romantic day in any couple's relationship, but every year hundreds of weddings take place where often the bride and groom barely know each other, and will rarely ever meet again. These are sham marriages - a way for desperate immigrants to stay in the country illegally by paying to marry a stranger with an EU passport. In this Panorama Special, reporter Richard Bilton exposes a lucrative - and growing - industry. Posing as a wedding photographer, he films a sham wedding and reveals the real human cost at the heart of it; he investigates an Eastern European gang that charges 8,000 pounds to supply teenage prostitutes as bogus brides; the immigration solicitor who will prepare the legal paperwork for sham couples; and he discovers how even the Church of England has been a target of bogus wedding fraudsters.
With the cost of living rising fast and wages falling behind, Panorama unveils new research which shows that most of us are significantly poorer than we were two years ago. Reporter Andrew Verity reveals which jobs are being hit hardest, just how many of us are likely to be tipped over a financial cliff if interest rates go up, and he gets tips from the experts on how we can fight The Big Squeeze.
Proportionally, there are more long-term unemployed over 50s than any other age group. But are they victims of their own inflexibility or should more be done to help them? Uncompromising advice from former business leader Lord Digby Jones challenges four jobless 50-somethings to change their approach to job-hunting. Reporter Fiona Phillips reveals a group of people facing stacks of rejection letters and money worries after a lifetime at work. Can they beat the odds and get their working lives back on track?
oung Iranians speak out for the first time about life in a state where putting up a poster can get you jailed, releasing a rap CD calling for change gets you tortured and being gay is punishable by death. In a country where men and women can still be stoned to death for adultery, reporter Jane Corbin asks how much longer Iran can keep a lid on internal unrest as revolution and regime change sweep across the Middle East.
Panorama tracks down a fraudster who stole a football club and broke a bank. With his tales of foreign gold and assets worth 2 trillion dollars, the con man fooled politicians, celebrities and the City. He even tricked the former England football manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, into visiting North Korea to support his scam. So why were so many people taken in, and how did one man run rings round the regulators and authorities?
With nearly five million people on a waiting list for social housing that most of them will not receive, Panorama reveals the compelling stories of families who struggle to get by in overcrowded or hazardous homes, or who have no option but to rent properties they simply cannot afford. Reporter Richard Bilton goes undercover to confront the cheats who make money unlawfully from badly-needed council flats or offer cash rewards for tenancies.
The full story of how America tracked down and killed the world's most wanted man - Osama Bin Laden. From the small Pakistani town of Abbottabad to the streets of New York, the programme speaks to eyewitnesses, victims of Al Qaeda's terror and military and intelligence insiders. There is also a look at why so many people were kept in the dark about the operation and whether the Pakistanis were really unaware of Bin Laden's whereabouts. As British soldiers take on the Taliban in Afghanistan and the public remain alert to potential terrorist attacks here at home, Panorama asks whether Britain can trust Pakistan to be an ally in the battle against terrorism.
How does a broken TV thrown out at a council site in London end up 3,000 miles away on a toxic dump in West Africa where children scavenge for metal waste in a cocktail of poisonous fumes? Using tracking equipment inside broken TV sets, Panorama investigates the illegal market in electronic waste - and the recycling companies whose green credentials may not be all they claim.
On June 1 2011, the world's football associations will elect a new president of Fifa: either current incumbent Sepp Blatter, or his challenger from Qatar, Mohamed Bin Hammam. The organisation they want to head is facing the biggest crisis in its history over allegations of corruption in its senior ranks. At its heart are questions over the World Cup bidding process and the multi-million dollar bribes scandal which Fifa refuses to investigate. As Fifa's host nation Switzerland demands that football's world governing body clean up its act, Andrew Jennings asks whether either candidate is up to the job.
On the top floor of a special hospital, locked away from their families and friends, a group of men and women are subjected to a regime of physical assaults, systematic brutality, and torture by the very people supposed to be caring for them. The victims are some of the most vulnerable in society - the learning disabled, the autistic, and the suicidal. In a Panorama Special, Paul Kenyon exposes the truth about a gang of carers out of control, and how the care system ignored all the warning signs.
With the government promising a welfare revolution, getting people off benefits and into work, Panorama visits the seaside resort of Rhyl in North Wales. In some parts of the town, nearly half of the adult population are on benefits. The programme follows the real life stories of some of the unemployed there, and asks the government whether this battle can really be won.
The Panorama team goes undercover to test whether staff in Britain's high street banks have learnt the lessons from the massive penalties imposed for mis-selling insurance and investment products. Financial journalist Penny Haslam meets savers who have lost out because they were persuaded to put their money into risky investments, and talks to former staff about the pressure they faced to sell.
Evan Davis uncovers the truth behind the economic migrants who cross continents to try to illegally enter Britain. In a ground-breaking special edition of Panorama, two reporters set out to follow the journeys that these migrants take along the most popular and dangerous routes to the UK. Shoaib Sharifi begins in his homeland of Afghanistan, following people as they enter Greece illegally. He discovers hundreds of fellow-Afghans sleeping on the streets of Athens, many with their children, and meets those who risk everything to smuggle themselves on lorries for Italy and beyond. Ugandan-born Kassim Kayira looks at the trade in fake documents that many Nigerians are using to fly into the UK, before heading to the Sahara and North Africa to meet those prepared to risk death for their dream of getting to Britain. And Evan Davis explores what Britain and the rest of Europe is doing to stop these economic migrants getting in. This is the story of people from across the world who risk their lives to find a way into Britain and a Fortress Europe. But just how hard is it to break into Britain? And why do so many risk so much to try?
It's the ultimate failed state - a land of war, banditry and piracy. And after Bin Laden's death, its civil war with Islamist extremists has gained even greater importance to the West. But what is it like to live in the anarchy of Somalia? Reporter Peter Greste goes where no western journalist has been to witness a crisis that threatens millions of lives. He ventures through the streets of Mogadishu, dubbed the most dangerous city in the world, to meet those who attempt to live amid a deadly civil war. Greste visits refugee camps - among them the world's largest - as well as hospitals and markets along the frontline to witness the fighting at first hand.
Vigorous investigation of a topical issue. Panorama investigates concerns about the quality of surgical instruments being used on patients in the UK. Reporter Samantha Poling hears from those working inside the NHS who claim that tools with dangerous defects are being supplied to hospitals. Panorama travels to Pakistan, where the majority of the world's surgical instruments are made, and finds an industry blighted by poor quality control and child labour where workers manufacture tools for £2 a day. Reporter Sam Poling asks whether the NHS is sourcing goods ethically and is doing all it can to protect the health of its patients.
It invades our homes, dropping onto our doormats in its millions and costs the taxpayer a fortune to get rid of. It might be a menace in our mailbox but without junk mail, would our postal service survive? Panorama reporter Tom Heap asks whether junk mail is only good for one thing, burning it to heat his home, and investigates whether Royal Mail is addicted to the darker side of the letters business - scam mail.
With motor insurance premiums up nearly 40 percent this year Panorama investigates the car insurance industry from top to bottom. We go undercover to infiltrate a criminal gang faking accidents for fraudulent insurance claims and we look at who's benefitting from some of those text claim messages we're all getting. Declan Lawn investigates what's gone wrong with the industry and discovers how we're all paying for it.
For decades, Rupert Murdoch has held a unique position of power in Britain through his media empire. After the revelations of the News of the World phone hacking scandal, Panorama tells the inside story of how the media giant's influence was dramatically challenged.
The UK is in the middle of a baby boom. Last year, there was one born every forty seconds - the highest number for 20 years. But reporter Shelley Jofre reveals that some parts of the UK are facing a chronic shortage of midwives, and asks if the NHS is failing to deliver the safe and high quality maternity care mothers and babies deserve.
Victoria is 35 and critically ill after a decade of heavy drinking. Forty-five-year-old Matthew was so sick from his alcohol abuse he needed a new liver. Brian, at 32, drank so much that he ended up living in a cave. Panorama uncovers the impact alcohol is having on a new and younger generation of problem drinkers, and asks whether the government is doing enough to stop us drinking ourselves to death.
Have you bought a diamond recently? Would you really know where it came from? Panorama goes deep into Zimbabwe's Marange diamond fields and uncovers evidence of torture camps and wide scale killings. As the international community argues over whether these diamonds should be sold on the open market, we ask if President Robert Mugabe will ever face prosecution for these crimes.
John Sweeney reports on the recent civil unrest in London and other major cities, which has led to tens of millions of pounds' worth of damage, dozens of injured policemen and widescale looting by gangs of youths rampaging through the streets. The programme tells the full story of the riots and asks why a generation has turned to violence
In this special edition of Panorama, troubleshooter and businessman Sir Gerry Robinson examines the government's plans for the biggest shake up of the NHS in its history. As they return before Parliament for debate, Gerry travels the country assessing support for the reforms - and talks to GPs with opposing views on them. He finds how change has already started with the closure of many Primary Care Trusts and asks Health Secretary Andrew Lansley if the future of the NHS is at risk should his reforms fail. 'HEART BUS' PATIENTS BYPASS NHS COSTS
Six months on from one of the world's most devastating tsunamis, Panorama returns to Japan to hear remarkable tales of survival amid the epic destruction. Piecing together new footage of the wave, reporter Paul Kenyon tells the dramatic stories of those who managed to escape when so many did not. The film also follows those returning briefly to homes abandoned within the radioactive no-go area around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and asks what the future holds for the thousands affected.
Most of our water comes from rivers, and environmentalists fear we are pushing some of them and the wildlife they support to the edge. With many of Britain's rivers at the limit of what can sustainably be taken from them, Simon Boazman investigates whether the water industry and its regulators are doing enough to protect the nation's rivers.
After Libya, will Syria be the next Arab dictatorship to fall to people power? For months, a popular uprising has been fighting an unseen and bloody battle against the Syrian regime. Panorama has been filming inside Syria, and can now tell the full story of those struggling against President Assad and the truth about his brutal crackdown against his own people.
With millions of people enduring pay freezes and cuts, the national minimum wage is supposed at least to guarantee that pay cannot drop below a legal minimum level. But as the adult rate rises to £6.08 an hour, Panorama goes undercover to reveal how some employers exploit loopholes or get round the rules so workers do not even get paid that minimum. And it speaks to others, especially the young, who feel they are being forced to accept low - or even no - pay just to get work. CREDITS
Nick Griffin's British National Party, already under investigation for breaches of electoral law, is facing fresh allegations of corruption. Panorama uncovers new evidence of financial documents being falsified and fabricated in order to deceive the Electoral Commission. The programme also has evidence of the BNP's failure to declare major donations to the party. As Darragh MacIntyre reports, the BNP, which is better known for its controversial views on race, is in debt and according to its own published accounts appears to be technically insolvent.
Britain's petrol and diesel is among the most expensive in Europe. But the rising cost of fuel has also placed it at the heart of a growing criminal black market. High value, untraceable and in constant demand, fuel has become the perfect illicit commodity. It is a crime that stretches from drivers filling up at garage forecourts without paying, to a dark and dangerous underworld run by gangsters and former terrorists. With exclusive access to the police and HM Revenue and Customs teams tasked with fighting fuel crime, Panorama reporter Samantha Poling investigates this multi-million pound illegal business.
Meet 'Alice'. She is a four-year-old child out on the streets of London begging hours on end, day in, day out. 'Alice' is just one of Britain's Gypsy child beggars, and she can earn hundreds of pounds a day. A special Panorama investigation uncovers the truth about these children. Reporter John Sweeney tracks down the begging gangs to luxury homes in Romania, where he confronts the adults forcing the children to beg.
After four decades as one of the world's most notorious dictators, Colonel Gaddafi is now dead - just weeks after being forced from power. Panorama has uncovered shocking pictures and testimony, never seen before, that reveal the truth about the regime and its ties with the British government. Reporter Paul Kenyon tracks down the man responsible for much of the brutality, who fled to Britain during the recent civil war. Kenyon finds him at a luxury hideout in the Gulf, and challenges him to come clean about his role in torture.
For 10 years, 400 or so travellers on Dale Farm in Essex fought to stay on land they own. In October 2011, with all legal options exhausted, time finally ran out for them. As riot police and bailiffs moved onto the site, Panorama received exclusive access to the travellers' families, their neighbours and the authorities - to film on both sides of the barricades during the months that led up to Britain's biggest ever traveller eviction. It also follows those evicted as they set off to an uncertain future. Described as the largest illegal traveller site in Europe, Dale Farm in Basildon is on designated Greenbelt land, and the local council said the travellers had broken the law by building on it. As the legal battle raged through the High Court and beyond, activists from across Britain converged on the site ready to defend the travellers' right to remain. For the council, this was the culmination of a legal fight which has cost them millions. For the travellers, it was the last stand to keep their homes.
What happens when the police fail in their sworn duty to protect life, when they get it wrong or when police officers themselves break the law? Richard Bilton investigates cops who behave badly, and discovers just how many cases are dealt with by the police themselves behind closed doors. He asks why, in some cases, police officers are allowed to simply walk away.
It's estimated that twenty-two billion pounds of taxpayers' money is effectively stolen or lost every year through fraud and error - a sizeable chunk of that is benefit fraud - money that could end up being taken out of the pockets of those in genuine need. In this Panorama Special, Richard Bilton uses undercover cameras to expose people on benefits sailing yachts and driving Bentleys. And he follows fraud investigators as they tackle the rising tide of benefits cheats using fake identities to steal millions.
Panorama investigates the inconvenient truth behind the UK's rocketing energy bills - that government policy is stoking much of the rise. Your money is being staked in the country's biggest energy gamble ever. As power stations are closed down, due to old age or high carbon emissions, 200 billion pounds are needed to keep the lights on. Fuel poverty now threatens one in four households yet the government remains committed to expensive alternatives like offshore wind and nuclear power: greener but, so far, dearer.
Police and shopkeepers in Greater Manchester give Panorama's Jeremy Vine a behind-the-scenes account of what happened on 9 August - the day England's rioting reached the streets of Manchester.
Victims of burglary and other crimes are increasingly being offered the opportunity to meet the criminals who offended against them, in a controversial scheme aimed at empowering victims and potentially cut levels of re-offending among former prisoners. Panorama reporter Raphael Rowe goes into a jail to witness a tense encounter between two young women and the youth who broke into their home while they slept. Meetings between victims and offenders have proved to be remarkably successful in cutting reoffending and allowing victims to recover far more quickly. The government wants to see more of these restorative justice meetings used in the criminal justice system following all types of crimes. Another victim of a horrific attack reveals to Panorama how her true motive in agreeing to meet her burglar was to get revenge and kill him.
As Government spending cuts bite, one group of businessmen know they will keep making vast profits from our taxes while getting us ever deeper into debt. Since 1997 almost every new school and hospital in the UK has been built by private companies who lease them back to the government. But what's in it for the taxpayer? John Ware investigates the inflexible terms and conditions of what has become the government's flexible friend - the Private Finance Initiative - a kind of ministerial credit card which racks up huge public debts without showing on the nation's balance sheet. He uncovers evidence of how government claims that PFI gives taxpayers value for money have been manipulated. And he asks why the coalition government signed so many PFI deals when in opposition both the prime minister and his deputy branded them as 'dodgy accounting'.
Part Whitehall farce, part Cold War throwback, this is the inside story of the Russian "honey trap" spy who never was. How did an MP's former assistant come to be wrongly accused by MI5 of being a threat to British national security? In an exclusive interview, Katia Zatuliveter tells Panorama's Peter Taylor how she became the centre of a diplomatic row over her relationship with a Liberal Democrat MP. The 26 year-old Russian graduate reacts to being cleared of the charge - made by government lawyers - that she exploited her position as Mike Hancock's assistant and mistress to pass information to Moscow. The film also interviews Mr Hancock, who sat on the Commons Defence Select Committee and chaired its all-party Russia Group, and speaks to former Russian and British intelligence officers who warn of new security tensions with Moscow.
With their price drops, roll-backs, brand matches - as well as that old firm favourite, the two-for-one offer - our leading supermarkets are doing battle for our cash. They claim their price war is good news for shoppers in these tough times, but are their money-saving offers all they seem? Sophie Raworth takes her trolley round the aisles of Britain's biggest supermarket chains and reveals some nasty surprises at the checkout.
The world economy appears to be in meltdown, the euro is in turmoil and the economic future looks bleak. But does it have to be this bad? Panorama investigates how Britain plc could survive the crisis. Reporter Adam Shaw explores the potential for growth away from Europe in the fast-growing economies of places like Brazil, China and India. He also asks what our government needs to do to chart a path to a brighter future.
Adoption is now high on the political agenda as the best option for the 65,000 children in care. But, with less than 5% actually placed for adoption, children must wait an average two years and seven months for a permanent family. Why does it take so long? What is the human cost? This Panorama Special follows six children in Coventry waiting to be adopted over six months. Some have waited five years. Others were returned after almost three years with prospective adopters. One child, then aged 18 months, was returned after just two weeks. This film addresses the hidden cost of adoption breakdown. In all cases, the children's pain and longing is tangible.
On verdict day of one of the most eagerly awaited trials in recent history, this Panorama Special on the Stephen Lawrence case reveals the untold story of the murder that changed Britain. For more than a year, reporter Mark Daly and the Panorama team have exclusively followed Stephen's mother Doreen Lawrence as her 18-year fight for justice for her murdered son neared its conclusion. This moving film charts the history of this iconic case through the eyes of a grieving mother, and reports the inside account of the trial of the two men accused of the black teenager's killing.
One commuter tells Panorama how he goes about making the point that every minute of train delays cost commuters valuable time.
Panorama investigates revisits their investigation into Lord Ashcroft's questionable Caribbean business interests.
Online bullying is rapidly growing in size and intensity. A new breed of self-styled "trolls" are stalking social networking websites, aiming their vicious attacks at victims who range from TV celebrities to grieving teenagers. Declan Lawn meets X Factor star Cher Lloyd, who describes how cyber attacks are ruining her life, and highlights a new survey revealing that one in thirteen young people face persistent online bullying. Panorama tracks down some of the bullies and asks: what more could be done to stop them?
Panorama's Hilary Andersson comes face to face with the reality of poverty in America and finds that, for some, the last resort has become life in a tented encampment. Just off the side of a motorway on the fringes of the picturesque town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a mismatched collection of 30 tents tucked in the woods has become home - home to those who are either unemployed, or whose wages are so low that they can no longer afford to pay rent. Conditions are unhygienic. There are no toilets and electricity is only available in the one communal tent where the campers huddle around a wood stove for warmth in the heart of winter. Ice weighs down the roofs of tents, and rain regularly drips onto the sleeping campers' faces. Tent cities have sprung up in and around at least 55 American cities - they represent the bleak reality of America's poverty crisis.
Alastair Campbell examines Britain's complicated relationship with alcohol and visits the exclusive Clouds House addiction treatment centre in Wiltshire to meet some of the growing numbers of middle-class "functioning alcoholics".
With nurseries and childminders costing families up to a third of their income, and working mums feeling squeezed out of the workplace, Panorama investigates the rising cost of childcare. Shelley Jofre meets a family who moved abroad for a better deal, and reveals why budget cuts are forcing some parents to consider taking over their own nurseries.
Samantha Poling reveals how millions of pounds of public money are being paid out to businessmen and millionaire farmers in an abuse of the farming subsidy system. Investors tell us how they have been paid without having to do any farming at all. And Samantha also sets out to see if she can take advantage of the subsidy system and become rich from the loophole. The programme also examines the rest of the subsidy system and hears criticism of large payments to wealthy individuals like the Queen and the Duke of Westminster simply on the basis of owning large amounts of land.
BBC reporter Paul Wood, who has only just come out of Syria, charts the rise and brutal suppression of the uprising in the Syrian city of Homs. During the past four months, he and cameraman Fred Scott have been smuggled in and out of the city and surrounding areas - crawling for miles through unlit drainage tunnels to witness first-hand the Syrian government's bombardment of the city and its people. Their time in and around Homs charts the progress of the uprising there - from its start with hope of revolution, to following the refugees now fleeing the city to escape retribution at the hands of President Assad's security forces and angry with the rebel forces they believe have deserted them and left them to their fate.
Thousands of crimes in Britain are going unreported: beatings, imprisonment - even murder - committed by those closest to the victims, their families. These are crimes of so-called 'honour'. With access to police investigations, Panorama reveals the shocking details of 'honour' killings, of women driven to suicide and also hears from those on the run, in fear of their lives. The UK's lead prosecutor on 'honour' crimes says he will not tolerate multicultural sensitivities when it comes to this issue and a leading campaigner accuses her own community leaders of a failure of leadership in not speaking out against this abuse.
As Rupert Murdoch faces accusations of law-breaking and corruption at his British tabloid newspapers, Panorama reveals fresh hacking allegations striking at the heart of News Corporation's pay-TV empire. The investigation examines the role of former senior police officers in recruiting people to break the law - in order to bring down Murdoch's commercial rival. Vivian White reveals fresh allegations of hacking at the heart of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, this time involving its pay-TV services. The investigation examines the alleged role of former senior police officers in recruiting people to break the law in order to bring down one of the media mogul's commercial rivals. Postponed from Monday March 12.
With exclusive access to CCTV footage never before seen publicly, this Panorama special examines in detail the hours leading up to the death of Anni Dewani while on honeymoon in Cape Town. The film investigates the case against her husband Shrien, currently fighting in UK courts to avoid extradition to South Africa to stand trial for her murder. Did the wealthy businessman engage a taxi driver to arrange his wife's death, or is he wrongly accused? The CCTV images reveal a different side to the couple than has so far been portrayed.
With one in five young people out of work, life for many is just one long rejection letter. The government believe that apprenticeships offer a way forward and promise a million more by next year at the cost of more than a billion pounds of public money. But what is the reality behind the return of the apprentice? Panorama investigates a story of poor quality training, of disappointed young people, and highlights the example of some training companies who are making a killing out of public funds. Reporter Shelley Jofre speaks to insiders who are blowing the whistle and hears claims of forged and doctored paperwork and of apprentices who are entering the world of work without proper training, work experience or qualifications.
Rageh Omaar goes on the trail of ivory poachers, smugglers and organised crime syndicates to investigate the plight of Africa's elephants.
It's the biggest company you've never heard of. Glencore - a commodity giant that trades huge quantities of wheat, coal and much of the world's copper. John Sweeney talks exclusively to its boss, Ivan Glasenberg, who became a billionaire five times over when the company was listed on the London stock exchange last year. But, in Congo and Colombia, Glencore stands accused of reckless greed. Panorama investigates.
Panorama reveals the appalling treatment of an elderly care home resident with dementia, captured on film after a concerned relative hid a secret camera. The abuse - in a care home passed as "excellent" by the national regulator, the Care Quality Commission - has led to five care workers being sacked, with one pleading guilty to assault. It was recorded by a secret camera placed in the elderly woman's bedroom by her daughter, who speaks for the first time about what happened. Fiona Phillips, whose parents suffered from dementia and whose mother died in a care home, investigates whether the regulator and care home provider did enough to prevent such abuse and asks whether the system of elderly care itself can be trusted.
Five years ago next week, Madeleine McCann disappeared from a family holiday apartment in the Algarve, Portugal. Why has the little girl, aged three when she went missing, never been found? Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, are adamant that their daughter was abducted. Frustrated by Portuguese police and public opinion that viewed them with suspicion, Madeleine's parents persuaded prime minister David Cameron to order a review of the case. Is this new investigation, by a top unit of the Metropolitan Police, the last chance of discovering what happened? For the first time, the senior UK investigator tells Panorama how he is working collaboratively with Portuguese police and explains why he believes he has the best opportunity yet to help solve the mystery of Madeleine McCann.
Aggressive tax avoidance was branded 'morally repugnant' by the chancellor in the last budget. But what does he mean? Panorama investigates how some of the UK's most famous companies are using a tax haven at the heart of Europe to save millions in tax. Armed with a cache of secret documents, the programme reveals how global names have received big tax breaks on billion-pound transactions in the tiny country of Luxembourg. They say legal tax efficiency is good news for shareholders. In these austere times, Darragh MacIntyre asks: is big business paying its fair share?
Panorama goes undercover inside Azerbaijan, the host country of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, to discover the extraordinary truth about this secretive country and its approach to the world's most watched non-sporting event. Reporter Paul Kenyon finds out how the contest has been used as a tool of intimidation: viewers have been interrogated for voting for the nation's long-term enemy, Armenia; a protest singer has been told to flee before Eurovision or he will be thrown in jail; and dozens have had their homes bulldozed to make way for the Eurovision event itself. The US embassy in Baku has compared the ruling family to the Mafia. The regime has held onto power through a combination of rigged elections, jailing opponents, and by irregular control of the country's vast oil wealth. So, why did the organisers of the world's best-loved music event agree to host it in Azerbaijan?
With just days to go before the kick-off of the Euro 2012 championships, Panorama reveals shocking new evidence of racist violence and anti-Semitism at the heart of Polish and Ukrainian football and asks whether tournament organiser UEFA should have chosen both nations to host the prestigious event. Reporter Chris Rogers witnesses a group of Asian fans being attacked on the terraces of a Ukrainian premier league match and hears anti-Semitic chanting at games in Poland. And with exclusive access to a far right group in Ukraine which recruits and trains football hooligans to attack foreigners, Panorama asks: how safe will travelling football teams and their supporters be at this summer's European festival of football?
