Kevin Taylor 's 14-year search for his natural mother took him on a journey he could never have anticipated and led him to one of Britain's most notorious haunted houses.
David, Clarice and June have all had members of their families take their own lives. This documentary directed by Daniel Percival - whose motivation for making the film was his own mother's suicide - allows the three to talk candidly about suicide's devastating effects on those left behind and the guilt, shame, taboo and confusion that can make this a secret grief.
Parental fears of danger are combining with the lure of centrally heated bedrooms packed with computer games to stop children playing together on the streets. But this bleak picture of growing isolation doesn't square with tonight's film which follows five young boys from West Yorkshire as they run and climb, slip and slide to school and back.
Most people find that certain pieces of music bring memories flooding back. In this evening's film, five songs unlock the doors to five very different and very personal memories, from the birth of Sarah and Matthew Marsh's son, Monica Smallwood's childhood and Helen Turner's marriage, to the divorce which divided Donna Arnold's family and the death of Betty Steen's beloved husband.
By the time Chris Wilkinson received her first degree from the University of North London she was 56 years old and had spent 40 of those years on the street. This film follows the story of those 40 years, a saga of abuse, addiction and misery lightened by rare friendships and occasional kindness, until Chris took the fateful decision to rehabilitate herself and restart her education.
Derek is white, middle class, late 50s. Pass him on the street and you could mistake him for what he used to be - an accountant in a chocolate firm. You'd never suspect that his job now ensures a roaring trade over the bar at The Star and Garter pub in Bristol, whose regulars include many from the first generation of black immigrants to the city. He identifies completely with the cultural life brought into this country by West Indians, can't imagine living differently now and would love to follow his friends when they retire to the islands. In the meantime he's happy to be their DJ, to spin the records they like, and to go to London on expeditions to find the music his favourite generation all enjoy, but the best moment of his week is always that first pint back in The Star and Garter with his friends.
Set in Prague, this is a story of bugged bedrooms, secret assignations, smuggled bodies in car boots, and sexual blackmail reaching into the highest echelons of the British Embassy. When the Iron Curtain came down, Michael Weigall decided to travel to Prague to see if he could track down the dossier kept on him by the secret police. As Reuters correspondent to Czechoslovakia in the late 1950s, he was subjected to continual police harrassment and was eventually forced to leave. Over 30 years later, he begins to piece together the story, meeting again the woman he loved who had been subjected to secret police interrogations because of her contact with a westerner. He discovers that virtually everyone he knew informed on him, and that the secret policemen's real weapon was their ability to pressure his girlfriends.
A beautiful Cornish estate, a strange love story, a missing squire - all the ingredients for a classic tale of mystery and intrigue. The programme pieces together this extraordinary jigsaw and follows ex-superintendent Derek Fowkes with Devon and Cornwall Police on his mission to find a man he has not seen for 20 years, the missing Lord of Fir Hill Manor.
Why are some people prepared to do, and enjoy doing, work the majority would hate? From undertaker to maggot farmer, toilet cleaner to miner, these silent heroes maintain a rich sense of humour in the face of danger and dirt, and a powerful pride in what they do.
When he was 10 years old, Thomas's speech was unintelligible and his phone calls to his grandfather needed an interpreter. Now, thanks to a revolutionary technique, he can speak clearly. By following the progress of his treatment, some of the mysteries and magic of that centre of sensuality are revealed - from taste, touch and song to its vital importance as a tool for entertainment in the hands (quite literally) of mime artist Kevin Brooking.
The story, played out against a backdrop of larger-than-life characters, of Pat and George Peach 's final year as retainers at Corsham Court in Wiltshire to the unconventional Lord Methuen.
A film about the work of PC Peter Clements , the Thames Division Identification Officer, whose job is to investigate all the corpses found in the River Thames. On a cold January morning in 1995, a man's body is fished out of the river by a patrol. His pockets contain no documents at all and so the search for his identity begins.
Deep in the Gulf of Suez lies the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm. A merchant ship, it was on its way to North Africa when it was sunk by German bombers in 1941. Nine of the crew died on that moonlit night. This film tells the story of the death of the ship, tracks down the remaining survivors, returns to the site of the wreck, and dives to the seabed to discover an underwater world full of ghosts and the wreckage of a fantastic military cargo.
As a fostered black boy in a totally white community, it was not until his teens that Manchester-based poet Lemn Sissay started to ask questions about his background. This film follows his search as he travels from the North of England to the beautiful Simien Mountains of Ethiopia to try to find the father he has never seen. Once there, he makes some surprising and emotional discoveries.
