Documentaries

Younge on Obama - Performance Notes on a Presidency
Episode 2
As Obama's campaign to win a 2nd term ramps up Gary Younge assesses his performance so far
23 Oct 2011,30 mins
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Tony Benn on the Radio
David Davis MP gives a personal exploration of Tony Benn's life and ideas.
15 Mar 2014,60 mins
Here's How the Story Ends
Series 1
Portsmouth After the Riots
Giles Edwards asks what happened in Portsmouth after the anti-paedophile riots in 2000.
19 Jun 2017,28 mins
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Gwen John: A Portrait of Independence
Journey through the trailblazing life and art of Gwen John, from Tenby to Paris.
30 Jan 2026,29 mins
Lines of Resistance
Poet Bridget Minamore explores how women have created their own literary narratives.
15 Oct 2017,30 mins
Dwelling
Strange Boats
The stories of migration past and present that have shaped the Derry and Donegal region.
06 Dec 2018,28 mins
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London Calling
Aminatta Forna tells the extraordinary story of hard-living writer Jack London.
20 Nov 2014,30 mins
The Migrant Medics
Is it fair for the rich world to cherry-pick the best doctors from poorer countries?
18 May 2020,28 mins
A Soft Day
Author Carlo Gebler shows how rain has saturated Ireland's poetry and shaped his identity.
23 Apr 2023,28 mins
Sandhurst and the Sheikhs
How does training at Sandhurst Academy bolster militarised monarchies of the Arab world?
27 Aug 2014,28 mins
Care to Be a Nurse?
Christina Patterson explores why nursing sometimes goes wrong and what can put it right.
27 Nov 2012,28 mins
The Rattigan Versions
Memories of Terence Rattigan from Donald Sinden
Memories of playwright Terence Rattigan, from actor Sir Donald Sinden.
10 Jun 2011,15 mins
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Who Will Call Me Beloved?
Writer Tania Hershman on the word ‘beloved’ and commemorating single people when they die.
11 Nov 2019,28 mins
The Stasi Jigsaw Puzzle
Chris Bowlby tells the story of the attempt to rescue East Germany's Stasi secret files.
14 Sep 2012,30 mins
A Last Excuse Me Dance
The first reunion in 70 years of writer Shirley Hughes and her 1940s dancing partner
24 Jan 2012,30 mins
Analysing the Child Sex Offender
Psychotherapist and author Susie Orbach investigates the mind of the child sex abuser.
11 Dec 2012,28 mins
The Man Who Drew the Line
How and why did Cyril Radcliffe draw the line of partition between India and Pakistan?
11 Aug 2017,28 mins
Humiliation
Psychotherapist Philippa Perry examines the influence of humiliation today.
01 Apr 2018,28 mins
Look At What You Could Have Won
A reappraisal of the 80s TV quiz Bullseye, asking what we've lost and what we've become.
20 Dec 2021,28 mins
The Sound Makers
Paul Gambaccini meets sound engineers James Lock and Geoff Emerick.
05 Feb 2008,30 mins
Unplayable: Disability and the Gaming Revolution
The disabled gamers making gaming more accessible.
28 Jan 2021,28 mins
The Magic Money Forest
Dharshini David explores how the money taps were turned back on.
14 Dec 2020,28 mins
Was Dracula Irish?
Irish novelist Patrick McCabe explores the Irish influences on Bram Stoker's Dracula.
08 Oct 2012,28 mins
When Will Theatre Come Black?
As the sector rebuilds, Bridget Minamore imagines a new future for Black British theatre.
15 Dec 2020,28 mins
Lord Gnome Aged 49 and Three Quarters
As Private Eye nears 50, Michael Crick traces its ups and downs and assesses its impact.
08 Oct 2011,30 mins
Josie Long's Gambit
Josie Long celebrates the pleasures of chess as she rekindles her own love for the game.
29 Dec 2019,28 mins
From Worcester with Love
Episode 2
Peter White returns to his blind boarding school to find out what it's like for pupils now
21 Nov 2012,28 mins
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Build and Be Damned
The Victorians built grand ambitious railways, sewers and tunnels. Should we do the same?
09 Sep 2014,28 mins
Ursula Le Guin at 85
Naomi Alderman talks to novelist Ursula Le Guin and hears from fans including Neil Gaiman.
09 Apr 2015,30 mins
Inside the World of the Frequent Flyer
The frequent flyers who will stop at nothing to achieve airline status and rack up mileage
05 Mar 2018,28 mins