Veteran reporter John Humphrys has enjoyed a 20-year love affair with Greece, which is home to his son and grandchildren. With the debt-laden country voting in a new election which could signpost the future of Europe, Humphrys meets ordinary Greeks to investigate the harsh truth about the austerity measures which have helped bring the country to its current crisis.
Britain is being affected by an 'epidemic' of unsolicited and unwanted calls and texts. With an estimated three billion marketing calls and messages received every year, Panorama goes undercover to expose how some firms are getting round the regulations designed to protect consumers.
Britain today is suffering the longest peacetime slump in decades. Our economy is in a double-dip recession for the first time since 1975. Panorama asks whether Britain is ready and able to cope with a new age of austerity with surprising echoes of the 1970s. Reporter Adam Shaw examines if we're about to suffer the same social and political upheaval that emerged from that decade.
Reporter Raphael Rowe tracks down some of Britain's biggest illegal fly-tippers - criminals who have pocketed tens of thousands of pounds handed over by motorists to recycle their used tyres. Money that was meant to protect the environment has instead vanished, leaving our countryside littered with massive piles of used tyres - many large enough to be seen from space.
As many of us try to get fitter in this Olympic summer, Panorama investigates the sports products that promise to boost your performance. Are those pricey trainers worth the money? Can sports drinks really help you work out for longer? Are protein shakes any more effective at honing the physique than ordinary food? With exclusive access to the findings from a unique study by the British Medical Journal and Oxford University, reporter Shelley Jofre tests the science behind the bold advertising claims made by some of sport's biggest brands.
Panorama investigates the government's plans to end the so-called 'sick note culture' and their attempts to get millions of people off disability benefits and into work. In Britain's modern welfare state, millions are being paid to private companies to assess sick and disabled claimants but is the system working? Or are new tests wrongly victimising those who deserve support the most?
Rats, bedbugs, cockroaches: pests we may all have to learn to live with more in the future, according to environmental health experts. Budget cuts mean some councils are disbanding their pest control teams while others are now charging for services which had been free. Will this lead to more pests and the diseases they carry?
The case of the Cardiff Three - wrongly convicted of murder in 1992 - refuses to go away. Twenty years after a BBC Panorama investigation helped to clear the original men, the same team returns to investigate why the trial against the police officers accused of perverting the course of justice collapsed last year, and asks: is this the biggest scandal in British legal history?
Somewhere in the vast, dense jungles of central Africa, is hidden Joseph Kony, one of the world's most wanted men. For the past 25 years, Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army have waged one of the continent's darkest conflicts; using an army of abducted and brutalised children to kill and maim tens of thousands of people. But how has one man, said to take his orders from the spirit world, managed to escape capture for so long? In the wake of the infamous 'Kony 2012' internet campaign to bring him to justice this year, Bafta-winning reporter, Sorious Samura, investigates the myths surrounding Kony and travels to the front line of the fight to bring one of Africa's most bizarre and brutal leaders to justice.
With police, fire and ambulance services facing cuts in public spending, Panorama examines the effect on 999 response times. Declan Lawn reveals the areas where people needing immediate help from our emergency services are left waiting, and investigates claims that lives are being put at risk.
Reporter and Labour peer Joan Bakewell investigate the hidden problem of alcohol abuse in older people. She asks why the over 65s are far more likely to drink every day, to drink at home and to drink alone.
Drugs, anti-social behaviour, family break-ups and joblessness: all part of life on Britain's poorest housing estates. Filming with families, kids and police, as well as undercover with drug dealers, Panorama spent months on one estate in Blackburn finding out what it's like to live and grow up there. There's eight-year-old Oshi who is desperate to see his dad after a two year absence. Jordan, who at only 15, is threatening to leave his family home because of the trouble and 20-year-old Jessie, whose behaviour frightens other residents and keeps landing him in prison. Richard Bilton asks, is this really a picture of 'Broken Britain' - a place at the edge of where the state can make a difference?
Jane Corbin reports on the Israeli terrorists who think that every Palestinian attack and every effortto hand back land should be met with an act of revenge.
Panorama investigates the computer supply companies whose directors have grown rich signing up hundreds of schools across the country to deals that have taken them to the brink of bankruptcy. Parents are usually unaware that their school can be carrying debts of up to £1.9 million for overpriced or sub-standard equipment.
The economy is showing few signs of recovery, but one area of business is doing well: door-to-door loans. Panorama investigates the debt business, a world of cash on the doorstep and high interest rates. We go undercover to reveal the tactics of the trade: the real costs of a loan and the techniques which mean that some customers may never clear their debt. And we find victims - the vulnerable and mentally ill, who are sold loans in apparent breach of industry guidelines.
Declan Lawn reports on how 'health tourists' are obtaining free NHS treatment they should be paying for - at a cost of millions to our health service. Panorama goes undercover inside a black market where NHS access is being bought and sold, and finds an NHS practice manager taking money to register health tourists. Declan also discovers how easy it is for foreign nationals to get free treatment - with many hospitals across the country not making the required checks.
The recent shootings of two Manchester policewomen have highlighted Britain's problem with violent crime. Now a previously-discredited weapon is being used to try to fight the most serious and organised crime - the supergrass, criminals prepared to turn on their own and give evidence in court. Panorama investigates the remarkable deals that these often violent gangsters are being offered to become the next generation of supergrasses. The agreements have led to gunmen getting off life sentences. A teenage gang member has also escaped prosecution, despite helping to cover up a fatal shooting. And Panorama reveals cases where the credibility of the supergrass is already in question.
Ahead of America's costliest-ever elections, Raphael Rowe investigates how powerful lobby groups helped create laws blamed for one of the most controversial killings in recent US history. The shooting dead of a 17-year-old teenager by a neighbourhood watchman polarised America, provoked presidential intervention and shone a light on an extreme American law, called 'Stand Your Ground'. It provides immunity from prosecution or, as some say, a 'License to Kill'. But does gun politics also show how America really works? Panorama asks: is American democracy for sale?
Panorama investigates the Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal and asks what the BBC knew and when, and examines the events around the dropping of the corporation's own Newsnight investigation into the subject.
Last year BBC Panorama exposed the violent abuse of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View hospital outside Bristol. Now, using undercover footage never seen before, the programme reveals new evidence of poor training and false record-keeping. A number of former patients have faced further assaults or unnecessary restraints in other care establishments. Following the closure of Winterbourne View, and as 11 of its former staff are sentenced in court, Panorama asks: are the most vulnerable people in society any better protected?
Even in recession-hit Britain, the gambling industry is still making a profit - £5.6 billion last year. With casino-style gambling now available day or night at the touch of a button in our homes and on our phones, Panorama explores its popularity... and reveals a darker side. Reporter Sophie Raworth hears from those who have found their lives spiralling out of control, and from industry insiders who say violence and frustration, linked to fast-paced high-stake gambling machines, are increasing in our high street betting shops. Panorama goes undercover in some of Britain's bookies to test those claims.
Last month, days before it was due to start, the government suddenly postponed its controversial badger cull. The plan was to shoot thousands of badgers to try to control the spread of tuberculosis in cattle. Animal rights activists were ready for the biggest clash in the countryside since fox hunting was banned, while scientists questioned the evidence justifying the cull. In the face of this opposition, Panorama asks, will the government have the stomach to enforce the badger cull next year?
In a world exclusive, Panorama follows a group of severely brain injured patients and reveals the revolutionary efforts made to help them communicate with their families and the outside world. Never before filmed, this Panorama Special spent more than a year with a group of vegetative patients in Britain and Canada. They witness the moment when a patient regarded as vegetative for more than a decade is able to answer a series of questions whilst inside a brain scanner. The findings have profound implications for the patients and their families, as well as ethical consequences for scientists and medical staff.
As the Independent Police Complaints Commission is handed the investigation into Hillsborough, the biggest policing scandal in UK history, reporter Mark Daly investigates whether the body that polices the police is fit for purpose. Panorama hears from families who say they have been failed by the police watchdog and examines growing concerns that it does not have sufficient power or the independence to hold the police to account.
Panorama goes undercover to investigate corporate service providers - the people and companies who sell corporate anonymity and access to offshore tax havens.
The NHS is under huge pressure with increasing demand, limited finances and facing the largest reorganization in its history. With the latest data on hospital death rates, Panorama reveals poor patient care is putting thousands of people at risk of death or serious injury every year. Many of these problems were first highlighted five years ago during the scandal at Stafford Hospital when hundreds of people died unnecessarily. Despite assurances that it could never happen again, reporter Declan Lawn finds serious ongoing problems in trusts across the country - and a systemic failure to act on warnings that patients are being put at risk.
America's CIA is fighting a secret war in the badlands of Pakistan - targeting al Qaeda and other militants with hellfire missiles in drone strikes that the UN says are illegal. No one knows the true number who have died, but it is estimated that the death toll may be around 3,000 - some of them, it is claimed, innocent women and children. Panorama goes to Waziristan, one of the most dangerous places in the world, to report on the drone war and to find out from its victims why they are seeking justice in the British courts
The series follows the struggles and challenges which are faced by four different people as they face the reality of losing their homes. The show was filmed over five months as it reveals the devastating impact of losing everything.
Reporter John Sweeney investigates the secretive world of the billionaire Barclay twins. Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay own the paper that exposed the MPs' expenses scandal. So why do they hate it when the spotlight is turned on them?
More than half a million foreign migrants are estimated to be hiding from the authorities in the UK. Some are failed asylum seekers who live in graveyards and abandoned garages or 'disappear' within their own communities. They include bogus students planning to work illegally and others who have crossed the Channel hidden in the back of a lorry. Many of those without papers turn to a life of criminality involving drugs, violence and prostitution - and with money Panorama has discovered they can come and go on an illegal travel network which smuggles them OUT of the UK as well as in. Reporter Paul Kenyon goes undercover with this new type of smuggling gang - charging £1,500 a time - to help illegals out of the UK right under the nose of the British authorities.
Only half of all people with a disability are in work. Panorama investigates if one of the government's most ambitious welfare reforms, costing billions of pounds, can solve the problem of disability unemployment. Reporter Sam Poling reveals the private companies who are getting rich from the new reforms despite only being able to get a small fraction of disabled people back to work, and speaks to the charities who feel the most vulnerable in our society are being failed.
Abortion is more controversial than ever, with pro-life activists challenging pregnant women as they try to enter clinics. Doctors in most of the UK are signing off terminations on questionable mental health grounds, while in Northern Ireland women and doctors risk life in prison over abortion. So is our legislation hopelessly outdated? Victoria Derbyshire investigates the great abortion divide and asks if it is time to change the law.
After a series of controversies, bosses at Barclays say they're changing the culture of the bank. But what went wrong? Reporter Richard Bilton investigates the bonus culture that drove one of our biggest banks.
Panorama investigates the horse meat scandal and reveals ever growing concerns about what is really in our food. With industry insiders saying shoppers should prepare themselves for more uncomfortable truths, Richard Bilton asks whether 'light touch' regulation of the food industry has left the stable door open to the cowboys.
Reporter Ben Anderson joins Allied troops preparing to hand over to Afghan forces next year, finding the Afghan army and police to be poorly trained and lacking resources.
The Newtown massacre, in which 20 primary schoolchildren died, has been hailed as a turning point on gun control in America. President Obama wants to ban assault weapons, but his opponents say more guns are the answer, not fewer. At a gun range, Panorama meets the teachers who want to take guns into their classrooms to protect their pupils. With many of America's mass killers having both mental health issues and easy access to guns, Panorama reveals the national crisis in mental healthcare which has left 4.5 million severely mentally ill Americans untreated. And reporter Hilary Andersson goes undercover to show how easy it is in Texas to buy the type of assault weapon used at Newtown, even if you are mentally unstable. Will Newtown finally change things, or will the mass killings continue?
On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the Iraq War, Panorama reveals how key aspects of the secret intelligence used by Downing Street and the White House to justify the invasion were based on fabrication, wishful thinking and lies. Peter Taylor tracks down some of those responsible and reports on the remarkable story of how, in the months before the war, two highly-placed sources - close to Saddam Hussein - talked secretly to the CIA and MI6. Their intelligence said Iraq did not have an active WMD programme - but it was simply dismissed.
The Derby fire, in which six children died, was an attack on a family that shocked the country. Panorama asks were warnings missed?
While North Korea's 'Supreme Commander' Kim Jong-Un has been threatening thermo-nuclear war against the United States, Panorama reporter John Sweeney spent eight days undercover inside the most rigidly-controlled nation on Earth. Travelling from the capital Pyongyang to the countryside beyond and to the de-Militarised Zone on the border with South Korea, Sweeney witnesses a landscape bleak beyond words, a people brainwashed for three generations and a regime happy to give the impression of marching towards Armageddon.
Reporter Jane Corbin goes undercover to investigate what is really happening in Britain's Sharia Councils - Islamic religious courts.
Russian money has poured into London, but is organised crime coming with it? Reporter Darragh MacIntyre investigates a death in a Russian prison that has brought the threat of violence to the UK. Could a whistleblower found dead on the streets of Surrey be the latest victim of the Russian crime wars?
Former England and Arsenal footballer Sol Campbell investigates why the unemployment rate for young black British men is roughly double that of their white counterparts. He follows four under-25-year-olds in their search for that all-important first job, and asks: are employers to blame, or do young black men need to work harder at finding work?
A Panorama investigation reveals how police, politicians, lawyers and judges all played a part in burying the truth about Britain's worst football disaster. Never-before-broadcast footage of the FA Cup semi-final in which 96 Liverpool fans died reveals a catastrophic failure by the emergency services, how lives might have been saved and how subsequent inquiries were misled. And a former home secretary and former police chiefs are put on the spot about why a succession of official investigations left the truth hidden for a generation.
A controversial American doctor claims he can cure cancer. Celebrities have helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds to send British patients to his clinic. But Dr Burzynski's treatment has been dismissed by mainstream medicine and the US authorities have tried to close him down. So why has he been allowed to sell an unproven and experimental treatment for 30 years?
Three years ago, David Cameron declared that lobbying was the 'next big scandal waiting to happen'. Now this Panorama special goes undercover to reveal lobbying practices which raise serious questions about standards in our political life. The programme's allegations have already contributed to a series of high-profile resignations and suspensions in Westminster.
For years some of the biggest names in British business subscribed to a secret blacklist containing thousands of names with the power to deny work and destroy livelihoods. From the Millennium Dome to the iconic Olympic Park, some construction firms paid for information on workers they feared could delay work and cost them money. Reporter Richard Bilton does the first television interview with the bookkeeper for the organisation which ran the list. And he discovers that even though the list has now been closed down, blacklisting still appears to be alive and well in Britain.
When a CCTV camera snaps your car and you get a ticket in the post, how annoyed do you get? More motorists face this frustration as councils are now fining drivers in ever-greater numbers after capturing them on CCTV. They claim they do it to keep the traffic flowing smoother. But private emails obtained by Panorama reveal a different story, with officials congratulating each other on the number of tickets issued: 'Another record month, guys. Well done,' says one. The programme visits the box junction where the council fines so many drivers - 29,000 last year alone - that it's known as the 'Money Box', and tries to find new ways to cut down the mountain of traffic tickets now issued every year.
Using secret filming and exclusive research into the mortality rates of care and nursing homes for the elderly in England, Panorama exposes the pain of poor care and neglect.
Panorama investigates the standard of residential care for vulnerable children. In homes where care is not up to scratch, some young people run away into risky situations.
Current affairs. Many women have to take medicines while pregnant. But could they be risking the health of their unborn child? Reporter Shelley Jofre investigates.
Panorama investigates the true personal cost of the war in Afghanistan on British troops, going beyond the limits of the Ministry of Defence's statistics on suicide.
An investigation of the true personal cost of the war in Afghanistan on British troops, going beyond the limits of the Ministry of Defence's statistics on suicide.
Panorama investigates illegal logging in the rainforest and the timber trail from Africa to West Europe. Raphael Rowe spent six months tracking logs from Congo's jungle.
Panorama exposes the tricks of the UK's online dating industry, worth millions of pounds a year. Reporter Fiona Walker investigates how some unscrupulous dating websites are preying on those looking for love and searching for their perfect partner.
Panorama explores how the two suspected Boston Marathon bombers - brothers raised and educated in the US - became radicalised, and asks if America's war on terror has come home.
Current affairs. With police estimating that dealing with mental health patients takes up 25 percent of their time, Paul Kenyon discovers a world of self-harm and suicide attempts.
The government says it is cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion, but does the tough talk really stand up to scrutiny? Panorama goes undercover in the City to investigate the truth about UK tax policy. The programme discovers how London is still home to the tax avoidance industry and how new laws could allow big companies to avoid billions in tax.
With access to secret police files, Jeremy Vine looks at the case against the Bristol businessman accused of killing his young bride on honeymoon in South Africa in 2010.
Panorama investigates how our clothes - including those of some big high street brands - are really made, finding evidence of an industry that still puts profit before safety.
Panorama investigates the network al-Shabab uses to cross the Somali-Kenyan border at will and this terror group's appeal to radicalised Muslim youths in Britain and beyond.
In a special edition, Panorama travels with British doctors inside Syria to exclusively reveal the devastating impact of the war on children caught in the conflict.
One year ago, Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban on her school bus. In this Panorama special, she talks exclusively to Mishal Husain about her remarkable journey.
Panorama reporter Adam Shaw lifts the lid on what could be Britain's biggest financial mis-selling scandal - the hard sell of so-called interest rate swaps.
With exclusive access to eyewitnesses and investigators, Panorama reveals how and asks why a British family and a French cyclist were brutally murdered by a hitman.
Cleaning up Britain's rubbish costs more than a billion pounds each year. Journalist and Labour peer Joan Bakewell argues that we all need to take more pride in our surroundings.
Why was it so easy for paedophiles like Jimmy Savile to get away with abusing children? In other countries evidence of abuse must be reported to the authorities. But here, turning a blind eye to child abuse in a school, or a hospital, or a church is not a crime. Reporter Sanchia Berg talks to victims, police and senior figures who are now calling for Britain to change the law and uncovers secret files which show that the government knew for decades that children's homes and schools covered up abuse. Head teachers and governors routinely moved abusers, sending them on with a good reference, rather than call the police. Even today, some head teachers still fail to act on reports and complaints.
With house prices hitting record highs at the same time as living standards continue to be squeezed, Adam Shaw goes in search of affordable homes for ordinary working families.
Reporter John Ware interviews former members of a secret undercover unit run by the British Army in the early 1970s as they reveal how they took the war to the IRA.
How well does online retailer Amazon treat its workers? Conditions in the company's giant warehouses have been condemned by unions as among the worst in Britain.
With the Global Fund's inspector general sacked for 'unsatisfactory' performance after exposing corruption, Richard Bilton challenges those responsible.
Energy bills have gone up by around a quarter in the past four years and politicians from all sides say they are determined to bring them down. Can they deliver?
Do we really know about the charities we support? Declan Lawn hears from donors and charity workers who believe the quest for money is undermining the mission.
We're told there could be a crime wave and even riots on the streets when Romania and Bulgaria gain full employment rights in the UK next year. But how many will really come, and what's at the root of our fear? Paul Kenyon travels to a Romanian village where most of the men have already left to pursue work in the black markets of London. He joins British police in an unprecedented operation to stem the flow. With Romanians and Bulgarians set to be given full access to work, benefits, the NHS and schooling, many worry that this latest piece of European integration is a step too far.
With two British Muslim converts found guilty of the murder of 25 year-old soldier, Drummer Lee Rigby, this Panorama special reveals the story the jury never heard. Featuring interviews with Lee's parents and his former comrades in the Royal Fusiliers, Peter Taylor asks if the security services among others missed opportunities to stop Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebolawe and prevent Lee's death.
John Sweeney investigates the secretive world of the family courts and asks whether some parents may have unfairly lost their children forever. The crucial evidence against them came from doctors, who said that tiny fractures on their babies' x-rays were evidence of abuse. But some experts now believe that lack of vitamin D or rickets might point to another cause for the fractures. One young mother has taken desperate measures after losing her daughter - she has gone on the run from the UK to have her second child abroad. But even this drastic step may not keep her out of the reach of social services
The country's police firearms units are described as an elite. These highly-trained marksmen use lethal force to tackle serious organised crime and take illegal guns off our streets. They also have to react quickly to events such as the murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich. But they are under intense scrutiny; the shooting of Mark Duggan in 2011 led to serious rioting, and another killing has been ruled unlawful following a public inquiry. At least one police officer is facing the possibility of being put on trial for murder. Now, for the first time, officers who have killed break their silence to speak out to Panorama. The programme has gained unique access to the unit responsible for killing Mark Duggan, and examines the controversial tactic behind these shootings that is still being used to stop suspects today.
The cost of the Winter Olympics in Russia has quadrupled to a record-breaking £30 billion following allegations of massive corruption. Reporter John Sweeney investigates claims that lucrative contracts have been handed to President Putin's friends, and that billions have been embezzled by fraudsters and corrupt officials. Despite the huge cost of the games, thousands of Olympic workers say they have not been paid, and some claim they were tortured by the police when they tried to protest. The games in Sochi are supposed to be a showcase for modern Russia, but what do they really reveal about President Putin's state?
It's one of the most closed and repressive societies on earth. Its ruthless young leader Kim Jong-un has threatened nuclear war against America and recently executed his own uncle. Yet in the heart of North Korea's absolute dictatorship, a remarkable university - paid for by the west - is attempting to open the minds of the secretive state's future elite. Panorama has gained unprecedented access to this most unusual of academic institutions - which is educating the sons of the brutal regime. Reporter Chris Rogers lives with them on campus and asks: can the class of 2014 help to bring the hermit nation in from the cold?
Panorama goes undercover in Britain's multimillion-pound trade in immigration visas and exposes the breath-taking frauds that allow bogus foreign students - some with little or no English - to remain in the UK. Around a hundred thousand non-EU students applied to the UK Border Agency in 2013 to extend their stay, but it seems studying is not the main aim for all of them as some simply want to stay on to work illegally. Reporter Richard Watson unmasks the criminal immigration agents who - in return for cash - secure places at private colleges by arranging forged and fraudulent documents, including bank statements that are good enough to fool immigration officers. The programme reveals how government-approved exams - designed to weed out those with inadequate English - are being routinely subverted with fake sitters taking spoken English exams for the bogus students and multiple choice tests where they're given all the answers.
As Britain is battered yet again by extreme weather, reporter Richard Bilton investigates the causes of the flooding that has devastated so much of the country. He meets the families whose lives have been ruined and asks whether more could be done to protect our towns and villages. Or should the government now be making tough choices about which places to save?
Panorama investigates the mysterious disappearance in Dubai of a British businessman. The British authorities handed over thousands of pages of his confidential documents to a hardline Iranian regime accused of human rights abuses. Now the UK government stands accused of ignoring the warnings that their actions posed a risk to his life. So why did they ignore those warnings?
Hundreds of thousands of people across the country are now getting free handouts of food. So what's really behind the dramatic rise in the number of food banks and the claims of hunger in Britain? Reporter Darragh MacIntyre investigates whether it's the economic squeeze, benefit changes or, as the government has suggested, it's simply a case of people taking advantage of free food on offer.
As Russia and the West square up to each other over Ukraine, Paul Kenyon presents this special report from inside the flashpoint military bases of Crimea as they are surrounded by Russian troops. He gains exclusive access to Ukrainian soldiers and commanders preparing for possible conflict and, using previously unbroadcast footage, examines the shooting of nearly a hundred protestors in Kiev, an act that led to a revolution and could intensify old, Cold War rivalries.
'Anything and Everything' is what doctors who work in A&E say the initials really stand for - where the violent, the drink and drug abusers, the lonely, the frail, the elderly plus those who really shouldn't be there in the first place, are all in a day's work. Panorama reporter Vivian White spends a week in University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, hearing from doctors and nurses about the relentless pressure of working to strict government waiting time targets. He also meets those who have had enough and have quit this most demanding part of the NHS.
Panorama investigates fraud in the National Health Service. With the NHS under financial pressure as never before, reporter Fiona Walker finds fraud in/against the NHS could be far greater than benefits fraud but with fewer resources to tackle it. The programme hears claims that the health service in the UK is losing billions every year to fraudsters - enough to employ 330,000 new nurses. In Britain's 21st century health service, where multimillion private contracts are up for grabs, Panorama goes in search of the fraudsters to reveal their crimes and highlights calls for tougher penalties for those who harm patients and steal NHS resources and money that should be used to care for the sick.
Up and down the country, directly-elected Mayors control billions of pounds of public funds. But can this lead to too much power being concentrated into the hands of one politician? John Ware investigates the directly-elected Mayor of Tower Hamlets in London – where opponents claim he’s used public funds both to promote himself and to create a local power base that, come election time this May, will help return him to office. Panorama reveals evidence suggesting that, under the Mayoral system in Tower Hamlets, accountability and transparency have been put into reverse, with the Mayor refusing to answer opposition questions about spending decisions involving millions of pounds of public money - and also how he has injected faith into politics.