Twice a day Holy Island is cut off from the Northumbrian mainland by the tide, and its inhabitants find themselves marooned. For one year, Pcture This followed five of them, and this programme, using timelapse photography, conjures up images of a life lived at a tranquil pace.
Brendan Wilson is a photographer with schizophrenia. His experiences, and those of three others with the illness, are recorded in frank interviews inter cut with an animation sequence - made with the help of Oscar-winning Aardman Animations - representing a psychotic experience.
Terry Major-Ball , elder brother of the Prime Minister, travels around Europe sending postcards from points of interest, beginning with the Channel Tunnel.
A look at the struggles and rituals that exist around the washing up bowl, from a five-year-old's attempt to avoid her turn at the sink to the daily grind of professional George, 69, who works methodically through the piles of dishes in a busy transport cafe.
The final documentary in the series is a celebration of the experiences of a group of people who worked for the French Resistance in the Second World War, and their courage in the face of fear - a powerful reminder of how ordinary people can be transformed by the extraordinary events of war. Narrated by Zoe Wanamaker.
A kaleidoscopic celebration of Luciano Pavarotti 's whirlwind visit to the Eisteddfod in Llangollen last summer, 40 years after his first visit as an amateur. The thrill of that winning performance proved the turning point in his life, when he decided to make singing his career.
The series of documentaries by new programme makers continues with the story of Dr Elizabeth Howe who, four years ago, was murdered at the Open University Summer School at York. Her husband, Jeremy, recounts a personal journey through grief and great loss that eventually brings him to the room where Elizabeth was killed.
The series for new programme-makers continues with the story of troop leader Marilyn Tucker and her friend Jane Cioni. For them life would not be the same if they weren't members of the biggest female club in the world - the Guides.
The series for new programme-makers continues with the story of Albert Johanneson. Discovered in a South African township he had been brought to Britain in the sixties to represent Leeds Utd and was the first black footballer to play in an FA Cup final.
Seven pairs of brothers and sisters speak for themselves about the pain and pleasure of being the eldest, youngest or middle child; of being mummy's boy or daddy's girl; of being the handsome one or the pretty one; the least or most favoured. A portrait of the parents also emerges. And there's a look at the enduring nature of the sibling bond and the way it shapes identity.
Wayne Percival works in the Wirral, Merseyside for one of Britain's oldest insurance companies. He is under increasing pressure to sell more and it's his job to ask customers uncomfortable questions about life and death. This film follows him on his daily circuit as he confronts people with their worst nightmares, hoping to encourage them to opt for financial security.
Gillian Lacey , who also directs this programme, tells the story behind a photograph album which she bought in London. Intrigued by the family shots inside, she resolved to establish the origin of the pictures.
The documentary series concludes with this powerful portrait of Lorraine, a mother from a small Welsh town. When three of her four sons became involved with drugs, taking food and clothes to pay for their habit, the family home was reduced to a war zone. Too late to stop her sons from taking drugs, Lorraine set up a self-help group for others. But she became caught up in a tragedy that affected her neighbours, friends and relations.
This first film portrays the lives of a group of people who all wait on tables. Ellen became a waitress as a 14-year-old when she moved to London. At night, she works for a catering firm that has employed her friend Pam as a waitress for 16 years. Meanwhile Sasa, who arrived in Devon from Serbia six years ago, is astonishing guests with his eccentric approach at a Torquay hotel.
Film-maker and former performance artist Annie Griffin provides an insight into the hectic world of television channel MTV Europe, when she spends a day shadowing the company's creative director Peter Dougherty, who gave Griffin her first break in television five years ago.
A quintessential image of England, Beachy Head has also gained infamy as a spot for people determined to commit suicide. Members of the local community talk about how the area's grim reputation shapes their day-to-day lives.
The reel of the 51st is one of the most famous and best-loved Scottish dances, but the origin of its steps date back to a Second World War battlefield. Kate Bannatyne's film traces how members of the Scottish 51st Highland division created the dance after being captured at Dunkirk in 1940.
As a result of contracting meningitis as a toddler, Nick Stephens is now paralysed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair. But in 1996 he won a place at New College, Oxford University, to study law. With the help of camera attached to his wheelchair, Nick tells the story of his first term at Oxford.
