The BEST episodes of BBC Documentaries season 2018
Every episode of BBC Documentaries season 2018, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of BBC Documentaries season 2018!
Documentaries produced by or for the BBC.
#1 - Secrets of the Masons
Season 2018 - Episode 53 - Aired 3/19/2018
In Secrets of the Masons, cameras for the first time go behind the doors of the Grand Masonic Lodge of Scotland, in Edinburgh, the home of freemasonry, and lift the veil on the inner secrets of this normally closed world. With exclusive access to its 400-year-old archive, its members around the country and its grand master, who presides over 1,000 lodges and 100,000 Scottish Freemasons worldwide, we film at lodge meetings, the selection of new candidates and the installation of grand masters. This documentary explores the truth about an organisation characterised by many for funny handshakes and rolled trouser legs, and by others as a dangerous, secret society, "the hidden hand that has shaped Scotland". We discover famous Scots whose careers have been "helped" by being masons, including Robert Burns and leading light in the Scottish Enlightenment, James Watt. Deputy Scottish Grandmaster Ramsay McGee, ex assistant chief constable of Northern Constabulary, remembers when, in the 1970s, 50 per cent of the force under him were masons. But he defends the close links between freemasonry and the police - "I could argue all policemen should be masons, it would make them much better men!" In the bomb-proof safes below the grand lodge in Edinburgh's George Street, archivist Robert Cooper, in white gloves, finds the original minutes of the first lodge meeting in 1598. We trace how this organisation grew from stonemasons to freemasons, became enshrined in America, where 40 per cent of presidents have been masons, was banned by the Pope and Hitler, and "done in", in Robert Cooper's words, by Dan Brown. And we ask if its lasting legacy is less its influence and more its secrecy.
#2 - The Big Crash Diet Experiment
Season 2018 - Episode 113 - Aired 5/30/2018
Crash diets have long had a bad reputation, but some experts say it's time to think again about the black sheep of the dieting world. Dr Javid Abdelmoneim teams up with some of Britain's top scientists in a bold new experiment that puts the latest research on crash dieting to the test. Four obese volunteers with serious weight-related health issues, including type 2 diabetes, go on an extreme weight-loss programme and give up real food, surviving on a very low calorie soups-and-shakes diet. Will they lose weight in the long run and turn around their health problems? If it works, this radical approach to weight loss could help millions, save the NHS billions of pounds and revolutionise the way we diet.
#3 - Disco and Beyond with Ana Matronic and Martyn Ware
Season 2018 - Episode 243 - Aired 10/12/2018
Former Scissor Sisters singer Ana Matronic along with Martyn Ware, who was in both The Human League and Heaven 17, reveal a playlist packed with disco classics and more. Each song is hand-picked, and as they watch the performances, they explain the reasons behind their choices. Discover why the Scissor Sisters owe a debt to Boney M, and how Martyn Ware helped revive the career of a singing icon. From Donna Summer to the Doctor Who theme tune and The Temptations to Tina Turner, their playlist holds dance-along gems interwoven with candid stories.