On the eve of the Queen's historic trip to the Vatican, Jane Corbin examines Pope Francis' shake-up of the Catholic Church. Are his reforms for real, or more about style than substance? A year after Francis was elected following his predecessor's shock resignation, Panorama travels to Argentina, his homeland, to find out what drives him and asks if the Pope is raising expectations that some in the Vatican will not allow him to fulfil.
Panorama goes undercover to expose the bailiffs who seize cars and demand huge fees in what has become a multimillion-pound business: chasing unpaid parking tickets. Bailiffs recovering debts for local authorities say they do a public service, hunting down those who don't pay up. But Panorama has evidence that some bailiffs are intimidating motorists, exaggerating their powers and pumping up fees. As councils report increasing revenues from penalty fines, reporter John Sweeney investigates whether new laws to curb the bailiffs' worst excesses go far enough.
As the government's benefits changes begin to bite, Panorama gains exclusive access over six months to Brent - one of London's worst-hit boroughs - and follows the personal stories of some of the people most affected by the changes. As claimants struggle with the loss of hundreds of pounds of benefits and have to move to other parts of the UK where rents are cheaper, we follow people battling to stay in their homes and a local authority forced to ask to them to leave as their benefits are capped.
With the NHS drug bill topping £10 billion in 2013, this investigation examines the tactics employed by drug companies to tap into that lucrative market and influence which medicines your doctor prescribes. Strict rules govern drug company spending in the UK, but still they pay out millions to doctors to attend and speak at conferences. Panorama goes undercover to see this subtle persuasion at work and asks whether you should have the right to know who is paying your doctor. And as Britain's most profitable drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, waits to hear whether it will face criminal charges following allegations of bribery in China, the programme reveals new evidence that GSK was recently paying doctors to boost prescriptions much closer to home, in Europe.
Bernie Ecclestone has dominated Formula One motor racing for forty years and made billions from the sport. But two courts say he paid a $44m bribe, a judge recently concluded that it was 'impossible to regard him as a reliable or truthful witness', and he may have avoided a billion pounds of UK tax. Panorama's Darragh Macintyre investigates the truth about the boss of F1, Bernie Ecclestone, and asks why he is still in charge.
Panorama investigates what life can be like inside the world of elderly care and asks if parts of the system are letting down a generation. Secret filming inside two of Britain's care homes uncovers what can happen away from the eyes of relatives and inspectors. It shows the lives of some elderly and vulnerable people blighted by poor care. Care workers have been suspended and others convicted of assault following the filming - revealing residents being neglected and mistreated.
The Muslim prison population in England and Wales has doubled in the past ten years to nearly one in seven inmates. This rise is five times faster than the increase in the overall jail population. Evidence shows most Muslims are not radicalised, but the prison system is also home to the UK's greatest concentration of Islamic terrorists and extremists. Many more are converted or radicalised behind bars. Reporter Raphael Rowe follows one radical convert as he leaves prison, interviews some convicted terrorists and extremists about their experiences inside and asks if the authorities are doing enough to prevent the increasing threat of radical Islam inside prison.
As Ukraine moves closer to civil war, reporter Paul Kenyon spends weeks with balaclava-wearing separatists, as they seize towns and fight for a breakaway republic. He follows men who've become some of the most powerful in the conflict. There's Miroslav - the former history teacher with a newborn baby - who joins protesters storming a local government building and is now part of the three man governing body of the People's Republic of Donetsk and Alexei, a former small businessman who now finds himself leading a 200 strong army. The programme also questions the new Mayor of Slaviansk - who rose to power during the rebellion after taking his predecessor prisoner, and who now boasts he's holding forty hostages in the town hall's cellars.
Jimmy Savile was free to abuse hundreds of young people across the UK over six decades. It happened in BBC dressing rooms, hospital wards, children's homes and schools, yet no-one stopped him. As the BBC and Department of Health each prepare to publish their own inquiries into the scandal, Panorama's Shelley Jofre investigates why Savile was given free access to the most vulnerable patients at Broadmoor Hospital and asks how the DJ got so close to the heart of Britain's establishment.
Next week, the 'beautiful game' is coming home. Brazil, the most successful nation in football history, is hosting the 2014 World Cup. But the build-up has been overshadowed by violent protests against the spiralling cost of staging the tournament. In a country where a quarter of the population live in extreme poverty, there's widespread anger at what's perceived as the increasing divide between the rich and poor. The multi-million pound new stadiums sit alongside an epidemic of drug addiction and child prostitution. Tonight Panorama reveals the shame of a country where children as young as 12 sell their bodies for the price of a soft drink, where drug cartels control whole swathes of city centres and where the poor are feeling more dispossessed than ever before.
Expert witnesses who give evidence in court are a vital part of our legal system. They are supposed to act in the best interests of justice and not just help their clients. Yet an undercover investigation by Panorama has found experts in handwriting, CCTV analysis and animal behaviour prepared to help clients hide the truth in breach of their professional obligations. And, as reporter Daniel Foggo discovers, it follows the government's failure to act on calls from the Law Commission for tighter regulation of court experts.
The number of people made homeless by private landlords has tripled in the last four years. It's now the single biggest cause of homelessness in England. Reporter Richard Bilton meets the homeless families forced out by private landlords and asks whether the government's increasing reliance on the private rental sector is placing the vulnerable at risk.
In a Panorama Special, Robert Peston investigates the questions behind the phone hacking trial which saw David Cameron's former spokesman, Andy Coulson, convicted and three other News of the World News editors plead guilty. Did politicians of all parties and police help to cover-up the hacking scandal for years because of their own close relationships with Rupert Murdoch's News International?
There is a crisis today in America's prison system which has little to do with crime. It contributes to the abuse and even the deaths of some prisoners at the hands of those paid to take care of them. With access to two US jails, reporter Hilary Andersson finds America's prisons are now having to accommodate vast numbers of inmates with serious mental health problems. The programme reveals that more than a million mentally troubled Americans are imprisoned and may be chained to beds, sprayed with pepper spray and kept in isolation indefinitely.
An investigation into Isis and how it is ripping Iraq apart. Paul Wood speaks to members of the terror group and sees the fighting in Iraq first-hand. Will British recruits bring the terror home?
Every day five people die on Britain's roads - but they seldom make headlines. Is this complacency leading to a lack of justice for victims and their families? Tonight's Panorama investigates whether a change to the driving laws has seen our justice system go soft on dangerous driving and questions whether in car technology is driving us to distraction behind the wheel.
The story of one school's groundbreaking battle to save problem pupils from the scrap heap and bring exam success. Baverstock Academy is opposed to permanently excluding disruptive kids and will go to almost any lengths to keep them in mainstream education. This Panorama Special follows the students in the run-up to exams to see if the school can honour its pledge to keep disruptive pupils in school as well as get them five GCSEs. In 2013, 146,000 kids were excluded from classrooms, 3,900 on a permanent basis. Most excluded kids end up in pupil referral units, where less than two per cent get five GCSEs at grade C. Baverstock Academy hopes its exam success will change the way the education system treats disruptive pupils and set the pattern for how these children are treated in the future.
For more than twenty years the grooming and sexual exploitation of children devastated lives in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham. Panorama investigates why the police and council ignored warnings about the abuse that affected more than 14 hundred children. Reporter Alison Holt speaks to those who repeatedly tried to raise the alarm and hears from young people and their families, demanding to know why they weren't protected.
Vladimir Putin stands accused of launching an undeclared war against Ukraine. He has wrong-footed NATO and western diplomats. His rebel allies may well have the blood of the 298 passengers of flight MH17 on their hands but Putin has gambled boldly, playing on Europe's divisions. As fears of a wider war grow, reporter John Sweeney challenges the Russian strongman on the killing in Ukraine.
In the week Scotland goes to the ballot box, reporter Allan Little explores what has happened in the past four decades to transform the question of Scottish independence and how it has come to dominate British politics.
In the aftermath of Scotland's referendum, Panorama follows the lives of ordinary voters who took part in the momentous decision.
For seven weeks Hamas rockets roared over the border into Israel while Israeli bombs pounded Gaza. Panorama's Jane Corbin goes deep into the underground tunnels where battles have been fought to investigate the war that has devastated Gaza. What has each side really gained in this war and can there be a solution to the conflict which is fuelling hatred and fear all over the world?
Every year in the UK, four thousand babies are stillborn. It's one of the worst rates in the developed world. Panorama's Paul Kenyon meets the clinicians who say they could save hundreds of babies' lives a year, with cheap and simple interventions that the medical establishment appears slow to accept.
Millions of British workers are being paid too little to live on - and some are on such low wages they can't afford to eat properly. Reporter Richard Bilton meets workers on the breadline who only get by because of big handouts from the government. These benefits for the low paid are now costing taxpayers £28 billion a year, so why do so many British workers find it impossible to pay their own way?
Ukip and its people's army have shaken the political establishment by attracting voters and defecting Tory MPs. It has been an extraordinary year for the once-fringe party. Reporter Darragh MacIntyre has been on the trail of the charismatic and controversial leader who claims he's revolutionising British politics, but is Nigel Farage really any different from the politicians he criticises?
On the eve of the withdrawal from Afghanistan of most American, British and other NATO forces, Panorama has gained unique access inside a Taliban stronghold just 60 miles from the capital Kabul. Nagieb Khaja, who has reported from Afghanistan for ten years, makes a journey behind the Taliban front lines to reveal a hidden and dangerous world, where once again the writ of the Taliban runs enforcing strict sharia law and education for boys only. It is from here the Taliban are now targeting the capital itself.
In a world exclusive, Panorama tells the story of a paralysed man who is able to walk again after a pioneering transplant using the regenerative cells that repair and renew our sense of smell.
The integrity of greyhound racing has been called into question by a Panorama investigation which has exposed blatant cheating and the drugging of dogs at the heart of the sport. The undercover investigation caught a trainer revealing how he dopes greyhounds in order to effect betting coups - some of which he claims to have paid out up to £150,000. The programme's findings have prompted animal welfare campaigners to call for the government to reconsider the sport's self-regulatory status.
Eleven years on from the disappearance of Blackpool schoolgirl Charlene Downes, Panorama investigates why nobody has been brought to justice for her murder. Reporter Shelley Jofre unravels a story of serious failings in the police investigation and asks should more be done to protect vulnerable girls from grooming and sexual exploitation.
For decades, Mazher Mahmood exposed various personalities in the News of the World whilst posing as a fake sheikh. But after the collapse of the drugs trial of pop star Tulisa Contostavlos, a judge accused Mahmood of lying. Now, Panorama's John Sweeney speaks to some of his highest profile targets and the men who helped him expose them. They allege that the Fake Sheikh was the real crook, using sophisticated entrapment and even creating crimes and fabricating evidence.
NHS doctors and nurses have been working on the front line against Ebola in clinics in West Africa. Panorama spent a month in Sierra Leone with British-born Dr Javid Abdelmoneim filming his every moment working at a treatment centre run by the charity MSF. Using specially adapted cameras, Dr Javid records the physical and emotional impact of this deadly virus on whole families and on the medical staff treating them. Even in these desperately difficult circumstances there are moments of euphoria as patients who have been cured leave the centre.
The banks we bailed out are supposed to be supporting British business, but RBS and Lloyds have been accused of wrecking good companies. Reporter Andrew Verity meets the entrepreneurs who say their businesses have been unfairly shut down. He also hears new revelations from a former Government insider on the power and influence of Britain's biggest banks.
Panorama reveals harrowing footage and other evidence of domestic violence incidents that now account for a third of all recorded assaults with injury in England and Wales. Filmed by police response teams equipped with body-worn video cameras, this new style of evidence gathering is helping to bring perpetrators to justice. But years of coercive control and terror often lie behind the violence. Panorama hears from wives, mothers and children who have also endured non-violent domestic abuse, which is now likely to be made a criminal offence in its own right.
Panorama investigates whether an innocent man is in prison wrongly convicted as a serial killer. Scots nurse Colin Norris, dubbed the Angel of Death, is serving a minimum of 30 years in prison for the murder of four elderly patients and the attempted murder of a fifth. It was a case that captivated the nation. Reporter Mark Daly reveals new evidence that casts serious doubt on his convictions, and could pave the way for him to be set free. Drawing on new scientific research the programme critically examines the main components of the case against Norris, and asks whether the alleged victims actually died from natural causes. Is this the first case in British history of a wrongfully convicted serial killer?
Apple is the most valuable brand on the planet, making products that everyone wants - but how are its workers treated when the world isn't looking? Panorama goes undercover in China to show what life is like for the workers making the iPhone 6. And it's not just the factories. Reporter Richard Bilton travels to Indonesia to find children working in some of the most dangerous mines in the world. But is the tin they dig out by hand finding its way into Apple's products?
As France tries to come to terms with the deaths of the 12 people murdered in the Islamist attack at the office of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, Panorama investigates the battle for the hearts and minds of British Muslims. John Ware hears from Muslims facing an angry backlash for trying to promote a form of Islam which is in synch with British values. They believe that the way Islam has been practised here has more in common with extremist ideologies than some police officers, politicians or Muslim leaders have been prepared to admit.
Tesco is losing customers, its share price is down and its profits have taken a tumble. As it faces a criminal investigation over its accounting practices, Kamal Ahmed investigates what's really gone wrong inside Tesco.
British girls are being forced into marriage against their will even though it is now a criminal offence. Jane Corbin goes with a team from the British High Commission in Pakistan as they rescue a victim and Panorama has exclusive access to the government's Forced Marriage Unit in London as they race against time to find girls vulnerable to abuse, rape - even murder.
Panorama reports on a week spent in the accident and emergency department of the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, as this vital part of the NHS faces unprecedented pressure. It is the second programme Panorama has made in this hospital. One year on, why have things changed so much? There are more patients who are more ill, others who should never have come to A&E in the first place, and the hospital's 'regulars' - one has come in over 100 times. Panorama talks to patients and to stressed and overstretched staff, the front line troops of the NHS.
Panorama reveals how Britain's biggest bank helped some of its wealthiest customers dodge tax. HSBC knew clients were breaking the law - so why didn't the bank report them and why haven't the tax evaders been prosecuted? Reporter Richard Bilton tracks down the tax cheats with secrets to hide, and the man who was in charge of the bank.
Panorama reports on the cancer patients who are pioneering a new generation of drug treatments. Patients given just months to live are keeping the disease at bay for years; for some there is even talk of a cure. More than one in three of us will develop cancer, but huge advances in genetics are transforming our understanding of the disease and how to combat it. Panorama was given unprecedented access to trials at the Royal Marsden and Institute of Cancer Research and talked to patients old and young as well as their families and medical teams.
They cross six thousand miles of desert and sea to reach Europe, children travelling alone, on the world's most dangerous migration route. Some of them are as young as seven. Panorama's Paul Kenyon travels to the place they're fleeing, the border area between Sudan and Eritrea, where four thousand migrants cross each month, trying to escape Africa's most secretive rogue state. With exclusive access to desert refugee camps, and to the Sudanese border patrols, Kenyon discovers that more lone children than ever before are attempting the route. Some are recruited by the people-trafficking gangs because they are too young to be prosecuted by the European authorities. Panorama speaks to one such 15-year-old who piloted a boat across the Mediterranean with nearly 200 migrants on board.
As the general election approaches, Fergal Keane reports the first of a new four-part Panorama series - 'What Britain Wants'. A home for your family, a decent job, being part of a community and hope for the future - all helped define the good life in this country for generations. Can modern Britain deliver up the same?
In the second of Panorama's four-part series on how voters are feeling as the general election approaches, Mariella Frostup reports on what home means in modern Britain. Owning a home helped define the good life in Britain for generations, but has it now become an impossible dream?
As the general election approaches, Clive Myrie reports the third of Panorama's four-part series - 'What Britain Wants'. A home for your family, a decent job, being part of a community and hope for the future - all helped define the good life in this country for generations. Can modern Britain deliver up the same?
As the general election approaches, John Humphrys reports the final film in Panorama's four-part series - 'What Britain Wants'. A home for your family, a decent job, being part of a community and hope for the future - all helped define the good life in this country for generations. Can modern Britain deliver up the same?
Raphael Rowe meets the parents fighting for access to their children without any legal assistance. Cuts to legal aid mean they must prepare their own cases and represent themselves in court. As senior members of the judiciary warn these cuts have undermined the principle of equal access to the law, the man who made them tells Panorama the British legal aid gravy train had to be stopped.
Simon Jack's father took his own life when he was 44. Now the same age, Simon investigates the circumstances around his dad's death and why more middle-aged men kill themselves than any other group. He meets with men who have overcome suicidal thoughts, including professional sportsmen, who are now trying to help others do the same.
Unscrupulous landlords are getting millions of pounds from the taxpayer for housing people in cramped and poor quality accommodation. These housing benefit kings make big profits from the system, while their tenants live very different lives. Reporter Alys Harte investigates some of the offenders - including the slum landlord who had 40 people living in one house and the businessman who hides his properties behind front companies and false names.
Nate Silver is America's rock star statistician. He shot to fame by correctly predicting the outcome of the last two American presidential elections, state by state. Now Panorama has had exclusive access to him as he comes to the UK to try and forecast the outcome of the most uncertain British election in decades. Reporter Richard Bacon takes Nate on a road trip around the country, meeting voters of all political hues and backgrounds, from the rolling hills of Devon to the pier at Skegness. Ten days before polling day, can he tell us which way it will go?
Following one of the most closely fought general election battles in decades, Jeremy Vine hosts a special live edition of Panorama from the heart of Westminster. He will be joined by leading politicians, analysts and voters for an in-depth look at what the results could mean for all of us. Our team of correspondents will also be reporting from around the country.
Panorama investigates the global advance of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and the threat they pose to modern medicine and millions of patients worldwide. Reporter Fergus Walsh travels to India and finds restricted, life-saving antibiotics on sale without prescription and talks to NHS patients whose recovery depends on them.
British security forces have been accused of involvement in dozens of murders during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Reporter Darragh MacIntyre investigates.
She's been called 'The Most Dangerous Woman in Britain'. Nicola Sturgeon's party is riding high in Scotland, sending a tartan army of MPs to Westminster, but what will the SNP's electoral success mean for the rest of the UK? Panorama goes behind the scenes with Scotland's first minister to investigate the rise to power of the woman who holds the future of the union in her hands.
Mark Daly investigates serious allegations of doping in athletics, spanning more than 30 years and involving some of the biggest stars in the sport. Since the explosion of steroid use in the 1970s, through the years when Lance Armstrong used EPO, the problem of sports doping refuses to go away, and drug testing regimes have struggled to catch the cheats. Daly goes on a journey investigating the world of doping, and in order to truly understand the world he's entering, the reporter becomes a doper himself.
A new generation of GM foods is winning over governments and former critics of the technology, and scientists say the crops could help feed people in the developing world. So are those who oppose GM doing more harm than good? And is their opposition based on genuine safety concerns, or is it just feeding fear?
It's nearly a year since a damning report into sexual exploitation revealed the abuse of 1400 children in Rotherham. Panorama reporter Alison Holt returns to the town to find many young women still trying to come to terms with what happened and asking if they will ever see their abusers in court. She discovers further evidence of the authorities failing to read the warning signals and investigates whether they're doing enough now to tackle the network of abusers who traffic children around the UK.
BBC reporter Tom Martienssen was halfway up Mount Everest when an earthquake made the mountain shake. Tom and a team of British Army Gurkhas were trapped after a wall of rock and ice came crashing down around them. Their footage tells the story of an extraordinary rescue and of the people who lost their lives on Everest. After a second devastating quake, Tom returns to Nepal to find the men who were with him on the mountain and to discover how the country is coping amid continuing aftershocks.
The world was outraged when it emerged that Boko Haram militants had kidnapped 276 girls from a school in Chibok town in Nigeria. Over a year later, most of those girls are still missing. Tulip Mazumdar tracks down women and girls who've escaped from Boko Haram. Those held alongside the Chibok schoolgirls reveal how some have been forced to 'turn', becoming deeply radicalised and joining the militant group.
In a week of high political drama in Athens and Brussels, Richard Bilton investigates what the crisis means to the people of Greece. Filming in Athens and Rhodes, he discovers families whose lives have been shattered by economic collapse and political chaos. And as the nation gears up for its all-important referendum, he meets those who passionately support their government's stand-off against austerity cuts - and those who fear the consequences of an exit from the Euro.
The NHS is facing a perfect storm, caught between huge increases in demand and the prospect of a massive £30 billion deficit. Without revolutionary change the NHS as we know it will become unsustainable. Filmed over six months in Liverpool, this Panorama special reports from the frontline of the battle to transform the NHS. It tells the moving stories of patients living in one of the unhealthiest areas in Britain, whose 'long-term' and 'lifestyle' conditions threaten to overwhelm the NHS. And also of the healthcare professionals trying to save them whilst at the same time fighting to fundamentally change the way their organisation works.
On the anniversary of last summer's brutal conflict in Gaza, film-maker Adam Wishart visits Jerusalem and rides the city's controversial new train. Only nine miles from start to finish, some hoped it could help heal divisions between Israelis and Palestinians, but as Wishart discovers, it has only deepened the sense of resentment on both sides. Travelling through the old city, he comes face to face with the battle over one of the world's holiest sites and asks, could it be the flashpoint for the start of another war?
What's life like to be young, homeless and struggling in a town where one in four households are on benefits? Panorama has spent four weeks filming with the young residents of the YMCA in Stoke, once home to some of the world's greatest potteries. The YMCA in England and Wales provides accommodation and support to just under 10,000 16-25 year olds but fears its services may be under threat by the government's proposed cuts to housing benefit.
On June 26 38 tourists, 30 of them British, were gunned down in a brutal terror attack on a Tunisian beach. Panorama's Jane Corbin hears the extraordinary stories of suffering and heroism and pieces together what actually happened with unseen footage taken by eyewitnesses. And from Tunisia she investigates whether several warnings were ignored which could have saved lives.
How far should we go in the fight against terrorism? Enhanced interrogation methods used by America in the aftermath of 9/11 - including the technique of controlled drowning known as waterboarding - have been condemned as torture. Panorama lets you decide as it recreates what was done, and hears from those who approved, ran and suffered the programme in secret CIA prisons around the world.
The Post Office has prosecuted dozens of postmasters after their computers showed that money had gone missing. Some have been jailed, but could there be other explanations for the cash shortfalls? Reporter John Sweeney meets a whistle-blower who says there were problems with the computer system. And he investigates claims that the Post Office charged some postmasters with theft even when the evidence didn't stack up.
Demand for places at high-achieving state schools across the UK far outstrips supply, turning the schools admissions process into a battleground. For many parents it has become one of the most stressful moments in their lives. The losers in this extraordinary educational lottery are often the locals - locked out of the best schools by people playing the system. Panorama goes to Havering to follow the council's campaign to clamp down on abuse of the system and follows the fortunes of parents who've applied for places in one of the most over-subscribed boroughs for primary school places in the country.
On 12 September the Labour Party will elect a new leader. Jeremy Corbyn, a rank outsider just a few weeks ago, is now the hot favourite with the bookies. If he wins, it will be nothing less than a political earthquake. What's the secret of his meteoric rise? And who are the people who have signed up in their thousands to vote for him? With behind-the-scenes access to Jeremy Corbyn, reporter John Ware reveals how, from nowhere, he came to dominate this race. Could a victory for him mean a new dawn for the party, or will it spell electoral oblivion - or even the end of Labour as we know it?
Britain is on the brink of a technological revolution. Machines and artificial intelligence are beginning to replace jobs like never before. Reporter Rohan Silva looks at the workplaces already using this new technology and asks whether we should feel threatened by it, or whether it will benefit all of us. Are we ready for one of the biggest changes the world of work has ever seen?
As the Rugby World Cup kicks off, former rugby international John Beattie investigates the link between the sport and brain injuries. He hears worries from those inside the industry that the elite game is putting players at risk, and how these risks could affect the future of the sport. As John travels to the United States to look at scientific evidence that a rugby career can damage the brain long term, top doctors in the game explain what the sport is doing to tackle the problem.
As Europe witnesses the dramatic movement of people across its borders, Panorama reporter John Sweeney joins thousands making the journey from the Greek island of Kos to the Austrian border with Hungary. He meets families fleeing conflict and terror in Syria, refugees separated from their loved ones, children, the old and sick being forced to march to safety. Among this tide of humanity, he also finds economic migrants seeking a better life in northern Europe and he asks, with winter on the way, is the crisis about to claim even more lives?
Edward Snowden, the man responsible for the biggest leak of top secret intelligence files the world has ever seen, gives his first BBC interview to Panorama. Russia has given him sanctuary. America wants him back. With opinion sharply divided, Snowden is acknowledged to have raised the debate over privacy and national security to a new level - framing the agenda for this autumn's parliamentary debate over controversial new legislation previously criticised as 'the snoopers' charter'.
Panorama investigates sensational allegations of historical child abuse and murder by some of the most prominent people in Britain: a paedophile ring at the heart of the Establishment. Why were the allegations described by police as "credible and true" with no hard evidence or corroboration? What role have senior politicians and the media played in promoting this story around the world? And what price will genuine victims of child abuse pay if it turns out not to be true?