Each year, from March to October, 250 painters set about the task of painting the nation's electricity pylons. The work is uncomfortable and carries considerable health risks. Kirkham Jackson 's film follows a team of four painters who remain undeterred by the hazards of their profession.
In London's Leicester Square, TJ, Sumi and Bobby compete with other portrait painters for commissions from visiting tourists and passers-by. In Preeya Lai's film, the trio discuss the factors that compelled them to earn their living on the streets. Series editor Peter Symes
For the past 40 years, Acorn Films and David Piggott have been making the Chingford Newsreels. In the style of the old Pathe or Movietone films, they record the changing face of life in the London suburb. The programme follows Piggott and Tim Emblem-English as they record another year.
Ten years ago, The Herald of Free Enterprise capsized, killing 193 people. One of the ferry's passengers, Andrew Parker , saved over 20 people by forming a "human bridge" in the freezing water. He was hailed as an overnight hero but fame has carried a heavy price and his own life has been a long struggle to return from disaster to normality.
A tongue-in-cheek look at the history and design of the swimsuit as a group of women share their experiences of trying to find the perfect costume.
A portrait of a woman's desire to refurbish her hotel before her inevitable death from cancer.
In November 1974, young singer/songwriter Nick Drake was found dead in his bedroom, having just released his third album. Twenty-five years later, Drake has become a cult figure, yet he remains an enigma. Family, friends and fans help with this look at who he was and what made him an extraordinary musician.
In September 1997, English Heritage erected one of their Blue Plaques to the memory of Hendrix at his former London home, 23 Brook Street. This documentary, showing in the strand of films by new directors, recounts the story of the plaque - from the initial idea by Hendrix's sometime girlfriend Kathy Etchingham to the eventual unveiling by Who guitarist Pete Townshend.
Vincent Ezeala and Ishmael Adams fled from persecution and war in Africa and now, having settled in Britain, they play for the Fugee Stars football team in a Sunday league on Teesside. Dominick French's film tells of the pair's traumatic experiences, the dangers they faced as stowaways and, of course, their love of football.
Tonight's film is director/producer Simon Kerfoot's examination of meeting a partner's parents. Flo Plant has decided to take her boyfriend Tim Foden home to meet her mother and stepfather. Plant and Foden's predicament is observed, with a cast of fellow sufferers adding memories of their experiences.
This celebration of childhood looks at the relationships children have with their imaginary companions. Alice's make-believe friend always travels in her pocket, while Miles's soulmate runs two antique shops under the sofa.
Some men find a lack of a good head of hair a problem. This documentary follows two follically-challenged individuals as they pursue the prospect of medical treatment and surgery, while a receding Rastafarian eschews these options in favour of revealing his true, bald self.
Belarus received the highest amount of nuclear fallout from the Chernobyl disaster of all the Soviet republics. This programme follows a group of young Belarussian visitors to the UK who were brought here by the charity The Chernobyl Children Lifeline.
Janet Oldroyd Hulme , known as the high priest of rhubarb, has the plant in her blood - her family has been growing it for generations and is now one of a diminishing group of producers in the triangle between Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield. Diane Myers's film captures her determination to keep the flag flying for this remarkable crop.
Harry Findlay is a compulsive gambler, regularly betting thousands of pounds on football, tennis, the dogs or the horses. Stuart Mitchell 's film profiles his unpredictable lifestyle and, when things get out of control, discovers the meaning of the phrase "stood for this massive".
He shares a birthday with Fidel Castro and has a cab painted with the Cuban flag. Against all advice but with a priest by his side, Tony Caccavone sets out on a mission to join the leader and people of Cuba.
John Robert Using death notices in the local paper, this film pieces together the life of an ordinary Liverpudlian.
From their heyday in the Victorian era to today's last surviving pierrot troupe, clowns in conical hats with pompoms have been a feature of the British seaside. On a Spring Bank Holiday in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, five men with silly names salute the tradition and prepare to indulge themselves in their second childhood.
Prostitutes turned poets are among the women working at the Doncaster Street Reach Project. The film charts the development and publication of their writing, guided by poet-in-residence Ian McMillan.
Wayne, 16, lives with his extensive family in Allison Street, Lincoln. He spends his days dreaming of Kimberley, a girl who shows no signs of responding to his poetic correspondence.
When Russian ballet dancers Alia and Ella form a new troupe in their adopted home of Bristol they have great hopes. However, managing the Pavlov Ballet makes exacting demands on the twin sisters.