#4 - King Arthur's Britain - The Truth Unearthed
Season 2018 - Episode 224 - Aired 9/16/2018
With exclusive access to a major new excavation, Alice Roberts pulls together all the latest evidence to reveal what Dark Age Britain was really like. In the fifth century, the future of Britain hung in the balance; after four centuries of straight roads and hot and cold running water the Romans upped and left, called back to support their own ailing Empire. The country quickly descended into chaos, plunging the native population into poverty and instability as their livelihoods - many dependent on the Romans - disappeared almost overnight. The nation was vulnerable and it didn't take long for Anglo-Saxon invaders to take advantage; a vast bloodthirsty army quickly overran the country, killing the locals and settling down to change the history of the British Isles forever. At least, that is what the fragmentary historical texts record, but the truth is we don't actually know what happened. There is no reliable written account of events and for two whole centuries sources provide the names of less than ten individuals. This pivotal moment in our national history has been shrouded in mystery until now. In this landmark history film, Professor Alice Roberts uses exciting new archaeological discoveries to decode the myths and medieval fake news, piecing together a very different story of this turning point in Britain's history. The story begins with exclusive access to the excavations of an unprecedented stone palace complex on the Tintagel peninsula in Cornwall. Long known to have been a Dark Age settlement the new evidence reveals that Tintagel was also a seat of power, but who ruled there? The rocky outcrop has mythical connections with the legendary King Arthur, but there has never been any evidence found that he actually lived there or even existed. Alice explores the link between the Arthur legend and the location, tracking down the early sources for the period and the first written reference to King Arthur. She discove
#5 - Beats, Bass and Bars: The Story of Grime
Season 2018 - Episode 242 - Aired 10/12/2018
Almost 20 years on from its first beginnings, grime dominates the music charts and awards ceremonies, and even influences politics. Here, rapper Rodney P examines how grime rose from the council estates of east London to become the most important British musical movement since punk. He discovers that its success rests upon the original styles and contributions of previous generations of artists and learns that grime can only be truly understood when viewed as part of a broader social narrative and ever-evolving musical culture that goes back to the 1980s.
#6 - Philippines: Island Treasures
Season 2018 - Episode 241 - Aired 10/7/2018
Nature fanatic Mike Dilger and BBC World News broadcaster Rico Hizon go in search of rich culture and rare wildlife in the Philippines. Travelling through the beautiful, tropical islands of Palawan, Coron and Luzon, Mike and Rico discover creatures living deep in an underground river, visit the eerie hanging coffins of Sagada and team up with local conservation teams as part of their journey to explore the distinct beauty, history and contemporary culture of these islands.
#7 - Glasgow, Love and Apartheid
Season 2018 - Episode 240 - Aired 10/9/2018
It's 100 years since Nelson Mandela was born and 70 years since the official introduction of the Apartheid laws in South Africa. Director Dhivya-Kate Chetty tells her family's story, following her parents Radha and Maggie - a mixed, and once 'illegal' couple - on a trip from Glasgow back to South Africa. Stories of the past begin to unfold, with tales of resistance, protests, surveillance, an uncle in jail and a surprise connection with Mandela, in hiding. The film blends stories of several family members to create a personal and moving account of apartheid and the fight for its downfall, illustrated by a rich archive of 8mm home movies shot in South Africa and Scotland in the 60s, 70s and 80s. It is an intimate portrayal of the effects of apartheid on one family spread across two continents - from the pain of migration, to the daily indignities of one of the abominations of the 20th century. It is a film about the past and the present, truth and reconciliation, a city united and a Glasgow love story in Super 8.
#8 - Eamonn McCann: A Long March
Season 2018 - Episode 239 - Aired 10/8/2018
A profile of the 75-year-old journalist and political activist, who was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Foyle constituency in 2016 after 50 years as a political outsider. McCann was one of the founding organisers of the Derry Housing Action Committee and was central to the setting up of the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign
#9 - Return to TS Eliotland
Season 2018 - Episode 238 - Aired 10/8/2018
AN Wilson explores the life and work of TS Eliot. From the halls of Harvard University to a Somerset village, via a Margate promenade shelter, he follows the spiritual and psychological journey that Eliot took in his most iconic poems. From The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock to The Waste Land and from Ash Wednesday to Four Quartets, Wilson traces Eliot's life story as it informs his greatest works. Wilson travels to the places that inspired them, visiting Eliot's family's holiday home on the Massachusetts coast, following the poet to Oxford, where he met and married his first wife, Vivien Haigh-Wood, and on to London. He explores how Eliot's realisation that he and Vivien were fundamentally incompatible influenced The Waste Land and examines how Eliot's subsequent conversion to Anglicanism coloured his later works. Wilson concludes his journey by visiting some of the key locations around which the poet structured his final masterpiece, Four Quartets. Eliot's poetry is widely regarded as complex and difficult; it takes on weighty ideas of time, memory, faith and belief, themes which Wilson argues have as much relevance today as during the poet's lifetime. And whilst hailing his genius, Wilson does not shy away from confronting the discomforting and dark side of his work - the poems now widely regarded as anti-Semitic.