As the UK's imprisonment rate remains the highest in western Europe, Panorama joins Michael Gove - the man in charge of British prisons - on a fact-finding mission in Texas. 'Hang 'em high' Texas is not the first place you might look for lessons in criminal justice - they execute more people and lock up more offenders than anywhere else in America. But now this conservative state is the unlikely centre of a rehabilitation-led revolution in prison reform that's sweeping through the US. Crime is down, prisoner numbers have fallen and, on top of this, they have cut costs. Are there valuable lessons to be learned here, and are UK politicians really ready to dole out some Texan justice?
Xi Jinping has become the most powerful Chinese leader for decades. He is a man the British government wants as a major partner. But on the eve of President Xi's state visit, Panorama reveals what sort of friend he really is. The BBC's China editor Carrie Gracie retraces Xi's extraordinary journey from cave dweller to absolute power. It's a story that the Chinese government doesn't want told - Xi emerges as a ruthless political operator, who has crushed opposition at home and seeks to punch China's weight abroad.
We go inside one of the UK's largest frontline mental health trusts. With funding cuts drastically reducing bed numbers, we follow the teams through their daily decision making of who to let in and who send home. We film with the nurses as they deal with the suicidal, aggressive and the isolated in the community and hear how the system is so overloaded and other support services so decimated that staff feel they often struggle to meet all their patients' needs.
Doctors in the UK are prescribing record doses of highly addictive painkillers. Around four million people are now taking opioids - drugs that are closely related to heroin. Reporter Declan Lawn meets patients who have been hooked on painkillers for years and he goes inside the NHS clinic helping them kick the prescription habit.
Hackers have stolen the personal details of millions of customers from companies like Talk Talk. So how do cybercriminals get hold of our data? Reporter Daniel Foggo meets the hackers who can break into any website and finds out how criminals profit from our information.
Panorama hears the stories of those who were caught up in the unfolding violence in Paris and looks at the emerging evidence of international links.
Richard Westcott investigates how Volkswagen used clever computer software to rig emissions tests, hiding how polluting their cars really are. Owners are left driving tainted cars and our cities clouded by an invisible killer.
Panorama exposes corruption at one of Britain's biggest companies. Reporter Richard Bilton uncovers evidence that employees bribed civil servants and politicians across Africa - undermining a United Nations campaign to save lives. He challenges the officials who took the cash and asks whether the company will now be prosecuted for the crimes.
Reporter Andrew Jennings has been investigating corruption in world football for the past 15 years. He has exposed the criminality of Fifa executives and repeatedly challenged its president to come clean. Now with football in crisis, Andrew is once again back on the road investigating Sepp Blatter's Fifa. His reports includes an insight into an FBI investigation, puts a figure on what Qatar supposedly spent to secure the 2022 World Cup and promises fresh evidence that Sepp Blatter has known about corruption all along.
The Pakistan city of Karachi is one of the biggest in the world - and now one of the most dangerous. For more than two years, it's seen an onslaught of kidnappings, bombings and targeted assassinations by Taliban militants. The police are now fighting back, but they're understaffed, under-resourced and up against a deadly enemy. More than 160 police officers have been killed in the line of duty in just 12 months. Mobeen Azhar joins Police Superintendent Ijaz and his team of Taliban Hunters as they try to regain control of the city.
BBC Panorama goes undercover to expose harrowing evidence of children and young people being hurt and threatened by custody officers who are supposed to protect them. Secret filming at a privately run youth prison, paid more than £10m in 2015 by the government to provide high-quality education and to rehabilitate some of the most vulnerable youngsters in the prison system, reveals some officers mistreating their charges and many more tolerating the behaviour or even helping to cover it up.
100,000 people in the UK have multiple sclerosis - an incurable condition that can result in permanent disability. Panorama has exclusive access to patients pioneering a crossover cancer treatment that has enabled some MS sufferers with paralysis to regain their movement.
Vladimir Putin has been accused of corruption on a breathtaking scale. His critics say he's used his power to amass a secret fortune, so is the Russian president really one of the richest people in the world? Reporter Richard Bilton meets former Kremlin insiders who say they know how Putin's riches are hidden.
When a seven-year-old boy and his mother were targeted and shot on their doorstep, it became clear that a gang war in Salford had reached a shocking low. That came after the assassination of a mayoral candidate, as well as machete, grenade and chainsaw attacks. Panorama asks if the police have lost control of the streets and examines how a community can beat the cycle of guns and gangs.
Pope John Paul II ruled the Catholic Church for 27 years until 2005. He was one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century, revered by millions and made a saint in record time. Now reporter Edward Stourton can offer a new perspective on the emotional life of this very public figure.
Organised crime is the single biggest threat to the integrity of the police. With exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage, Panorama has the inside story of how an organised crime syndicate arranged a hit on three police officers. Also speaking publicly for the first time are the law enforcement officials who tapped the phones of drug dealers, only to find themselves hearing corrupt police on the line. The programme reveals how Scotland Yard woke up to the extent of corruption and the extraordinary lengths that the criminals would go to in order to undermine the police's ability to catch them.
Panorama travels to Brazil to investigate the mystery of the Zika virus. The city of Recife is at the centre of an epidemic of cases of microcephaly - babies born with abnormally small heads who suffer from brain and limb deformities. Reporter Jane Corbin meets the families living with this tragedy and hears from doctors and scientists working to solve the riddle of the Zika virus and trying to eradicate the mosquito which carries it.
The episode will explore the truth behind shaken babies. Parents will face jail or lose their children, if courts find them guilty of harming their children by shaking them. One doctor who regularly appears as an expert witness for the defence is now on trial accused by the General Medical Council of giving unreliable evidence in shaken baby cases. Alison Holt has access to the neuropathologist at the centre of a fight about the diagnosis of shaking. She will meet families where it has been proven they've shaken their children and where convicted parents continue to protest their innocence.
Examining how the so-called Islamic State's terror network has been operating secretly in Europe, and Western intelligence agencies' battle to stop it, from highly organised cells, like the one that killed 130 people in Paris, to lone attackers within communities.
Sixteen years ago, the government promised to protect people from the cold. It vowed to end fuel poverty by 2016, but the deadline has passed and millions of people still can't afford to keep their homes warm. Reporter Datshiane Navanayagam joins some of those struggling this winter and asks why thousands still die each year simply because their homes are too cold.
The rich and powerful have hidden billions of dollars in tax havens. They thought their financial secrets were safe, but now a huge leak of documents has revealed a world of secrecy, lies and crimes. Reporter Richard Bilton exposes tax avoiders, criminals and world leaders who have been hiding their money and their secrets offshore.
Sara Green was a teenager betrayed by a mental health system designed to protect her. Using Sara's own words taken from her diary, Panorama reveals the failings of a Priory hospital where she was an inpatient and where she took her own life in a misjudged cry for help. Peter Marshall asks what lessons can be drawn from Sara's story and what can be done to fix the country's broken child and adolescent mental health system.
As the UK steel industry fights for its survival, John Humphrys is in Port Talbot in South Wales to investigate whether it has a future and asks if taxpayers' money should be used to shore it up in the hope that better times will return.
Panorama investigates the ruthless world of the dog trade. Using secret filming, reporter Sam Poling tracks the supply chain of the country's favourite pet, and uncovers some shocking truths about where and how these animals are being bred.
Growing resistance to commonly prescribed antibiotics is one of the biggest public health threats of modern times, with the potential to cause 80,000 deaths in the UK over the next 20 years. Experts say the use of a range of NHS 'last-resort' antibiotics in farming is risking the lives of future patients. Tom Heap asks if the commercial pressure to produce cheap meat and poultry is fuelling the rise of superbugs and meets the patients for whom the drugs have already stopped working.
In a powerful, multi-textured documentary filmed over almost two years, one family living with dementia reveals what life is really like behind closed doors. Using CCTV cameras, video diaries and a small, immersive film crew, the programme follows 55-year-old Chris Roberts from north Wales as he, his wife Jayne and his youngest daughter Kate come to terms with his Alzheimer's diagnosis. From making the decision to choose his own care home to writing a living will, getting lost in his own house and not recognising his family, Chris chronicles his changing life as his independence slips away. Once a businessman and a keen biker, he now struggles to walk and talk - his life is beset by frustration, yet his remarkable insight allows us into his world.
Panorama looks at the breakthrough that could change the lives of everyone and everything on the planet. Gene editing is revolutionising medical research and could deliver new treatments - even cures for a host of diseases. It also gives scientists control over evolution, allowing genetic changes to be forced through species. But some are worried about letting the gene genie out of the bottle.
In his first year as president of world athletics, Lord Coe has had to deal with the fallout from the biggest corruption scandal the sport has ever seen. Mark Daly investigates what Lord Coe knew about the scandal and when, and also uncovers links between the IAAF president and the man at the centre of the corruption.
It's America's worst nightmare: an armed gunman on the rampage. But what is it like to be caught up in the carnage of a mass shooting? Panorama tells the story of the Orlando massacre from the people who were there.
As the country awaits next week's verdict from the long-delayed Iraq Inquiry into why we went to war and what the lessons should be, Jane Corbin returns to southern Iraq. With her are parents who lost a son, a soldier, there and the general who led British troops into battle. Why did it all go so wrong?
Adrian Chiles goes home to the West Midlands to meet Leave voters from both sides of the political divide and find out why Britain voted for Brexit. He discovers an unlikely alliance of young and old, wealthy and non-wealthy, white and non-white, who all share a belief that their views have not so far been listened to by mainstream politicians. Adrian learns about their lives and their concerns about immigration, jobs and feeling excluded from the benefits of an increasingly globalised world. He also meets Remain voters who blame the Breixters for pushing Britain into crisis. As the nation reels from the fallout of the Referendum result, Adrian's journey across the region shows just how divided Britain has become.
Panorama goes undercover to expose how the Government's latest pension freedoms are being abused by some companies to get their hands on people's retirement pots. Reporter Fiona Phillips discovers how the offer of a simple pension review can lead to financial ruin. She meets victims whose retirement plans have been destroyed, hears from experts about how to spot the warning signs and watches one scam unfolding from beginning to end.
With Donald Trump poised to become the official Republican candidate for America's presidency, Panorama visits the racially divided town of Bakersfield in California. Reporter Hilary Andersson meets the Trump supporters who back his calls to oust 11 million illegal immigrants and ban Muslims from travelling to America. She talks to those who fear what a Trump White House would mean for them and asks why America is so angry.
Hundreds of young people go missing in Britain every day. The police admit that vulnerable youngsters are being left at risk but say they are simply overwhelmed by the number of missing people. Reporter Darragh MacIntyre meets the families searching for clues and the parents who have been waiting years for news about their children.
BBC reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes was expelled from North Korea for showing disrespect and `distorting facts'. He now tells the full story of his visit to the country and explores what his detention and interrogation by senior Korean officials say about this secretive state. He investigates the apparent upturn in the North Korean economy and asks if the signs of improvement in the capital Pyongyang are real.
With the new prime minister facing tough decisions on government spending cuts, Panorama reporter Richard Bilton investigates the impact of six years of austerity measures on his home town, Selby in North Yorkshire. Services are still being cut and many people are being asked to make do with less, so can a new army of volunteers bridge the gaps?
A special investigation into the shocking state of Britain's most hazardous nuclear site. With a high-level whistleblower, hundreds of leaked documents and exclusive access to former senior managers, reporter Richard Bilton uncovers the truth about Sellafield. He finds an ageing and run-down plant, where nuclear waste is stored in dangerous conditions and insiders fear a serious accident.
Wendy Bendel's partner killed himself after struggling with a 20-year gambling addiction. In a confession he wrote for Wendy, he singled out the high-stakes, high-frequency fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) found in bookmakers across the UK. Wendy embarks on a journey to find out what it is about the design of the machines that makes them so addictive and sees evidence that they can affect the brains of long-term gamblers. She discovers the billions they generate has divided the industry, with former insiders now accusing the bookies of putting profits before people.
With the Labour leadership election less than a week away, BBC deputy political editor John Pienaar asks if Labour is on the brink of self-destruction. Panorama spent the summer in Brighton, on the frontline for the battle for the soul of Labour, where local activists slog it out for control of the party. In one corner, Momentum fights off ugly allegations of bullying, anti-Semitism and hard-left entryism. In the other, the party's 'moderates' fear election annihilation and deselection. The programme follows both sides through the ups and downs of the campaign and finds neither side in the mood for compromise.
The battle for Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once home to over two million people, is in its fourth year. Divided between opposition-held east and government-controlled west, ordinary civilians are suffering on both sides. The east has been relentlessly bombed by the Russian military-backed forces of President Bashar al-Assad, and for the last month five citizen journalists in East Aleppo, commissioned by Panorama, have been documenting life under siege. The film is an intimate portrait of ordinary people struggling to stay alive, including a civil-defence volunteer who risks death to save his fellow citizens. The film goes behind the headlines into the backstreets of East Aleppo to show the horror, chaos and fear of the daily bombings, but also the surprising humanity, resilience and hope of the people who remain.
Britain is in the grip of a health epidemic that's threatening to overwhelm the NHS. More and more of us are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It's a hidden killer which can lead to heart failure, blindness, kidney disease and leg amputations. Now even children are being diagnosed with the condition. Filming over six months, Panorama reports from the frontline of the epidemic - in Birmingham, where almost one in ten people has the disease. In this film, type 1 diabetes was referred to as 'the sort you're born with'. We acknowledge this is not medically accurate. Type 1 often develops in childhood to genetically predisposed individuals, but it can develop at any age, resulting from immune mediated injury to the pancreas.
The way in which millions of pounds were made out of BHS has been branded the 'unacceptable face of capitalism'. 11,000 people lost their jobs as a black hole opened up in the pension fund. Panorama investigates the multimillion-pound deals and cut-throat business practices that made former owner Sir Philip Green and his family very rich while the retailer fell on hard times.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two of the most hated and distrusted presidential candidates ever. As the election approaches, Jeremy Paxman travels to Washington and beyond to understand how America's great democracy has come to face such an unpopular choice. From a life-size naked effigy of Donald Trump, to the stage of Avenue Q and the corridors of power, Jeremy meets political insiders and voters on both sides of the gaping political divide, and casts his unsparing eye over a nation preparing for a historic election.
Panorama goes undercover to find the sweatshops making clothes for the British high street. Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees and children are working illegally in the Turkish garment industry. They are often paid very little, work in harsh conditions and have no rights. Reporter Darragh MacIntyre discovers refugees and their children working in the supply chains of some of the best-known brands.
Rolls-Royce has grown dramatically in the past 20 years and has won business in some of the most corrupt countries on the planet. But has some of the company's spectacular success been built on bribery? Reporter Richard Bilton investigates the secret network of shady middlemen who helped sell Rolls-Royce products overseas, and he uncovers evidence that suggests Britain's most prestigious company has bribed its way around the world.
An investigation into the disconnect between the claims of the government and rail industry - which maintain that Britain's railways are a success - and the experience of many passengers who feel train services are unreliable, overcrowded and cost far too much money. What will it take to close that gap?
America's 2016 election season has been the most bitter and ugly in living memory. Hilary Andersson meets angry Americans on both sides of the electoral race who feel disillusioned and disenfranchised by the electoral process. Panorama asks, can America's new president quell the voices of radicalism and unite America again?
Panorama goes undercover in two nursing homes and finds evidence of cruelty and neglect. Reporter Janice Finch booked into the homes as a resident and witnessed staff rushed off their feet, leaving the privacy and dignity of some fellow residents often ignored. The company, which has a chain of homes in Cornwall, earns millions from NHS and local authority placements and has already been told to make improvements. An emergency safeguarding plan is now in place after the programme makers raised their concerns with the Care Quality Commission and other agencies.
Fertility treatment can be an expensive business. Reporter Deborah Cohen investigates how some clinics sell add-ons - the extra drugs, tests and treatments offered on top of standard fertility care. Some can add hundreds or thousands of pounds to a bill. Exclusive new research shows a worrying lack of good evidence from trials to show these can improve the chances of having a baby. Panorama goes undercover to reveal how patients aren't always told everything they need to know when they ask some clinics about these treatments.
With their stronghold of Mosul under fierce attack and Raqqa next in the frame, IS has intensified its global propaganda offensive, calling for more lone jihadis - 'lone wolves' - to slaughter civilians using knives and trucks 'plunged at high speed into a large gathering of unbelievers'. IS in Syria now direct attacks, giving lone wolves targets and instructions via encrypted apps that leave intelligence agencies in the dark. In this film for Panorama, reporter Peter Taylor investigates the escalation of this global phenomenon. He travels to the US to talk to the deputy director of the FBI and goes on patrol with the NYPD. He asks what the UK government can do to prevent radicalisation of young people and talks to Britain's most senior anti-terror police officer about what authorities here are doing to protect us in the face of this growing threat.
John Simpson, one of the BBC's best-known foreign correspondents, has been at the heart of breaking news for more than half a century. A frontline witness of history, the World Affairs editor has dodged bullets and cheated death from Iraq to Afghanistan. In a highly personal Panorama, John looks back over his 50-year career, revisiting the people and places that have impacted on him most, as he reveals his thoughts on the challenges for the future.
Panorama returns to the scene of the killing of 30 British tourists by a gunman on the beach at Sousse in June 2015. Reporter Jane Corbin investigates whether security concerns were ignored before the attack and if lives could have been saved on the day. She asks why there wasn't tighter security or a warning to holidaymakers to stay away from Tunisia after similar attacks. And should the Tunisian government, the British tour operators and the Foreign Office bear any responsibility for what happened?
On the eve of the new president's inauguration, Panorama investigates Donald Trump's strange bromance with Vladimir Putin. John Sweeney - who has confronted both men in the past - travels to Russia, the United States and the battlefields in Ukraine to report on what's behind their mutual admiration. He investigates whether Russian cyber-warriors helped get Donald Trump into the White House and asks how safe the world will be if they stay friends - or if the bromance falls apart.
The drugs that were known as legal highs have become a global phenomenon. They have exploded in popularity in the UK, and deaths from these chemical compounds, designed to mimic illegal drugs like cocaine and cannabis, have tripled here in recent years. In May 2016, the government acted by banning these drugs with the introduction of the Psychoactive Substances Act. The north east of England is one of the worst-hit areas for drug addiction. Panorama spent six months in Newcastle to see how the city is tackling the problem and asks whether the new law is working.
The police and social services were baffled when an elderly man with an American accent was found lost on the streets of Hereford. He didn't know who he was or have any ID, and he was dressed from head to toe in brand new clothes from Tesco. He was in a nursing home before Panorama took up his case. Reporter Darragh Macintyre follows the clues to America and unravels the mystery of the unknown man - before confronting the person responsible for bringing him to Britain.
One month after prime minister Theresa May promised to 'transform the way we deal with mental health problems right across society', reporter Sophie Hutchinson investigates the troubled state of NHS mental health services. She hears the concerns of staff and patients at the first mental health trust in England to be placed in special measures, and learns of the deteriorating national picture for mental health care funding, exclusively revealing new figures that show a shocking increase in unexpected deaths of mental health patients.
An undercover investigation reveals the reality of life behind bars in Britain's crisis-hit prison system. Footage recorded by a reporter also working as an officer at a Category C adult prison shows how inmates are effectively running the prison, with many of them off their heads on drugs and drink. It also reveals how prison officers don't feel able to maintain control and how they are at risk themselves. The programme also finds little evidence of rehabilitation or change, where some weak prisoners suffer, career criminals profit while jailed, drug addicts simply change which drugs they smoke, and the prisoners who could change their ways are being ignored. It comes as the government faces repeated warnings about the crisis inside Britain's prisons. There have been up to four riots in the last three and a half months, 354 deaths in prison last year and 6,430 assaults on staff in the year to September 2016.
What happens when a community is changed by immigration? Slough has gone from a majority white British town to a place where they are the minority. Ten years ago, Panorama's Richard Bilton reported on how Slough was struggling to cope with its migrant population. Now he's back. He finds a town with a booming economy and new families arriving every day. But there is a darker side. White British people are abandoning Slough, and some foreign workers say the dream is over.
Britain's kids are going to bed later and sleeping less, and hospital visits triggered by poor sleep have tripled in ten years. This is playing havoc with children's health and education and causing obesity, problems for parents and teachers, and even family breakdowns. In this film, reporter Jenny Kleeman finds that children's rocketing use of technology coupled with more lax modern parenting is creating an epidemic of poor sleep. Jenny visits a sleep charity in Doncaster that gets up to 200 emails a day from desperate parents. She meets Jayne, mum to a toddler who takes up to four hours to go to sleep, and follows them as they trial a firmer bedtime routine. At Honley High School in Yorkshire, Jenny investigates how poor sleep is affecting pupils' concentration and behaviour in class. Jenny also visits the sleep lab at Sheffield Children's Hospital, which has seen a tenfold increase in referrals in the last decade.
Alexander Blackman has had his murder conviction for shooting an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan reduced to manslaughter. Panorama re-examines the events.
As hospitals struggle to cope with growing numbers of older patients, Panorama investigates the challenges facing those on the front line of a social care system buckling under the strain, and reveals a nationwide shortage of home-care workers. Filming in North Wales and Liverpool, reporter Sian Lloyd meets domiciliary care company owners struggling to recruit carers because they can't afford to pay them enough, whilst others are handing back council contracts because they can't make the numbers work. At the heart of this crisis are the people waiting for care - many of them in NHS beds, fit to go home, but unable to be discharged until a home-care package can be found.
Last week, the UK Parliament came under attack in the most serious terror incident in the country for over a decade. Speaking to witnesses and the injured, BBC Panorama pieces together what happened during the attack that left five people, including the attacker, dead and many more injured. The programme also looks into the life of Khalid Masood to ask what motivated him to carry out this fatal terror attack in the heart of London.
France votes for a new president in a few weeks, and far right candidate Marine Le Pen has her sights set on victory. She is trying to detoxify her party to distance herself from its racist and anti-Semitic past. However, Gabriel Gatehouse explores how the Front National's desperate need for money could be undermining this process. He meets fixers and insiders who have helped Marine Le Pen run her campaign and raise money from some controversial sources around the world.
How far should we go to force unemployed people back into work? Tens of thousands of families on benefits have had their payments cut as part of a radical government policy. Out-of-work benefits used to be assessed on need, but now payments in most of the country are capped at £20,000 a year. Panorama follows parents who have lost hundreds of pounds a month and are struggling to keep their homes - knowing that to escape the benefit cap they will have to find a job.
Following the acquittal of two former Barclay's traders, Panorama asks if the right people are being blamed for what has been called the biggest financial fix of all time. Piecing together explosive new evidence, which calls into question the safety of other convictions, Panorama reporter Andy Verity reveals that manipulation of the world's most important interest rate, Libor, was allowed and even ordered by people at the highest levels of the financial establishment.
In the murky world of British intelligence during the Northern Ireland conflict, one agent's life appears to have mattered more than others. Codenamed Stakeknife, Freddie Scappaticci rose through the ranks of the IRA to run their internal security unit. He was the IRA's chief spy catcher, in charge of rooting out those suspected of collaborating with the British. But all the time he was in fact working for the British intelligence services. Panorama reveals that a classified report links Scappatici to at least 18 murders. Some of these victims were themselves agents and informers. Scappaticci, the intelligence agencies who tasked him and the IRA to whom he also answered are the subject of a criminal enquiry. Panorama discloses how he kept his cover by having the blood of other agents on his hands, how the intelligence agencies appeared to tolerate this and why he has been protected for so long.
A Panorama special looking at the first 100 days of President Trump. Jeremy Paxman crosses the US for a wry and searching examination of the whirlwind past three months.
Madeleine McCann is the world's most famous missing person. Her disappearance ten years ago has been investigated by police forces in two different countries, but they came up with contradictory conclusions. So what really happened to Madeleine in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz? Reporter Richard Bilton, who has covered the story for the BBC since the first days, examines the evidence and tracks down the men British police have questioned about the case.
Facebook is thought to know more about us than any other business in history, but what does the social network that Mark Zuckerberg built do with all of our personal information?
It has been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS. More than 2,000 people died and thousands more were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C after being treated with contaminated blood products. All the victims were infected over 25 years ago, but even now new cases are still being diagnosed. Survivors and their families are trying once more to persuade the government to hold a UK public inquiry. Panorama examines recently released documents, and asks if the government could have done more to save lives. The film hears the heartbreaking testimony of some of the victims and their families and explores the dilemmas of doctors who had to carry on treating their patients through the unfolding crisis.
Panorama goes undercover inside Britain's litter police and reveals some of the methods behind the soaring litter fines - over 140,000 were handed out in 2015-2016. The programme hears from people who have been stung with fines for offences like pouring coffee down the drain, dropping tiny pieces of orange peel and even leaving out their weekly rubbish. The undercover reporter goes inside one leading private enforcement company, with over 50 council contracts, to capture the litter police in action and reveals the bonus system used to reward enforcement officers for the number of tickets they issue.
One week on from the atrocity at the Manchester Arena, Tina Daheley reports on the attack targeted on the audience of thousands of young and teenage girls as they left a pop concert. She hears from concert attenders and parents, and investigates the community context and the extremist Islamist links behind the mass murder committed by the suspected suicide bomber, a 22-year-old man born of Libyan parents in the city.
In 1982 Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, and a task force of over 100 vessels and 26,000 men and women sailed 8,000 miles from Britain to defend the islands. In a short but brutal war lasting three weeks, hundreds died on both sides, the Argentinians were defeated, and the islands were reclaimed. But what happened after the parades were finished and the flags were put away? In this moving film, Panorama uses animation drawn by a Falklands War veteran to explore how the trauma of fighting a war can continue to affect soldiers even decades later. The film follows a group of Welsh Guards whose lives were shaped by their Falklands experience as they return for the first time to the islands to confront their demons.
Theresa May's election gamble has resulted in a catastrophic outcome for the Conservatives, whilst Jeremy Corbyn has defied many expectations. Following the election that's changed the face of British politics, Nick Robinson asks how and why it happened.
The fire that is believed to have started on the fourth floor of Grenfell Tower engulfed almost the entire 24-storey building at shocking speed. Firefighters battling the inferno say they have never seen anything like it before. Why were the fears of residents about fire safety apparently ignored and why did the flames rip so quickly through their council tower block? Richard Bilton investigates what happened that terrible night, as well as the grief and anger surrounding one of Britain's worst fire disasters in living memory, which occurred in one of its richest boroughs.
As one of Britain's largest youth groups, the cadet forces are responsible for nearly 130,000 children in more than 3,000 clubs across the country. However, not all members have positive memories of their time within the ranks. They are victims of sexual abuse by their cadet instructors, and this abuse could have been stopped but wasn't. This investigation shines a light on a culture of cover-up across the UK which allowed abuse to continue. Reporter Katie Razzall reveals the deeply troubling evidence with serious questions now facing the government organisation in overall charge - the Ministry of Defence.
Brexit marks a seismic shift for the UK's food and farming industry, but what will it mean for the consumer? The EU affects the whole food chain from field to fork. It dictates what farmers are allowed to grow, sets animal welfare standards and offers a large supply of cheap labour to work in the fields and processing plants. Panorama's Tom Heap talks to insiders who claim Brexit will mean higher prices, lower quality and less choice on the shelves. Others claim it is a fantastic opportunity to address inefficiency and design a new mode of food production for the next generation. The programme also travels to the USA, where farming is run on an industrial scale. Will UK consumers back British farmers or switch to potentially cheaper imports of hormone-filled meat from abroad?
Donald Trump fought the US presidential election with a promise to send millions of illegal immigrants back to Mexico. While the world focuses on his troubles in Washington, Panorama investigates how behind the scenes Trump is putting his controversial deportation plans into action. Reporter Hilary Andersson meets families split by immigration arrests and children of detained parents left to fend for themselves. It has been claimed that Trump's policies are dividing America. The programme hears from those who support the deportations and films with police in Arizona as they hunt down illegal immigrants at night.
Eating disorders have the highest death rate of any mental health illness and are estimated to affect 1.6 million people in the UK. Around 400,000 of these are thought to be men and boys, including international rugby referee Nigel Owens. Nigel meets men, boys and their families across the UK to hear their moving accounts of the devastating impact of anorexia and bulimia, as he sets out to investigate the reasons behind why more people are being diagnosed. In this deeply personal film, Nigel also opens up in detail about his own eating disorder for the first time as he confronts a dark truth about his battle with bulimia.
Is it possible that a pill prescribed by your doctor can turn you into a killer? Over 40 million prescriptions for SSRI antidepressants were handed out by doctors last year in the UK. Panorama reveals the devastating side effects on a tiny minority that can lead to psychosis, violence, murder and possibly even mass murder. With exclusive access to psychiatric reports, court footage and drug company data, reporter Shelley Jofre investigates the mass killings at the 2012 midnight premiere of a Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado. A 24-year-old PhD student James Holmes, who had no record of violence or gun ownership, murdered 12 and injured 70. Did the SSRI antidepressant he had been prescribed play a part in the killings? Panorama has uncovered other cases of murder and extreme violence which could be linked to psychosis developed after the taking of SSRIs, including a father who strangled his 11-year-old son. Panorama asks if enough is known about this rare side effect.
The RSPCA, which has been rescuing and protecting animals for almost 200 years, is one of the best-loved charities in England and Wales. Last year it secured nearly 1,500 convictions for animal welfare offences. Now Panorama's John Sweeney - and his dog Bertie - meet people who accuse the RSPCA of being heavy-handed by prosecuting them and taking away their animals when help or advice would have been more appropriate. He also asks why an RSPCA branch rehomed dogs imported from Europe. Following the RSPCA chief executive's sudden resignation in June, John investigates what's going on at the top of the charity and meets former senior insiders who have concerns about the charity's governing council.
Panorama investigates the growing numbers of British passengers flying drunk. Tina Daheley uncovers shocking footage filmed by passengers and meets whistleblowers from the airline industry who reveal just how badly our journeys are being disrupted. With exclusive new figures showing a rise in drink-related incidents and arrests, Tina asks how some airlines are fighting the problem and meets the Majorcan official sick of Brits arriving on her island already drunk. Campaigners are pushing for new licensing laws, but with alcohol sales a key source of revenue for many airport retailers, is profit taking precedence over passenger convenience and safety?
On the front line of the fight to control immigration, BBC Panorama goes undercover in an Immigration Removal Centre and reveals chaos, incompetence and abuse. The centre is a staging post for detainees who face deportation from the UK. It is a toxic mix, and detainees who have overstayed visas or are seeking asylum can share rooms with foreign national criminals who have finished prison sentences. Some have been held in the privately run centre for many months, even years. The covert footage, recorded by a detainee custody officer, reveals widespread self-harm and attempted suicides in a centre where drugs, particularly the synthetic cannabis substitute spice, are rife. Many officers do their best to control the chaos, but some are recorded mocking, abusing and even assaulting detainees.
Is the health service facing up to a medical emergency that now kills more than any cancers and heart attacks? When Alistair Jackson's elderly mother died suddenly in her local hospital, he was told she had received the best care possible. It took him two years to uncover how the tell-tale signs of suspected sepsis were missed and how potentially life-saving antibiotics weren't administered for hours. After getting to the truth, he meets the families of some of the estimated 14,000 people whose deaths might have been prevented with better treatment and hears from the health professionals trying to tackle Britain's 'silent killer'. The film reveals how under-reporting of sepsis cases means the crisis is likely to be far deeper than thought. With exclusive access to NHS figures he discovers that despite high-profile improvement campaigns, people's chances of getting the best care can still depend on where they live - and goes back to his mother's hospital to ask if anything there has changed.
Panorama investigates the African migrant trade and reveals the extraordinary scale of people-smuggling across sub-Saharan Africa - a multibillion-pound industry described by some as a new 'slave trade'. As theEU desperately tries to cut the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, reporter Benjamin Zand investigates how hundreds of millions of euros of EU funding is being spent and asks if EU efforts to tackle the smugglers could be leaving some migrants in an ever more dangerous limbo.
Violent right-wing extremism in Germany has surged to its highest level since the downfall of the Third Reich, with a record number of attacks against asylum seekers and their supporters. Panorama has spent six months in Freital, a small town at the heart of the new wave of far-right terror. As Germany goes to the polls, this film hears how long-held taboos are being broken in a country still haunted by its Nazi legacy and far-right views are becoming mainstream once more. Across the world, far-right extremists have been on the march, from Charlottesville in the United States to the suburbs of Paris and the streets of Manchester. But how worried should we be by the rise of the far right in Europe's most powerful country?
Trump versus Kim - it is the most chilling nuclear stand-off for decades. No longer is the world asking whether North Korea can be stopped from developing nuclear weapons but instead whether it can be stopped from using them. As the two leaders trade threats, reporter Jane Corbin investigates how North Korea has dodged sanctions and thwarted international efforts to stop it becoming a nuclear power. She also asks how the two leaders can move back from the brink and how likely it is this could all end in nuclear war.
Panorama investigates a hidden world of child sexual abuse, one in which children sexually assault other children. It's often referred to as 'peer-on-peer' abuse and can happen in classrooms and even in theplaygrounds of primary schools. In this part-animated film, children, interviewed anonymously to protect their identities, talk candidly about the abuse they have experienced and describe how they felt let down when they tried to report it. The programme also speaks to some parents who say they struggled to get help from schools, social services and the police. Using freedom of information requests, the programme reveals an increase in sexual offences carried out by under-18s on other children and a dramatic rise in sexual assaults committed by children even on school premises.
On the eve of Hate Crime Awareness Week, Panorama investigates what is happening on the country's streets. With exclusive access to the government's new crime figures, the programme reveals that race andreligious hate crime is at its highest since current records began in 2008. Reporter Livvy Haydock travels the country meeting victims and perpetrators to discover what is causing the rise in these hate-driven crimes. Official figures have already revealed a significant spike in hate crime immediately after the EU referendum. Now, a year on, Livvy discovers that hate crimes have remained higher than their pre-referendum average. Livvy meets young victims who still bear the physical and emotional scars of attacks and say they had never experienced race hate on this scale before the vote. But she also hears from residents in areas with a high number of reported race hate crimes who say that the race card is being played too easily and that Brexit is being blamed for wider social problems in their community.
Jailed surgeon Ian Paterson profited from hundreds of unnecessary operations, but do his crimes reveal wider failings in Britain's private healthcare? Reporter Darragh MacIntyre investigates whether some private hospitals - and those working within them - have put profit before patients. With thousands of NHS patients now being sent to private hospitals for their operations, he uncovers disturbing evidence about safety standards and patient care in parts of the private sector.
There are around 14,500 centenarians in the UK, a number predicted to double every ten years. One in every three babies born now is likely to live to be at least 100. Presented by Joan Bakewell, this Panorama Special follows seven people who have reached 100 years or more. Many are still alert and active, like 105-year-old Diana Gould, who exercises every day. Actor Earl Cameron's last part was at 97 in Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio. He is ready if his agent calls. Others are acutely lonely, like George Emmerson, an amateur painter and former tax officer, now living alone after his wife of 68 years died. But like many, he values his independence and still wants to live at home. Almost all need help and care from the government, the NHS, local authorities and families. But are they all prepared for life at a hundred?
An investigation into the government's reforms of the probation service, which many critics say are putting the public at risk as well as failing offenders themselves. Reporter Daniel Foggo meets two women whose sons were murdered by offenders on probation following the reforms, which saw part of the service privatised. They believe that failures in supervision contributed to their sons' deaths. The programme also reveals evidence that offenders being supervised by one private company have missed thousands of appointments and no action was taken.
A special edition investigating a huge new leak of data that reveals how the wealthy and powerful invest offshore.
Current affairs programme featuring interviews and investigative reports. Richard Bilton explores the secrets of Britain's offshore empire.
As the government backs private colleges to help open up higher education to all, Panorama goes undercover to expose how fraud is costing the taxpayer millions. Secret filming reveals how shady education agents are recruiting bogus students to private colleges so they can claim loans they are not entitled to. Reporter Richard Watson finds agents prepared to supply fraudulent qualifications, offer coursework for sale and fake attendance. It comes at a time when student debt has soared to one hundred billion pounds.
Current affairs programme featuring interviews and investigative reports.
Millions of pounds of British aid money have been spent trying to bring security to Syria and to protect the UK from terrorism. But whistleblowers say our development efforts have been undermined by mismanagement, waste and corruption. Using hundreds of leaked documents, reporter Jane Corbin pieces together the shocking truth about one of the government's flagship foreign aid projects. She discovers how some of the cash has ended up in the hands of extremists and how an organisation we are funding has been involved in executions and torture.
Women across the UK are suffering after an operation they were told would transform their lives. Instead, some of them say their lives have been ruined. For years women have been fitted with mesh-like devicesto treat prolapse or incontinence - often caused by childbirth. Although it's been a successful treatment for many of them, thousands of women in the US, the UK and Australia are now suing, after finding themselves in agony or suffering other serious complications. Reporter Lucy Adams meets women living with constant pain. She investigates how and why these devices were approved for use in the first place and asks whether manufacturers and regulators should have acted sooner to take some of them off the market.
In August 2017, 11-year-old Monzur Ali saw things no child should ever see. Military helicopters landed on the football pitch in his village in Northern Rakhine in Myanmar. 'We didn't really want to leave my village but there was a lot of shooting. Some people were hanged from trees and shot. The dead bodies were left hanging', Monzur told Panorama. He and his family fled the country and are now living across the border in a giant refugee camp in Bangladesh. Like Monzur, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar in 2017 to escape being killed, raped and abused by security forces and local Buddhists. It has been described by the UN as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, but could it amount to genocide? Using powerful eyewitness testimony, government documents and previously unseen footage, reporter Justin Rowlatt reveals how the Rohingya population has been isolated and weakened, and shows that attacks were part of a highly-planned and organised operation.
Bankruptcy isn't always what it seems. Some of Britain's biggest bankrupts are going to great lengths to hide their money while declaring bankruptcy to escape their debts. In this investigation, reporter Sam Poling goes undercover to expose the tricks wealthy business people can use to keep hold of their wealth, while those they owe money to are left with nothing. She meets the millionaire bankrupts making a mockery of the system and asks how they can get away with it.
Donald Trump has changed the face of American politics, but what do the people who voted for him make of his tumultuous first year in office? Filmed over a year in Michigan, Wyoming, Texas and Florida, this programme hears from Trump supporters who hoped that he would 'make America great again'. But with so much promised, Panorama asks whether his supporters are still happy and if they would vote for him again.
In 2007 Panorama made a programme in Blackburn, which was becoming segregated along ethnic and religious lines. Now Panorama has returned and found a town that is even more divided. Some parts of Blackburn are almost entirely Muslim Asian, while other parts are only lived in by white residents. This kind of social segregation has been described as a national crisis, despite decades of government policy aimed at bringing people together. So why do such divisions persist? Panorama visits one town to answer that question and illustrate the impact of social segregation on local communities.
Can a mother addicted to drugs change? Should the state be helping her or taking her baby away? The number of newborns being taken into care is rocketing. Many of the thousands of women who lose their babies each year are drug addicts. Many have had children permanently removed before. In this film, Panorama has been given exclusive access to one of the only residential units in the country trying to break this cycle, Trevi House in Plymouth. We follow mothers and their babies undergoing intensive treatment as they try to prove they're fit to be a parent. The stakes couldn't be higher - if they fail they will lose their baby forever.
Panorama investigates what Bitcoin is and what it means, going inside a Bitcoin mine in Iceland - where currency is made - and spending time with the Bitcoin millionaires of Silicon Valley. The programme also hears from others who have been scammed out of their life savings and investors who think the cryptocurrency is an enormous scam and that the writing is on the wall. In Britain, and around the world, authorities are sounding the alarm that Bitcoin is too risky - is it too late, or too crazy, to try to become a Bitcoin millionaire?
Richard Bilton sheds light on the difficulties faced by many private tenants in the UK, who have no long-term right to stay in their homes, and can be ordered to leave with little by the way of notice or explanation. Courts ordered more than 24,000 'No-fault' evictions last year and Richard meets some of the people whose lives have been plunged into chaos by their landlords. He also talks to landlords. Britain depends on the private sector, and 'no fault evictions' are a lifeline for Britain's millions of landlords.
Harvey Weinstein was once one of the most successful producers in Hollywood history, but beneath the glitz and glamour, there was a dark story of threats, bullying and allegations of sexual assault. As Hollywood prepares to celebrate the 90th Academy Awards, Panorama investigates Weinstein's spectacular fall from grace and the extraordinary efforts he made to silence his accusers. This one-hour special, co-produced with PBS Frontline, examines the complex web of lawyers, journalists and private detectives deployed to keep Weinstein's secrets hidden.
Public concerns about immigration were at the heart of the vote to leave the EU. Since then, the government has been silent on their plans. But with just a year to go until the country leaves, there are big unanswered questions about how any new system will work after Brexit - and the issue still stirs up powerful emotions. Nick Robinson travels from the heartlands of the leave vote to the front line of the NHS to find out what immigration the public wants and what Britain's businesses and public services say they need, and to ask the big question: who should we let in?
Vladimir Putin is about to face the voters, and most think his victory is a foregone conclusion. If the Russian president does win six more years in power, he will become the country's longest-serving ruler since Stalin. So why is Putin so powerful? Reporter John Sweeney investigates allegations that the Kremlin has subverted democracy in Russia. He meets the Putin opponent who has been banned from the election, hears from the opposition activists who say they have been attacked and finds out for himself what it is like to be targeted by the Russian state.
For the first time, the UK's biggest employers are having to reveal the average wages they pay men and women. At the same time, the BBC and many other organisations find themselves in battles over equal pay. Almost 50 years after the passing of the Equal Pay Act, why are women still not being paid as much as men? Jane Corbin travels the UK to meet the workers, from supermarket staff and council carers to BBC presenters, who are fighting for equality - even if the costs run into the billions.
As President Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, prepare for an unprecedented summit, Panorama investigates North Korean modern-day slavery. It is thought that more than one hundred thousand North Korean workers are posted abroad to earn money for the cash-strapped regime - money that is being ploughed into Kim Jong-un's nuclear weapons programme. An international consortium of journalists has filmed undercover to reveal secret work gangs operating in Russia, China and Poland.
Why does London attract so much dirty money? Panorama tracks down a violent Ukrainian crime gang using offshore companies and professionals to hide suspicious wealth in the UK. An in-depth investigation of leaked documents reveals gangsters, their families and associates taking advantage of offshore secrecy and ineffective money laundering controls to buy luxurious property and expensive works of art. Reporter Andy Verity follows the gangsters' trail from Odessa to Rome and London.
Everyone has the right to a fair trial, but how sure can people be that, if it came to it, they would get one? Panorama reporter Katie Razzall investigates cases where crucial evidence had not been investigated by the police or where evidence had been withheld from defendants. One man was wrongly jailed for four years, another had the case against him thrown out just before his trial was due to start and a man was put on trial for rape despite the alleged victim saying he should not have been charged. All rape prosecutions are now being reviewed after the collapse of some high-profile trials. Former High Court judge Richard Henriques tells the programme there have been too many cases recently where only at the last moment the truth comes to light and the system must do better.
Smart devices and the latest technological gadgets give us remote control of our homes and our cars - but how safe are they? Reporter Fiona Phillips investigates their hidden dangers and reveals how products designed to make life easier around the home can be hacked. She discovers families whose children are being spied on because their baby monitors are being streamed live online, and meets a couple who had no idea they were being watched, in their own home, by thousands of strangers around the world.
With a surge of violent crime in London and recorded crime rising across the country, Panorama films with four police forces to ask if Britain's police can cope. The film reveals forces stretched to crisis point by eight years of austerity and a national shortage of detectives. An exclusive analysis of police data for Panorama shows how fewer crimes are ending up with any suspect charged. Chief constables speak about the strains on their forces and how changes have had to be made not only in the way they prioritise crime, but how they investigate it too. But do the public accept these changes? Panorama hears from victims of crime and communities who fear Britain's streets are no longer being properly policed. Less
It has nearly been a year since Britain's worst fire in living memory, and nobody has been arrested or held to account. Reporter Richard Bilton reveals new evidence about the safety failures that led to the deaths of 72 people at Grenfell Tower. He tracks down those with questions to answer and confronts those who may share the blame.
What if you were jailed for a crime you didn't commit? Panorama investigates the cases of two convicted murderers who have each spent almost 20 years in prison and have always protested their innocence. Their only hope of clearing their names lies with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the body tasked with probing alleged miscarriages of justice. But many believe the CCRC is failing. Reporter Mark Daly finds new evidence in cases the CCRC rejected and investigates whether the watchdog is fit for purpose.
In 2017, former culture secretary Dame Tessa Jowell was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. Three in four people diagnosed with her type of brain cancer are dead within a year. Brain cancer is becoming more common and the UK has one of the lowest survival rates in western Europe. After her diagnosis, Tessa Jowell and her daughter Jess launched a campaign for brain cancer patients to get access to more trials and treatments than are available on the NHS. With intimate access during the final weeks of her life, this moving Panorama follows Tessa as she tries to use her influence to highlight the struggles of brain cancer patients across the UK and to bring about a radical and permanent change in NHS cancer treatment.
As thousands of British fans prepare to travel to Russia for the World Cup, David Dimbleby returns to a country he first visited when Yeltsin came to power 25 years ago. For 18 of those years, Vladimir Putin has ruled the largest country on earth, and he has another six years ahead of him. But with talk of a new Cold War, and with British Intelligence accusing Putin's government of 'criminal thuggery', this Panorama special asks what Russians see in him and how he has held on to power for so long. David talks to an eclectic mix of Putin's supporters, from a mother of ten who has been awarded the Order of Parental Glory, to a deputy prime minister and one of Putin's advisors. He joins children as young as seven learning to load and shoot guns in a patriotic youth club, and a group of young Muscovite fans of the president who are trying to cash in on the Putin brand. David also hears from opposition protestors, lawyers and journalists who reveal the extent and ruthlessness of the Kremlin's autocratic rule
When the government launched the Northern Powerhouse, the plan was to attract investment and improve infrastructure. But four years on, some of the big projects have failed. These high-profile property developments were marketed with great fanfare, and some were promoted and backed by local authorities. Now building sites stand abandoned, local investors have lost millions and confidence in the north has been badly damaged. So what went wrong? Reporter Michelle Ackerley investigates why some projects have failed, as well as the local developers and businesses that made big promises but have failed to deliver.
People are all increasingly glued to their smart phones and consumed by social media, but why? Panorama reporter Hilary Andersson tracks down tech insiders who reveal how social-media companies have deliberately developed habit-forming technology to get people hooked. A former Facebook manager tells the programme: 'Their goal is to addict you and then sell your time' and the creator of the 'like' button warns of the dangers of social-media addiction. Panorama investigates the science behind the lure of technology, and shows how behavioural science has been used to keep people endlessly checking their phones.
Donald Trump has been accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour by more than 20 women, but he has dismissed them all as liars. Now one of those women is suing him for defamation. An American court will have to decide what really happened and whether the President of the United States is a sexual predator. So what is the truth about Donald Trump's behaviour towards women? In the week of his visit to Britain, reporter Richard Bilton investigates new allegations about Mr Trump and meets the women who say the president is a sex pest.
In the aftermath of the Alfie Evans and Charlie Gard cases, Panorama meets three extraordinary families who spend their lives caring for children with serious disabilities. The number of school-aged children with complex needs has doubled since 2004, but many families now struggle to secure the help their children need in the face of limited resources. Families let cameras into their homes to see what it takes to give their children the care they need on a daily basis - sometimes it's a fight to simply keep them alive. Are we willing to do what it takes to give these children a decent quality of life?
Found in a pool of blood, Arkady Babchenko, a Russian journalist and critic of President Putin, was declared murdered in Ukraine in May. But a day later he was back from the dead, appearing alive and well at a Kiev press conference. Speaking to all the key players for the first time, Jonah Fisher has the inside story of how to fake a murder. Why did Ukrainian security services stage his death? And in the propaganda war between the truth and fake news, what, if anything, did it achieve?
Life expectancy in Britain varies dramatically depending upon where you live. The rich live longer and the poor die younger. Reporter Richard Bilton visits Stockton, the town with the country's worst health inequality. He investigates why people in the town centre can only expect to live to 69, while their wealthier neighbours a couple of miles away will live an average of 18 years longer.
Panorama goes undercover to reveal online doctor sites putting profit before patient care. In 2017 the Care Quality Commission issued a warning about the risks of buying drugs prescribed by doctors online. The programme discovers opiate-based painkillers and slimming tablets being sold to potentially vulnerable people and antibiotics being delivered across Europe in the face of warnings about resistance. Dr Faye Kirkland, journalist and GP, meets the families of patients who have died after online consultations and exposes the sites running rings around the regulators.
Panorama investigates the case which has sparked outrage among doctors - a junior doctor convicted of manslaughter and then struck off the medical register for her role in the death of a boy. In 2011, six-year-old Jack Adcock was admitted into the Leicester Royal Infirmary, under the care of Dr Hadiza Bawa Garba. Less than 12 hours later he had died from sepsis, a potentially life threatening condition which the doctor had failed to spot. But the action that was taken against her has provoked an outcry from the medical profession, who say she has been unfairly blamed for mistakes made while working in an overstretched and under-resourced NHS. So what should happen when doctors make mistakes? And who should take responsibility? Panorama talks to Dr Bawa Garba in her first interview and to the parents of Jack Adcock to explore the story.
Panorama investigates how antique guns are being brought into the UK perfectly legally and ending up in the hands of criminals. Panorama buys two handguns, one in America, carrying it through customs, and the other from an antique guns fair in Birmingham. Under current legislation it is legal to buy and sell guns provided commercially manufactured ammunition is no longer available. But criminals are home making ammunition for these antique weapons and then using them to kill. Gloucester gun dealer Paul Edmunds flooded the streets of Birmingham and London with antique guns as well as modern guns passed off as antiques. These weapons have been used in multiple murders. Now West Midlands Police and the National Ballistics Intelligence Service are calling for a change in the law to close this loophole.
Across Britain serious violence is rising. There have been over 80 murders in London in 2018 alone, which includes eight children, under 18. Panorama investigates why young people are losing their lives, by focusing on just one of these murders. 17-year old Rhyhiem Barton grew up on the Brandon Estate in South London, and was killed on the streets there. Filming with his family and friends, the programme looks at the devastation and loss caused by Rhyhiem's death- from their perspective. It explores what might have led to his murder and how the community has responded to try and prevent more of their children being killed.