#10 - Troubles: The Life After
Season 2018 - Episode 237 - Aired 10/6/2018
Poetic, intimate account of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, told through the stories of a handful of people who lost loved ones during the conflict. The Life After marks not only the 50th anniversary of the start of the Troubles but is a timely reminder of what could be at stake when the still fragile peace comes under new pressures, in the event of a hard border following Brexit. From 1969 to 2001, 3,532 people were killed and 47,541 injured as a result of the Troubles. Many of these were civilians caught in the crossfire as conflict and murder became part of the daily narrative. A steady succession of British and Irish politicians made promises, looked for solutions, formed unlikely alliances and wondered privately what could possibly be done to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Politicians and diplomats around the world strove for a solution, and even American presidents felt compelled to get involved. Amidst the headlines and the rhetoric ordinary people were being killed, maimed and terrorised. This film, directed by multiple Bafta winner Brian Hill and first-time director Niamh Kennedy, tells some of their stories. Stories like that of Virtue Dixon, whose daughter Ruth was killed on her 24th birthday when she was celebrating at the Droppin' Well Inn in 1982. An INLA bomb brought the roof down, killing both civilians and British soldiers. Virtue tells the story of the aftermath, of how life changed forever after the murder of Ruth. She does so partly in interview but also in specially written verses from Northern Irish poet Nick Laird. Each person in the film has their own poem, which crystallises and amplifies elements of their story. Moving from the particular and the individual to the general, Laird has written a poetic narration, spoken by Northern Irish actress Bronagh Gallagher, in which issues such as collusion are discussed. Archive footage is also employed to reveal more about the conflict and the times. Within the narratives are important question
#11 - Wonders of The Great Barrier Reef with Iolo Williams
Season 2018 - Episode 236 - Aired 10/3/2018
On the other side of the world under the crystal clear blue waters of the Pacific Ocean lies one of the most enchanting places on the planet. Over ten thousand miles away on the north eastern coast of Australia lies the Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of our world. It provides shelter to some hidden wildlife sanctuaries that contain some magical marine creatures. Invited on a reef adventure by Emmy Award-winning underwater cinematographer and marine biologist Richard Fitzpatrick, conservationist and naturalist Iolo Williams dives deep beneath the surface of the coral sea to discover what state this natural wonder is in. Together they travel from the extreme swells of the northern part of the reef right down to the cooler pristine corals of the south. They discover how healthy the Great Barrier Reef really is in some of its key locations to see and find out if there are real signs of hope the reef can survive the threat of global warming.
#12 - The Bank That Almost Broke Britain
Season 2018 - Episode 235 - Aired 10/2/2018
Ten years on from the global financial crash, this documentary tells the extraordinary story of how a small Scottish bank briefly grew to become the biggest in the world before collapsing and triggering the largest financial bail-out in British history. It focuses on a single day, 7 October 2008, when the Royal Bank of Scotland collapsed and almost took the entire UK banking system down with it. This dramatic financial thriller, set over 24 hours, is intercut with the story of the amazing rise and shocking fall of RBS. The film reveals how much of RBS's growth lay in the lucrative American subprime market and acquisitions of banks like Greenwich Capital, which were using CDOs to generate huge profits. And as RBS's profits grew spectacularly, so did its lavish spending. Goodwin flew in private RBS jets and commissioned a new £350m HQ on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Never-before-seen footage reveals the spectacular opening party at Gogarburn, attended by the Queen and the cream of Scottish society. But less than three years later, thanks largely to the collapse of the subprime mortgage market in the US, Goodwin's bank was on its knees, and those charged with protecting the British economy were faced with a stark choice - save RBS or risk the country's banking system being taken down by its collapse. Alistair Darling and the team reveal what it was like to have just 24 hours to come up with a plan and strike a deal with all of Britain's major banks, with the nation's economy at stake. In all, the bailout was to cost the taxpayer well over a trillion pounds and would effectively take RBS into public ownership. Fred Goodwin was forced to leave the bank that he had run for eight extraordinary years, but public anger centred on the fact that he hung on to most of his huge RBS pension and that no further action was taken against him, his team or the board of RBS. However, in 2012 he was stripped of his knighthood. Ten years on since that dramatic collapse and bailout,
#13 - The no. 5 War
Season 2018 - Episode 215 - Aired 8/30/2018
The story, both thrilling and dark, of the world's most famous perfume. In 1921, Coco Chanel's revolutionary perfume concept was as audacious as her outlandish designer clothing. At its launch, it was an instant hit. From the 1920s to the 1940s the Number 5 brand was at the centre of a war between the celebrated designer and her entrepreneurial business partners, the Wertheimer brothers. During WWII, with the help of her high-ranking Nazi lover, Coco Chanel attempted to oust her Jewish partners - who had fled German-occupied France and were operating the business from New Jersey - to take control of the highly lucrative business.
#14 - The Debt Saviours
Season 2018 - Episode 234 - Aired 10/5/2018
Across Britain more than four million people have debts considered unsustainable. Responsibility for advising and helping these vulnerable people is increasingly falling to charities. One of the biggest is Christians Against Poverty (CAP), led by its charismatic founder, Dr John Kirkby CBE, pictured. In this access all areas documentary, director Phillip Wood follows Dr Kirkby and some of the charity's debt coaches. CAP has more than 6,000 staff and volunteers around the country providing help to people who often face losing their homes. The film shows how the home visits often include an offer to pray with clients and asks whether the real motivation is debt relief or bringing people to Jesus, or both.
#15 - Drowning in Plastic
Season 2018 - Episode 233 - Aired 10/1/2018
Our blue planet is facing one its biggest threats in human history. Trillions of pieces of plastic are choking the very lifeblood of our earth, and every marine animal, from the smallest plankton to the largest mammals, is being affected. But can we turn back this growing plastic tide before it is too late? In this 90-minute special, wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin visits scientists working at the cutting edge of plastics research. She works with some of the world's leading marine biologists and campaigners to discover the true dangers of plastic in our oceans and what it means for the future of all life on our planet, including us. Liz travels 10,000 miles to a remote island off the coast of Australia that is the nesting site for a population of seabirds called flesh-footed shearwaters. Newly hatched chicks are unable to regurgitate effectively, so they are filling up on deadly plastic. Then, in America, she joins an emergency mission to save an entangled grey seal pup found in some of the world's busiest fishing areas, and visits the Coral Triangle that stretches from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands to find out more from top coral scientists trying to work out why plastic is so lethal to the reefs, fragile ecosystems that contain 25 per cent of all marine life. Liz learns that the world's biggest rivers have been turned into huge plastic arteries, transporting 50 per cent of all the plastic that arrives in the ocean. She travels to Indonesia, where she watches a horrifying raft of plastic rubbish travel down one of the main rivers, the Citarum. Here, 60 per cent of fish species have died, so fishermen are now forced to collect plastic to sell instead of fish. With the world only now waking up to this emerging crisis, Liz also looks at whether scientists have found any solutions. She meets the 24-year-old inventor of a monumental 600-metre construction that will travel across the ocean's 'garbage patches' collecting millions of pieces of plastic pollution.
#16 - Farther and Sun: A Dyslexic Road Trip
Season 2018 - Episode 231 - Aired 9/30/2018
Could dyslexia be a gift? Or can it only ever be a disability? Documentary maker Richard Macer sets off on a road trip with his dyslexic son Arthur to find the answer. En route, they meet Richard Branson and Eddie Izzard, and many other successful dyslexic people. Dyslexia is a difficulty with reading and writing that affects one in ten people. It causes misery to many schoolchildren, and it can lead to greater problems later in life. Fifty per cent of prisoners are thought to be dyslexic, but at the same time, many successful people are also dyslexic, and businesses like Google, Nasa and GCHQ see the benefit in a neuro-diverse workforce. Richard and Arthur are looking for an answer to this conundrum and interview academics, scientists and designers. But there is a personal narrative too. Richard struggled at school just like his son, and now 40 years on, he is assessed for dyslexia. Will the result give him closure on a lifetime of feeling different? And if he is dyslexic, does that mean his son has inherited a gift or a curse?