More than 7,000 schools in England have been turned into academies and are now run by private trusts. The people in charge are not supposed to profit from children's education, but what's to stop them from cashing in? Reporter Bronagh Munro investigates a businessman whose companies have been paid millions from school budgets and asks whether it's the pupils who are paying the price.
The Brexit deadline is looming - just weeks left to get a deal, just months until the country is due to leave the European Union. The stakes are high for Britain, and at the centre of it all is the prime minister. Theresa May has to strike a deal with the EU and convince the public and MPs that her plan is the best plan. The only alternative, the government say, is no deal at all. But many disagree - and her own party, the opposition and the country are divided. So what does the prime minister's plan really mean, and what else could we do? At a crucial time for the country, Panorama has been inside Downing Street with Theresa May as she seeks to navigate Britain's negotiations with the EU. Nick Robinson interviews the prime minister and hears from all sides about deals and no-deal.
Britain is in the grip of a child mental health crisis. Nearly half a million children are either waiting for treatment or receiving it. The government has promised more money for child mental health but in the meantime getting help is a postcode lottery. Some children are waiting up to two years to be seen and others are being sent hundreds of miles away from home for treatment. In this Panorama, Sean Fletcher, whose own teenage son Reuben has been hospitalised with severe obsessive compulsive disorder, investigates the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service - CAHMS. He investigates whether care is being rationed in some areas, leaving children to deteriorate until they have to be hospitalised. And he speaks to children who have been let down by the system and despairing parents who believe their children's lives have been put at risk.
Panorama explores courses and therapies designed to stop domestic abusers from reoffending, asking how effective these interventions are and if violent men can ever really change.
Panorama investigates the use of chemical weapons in the civil war that's torn Syria apart in the last seven years. President Assad and his allies Russia and Iran have consistently denied the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons. But Nawal Al-Maghafi's shocking expose reveals the true extent of chemical weapons use by the regime and shows they are a crucial part of his war-winning strategy, terrorising and driving out civilians from opposition-held areas. Never before have chemical weapons have been used in this way and to this extent, but Panorama shows the west has been unable to prevent it. Nawal hears from families who have fled their homes and joined the 13 million displaced people and refugees. Though the Syrian government is now saying it's safe for refugees to return, few dare to go back home. With extraordinary footage from inside the city of Idlib, the one remaining rebel outpost, Panorama reveals the lasting impact of these weapons.
Andy Verity meets the ex-Northern Rock customers who are still trapped on high interest rates and whose mortgages have now been taken over by an aggressive private equity fund.
Will President Trump be forced out of office? On the eve of the most important US midterm elections for a generation, Panorama examines allegations that Trump colluded with Russia to win the presidency, and looks at the similarities with the Watergate scandal which brought down Richard Nixon. Reporter Hilary Andersson joins the campaign trail in West Virginia, where the president's message of a vast political witch-hunt against him has fired up Republican voters. If the Democrats do well tomorrow, it could open the door to impeachment, but Trump's supporters believe they will win and warn of riots should the establishment try to take their man down.
As the government's controversial new benefits system, universal credit, is rolled out, Panorama is with families as they struggle with their claims. The programme follows one council as it deals with mounting rent arrears and tenants in crisis. The government has responded to criticism of the new system by announcing more funding, but is it too little too late?
It's a crime that breaks the hearts of victims as well as emptying their bank accounts. Thousands of people lose money to romance frauds each year after being conned on internet dating sites. The criminals are called catfish, and they promise love and marriage to get cash. Reporter Athar Ahmad turns the tables on the fraudsters by using his own fake dating profile to expose the international gangs behind the crime.
Panorama reveals the inside story of how Russia sent an assassination squad to Salisbury to murder former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.
They keep us moving and they keep our hearts beating, but not all medical devices are properly tested before they are put inside us. Reporter Deborah Cohen investigates an industry where some patients are treated like human guinea pigs and then abandoned when things go wrong.
Panorama investigates a businessman targeting sports and social clubs with offers of financial help that can end up costing them everything. With little or nothing in the bank but assets worth thousands, these clubs are often the lifeblood of local communities across the UK. In one case, a football club claims to have lost its pitch, clubhouse, car park and nearly a million pounds from the sale of a plot of their land. As reporter Jon Cuthill reveals, they are just one club among many, including Conservative clubs and working men's clubs, who say they have been ripped off after seeking help with relatively small debts. Some, with long and proud histories, have ended up closing altogether, while many have had premises they once owned outright sold from under them.
Thousands of home and businesses are affected and land is already being cleared to make way for the new High Speed 2 train line - the biggest infrastructure project in Europe. HS2 has a price tag of £56 billion, but does anyone know how much it will really cost? As land gets bought up, Panorama investigates the impact the controversial rail scheme is having and what the final cost could be. The programme hears claims that even as the first part of the project was being signed off by Parliament, there were already concerns within the company that the final bill for land and property would end up higher. Could mounting costs derail the budget and bring the future of the scheme itself into question?
The UK takeaway industry is booming. The country now spends over £10 billion a year on takeaway food, with the online market being dominated by giants like JustEat and Deliveroo. But what is the real cost of convenience? Panorama investigates how planning laws are being subverted and food safety legislation flouted in the battle to sell whatever consumers want to eat, whenever and wherever they want to eat it. Reporter Tina Daheley lifts the lid on the secrets of the takeaway industry.
An official inquiry has found that more than 450 patients had their lives cut short at an NHS hospital. Many were given fatal doses of painkillers even though they were not terminally ill and had only been admitted for rehabilitation following routine operations. So what was really going on at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital? Reporter Richard Bilton investigates the evidence and challenges those who may be to blame for the deaths.
In June 2016, the UK voted for Brexit. Two and a half years on we seem stuck. Filming with voters in Yorkshire and Kent, Adrian Chiles finds people's opinions are more entrenched and divided than ever. But most seem to agree on one thing - our politicians are failing to get us out of the mess we are in. Adrian follows MPs through a historic fortnight in Westminster to find out who is in charge - and whether they are putting party politics before the best interests of the country.
How many followers do you have? The rise of social media has brought with it a new kind of celebrity, the digital influencer. These megastars of Instagram and YouTube have upended the advertising industry by converting their virtual followers into real-world currency. Big-name brands have flocked to online stars, paying them millions to endorse their products, but the market has been criticised as being a 'Wild West' of misleading and unregulated advertising, plugging everything from bogus diet drinks to online gambling to young audiences. Panorama reporter Catrin Nye investigates whether companies are being up front and the impact this new form of advertising is having on consumers.
More young people than ever are exploring their gender identity. Last year, two and a half thousand under-eighteens were referred to NHS England's gender identity clinics for support. Some are hoping to get access to potentially irreversible treatments as soon as they can. Doctors are divided about the best way to help. Dr Faye Kirkland investigates how much we understand about the care being offered to transgender children.
What’s behind Scotland’s rising toll of drugs deaths? Reporter Chris Clements pieces together heartbreaking stories from one rural community where lives have been devastated by the growing abuse of prescription pills. The investigation reveals an illicit online trade in pills driven by social media.
Fergus Wilson is evicting 90 families because he wants to cash-in on his property empire, with every resident in one street in Kent possibly having to leave their home. Wilson has been criticised in the past for refusing to rent to parents with young children or people who cook curry. Reporter Richard Bilton meets the outspoken landlord and finds out what life is like for the families facing eviction.
Panorama investigates the scandal surrounding Academy schools.
They're one of the biggest and most powerful technology companies in the world, but can we trust the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei? They have the equipment to run the next generation telecoms network which will power everything from the superfast phones to smart homes and driverless cars - but as we come more reliant on this type of technology, concerns have grown about Huawei allowing this network to be used to spy on us and even shutting the country down. As the government prepares to make the decision about who will build the network in the UK, Panorama investigates one of the most important and controversial companies in the world.
With a detailed account of the three days of disruption caused by the drone attack at Gatwick just before Christmas 2018, Justin Rowlatt asks what really happened.
In-depth investigation by the BBC's Panorama team.
Across Britain, it's getting harder than ever to book a GP appointment as local practices close due to a huge shortage of doctors. Will the government's new plan help?
Amar, a victim of napalm attacks by Saddam Hussein's forces in 1991, returns to Iraq for the first time in 30 years to try to find his family.
What do you know about the salmon on your plate? Panorama explores the £600 million industry producing the UK's biggest food export and the country's favourite fish.
Panorama goes undercover inside a hospital for vulnerable adults and reveals patients being mocked, taunted and intimidated by abusive staff. Olivia Davies reports.
Panorama reveals the failings of our social care system, as our population gets older and more of us need help with day-to-day living.
Panorama reveals how a controversial businessman will make billions of dollars from a suspicious energy deal. Reporter Mayeni Jones investigates the deal and uncovers secret payments made to the family of a senior politician. So why has one of Britain’s biggest companies agreed to invest in the project?
In the second of a two part series on the social care crisis, Panorama exposes a chaotic system on the brink of crisis. With more and more care homes closing, and a national shortage of carers, social affairs correspondent Alison Holt meets vulnerable people threatened with selling their homes to pay for their care, and their families battling the funding system. She tells the devastating stories of elderly people with no-one for fight for them and asks why successive governments have failed to reform a system experienced by so many as unfair, confusing and sometimes cruel.
With alcohol-related deaths on the rise, Adrian Chiles investigates what we know about the dangers of drinking, and why the alcohol industry isn’t telling us more.
Where are people on low incomes turning to in the wake of the collapse of the payday lender Wonga? Fiona Phillips investigates some of the lenders who seem to have stepped into the breach, asking why the cap on payday loans that marked the beginning of the end for Wonga doesn’t apply to other types of lending and whether it is still too easy to get what ends up being expensive credit?
After a bruising round of campaigning and vote-offs, there are just two candidates left standing in the race to be the next prime minister. But as they prepare for the final push, the BBC’s deputy political editor John Pienaar asks – is either of them capable of ending Britain’s Brexit battles?
With a no-deal Brexit looking increasingly likely, reporter Jane Corbin travels the nation to find out what it could mean for us and whether the preparations have been sufficient.
Panorama reporter John Ware goes inside the anti-Semitism crisis gripping Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party.
Sima Kotecha meets parents and campaigners from Islamic and other faith communities protesting against their children being taught about LGBT relationships at school.
For the first time, politicians and negotiators on both sides of the channel tell the story of the key events that made Theresa May postpone Brexit and forced her from office.
Hilary Andersson reports from Alabama, one of 12 US states currently attempting to overturn the constitutional right to abortion.
Reporter Richard Bilton investigates the fatal flaws of the Boeing 737 Max and asks whether Boeing should have done more to protect passengers.
Stacey Dooley travels to Kurdish-controlled northern Syria to holding camps where she meets western women who left their countries to join the so-called Islamic State.
Britain's betting industry is booming. The amount we lose to the betting companies has almost doubled in a decade, but are the bookies doing enough to protect problem gamblers?
As schools reopen their doors this week, Panorama asks if we have reached a crisis point in education funding.
This Panorama special follows West Midlands Police as they bring down the biggest human slavery operation that has ever been caught in the UK.
Growing numbers of young people are carrying knives and becoming victims of knife crime, while doctors report that the injuries from knives they are treating in hospital are becoming more severe and the victims getting younger. In this programme, Channell Wallace, whose own brother was stabbed to death, meets young people growing up in communities where carrying a knife is normal, sees how violence from knife crime is turning lives upside down and spends time in a school and college to see the impact of knives on the classroom.
A year on from the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Panorama investigates his brutal murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Panorama investigates the multimillion-pound industry that sells men pick–up techniques to get women from the street and into bed as quickly as possible. The programme goes undercover at a so-called seduction ‘bootcamp’ where he finds that picking up women has been turned into a game where the lines of consent can be blurred and only the men know the rules - the women don’t even know they’re taking part.
Panorama looks at how the government plans to encourage us to reduce our carbon emissions.
He was the rock star of investing. Hundreds of thousands of people trusted him with their savings and pensions. But Neil Woodford lost billions and now investors are waiting to find out how much of their money they will get back. So how can you know who to trust with your cash? Richard Bilton investigates the secretive world of fund managers – the people who gamble with your money.
Drug dealers collect billions of pounds in the UK every year, but how do they get their dirty money into the financial system? Reporter Andy Verity follows the criminal cash from the streets of London to the gold markets of Dubai, revealing how an international crime gang laundered drug money around the world and how bankers and accountants at two big city firms failed to stop it.
David Dimbleby travels across the UK to reveal why this general election is set to be the most extraordinary in his 50 years as a journalist. Filming in the crucial weeks in the run up to the election campaign, David finds a country divided as never before. He meets people whose views on Brexit have hardened but whose party allegiances have weakened. Travelling across Britain and reporting from Westminster and Brussels, he meets both voters and politicians, to gain an insight into how the country and our politics has changed. This film throws new light on the state of the UK as we prepare to vote
The aviation industry says it is going green to reduce carbon emissions and help save the planet. Justin Rowlatt investigates its plans and asks whether it is promising more than it is delivering. With cheap flights leading to a boom in passenger numbers, he hears claims that the industry is putting growth and profits before the environment.
The government announced the closure of investigations into alleged war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan before a single soldier was prosecuted. But has there been a cover-up at the highest levels of the British military? Reporter Richard Bilton meets UK detectives who talk for the first time about how they were prevented from prosecuting soldiers suspected of serious crimes. And he reveals evidence that suggests the Ministry of Defence and senior officers were involved in the cover-up of torture and illegal killings.
No escapes, constant surveillance and forced confessions: Panorama reveals how China runs its re-education camps. More than a million people have been locked up. It's one of the biggest mass detentions in modern history. Reporter Richard Bilton uncovers the reality of surveillance and abuse inside hundreds of new detention centres.
As Prince Andrew steps back from his public duties, Panorama hears from the victims of his former friend and convicted child sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Reporter Catrin Nye returns to Wales to find out if the roll-out of Universal Credit is still causing difficulties for vulnerable claimants.
Greg McKenzie investigates accusations of financial irregularities against the Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church, a charity dedicated to tackling gang violence and crime.
Business journalist Adam Shaw investigates the government's plans to spend millions of pounds reviving run-down town centres. For more than a century, our high streets have been key to our communities, but now, with one in ten shops sitting empty, they are in crisis. In this programme, business journalist Adam Shaw investigates the government’s plans to spend millions of pounds reviving run-down town centres. He finds high streets across the country looking at other ways to remain part of their community and learns that to adapt and change on the scale that’s needed, they will have to have more than just money.
Leaked documents reveal how an impoverished country was corruptly exploited by its former ruling family. Reporter Richard Bilton uncovers the dubious contracts and loans that were used to get hold of some of the country's most valuable assets. He then follows the money trail back to the UK and discovers how one of the suspicious deals was run from an office in central London.
What would you do if your car broke down on a motorway with no hard shoulder? Many experts think you would be in danger. Hundreds of miles of motorways are being made 'smart' - turning a hard shoulder into a live lane. Reporter Richard Bilton speaks to the families of crash victims and asks whether Britain’s motorways are becoming death traps.
Panorama meets some of the growing number of people living in temporary accommodation. With a shortage of council-owned properties, and a desire to keep people, especially young families, out of bed and breakfasts, local authorities are increasingly turning to the private sector for help. In 2013, a change in planning laws meant companies could buy up and convert old office blocks into homes without planning permission. Reporter Callum Tully explores life for residents living in these converted spaces.
Reporter Ellie Flynn talks to the family of Callie Lewis, who killed herself while in the care of the NHS, and uncovers the extent of the service's failure to provide adequate mental health care. Callie Lewis was just 24 years old when she took her own life. She had been in the care of the NHS, but fell through the cracks of an understaffed and overstretched system. For the last 16 months Panorama has been filming with her family as they try to understand what went wrong. Shortly before she died, they learned that Callie was a member of an online suicide forum, where she found detailed advice on how to kill herself. As reporter Ellie Flynn discovers, Callie's death comes at a time when many people with mental health issues continue to complain about their struggle to connect with the services they need.
In a quarter of a century, Amazon has propelled Jeff Bezos from online bookseller to tech titan. He's the richest man on the planet, and the company he founded is one of the most powerful. Panorama investigates Amazon's rise to corporate superpower and asks whether there is a dark side to our love affair with the company. Former high-level insiders describe Amazon's huge, obsessive data-gathering operation, which enables the company to use what it knows about us to shape not only the future of retail but the workplace and technology too. On both sides of the Atlantic, politicians and regulators are beginning to question Amazon's power and to explore ways to rein it in. But some of Amazon's most senior executives say the company is a force for good, inventing new ways to serve customers and maintain their trust.
The inside story of the downfall of Alberto Salazar, who coached Britain’s greatest track athlete to Olympic glory. Reporter Mark Daly first exposed doping at Salazar’s Nike Oregon Project in 2015. In this investigation he reveals fresh allegations about the disgraced coach and raises new questions about his relationship with Sir Mo Farah.
Panorama goes inside a criminal call centre to reveal how scammers cheat their victims. Hundreds of thousands of people fall victim to scams in the UK every year. Many are run from criminal call centres in India, where teams of fraudsters operate around the clock. Now Panorama has obtained hacked CCTV footage from inside one scam call centre that shows exactly how it works. Reporter Rajini Vaidyanathan tracks down the man behind the crime and the British victims who have been conned.
The Department for Work and Pensions is meant to help disabled people get back into work. In this programme, reporter Richard Butchins discovers that it has lost more employment tribunals for disability discrimination than any other employer in Britain. He investigates why the DWP has paid its own employees nearly a million pounds of public money in both tribunal pay-outs and out-of-court settlements.
Across the UK, bus use has plummeted in recent years. Outside the capital, thousands of routes have been cut and bus pass use is down. The prime minister has pledged billions to revitalise the bus network, but is it enough? Panorama's Richard Bilton travels coast to coast across the north of England to see the reality of Britain’s battered bus network. From rising fares, congestion and abandoned services to hi-tech, green buses and overcrowding, Panorama finds out what people want to see changed.
It has been a week where life in Britain has changed beyond recognition. Schools have shut down, supermarket shelves have emptied, and we have all been told to stay at home where possible. Meanwhile, the number of deaths is rising, and hospitals are preparing for many more coronavirus patients. Panorama looks at how Britain is coping with its biggest crisis since the Second World War – and asks if the government has the right strategy to contain the virus.
Is the disease that’s threatening our families also destroying the economy? Panorama investigates the financial impact of Covid-19. The programme follows workers, supermarkets and manufacturers struggling to survive as food runs short, jobs are lost and panic sets in. Reporter Richard Bilton tells the story of the fight to save the UK's economy from an unprecedented threat.
More than one-and-a-half million people have been told they have to stay at home for at least the next three months because they are most at risk from coronavirus. The government has promised to do whatever it takes to support them. Richard Bilton hears from some of the most vulnerable about how their lives have changed and the people trying to help them.
Four weeks into the government’s lockdown to save lives and protect the NHS, Jane Corbin reports from the frontline to tell the inside story of a Coventry hospital coping with Covid-19. She hears from doctors and nurses saving lives and dealing with death every day and asks if there is enough protective equipment and testing to help protect them from the daily risks to their own health.
Doctors and nurses have been warning for weeks that they don’t have enough protective kit to stay safe. So has the government let down the health workers leading the fight against the coronavirus? Reporter Richard Bilton investigates the delays and mistakes that may have put the lives of NHS staff at risk.
As politicians decide how and when to lift the lockdown, Justin Rowlatt reports from the scientific frontline, finding out how science can help us defeat the virus. With access to key drug and vaccine trials, he reveals a race against time to help save lives, and he asks when are we likely to be able to return to a normal life.
Britain’s economy has been turned upside down by the coronavirus crisis. Many companies are struggling to stay afloat, while some have found themselves swamped by unprecedented demand. Panorama follows some of the small business owners and key workers struggling through the lockdown, from the courier whose job it is to collect suspected samples of Covid-19 to the funeral director working round the clock to collect and bury the dead.
Panorama investigates conditions inside Greek migrant camps, locked down as coronavirus spread across the world. Refugees and migrants filming on mobile phones reveal how vulnerable people have to share taps and toilets with those who have tested positive for the virus, risking onward transmission. Strict quarantine is enforced on camps where coronavirus cases are confirmed, leading to some shortages in food, water and medical care inside. Fear of the virus and anger at camp conditions have led to violence. Panorama hears from charity and public health experts who warn that any failure to control the spread of the virus inside the camps could lead to potentially dangerous outbreaks.
Reporter Hilary Andersson travels from her home in Vermont to the dark heart of America's coronavirus crisis, New York City. Meeting despairing doctors, health workers and community activists, she asks why more than 16,000 people have died in a city with some of the best health care in the world. Donald Trump insists his own handling of the pandemic saved thousands of lives despite initially hoping it would simply go away of its own accord. But the city's leaders face criticism too. Joining food queues in the Bronx, Hilary discovers how the city's poorest have suffered the most.
Hundreds of postmasters were jailed or financially ruined after a computer system said money was missing from their branches. Now the Post Office has admitted that its Horizon computer system can make mistakes. But when did senior managers find this out, and did they continue to prosecute postmasters for stealing when they knew technology could be to blame? Reporter Nick Wallis investigates what could be Britain’s biggest ever miscarriage of justice scandal and uncovers evidence of a cover-up at the Post Office.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has prompted the biggest protests about race and police brutality in America for 50 years. Around the world, thousands of people have joined marches against racism. Reporter Clive Myrie asks if this could be a moment that changes race relations in America for good. He hears from protesters, eyewitnesses and former police officers about why this killing has had such a powerful impact, and speaks to people from black and white communities in Minneapolis about their hopes and fears for the future.
Panorama investigates a global network of neo-Nazis whose aim is to destroy society and discovers that it is recruiting in the UK. Last year, a 16-year-old boy from Durham became the youngest person ever convicted of planning a terrorist attack in the UK, prompting reporter Daniel De Simone to delve deeper into this shadowy world. Police say right-wing extremism is the fastest-growing terrorist threat in the UK and that the coronavirus pandemic may be leaving young people vulnerable to radicalisation. As Daniel investigates the Durham case, he notices certain names cropping up again and again. Working with investigative journalist Ali Winston in the US, he tracks down some of the movement's most influential figures and reveals how the network operates across the globe.
Is the biggest mistake in the Covid-19 crisis about to happen? As the country comes out of lockdown, the UK needs a test and trace system that can stop the disease from spreading again. So is that system ready to keep us safe? Reporter Richard Bilton investigates the rapid expansion of our testing capacity and asks whether we have got the world-beating service the prime minister promised.
Coronavirus has killed thousands, but now there are fears that the pandemic has caused a crisis in cancer care that could mean many thousands more will die. Panorama, working with the podcast You, Me and the Big C, explores how the focus on Covid-19 has impacted cancer treatment. Reporter Deborah James, who herself has incurable bowel cancer, investigates how the NHS has managed cancer care during lockdown, speaking to experts and analysing new research. She also meets fellow patients, amongst them friends, to discover what the pandemic has meant for them. For some, the consequences have been devastating.
While the rest of the UK has struggled to contain rising levels of knife and gun crime, Scotland has dramatically reduced violent crime in the past 15 years. But how was it done? Kate Silverton films with Police Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit, which tries to prevent crime by offering more help and compassion to those at risk of offending. They call it a public health approach, which treats crime as a disease. Panorama weighs up the evidence to see whether it really works – and if it can be transferred to the rest of the UK.
Panorama has been given unique access in Salford as the city lifts the lockdown and tries to get its community and economy back to work. Following the mayor and his team, this programme looks at the burden that has fallen on local councils and shows the work done by teachers, bus drivers and those helping the homeless. But for Salford it has been expensive. With the threat of bankruptcy looming, can the council provide the support and services the community needs to get them through the next phase of the health and economic crisis they face?
Politicians from the prime minister down have assured us their response to the coronavirus pandemic has been 'guided by the science’. But the science has been hotly contested. The World Health Organisation urged countries to stamp out infections as soon as they developed, but the UK government's initial scientific advice said the route out of the crisis was for most of us to catch the virus so we could develop herd immunity. Panorama reporter Dr Faye Kirkland asks whether this was a dangerous gamble with people’s lives or a sound scientific approach. Faced with a growing backlash and warnings that the NHS was close to being overwhelmed, politicians denied that herd immunity was the policy, and within a few days Britain pivoted to a new strategy – lockdown. Now, as we try to emerge from that lockdown, Panorama investigates what those early decisions could mean for our future.
Did China hide crucial information about Covid-19 from the world? What began with a handful of mystery pneumonia cases in Wuhan late last year has now left more than half a million dead worldwide. Beijing says it has been open and transparent throughout, but former BBC China Editor Carrie Gracie investigates how it delayed reporting the initial outbreak and evidence that Covid-19 could be spread by people. It also silenced doctors who tried to speak out. Panorama also hears from one high-level insider who believes the animal market at the centre of the Wuhan outbreak should have been treated as a 'crime scene' and from experts who warn that this crisis may be a 'dress rehearsal' for an even more deadly pandemic in the future.
Panorama follows the unfolding tragedy in care homes as they struggle to protect residents against the killer virus. Over several months, cameras were allowed into two very different care homes, revealing the dedication of care staff, the frustration of managers and the heartache as more and more lives were lost. Across the country, more than 20,000 residents and care workers have died with Covid-19. Reporter Alison Holt asks if care homes were abandoned to fight the virus alone.
Almost a quarter of a million babies have been born in the UK since lockdown began. Stacey Dooley reports from Bradford Royal Infirmary to find out how the pandemic is transforming the way we deal with pregnancy and birth. She meets pregnant women terrified of getting the virus, women giving birth and new mums with coronavirus who have had to isolate themselves from friends and family. Stacey also speaks to midwives and doctors who reveal how their lives have changed in order to protect mothers, babies and themselves from the risk of infection.
The way we eat is changing – and the way we shop for our food is too. Almost five months after the beginning of lockdown, Panorama reporter Tom Heap investigates the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Britain’s biggest manufacturing sector - food - and looks at how the way we shop, cook and consume has been transformed.
Home isn’t always a safe place. Panorama investigates what the 'Stay at Home' pandemic rule meant for those trapped with an abusive partner. Reporter Victoria Derbyshire grew up with a violent father and understands the impact it can have on families. She reveals the scale of domestic violence at the height of the crisis and meets some of those who managed to escape during lockdown. And she asks if the government has done enough for those who were put in danger by having to stay at home.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held prisoner in Iran for more than four years after being convicted of trumped-up spying charges. Nobody knows how many other British citizens have been imprisoned by the Iranian authorities because the UK government refuses to say. Reporter Darragh MacIntyre meets the families of some of those who have been arbitrarily detained and asks whether the payment of a historic debt could set them free.
For any parent, making sure a child gets the best schooling is often a worry, but when your child has complex special educational needs and disabilities, it can cause real anxiety. As most children in England return to their classrooms, reporter Sean Dilley investigates the system for supporting young people with special educational needs. He meets families who, during lockdown, struggled without any support at all, and now, as their children head back to school, fear they may not get the right support to help them learn and stay safe in their classrooms. Sean discovers an adversarial system that was supposed to put the needs of children at its heart, but instead has created what some call ‘a treacle of bureaucracy’ for parents to navigate.
Panorama investigates one of the world’s most brutal trades - the buying and selling of human organs. The programme meets the African migrants who have been exploited for their body parts by criminal gangs. Some have agreed to sell a kidney to finance their journey to Europe, only to be ripped off by the traffickers after the operation. Other victims have their organs taken without consent. Panorama also tracks down the criminals running the trade to find out how they arrange illegal operations in hospitals and clinics.
Panorama uncovers secret reports that expose how banks have failed to tackle crime. Reporter Richard Bilton also exposes the business deals billionaires would rather you didn’t know about. It’s the leak that reveals the secrets of British banking. Panorama uncovers secret reports that expose how banks have failed to tackle crime and how terrorists, money launderers and crime bosses are able to use the same banks as us. Reporter Richard Bilton also exposes the double life of the man who funded the Brexit Party, secret deals at the top of British football and the business deals billionaires would rather you didn’t know about.
Panorama hears from whistleblowers working inside the government’s new coronavirus tracking system. They are so concerned about NHS Test and Trace that they are speaking out to reveal chaos, technical problems, confusion, wasted resources and a system that does not appear to them to be working. The programme also hears from local public health teams who say they have largely been ignored by the government in favour of the private companies hired to run the new centralised tracking system. As Panorama investigates, it has left some local authorities questioning whether local lockdowns could have been handled better or avoided altogether.
Thirty-four people died in Australia last year as the worst bush fires in living memory swept across the country. An area roughly the size of England was devastated and thousands of homes were destroyed. A year on, Panorama hears from the people living in the path of the fires and the firefighters who risked their lives to save them. And as this year’s fire season gets underway, Clive Myrie asks if these levels of destruction are to become normal.
The death of transport worker Belly Mujinga, following reports she had been coughed and spat on by a customer at London’s Victoria Station, was described by the prime minister as appalling and has prompted two million people to join a Justice for Belly campaign. A police investigation wasn’t launched until five weeks after the mother of one had died from Covid-19 and concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone with a crime. Now, Panorama reporter Rianna Croxford goes back over the evidence and asks whether all available lines of inquiry were followed. She also examines claims that Belly could have been better protected at work and hears calls for the circumstances of Belly Mujinga’s death to be investigated at an inquest.
Colin Jackson investigates the hidden world of eating disorders in British sport. Speaking to athletes from amateur to elite levels, he discusses his own problems with food when he was an Olympic hurdler and asks why those involved in sport are far more likely to have an eating disorder than the rest of the population. Speaking to the chair of UK Sport, Dame Katherine Grainger, he asks what the authorities should be doing to tackle the problem.
Covid-19 has hit the whole country hard, but for the under-25s, the impact has been particularly difficult. In this programme, reporter Kash Jones investigates the long-term consequences of the pandemic on young people. He reveals exclusive research about the impact of Covid on them and the scale of the challenges ahead, meeting young adults trying to deal with the long-term impact on their education, job prospects and mental health. Many are now asking whether Covid-19 has stolen their future.
Tina Daheley investigates whether TikTok, the social media sensation of lockdown, is safe for the millions of young people who have signed up.
Jane Corbin finds out how Liverpool coped with restrictions due to Covid-19 infection rates, hearing from residents worried about the second wave, business owners pushed to the brink of despair, and those who say that living under tier three rules just isn't possible.
Joe Biden has won the battle for the White House. Reporter Hilary Andersson meets the Trump supporters who believe the election was stolen and asks whether they will ever accept their new president.
The extraordinary story of one family's journey from a small town in America to the heart of the Islamic State group and back.
Panorama investigates the government's shared-ownership scheme, designed to get more people on the property ladder, but leaving some with escalating costs and huge debts.
Panorama follows businesses fighting to survive the pandemic and sees the pressure on those trying to save jobs and livelihoods.
The UK's weather is getting wilder. This year has been a record breaker, with unprecedented rainfall, sunshine and sustained high temperatures. It's a sign that climate change is already happening in the UK – and it's going to get worse. Justin Rowlatt visits communities around Britain battered by this year's extreme weather to find out how they have coped. With access to Met Office data and experts explaining how hot and wet every part of the UK could become, he discovers a future of more heatwaves, intense storms and little snow for most of us, and asks whether we are ready for the even wilder weather that is coming.
The inside story of the development of the Oxford vaccine against Covid-19. Fergus Walsh scrutinises the data that has come out of the trials, and examines the vaccination's efficacy and safety.
With the country locked down again in the battle against coronavirus, Panorama reporter Clive Myrie asks what it will take to get through this latest, deadly stage of the pandemic. Hospitals are under pressure, with many said to be at breaking point. Once again, we’re being told to ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’. With schools shut and most exams cancelled, Panorama assesses the impact on young people’s mental health. The arrival of a vaccine offers hope, but its rollout is now in a race with a new, highly contagious strain of the virus.
Panorama investigates why black men in the UK are more likely than white men to have force used on them by police and to die in police custody. Reporter Mark Daly follows the family of Kevin Clarke on their search for justice. Mr Clarke repeatedly said, 'I can’t breathe' as he was restrained by police on the ground for 14 minutes during a mental health crisis. He died soon afterwards, his words mirroring those of George Floyd, whose death in the US triggered a global debate on race and policing. The programme also reveals fresh evidence in Scotland’s most high-profile death in custody. Sheku Bayoh died in 2015 after being restrained by up to six officers.
Panorama reporter Olivia Davies went to school and college with three boys who later went to fight in Syria. She investigates why they abandoned the UK and what happened to them when they joined the barbaric Isis regime. Travelling to Syria for the first time, she tries to discover what turned three boys from ordinary families into brutal fanatics of the Islamic State group.
As the number of people who have died with coronavirus reaches 100,000 in the UK, BBC Panorama tells the stories of some of those who have lost their lives.
Darragh MacIntyre investigates the role of the alleged head of one of Europe's biggest drug cartels in the upcoming heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
With millions now vaccinated, Panorama investigates the scare tactics of anti-vaxxers – who are they, and what are their motives for trying to deter people from getting the jab? Reporter Marianna Spring reveals the scale of a social media blitz that has targeted vulnerable people and is now reaching young generations yet to be called for their vaccination. We witness the reaction of a test group exposed to one anti-vax video, all under the watchful eye of one of the UK’s most respected doctors. Will they be influenced by disinformation, or will their plans to be vaccinated remain unchanged?
"I'm a hostage. I am not free... my life is not in my hands… I am worried for my safety." After Princess Latifa was thwarted in an attempt to escape Dubai in 2018, the world was told that she was back in the loving care of her family. But Latifa's friends, Tiina, David and Marcus found a way to get her a secret phone. A few months ago they lost contact. Now they have taken the decision to release some of the video footage and share her account with the world. Panorama tells Latifa's full story.
Fly-tipping is a national problem that is ruining our towns and countryside. There are more than a million incidents each year of illegally dumped rubbish in the UK. So why are so few people prosecuted for damaging the places we love? Reporter Richard Bilton investigates a crime that affects us all and meets some of those who are fighting back against the fly-tippers.
The killing of George Floyd last year triggered a national conversation about race and racism in Britain. It’s a subject that can be uncomfortable and sometimes divisive, as BBC presenter Naga Munchetty discovers when she travels across the country to understand what race and racism mean in the UK today.
As the government faces mounting criticism that well-connected people made millions out of Britain's PPE crisis, Panorama investigates who won out. More than £12 billion was spent in the first six months of the pandemic on contracts to provide personal protective equipment. Reporter Richard Bilton meets one man who made £40 million on a deal and speaks to others who felt ignored in favour of less-experienced suppliers. As the government refuses to reveal the full details of all its so-called VIP deals, the programme reveals the high-profile connections to one lucrative contract.
The inside story of the most sensational break-up in recent political history. Once close friends and allies, Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon took the SNP from nowhere to government, and Scotland to the brink of independence. Now sworn enemies, former first minister Salmond accuses some of those he once led of plotting to have him imprisoned. Reporter Mark Daly investigates and asks what the split could mean for the future of Scotland and of the United Kingdom.
Thousands of schools have been totally or partially destroyed during the Syrian conflict, which began ten years ago this month. Iqra School in Aleppo was one of those schools, bombed by a fighter jet in 2013. Some pupils were killed immediately and more died of horrific injuries soon after. A BBC Panorama team were filming in a children's hospital nearby and captured the desperate attempts to save lives after the attack. Supporters of the Syrian regime falsely claimed that these scenes had been faked. Eight years later, Panorama has met with survivors and relatives of the dead to discover how profoundly their lives have changed as a result of that day.
It’s a year since the UK began its first lockdown, and although Covid-19 poses similar threats to countries across the globe, different governments have followed different strategies. Having spent the year charting the impact of coronavirus in the UK, where the government says its decisions have been guided by the science, reporter Jane Corbin investigates the policies pursued by governments elsewhere. Using data to get to grips with the outcomes, she sets out to discover whether anyone got it right and to understand what lessons might be learned for the future.
Panorama goes undercover inside a lab analysing thousands of Covid-19 tests per day. Secretly filmed footage reveals a failing service with shoddy practices, where staff complain they are under pressure to meet targets despite the lab often running well below capacity. The programme discovers there have been three outbreaks of coronavirus among staff and that social distancing is poorly maintained. Test samples sometimes arrive poorly packaged and labelled, with equipment frequently malfunctioning, leading to contamination of results. The programme also discovers that tests, including some intended to find new variants of coronavirus, have been wrongly discarded or lost.
Panorama investigates the scandal of our polluted rivers. Reporter Joe Crowley obtains data that reveals how some big water companies have been illegally dumping untreated sewage. He meets local people campaigning for a wholescale clean-up and exposes one company discharging sewage without a permit.
Clive Myrie investigates allegations of racism in the Church of England, hearing stories of racist abuse and claims of a culture that creates a hostile environment for Christians of colour.
Reporter Greg McKenzie meets young people born or brought up in the UK who say Home Office immigration policy treats them as second-class citizens.
Panorama follows Kent police as they try to disrupt the ‘county lines’ that transport millions of pounds of drugs from London to towns across their country.
Panorama investigates what happens when care goes wrong in hospitals and reveals how some NHS trusts keep critical reports hidden from the regulator and the public.
The inside story of how Martin Bashir obtained his career-defining interview, and how the BBC responded when it discovered he'd faked bank statements and shown them to Diana's brother, Earl Spencer.
As artificial intelligence changes our world, it has sparked a new arms race between China and the US. Experts warn that without urgent regulation, we could lose control of AI.
Former Paralympic athlete Richie Powell investigates the sport's classification system, which is accused of being flawed, easily manipulated and lacking credibility.
Panorama follows companies on the Brexit frontline as they navigate their way through Britain’s new trading relationship with Europe.
BBC correspondent Lucy Adams is one of more than a million people in the UK with long Covid. She speaks to other patients desperate to know when they will be well again.
Horse racing is an extremely profitable sport, a £5 billion industry in the UK and Ireland followed by millions. Darragh MacIntyre investigates what can happen to racehorses when their careers end.
David Cameron was paid to promote Greensill Capital’s financial products around the world. Now that Greensill has collapsed, Panorama investigates how much the former prime minister knew about it?
Reporter Kafui Okpattah investigates how cyber scammers use social media to promote fraud, and speaks to victims.
The speed of Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban has shocked the world, but what sort of country will it become? Panorama asks what is at stake for the Afghans.
This is the year of the Great British staycation, with millions of us exploring holidays on our doorstep. But the impact of Covid has taken its toll. As the hospitality industry tries to make up for the financial losses of the last 18 months, the cost of some self-catered accommodation has risen by more than 40 per cent. The basic cost of a holiday to the Lake District can be as much as three times more than one to Italy’s Lake Garda. And though business is booming in some areas, tourism bosses say staff shortages are hitting them hard. Reporter Mobeen Azhar explores the truth about our staycations.
Mariella Frostrup meets teenage girls who say they have been abused, assaulted or raped by teenage boys, and asks whether we should be doing more to protect our children. With exclusive new data from police forces, she reveals how reports of abuse have risen sharply in the past four years, despite government promises to tackle the problem. She asks if social media and pornography could be to blame, and if schools could be handling the problem better.
Panorama unveils new revelations about the corrupt practices deployed by one of Britain’s biggest companies. Six years ago, reporter Richard Bilton revealed how British American Tobacco made secret payments to politicians and civil servants in East Africa. Now the programme uncovers evidence of bribery in South Africa and Zimbabwe. It shows how the multi-billion pound British company secretly paid almost 200 informants as part of a covert operation to damage its competitors.
Reporter Rory Carson, himself a former professional player, investigates the system that has produced some of the England team’s brightest stars.
With the number of people on NHS waiting lists now at a record high of 5.61 million, Victoria Derbyshire speaks to some of those who see no alternative but to go private.
Panorama investigates the Pandora Papers, one of the biggest offshore leaks in history, revealing the financial secrets of some of the most powerful people on the planet. Reporter Richard Bilton uncovers the hidden offshore deals that presidents, prime ministers and royalty don’t want you to know about.
When political parties accept donations, they are required to check who the donor is but not where the money actually comes from. Panorama's investigation of the Pandora Papers, one of the biggest offshore leaks in history, reveals the financial secrets of three major donors to the Conservative Party. Reporter Richard Bilton asks whether the rules governing political donations are fit for purpose.
Six weeks after the complete withdrawal of US-led coalition forces, Panorama reports on how life has changed for Afghan people under Taliban rule. The streets may be more peaceful now, but human rights are under attack, healthcare is crumbling and many families are struggling to find enough food. British Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi and his team meet leading Taliban figures and ask whether Afghanistan is once again harbouring the international terror group al-Qaeda.
Panorama investigates the rise of online abuse against women and asks why the police, the government and social media companies aren’t doing more to stop it. BBC reporter Marianna Spring discovers how social media algorithms are promoting hate and tracks down the trolls who send her abuse daily. She meets global politicians, Love Island contestants and a doctor on the frontline to explore the impact of online hate on women who use social media to do their job.
Coca-Cola sells more than 100 billion throwaway plastic bottles each year. Panorama investigates Coca-Cola's promises to crack down on plastic waste.
Panorama investigates a year of wild weather and hears how freak events are becoming increasingly commonplace, changing life right now for millions. This summer a small town was destroyed by fire after record-breaking high temperatures in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Floods in Germany swept away entire villages. A plague of mice destroyed livelihoods in Australia's New South Wales. Dust storms from China swept thousands of miles to South Korea and the people of Madagascar are on the brink of the world’s first climate change-induced famine. By interrogating climate science and with exclusive access to new Met Office data, reporter Justin Rowlatt reveals where in the world the climate is changing the fastest and who will be most affected.
The sex industry has been transformed by the internet, and most sex workers now meet their customers through online sites. Bronagh Munro investigates the online pimps who traffic vulnerable women.
Tesla is now worth more than all the other major car makers put together, but how ethical is its supply chain? Darragh MacIntyre meets the African nuns who say Elon Musk's company must do better.
As we gear up for Christmas, Jane Corbin asks if the UK's supply chains will be able to deliver in time.
Tens of thousands of elderly people live in care homes owned by international investors. Panorama asks how much money is being taken out of the system.
The way we shop is changing, and buying now and paying later has never been easier. Purchases made through companies like Klarna and Clearpay have tripled to an estimated £2.7bn. The companies say they are revolutionising credit by helping customers spread purchases over a number of months, but debt charities are becoming increasingly concerned. Reporter Ellie Flynn investigates the Buy Now Pay Later market’s close relationship with retailers and asks is enough being done to protect customers from ending up with big bills they can’t afford.
Two years since the start of the pandemic, the NHS is facing a new Covid crisis. Jane Corbin returns to University Hospital Coventry to see how it is coping now.
Richard Bilton investigates the increased risks we face when we get behind the wheel of a car and asks whether weaker policing could be to blame.
Rory Carson investigates how anti-social behaviour blights communities across Britain and discovers how hard it can be to get help.
Downing Street parties have led to the greatest crisis of Boris Johnson’s career. Tracing other recent scandals, John Ware asks what 'partygate' says about the prime minister’s character.
John Simpson goes back to Afghanistan to explore the shocking unravelling of a country he has been reporting on for more than 40 years.
Most of us drink cow’s milk, but are we paying enough for it? Panorama investigates the dairy industry to find out whether animal welfare is being compromised in the drive to keep milk prices low. The film features disturbing undercover footage of farmworkers abusing cows, while reporter Daniel Foggo speaks to farmers and vets about the lives most dairy herds can expect to lead.
The best way to win the battle against Covid is to vaccinate the whole world, but in poorer countries not enough people are getting the jab. Bronagh Munro investigates why.
Michael Buchanan reports on repeated failures in maternity care at hospitals in Shropshire. Many babies died whilst others were left with life-changing injuries.
Four days after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Panorama reports on the conflict. With Paul Kenyon in Kyiv and Jane Corbin in London, the programme asks what lies behind Putin's invasion, and how Ukraine and the rest of the world have responded.
Panorama follows the parents of the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing as they navigate the public inquiry into the attack. As the fifth anniversary approaches, they ask could the bomber have been stopped and could their daughter have survived her injuries?
Chelsea-owner, Roman Abramovich, has been sanctioned by the UK government for his ties to Vladimir Putin. But where did the Russian billionaire's money come from? Panorama reporter Richard Bilton travels to Siberia to investigate the corrupt deals that made his fortune. He uncovers new details about Mr Abramovich's murky past and his relationship with the Kremlin.
For almost a month, Ukraine has fought off one of the world's super-powers. Can it repel Putin’s forces? Panorama's Paul Kenyon reports from the frontline in southern Ukraine.
Panorama is on the frontline with Derbyshire Police to investigate why only one per cent of reported rapes in England and Wales results in a conviction. For more than 18 months, the film follows five people who have reported rape and the detectives investigating their cases as they journey through the criminal justice system. They include 'Sam', who says she was raped by a stranger after a night out, and two sisters who say they were repeatedly raped by their father as children and whose case has already been turned down by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Levelling up is one of Boris Johnson's flagship policies. It's intended to improve the quality of life for millions of people who live outside London and the south east by investing in local communities and infrastructure. Billions of pounds have been allocated for high streets, transport links and skills. The BBC's new political editor Chris Mason returns to his home county of Yorkshire to find out what the residents of Barnsley think of the policy
Panorama follows three families, as they try to cope with what is predicted to be the biggest fall in living standards since the 1950s.
Eighteen months after the prime minister launched his strategy to help the nation lose weight, EastEnders actress Clair Norris, who is overweight herself, wants to know if it is working.
The story of the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British legal history and those whose lives were devastated by it.
With more children in care in England than ever before, and the government about to publish a report on the deaths of two toddlers at the hands of their parent’s new partners, Panorama investigates how social workers make critical decisions about children’s lives. Granted rare, exclusive permission from the family courts, reporter Louise Tickle hears from families who have been damaged by decisions made by one local authority. With the government pushing social workers to step in earlier than ever, what happens if they go too far, too fast?
As Ukrainians return to areas once under Russian control, they are uncovering evidence of war crimes. Panorama's Paul Kenyon travels to Kyiv to investigate the elite Russian units he encountered on the first day of the war. He hears allegations of looting and murder and speaks to witnesses who lived through the occupation. Tracking the soldiers east he visits a frontline town from where Ukrainian forces are launching counterattacks against troops who had previously occupied the suburbs of Kyiv.
Ahead of Sue Gray's report into parties in government buildings, Laura Kuenssberg investigates what went on under Boris Johnson's roof during lockdown.
Mobeen Azhar investigates TerraCycle's green credentials and its relationship with major brands.
Panorama investigates Britain's biggest GP network. US owned Operose Health provides GP services to the NHS, with 70 surgeries from Leeds to London and more than half a million registered patients. Reporter Jacqui Wakefield reveals a shortage of GPs, some less qualified medical staff working without adequate supervision and a backlog of important patient paperwork.
Thirteen-year-old Olly Stephens left home for the final time on a Sunday afternoon in January 2021, telling his parents he was meeting a friend nearby. Fifteen minutes later, he had been murdered. Lured out by a teenage girl and stabbed to death by two teenage boys she had met online, the entire attack was planned on social media and triggered by a dispute on a chat group. With exclusive access to Olly's parents Amanda and Stuart, Panorama reporter Marianna Spring investigates the violent and disturbing world their son had been exposed to online and follows their campaign for tighter regulations on harmful content.
Panorama has spent the last year with young journalists and protestors as they live through the most turbulent period in Hong Kong's recent history. When the British government transferred sovereignty back to China 25 years ago, it promised to protect freedom of speech, but new laws have effectively silenced all criticism. Street protests have all but stopped, pro-democracy lawmakers have been replaced by Beijing loyalists and Hong Kong's new chief executive is its former security chief, who led the crackdown. Reporter Danny Vincent has been following those who've lived through the street protest movement, both as activists and reporters, many of whom are now in prison.
Uber's aggressive expansion across Europe sparked police raids and violent protests. The US tech firm attracted millions of customers by subsidising fares and undercutting traditional cabbies. Now, a leak of internal documents reveals how the company got away with it. Reporter Richard Bilton uncovers how Uber broke laws, upended employment rights and got the backing of politicians as the company forced its way on to our streets.
British special forces killed hundreds of people on night raids in Afghanistan. The SAS say they were insurgents who were posing an imminent threat. But were some of the shootings executions? Panorama investigates a series of raids where people were shot dead after they surrendered to British troops. Reporter Richard Bilton uncovers new evidence and tracks down eyewitnesses who say they saw unarmed Afghans being killed in cold blood.
As Boris Johnson is forced from office, for Panorama Laura Kuenssberg follows the dramatic events of the last seven days in Westminster. She looks back at the scandals that defined his premiership and ultimately led to his downfall. She hears from the insiders who tried to persuade him to go, the candidates vying to replace him and the colleagues who warned it was always going to end like this.
Strikes, delays, cancellations. With the peak summer holiday season almost here, many of the UK's airports and airlines are struggling to cope. Rachel Burden investigates the aviation industry at home and across Europe. She hears from holidaymakers fighting to get compensation and reveals the best and worst performing airlines. She also gets tips on the key consumer advice you need to know before you try to get on a flight this summer.
Thousands of vulnerable people are housed and supported by not-for-profit social housing providers, many of them charities. Panorama investigates one charity and its links to a millionaire developer who has turned taxpayer-funded housing benefit into a personal fortune through the supply of properties. Reporter Rory Carson speaks to tenants who feel they’ve been let down by the charity, former employees who say serious problems of anti-social behaviour were sparked by the charity's focus on expansion and hears calls for better regulation of social housing to protect both tenants and the taxpayer.
Offshore money, huge fees, suspicious payments and a phantom head of the KGB - just some of what a group of ordinary British savers discovered when the £46 million fund they had invested in collapsed. Each year, a billion pounds is lost in failed investment schemes. Panorama tells the story of one of them and follows investors as they try to unravel the truth about the Blackmore Bond, a Manchester-based scheme, and challenge the regulators they believe failed them.
Panorama investigates the disturbing online trade in sexually explicit images and video of women, often taken and posted online without their consent. Reporter Monika Plaha meets women whose lives were ruined when intimate pictures of them were put on social media. She asks whether some tech companies are doing enough to combat this illicit trade, and she tracks down one man responsible for running an online community awash with explicit material.
It is being described as a national emergency. Energy bills are soaring and families across the UK are struggling to cope. Millions are falling into fuel poverty and are wondering how they will heat their homes in winter. But not everyone is suffering from the energy crisis. Reporter Bronagh Munro investigates the big companies that are profiting from rising bills and asks whether some are cashing in at our expense.
With unique access to the biggest mental health service in the UK and some of its young patients, Panorama reveals the challenges faced daily by clinicians as demand for services reaches unprecedented levels in the wake of the pandemic. In 2017 it was estimated that one in nine young people had a diagnosable mental health condition. Now it's thought to be one in six.
Sending asylum seekers to Rwanda is part of a government plan intended to help cut the number of small boats crossing the Channel and force people smugglers out of business. But will it really deter migrants trying to come to the UK? Reporter Jane Corbin investigates the smugglers who get people into Britain and finds out what the government's plan means for those attempting the potentially deadly journey.
A Panorama undercover investigation has found evidence that a secure NHS psychiatric hospital is failing to protect some of its vulnerable patients. Secret filming reveals evidence of a toxic staff culture, patients being taunted and bullied, inappropriate use of restraint and falsification of important medical paperwork. Experts who have reviewed the findings have questioned the hospital’s safety, saying the evidence suggests its core therapeutic mission is being corrupted.
Covid lockdowns have left a legacy of persistent absence amongst some students, and schools are under pressure to get them back through the gates. Branwen Jeffreys investigates.
The wood-burning Drax power station in Yorkshire provides 12 per cent of the UK's renewable energy. It has already received £6 billion in green energy subsidies from the government. But are the wood pellets the power station burns really as sustainable as the company claims? Reporter Joe Crowley investigates where the wood comes from and uncovers an environmental scandal. He reveals how Drax is chopping down trees and taking logs from some of the world's most precious forests.
Line of Duty actor and campaigner Tommy Jessop investigates why people with a learning disability are more than twice as likely to die from avoidable causes than the rest of the population.
It was supposed to be a joyous end to an unforgettable season, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. Journalist Layla Wright investigates events as they unfolded at the 2022 UEFA Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Panorama investigates how survivors of major terror attacks are hounded and abused by conspiracy theorists who claim they are ‘crisis actors.’ US conspiracist Alex Jones has just been ordered to pay nearly $1bn to families of the Sandy Hook school shooting after claiming the attack was a hoax. Now the BBC’s disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring hunts the disaster trolls who target survivors of terror attacks in the UK and reveals new research about the popularity of these beliefs.
There are more cyclists on our roads than at any time in the last 50 years, and the government is spending billions trying to encourage even more people to get on their bikes. So why are there so many incidents of road rage and injury? Research suggests most people think the UK’s roads are too dangerous to cycle on. Filmed confrontations with motorists are now commonplace. Reporter Richard Bilton hits the road to investigate what’s going on between drivers and cyclists.
Will Donald Trump run for president again? On the eve of the US midterm elections, reporter Hilary Andersson visits Selma, North Carolina, to find out whether voters want him back. Trump’s final days in office saw his supporters attack the US Capitol, bringing the country to the brink. The country has remained dangerously divided. As many Republican candidates line up to support Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen, Panorama asks whether American democracy can withstand the destructive forces now converging upon it.
Before the war in Ukraine, Mariupol was a thriving city, home to 430,000 people. In a little under three months, most of its citizens had fled Putin's army and thousands had been killed. This Panorama special, filmed and told by residents, is the story of their loss, bravery, determination, and incredible daring in making their escape. They were among those who sought refuge in the Mariupol Theatre, only for it to be bombed, the maternity hospital which was also hit and the Azovstal Steelworks, where hundreds hid in bunkers and Ukrainian forces made their last stand.
Food prices are rising at their fastest rate in more than 40 years. As the cost-of-living crisis continues to squeeze household budgets, Panorama explores why food prices are so high and looks at the impact food inflation is having on our pockets and on our health. Reporter Kate Quilton asks whether supermarkets, food producers and the government are doing enough to help shoppers. And what can people do to help make food bills more affordable?
What does the winter hold for people struggling to get a home, or hold on to the one they already have? The rapid increase in interest rates has left many at breaking point. With mortgage rates up and rents soaring, Panorama spends time with those trying to survive, from young workers who’ve given up on ever owning a home of their own, to families facing eviction before Christmas. Reporter Richard Bilton investigates what’s gone wrong with the UK’s housing market.
The NHS is in a critical condition. As hospitals struggle with soaring demand, increasing waiting times and their biggest ever workforce crisis, Panorama investigates what can be done to fix the health and care system. We’re an ageing population, living with more long-term health conditions. After years of underfunding, the Covid pandemic has exposed the scale of the crisis. The BBC’s social affairs editor, Alison Holt, assesses the innovation and new ways of working that might offer the NHS the lifeline it needs. She also meets patients getting hospital treatment at home, and the doctors, nurses and care staff desperate for change.
Panorama goes undercover to reveal the increasingly close relationship between organised crime and dog dealing. Reporter Sam Poling infiltrates a network of dealers making millions by breeding dogs to extremes. She exposes how some drugs dealers have switched from dealing narcotics to dealing dogs, and shows how the growing popularity of breeds like American and French bulldogs has led some breeders to resort to cruel and dangerous tactics.
Health workers, hailed as heroes during the pandemic, say they’re being abandoned by the NHS and the government. Some are living with long Covid and say it’s having a devastating impact on both their personal and professional lives. For Panorama, the BBC’s health correspondent, Catherine Burns, meets staff struggling to return to work and reveals how some are now facing financial hardship and the prospect of having to retire early or, worse, being sacked.
We all love the cloud. It stores our pictures and emails, it powers our internet searches, and it helps us stream movies and box sets. But out of sight, the cloud depends on processing factories - vast data centres that use enormous amounts of power and water. Every time we go online, we increase its carbon footprint. Richard Bilton investigates the growing environmental problem we’re all responsible for.
More than 30,000 people are known to have been killed in the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria last week, and the death toll is expected to increase. With the help of teams from BBC Turkish and BBC Arabic, Panorama follows survivors and rescue workers from both sides of the border, and asks if more could have been done to save lives.
PG Tips and Lipton are world-famous tea brands. Now, an undercover investigation for Panorama reveals that women working on plantations producing their tea are being pressured to have sex with their bosses in return for work. The investigation focuses on plantations that have been owned for years by two British companies – Unilever and James Finlay & Co – who between them have produced half the tea drunk in the UK. Reporter Tom Odula has spoken to dozens of women who say they have been sexually assaulted or harassed, while undercover footage reveals how one young woman was targeted for sex at a job interview.
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Panorama asked five Ukrainians to start filming their lives. The result is a powerful documentary marking the first anniversary of the war.
Crisis pregnancy advice centres are supposed to help women with unplanned pregnancies. But a Panorama investigation reveals evidence that some clinics operating outside the NHS are giving misleading information, and offering counselling that could persuade women not to have abortions. Reporter Divya Talwar also uncovers links between some UK centres and the anti-abortion movement in America.
Elon Musk made billions from electric vehicles and space travel, but when he bought Twitter last year its users were quick to predict its demise. Though reports of the social media site’s death appear to have been exaggerated, Musk’s takeover has seen thousands of company staff sacked and the reinstatement of users previously banned for breaking Twitter’s rules. Marianna Spring reports on the changes at the influential platform, speaking to insiders both in the UK and at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, and investigates claims that Musk has created a culture in which hate and misogyny are allowed to thrive.
Every year, scammers steal billions from the public, and fraud now represents around 40 per cent of all reported crime in the UK. Over the last year, Panorama has had exclusive access to Kent Police as their detectives try to catch the fraudsters. With more than 10,000 reports of fraud in the county last year, they estimate that only around 20 cases were solved. The programme explores why so few cases are prosecuted and shows how fraudsters target the vulnerable, often using sophisticated techniques to dupe victims into handing over their cash.
Millions of people in the UK feel like they've had a pay cut, with wages often not keeping up with the cost of living. As public sector workers continue to take strike action, the BBC's Analysis Editor Ros Atkins asks why so many people are feeling so poor. He returns to Cornwall, where he grew up, to meet families struggling to make ends meet in what has become one of the country's most deprived areas.
Millions of council houses were built after the war to help protect people from slum landlords. They used to be home to around a third of the UK population. Margaret Thatcher’s flagship right-to-buy policy boosted home ownership, but the council house sell-off is causing major problems 40 years on. Many former council properties are now in the hands of private landlords. In some parts of the country, rents are going through the roof, and slum landlords are back. Reporter Richard Bilton investigates what’s been happening, by telling the story of one housing estate in London.
When Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead in her home, the nine-year-old became the youngest victim of Liverpool's drug wars. There have been dozens of deaths in the city as rival gangs fight for control of the lucrative drug trade. Reporter Bronagh Munro investigates how the city came to dominate the UK drug market and how organised crime brought death to Olivia’s door.
Government plans to reduce traffic are turning neighbour against neighbour. Costing millions, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods largely aim to persuade drivers to ditch their vehicles for short journeys and walk, cycle, or take the bus instead. Reporting for Panorama, Justin Rowlatt finds some drivers pitted against supporters of Low Traffic Networks in what has become a battle between those who believe the schemes will reduce congestion and pollution, and those who want the freedom to drive wherever they want
As the nation prepares for the coronation of King Charles III, Panorama asks if the new king will adapt the monarchy to suit modern times. In recent months, the royal family has come under unprecedented attack from Prince Harry and there has been discussion of a slimmed-down, more transparent, more inclusive monarchy. Jane Corbin drills down into the sometimes opaque structures and finances that surround the monarchy. And with an exclusive opinion poll, Jane asks both supporters and critics what change might be possible and if it is on the cards.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of adults who think they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The NHS has been overwhelmed by the number of patients looking for a diagnosis. Now thousands of people are turning to private clinics for assessment instead.
Every year, millions of tonnes of waste are dumped in landfill sites, but how safe are they? Reporter Amber Haque investigates a Staffordshire landfill which residents claim has affected their health and examines the potentially toxic legacy of historic landfill sites.
The UK is facing a chronic illness epidemic, with diabetes rates at record levels and cancers in young people rising steeply. Now, there’s growing evidence suggesting this could be linked to the food we eat. Ultra-processed convenience foods contain chemicals that UK regulators say are safe, but Panorama investigates emerging scientific evidence of a link between some of these chemicals and cancer, diabetes and strokes.
With the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to be banned, everyone is supposed to be going electric. But so far fewer than one in thirty vehicles on Britain's roads are battery-powered. Reporter Richard Bilton takes a trip to find out what the electric vehicle revolution feels like and whether the UK is ready.
Panorama examines whether the current generation of antidepressant drugs have lived up to their promises, following patients who have suffered serious side effects.
From spy balloons to secret police stations and dissidents on the run, Panorama investigates China’s global surveillance operation.
Parliament is once again under fire over complaints about sexual harassment and bullying, with MPs suspended from their parties and claims of a toxic workplace culture going unchecked. Reporter Naga Munchetty speaks to staff members and MPs who give their accounts of sexual harassment and bullying. Exactly five years after parliament set up a new system to deal with complaints, many of those campaigning to clean up the House have lost faith in it, saying it is too slow and complex.
As the cost of living crisis deepens, Panorama investigates the booming debt management industry and the companies signing up people for Individual Voluntary Arrangements.
A series of disastrous investments has left Thurrock Council effectively bankrupt. Services are being cut and council tax raised to try to cover the second biggest deficit ever run up by a local authority. Most of the council's cash was invested in one man's business. Liam Kavanagh promised his solar farms would provide a safe return, but his companies have been wound up and the council faces big losses. Reporter Bronagh Munro reveals how the millionaire businessman spent council cash on himself and left local people to pay the price.
Reporter Lara Lewington speaks to some of the so-called 'godfathers' of AI about their hopes and fears, and she meets researchers developing technology allowing computers to read emotions and minds.
Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering and harming babies. So what turned a likeable nurse into a serial killer? For the first time, Panorama hears from a family whose child died, a friend who’s stood by her and a doctor who tried to raise the alarm. Reporter Judith Moritz reveals evidence of a cover-up by hospital bosses and asks whether some babies’ lives could have been saved.
Vaping among Britain's teenagers is on the rise, and there's growing concern that some companies are targeting underage vapers. So, should we be worried about young people getting addicted? Rachel Burden investigates the youth vaping phenomenon and talks to young people, parents and experts about how to tackle it.
Panorama investigates claims of bullying and body shaming at two of the UK's top ballet schools, The Royal Ballet School in London and Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham.
Panorama explores the breakneck rise and sensational fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, the maths genius who set out to transform the world of crypto but ended up being its biggest loser.
Panorama investigates allegations of exploitation and abuse at the top of one of the biggest fashion brands in the US. Former CEO Mike Jeffries transformed Abercrombie and Fitch from a failing retail chain to a multibillion-dollar empire and the epitome of cool. Now, after months of painstaking investigation, reporter Rianna Croxford speaks to men who say they were recruited into a dark world, created to satisfy the sexual fantasies of Mike Jeffries and his British partner Matthew Smith. Silenced for years by the fear of breaking non-disclosure agreements, these men describe feeling exploited and traumatised by their experience. One high-profile American lawyer has called for prosecutors to investigate
The BBC’s cost of living correspondent Colletta Smith meets the homeowners feeling the squeeze as they come off cheaper fixed-rate mortgages and adjust to much higher bills.
Jane Corbin investigates what really happened during the mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and asks what the long-term consequences might be for Putin's presidency.
Panorama reports on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Reporter Jane Corbin hears the human stories on both sides and asks what does the escalating crisis mean for the wider region?
It's been 16 years since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Richard Bilton travels across Portugal and Germany to find out more about the man suspected of abducting and killing her.
In 2020, fast fashion giant Boohoo faced serious criticism for poor working conditions at its suppliers as the company relentlessly chased profits. Boohoo said it would change. A Panorama investigation reveals renewed pressure to slash costs, suppliers facing shorter deadlines, and price cuts on orders for clothes that have already been made.
Richard Bilton investigates why oil, coal and gas exploration is booming when almost every country in the world has committed to limit the rise in global warming to 1.5 degrees.
The Ukrainian government says that thousands of children have been taken unlawfully to Russia. Panorama investigates what happened to more than 40 children taken from a children's home in Kherson.
Since Nicky Campbell went public about the abuse he experienced at school in the 1970s, he's become the face of a campaign by former pupils. They are determined that one teacher should face justice.
Water companies are dumping huge quantities of sewage in our rivers every year. So why do some of the worst offenders have such good environmental ratings? Reporter Joe Crowley investigates.
With more than 30 branches in the UK, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God claims to transform lives. But Panorama uncovers allegations that members can feel manipulated into handing over money.
Reporter Balagopal Balakrishnan investigates one of 15 care homes run by a company in North East England. He finds carers being charged thousands by an unscrupulous recruitment agency and nurses locked into lengthy contracts with financial penalties.
Only one in 20 crimes in England and Wales result in someone being charged. More criminals are now getting away with everything from burglary to knife crime. So, is the public being let down by the system?
A new generation of anti-obesity drugs are being hailed as game changers for the NHS and for millions of patients. So-called 'skinny jabs' like Wegovy have largely been the preserve of celebrities and those with the money to buy them privately, but now the NHS is beginning to roll them out. So will they live up to the hype, how available will they be, and is the NHS ready for a revolution in treating obesity?
An investigation into the state of British school buildings where headteachers are struggling to keep their students safe and children are learning in gloves due to extreme cold.
Investigating the crisis in maternity care that is putting women and babies at risk. Whistle-blowers at a trust in Gloucestershire tell reporter Michael Buchanan about deaths, understaffing and a culture they say has failed to learn from mistakes.
It's a parent's nightmare. An apparently healthy child dying without warning, and no explanation of what went wrong. Yet unexplained deaths in children over a year old happen almost once a week in the UK. They sometimes result in parents being falsely accused of harming their child. Reporter Richard Bilton investigates these sudden unexplained deaths in children and looks at the research trying to find out why they happen.
Fergus Walsh follows patients with Alzheimer's disease, who have been taking two new drugs that have been shown to slow down its progression. Is this a turning point in its treatment?
Following the attacks of 7 October 2023, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas. But can it? John Ware investigates Hamas’ network outside Gaza, uncovering a web of financial enablers.
Panorama investigates Royal Mail, hearing from whistleblowers and the service's senior management who believe the postal system must change if Royal Mail is to survive.
Donald Trump is back and heading for an epic election rematch with Joe Biden in November. So how is a man facing 91 charges and four different criminal trials managing to defy the laws of political gravity? Is he on course to retake the White House, or could judges or swing voters stop him? In a Panorama collaboration with the Americast podcast on BBC Sounds, Justin Webb and Marianna Spring travel from the frozen plains of Iowa to the crucial swing state of Georgia to explore Donald Trump’s enduring appeal and look ahead to an unprecedented American election year.
Reporter Rory Carson meets the caravan park residents who say they have been mis-sold their properties and falsely promised they could stay in them for the rest of their lives.
Alison Holt reports on how spiralling care costs for children, the elderly and homeless people are threatening to push the councils across the UK into the red.
Ros Atkins explores how net migration to the UK has hit record levels, when the government promised in the wake of Brexit that immigration would be lower.
With more than six million people in England alone waiting for an operation on the NHS, Monika Plaha investigates the safety record of one of the UK's biggest private healthcare providers.
The rollout of smart motorways has been stopped because of safety fears, but there are still 250 miles of the network with no hard shoulder. The government says new technology will make existing stretches of smart motorways safe. But what happens when the technology doesn’t work? Panorama reveals how equipment failure and power cuts can leave motorists in danger if they break down. When the system isn’t working, the cameras won’t see you, the radar won’t find you and you’ll have no idea the motorway isn’t smart anymore. Reporter Richard Bilton meets the people whose lives have been changed by the roads that keep failing.
Panorama investigates the green projects that say they can help brands cancel out their carbon emissions. But do the claims stack up?
Bronagh Munro investigates the crime bosses who ran the Huyton Firm, who terrorised Liverpool. They are now behind bars after 10,000 of their secret messages were decrypted.
Jim Reed meets the families of some of the 380 children with bleeding disorders who were infected with HIV, to discuss their campaign for justice and what they hope for from the inquiry.
When dangerous criminals leave prison, the Probation Service should monitor them and keep the public safe. But is it up to the job?
Ruja Ignatova, the flamboyant founder of fake cryptocurrency OneCoin, is the world's most wanted woman. Dubbed the 'Missing Cryptoqueen', she's on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list after defrauding investors of USD4.5 billion and then vanishing. Did the 'Missing Cryptoqueen' run with the money, or was she killed by the very people that were supposed to protect her?
Nick Robinson interviews all the major party leaders in the run-up to the general election. How do their policies stack up? In this edition, the leader of the Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak.
Nick Robinson interviews all the major party leaders in the run-up to the general election. How do their policies stack up? In this edition, the leader of the SNP, John Swinney.
Nick Robinson interviews Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru, in the run-up to the general election.
Nick Robinson interviews Sir Keir Starmer in the run-up to the general election.
Panorama investigates a school for children with special educational needs. Places at LIFE school in the Wirral cost the local authority £50,000 or more a year per pupil, but reporter Sasha Hinde sees little teaching going on. Instead, pupils are mocked, bullied and physically abused.
Rahil Sheikh tries to discover what’s causing Britain's child health crisis and what can be done to fix it. Keir Starmer has promised his new government will tackle it, but it won’t be easy or cheap.
Labour is back in power with a big majority and some big promises. Laura Kuenssberg follows Labour’s first days in office. They say the country is broken, so can they fix it?
In June 2023, Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane. Reporter Navtej Johal investigates his history of mental ill health and the care he received.
Darragh MacIntyre reports from some of the towns and cities most affected by the recent riots in the UK and asks what can be done to prevent such violence from happening again.
What happens when smartphones are taken away from kids for a week? With the help of two families and lots of remote cameras, Panorama finds out.
Oana Marocico returns to her home country to investigate Andrew and Tristan Tate's Romanian webcam business and speaks to women who claim they’ve been abused by the brothers.
HS2 was meant to be the railway of the future, an epic piece of engineering which would get Britain moving and help level up. But more than a decade on, the costs have rocketed, key sections of the line have been scrapped, and the project is mired in uncertainty. Richard Bilton investigates what went wrong, talking to politicians, whistle-blowers and people living along the route, to discover how billions of pounds of taxpayers' money was blown.
As the cost-of-living squeeze continues to affect many, supermarkets say they’re doing what they can to help us save money, offering discounts and promotions. But just how good are these deals?
Kirsty Wark investigates the multi-billion-pound global menopause industry promising women relief from often debilitating symptoms if they buy specially branded supplements, teas and even pyjamas.
Panorama explores the breakneck rise and sensational fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, the maths genius who set out to transform the world of crypto but ended up being its biggest loser.
Jane Corbin has been following four families, two in Israel and two in Gaza, whose lives have been changed forever by the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Reporter Catrin Nye investigates the stories of Revolut customers who say scammers took tens of thousands of pounds from their accounts, and that Revolut failed to protect them.
Former nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of harming and murdering babies in her care. Now, a growing number of experts are questioning the prosecution's evidence.
For the past two years, Panorama has been following some of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters. They tell Panorama why they want him to get a second chance in the White House.
With exclusive access to the parents of Chris Kaba, who was shot dead by armed police, Panorama investigates what happened on the night of the fatal shooting.
Smart meters are supposed to make paying our energy bills easier and cheaper. But is that the whole story? In 2011, the coalition government set out plans to get smart meters into every home and said it could complete the rollout by 2019. But years later, only two-thirds of homes have one, and millions of smart meters don't work as they should. Zoe Conway investigates why there are so many problems that leave customers frustrated and out of pocket – and reveals how well your smart meter works can depend on where you live.
Richard Bilton meets the scientists trying to save the world from the consequences of climate change and investigates whether they can really make a difference.
BBC journalist Hazel Martin goes on a personal journey to find out why alcohol-related deaths from liver disease among women under 40 have risen sharply over the last decade.
Runako Celina investigates whether products made using forced Uyghur labour in the Chinese province of Xinjiang could be ending up on the shelves of some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets.
Reporter Joe Crowley investigates how Severn Trent hits environmental targets while dumping large quantities of sewage and asks whether there is more to the company’s finances than meets the eye.
Reporter Bronagh Munro investigates how the Telegram app, owned by Russian billionaire Pavel Durov, can be used to spread harmful and dangerous content.
Nick Robinson interviews all the major party leaders in the run-up to the general election. How do their policies stack up? In this edition, the leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage.
Nick Robinson interviews all the major party leaders in the run-up to the general election. How do their policies stack up? In this edition, the co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay.
Nick Robinson interviews all the major party leaders in the run-up to the general election. How do their policies stack up? In this edition, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey.
Adrian Chiles investigates the extraordinary rise of electric bikes on our streets and what that means for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
The new generation of weight loss drugs is now available on the NHS and Panorama has exclusive access to one of the UK’s top hospitals as it rolls out Wegovy, also known as Ozempic.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the way we work has been transformed, with many more of us working from home. But is that good for us, and is it good for the economy?
With huge clean energy projects stirring anger across Britain, Justin Rowlatt meets the people taking sides in the battle over rewiring Britain.
Panorama investigates the condition of rented properties in the UK. The government says that in England alone the health of two million people is under threat from mould.
It was a crime that horrified the nation. Three young girls murdered and another eight seriously injured at a Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop. Reporter Judith Moritz meets survivors of the attack
As the war in Ukraine reaches its third anniversary, the new US president says he’s the man to get a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. But just how realistic is that?
On 7 January 2025, wildfires engulfed parts of Los Angeles. Panorama examines how climate change and claims of underfunding for public services collided, producing a perfect storm.
Branwen Jeffreys meets with families and teachers to find out how they are helping some of the youngest children impacted by lockdown to catch up on their education and social development.
Alison Holt speaks to the doctors, researchers and frontline staff transforming their parts of the NHS to deliver better care.
In a special edition, Panorama travels with British doctors inside Syria to exclusively reveal the devastating impact of the war on children caught in the conflict. The doctors witness the aftermath of the bombing of a school by a suspected napalm-like incendiary device and medical facilities constantly under attack - both war crimes under international law. Filmed in the north of the country after the chemical weapons attack in Damascus which inflamed world opinion and brought America, Russia and the UN to the table, the film shows how the conventional war is intensifying with children bearing the brunt of this humanitarian catastrophe.
An extended edition of the prime minister's interview with Nick Robinson about the Brexit negoitiations, broadcast as part of Panorama on Monday 17 September.
In 1979, Panorama reporter Tom Mangold led an investigation into the trial of Jeremy Thorpe and others for the alleged conspiracy to kill Thorpe's former lover Norman Scott. Convinced that the former Liberal Party leader would be found guilty, a special post-trial programme was prepared. This was scrapped, however, when the jury returned its verdicts of not guilty for all defendants, and the programme has remained unseen for almost 40 years. Edited and updated with new information about a fresh 2017 police inquiry into the case, Tom Mangold's story shows how powerful political forces tried to protect Thorpe. The programme features revealing interviews from 1979 with Norman Scott, chief prosecution witness Peter Bessell and the alleged hitman Andrew 'Gino' Newton.