#17 - George Shelley: Learning to Grieve
Season 2018 - Episode 230 - Aired 9/30/2018
In May 2017, the musician and presenter George Shelley tragically lost his sister in a sudden accident. Harriet Shelley was 21 and her brother's closest confidante. In his first documentary, George courageously opens up about his struggles with grief. Having spent the last 12 months struggling to talk about his loss and to deal with it, George embarks on a series of extraordinarily candid and raw discussions with his parents and best friend in a bid to help him cope with, and better understand, the process of grieving. He opens up to them in ways he has never done before and, for the first time, also speaks to other young people who have suffered the loss of a sibling, and to others from his generation who can share advice and guidance about coping mechanisms. Research suggests that bereavement is linked to high rates of suicide and mental health problems among young people. Bereavement is an extremely important issue because of the enormous and serious impact it has on wider society, especially with people under 30 being renowned for not talking about grief. George explores the relationship between his own grief and mental health. He spiralled into a deep depression when his sister died and discusses some of the revelations he has subsequently discovered about himself following conversations he has had with medical professionals.
#18 - Hollywood's Brightest Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Season 2018 - Episode 229 - Aired 9/27/2018
Documentary about Hollywood wild-child Hedy Lamarr. Fleeing to America after escaping her Nazi sympathiser husband, Hedy Lamarr conquered Hollywood. Known as 'the most beautiful woman in the world' she was infamous for her marriages and affairs, from Spencer Tracy to JFK. This film rediscovers her not only as an actress, but as the brilliant mind who co-invented 1940's wireless technology.
#19 - The Price of Fast Fashion
Season 2018 - Episode 228 - Aired 9/21/2018
We are consuming fashion at a rate never before seen on our planet. 100 billion garments are manufactured every year and the fashion industry continually tempts us to buy more with new ranges in the shops. But this so-called fast fashion is taking a toll on the environment. Clothes production can cause pollution and uses lots of precious natural resources, as well as creating mountains of waste that go to landfill. So what, if anything, is the fashion industry doing about this? Fashion lover Assefeh Barrat follows every stage of the production process - from cotton growers in the USA, to factory owners in Turkey and designers in the West to see who is leading the way in reducing fashion's environmental impact. And she asks consumers if they are really willing to change their fast fashion habits.
#20 - Stacey Dooley: Face to Face with Armageddon
Season 2018 - Episode 227 - Aired 9/25/2018
Should we all be making plans for the end of the world? In America, a movement of people, called preppers, are doing all they can to make sure they survive global disaster. Stacey spends time with three prepper communities who are gearing up for uncertain futures, with concerns ranging from civil unrest and nuclear war, to climate change and natural disasters. Some have bought bunkers to escape to, others have isolated themselves from society. Stacey explores the reasons why they are going to such lengths to protect themselves. And she asks - should I be following their lead?
#21 - The Flu That Killed 50 Million
Season 2018 - Episode 226 - Aired 9/25/2018
It is 1918 and the end of WWI. Millions have died, and the world is exhausted by war. But soon a new horror is sweeping the world, a terrifying virus that will kill more than fifty million people - the Spanish flu. Using dramatic reconstruction and eyewitness testimony from doctors, soldiers, civilians and politicians, this one-off special brings to life the onslaught of the disease, the horrors of those who lived through it and the efforts of the pioneering scientists desperately looking for the cure. The film also asks whether, a century later, the lessons learnt in 1918 might help us fight a future global flu pandemic.
#22 - We the People
Season 2018 - Episode 225 - Aired 9/16/2018
Exploring the enduring influence of the Scotch-Irish in American politics, from the American Revolution to the present day, and how they helped guarantee the freedoms many American's take for granted today.
#23 - Dan Cruickshank's Monuments of Remembrance
Season 2018 - Episode 265 - Aired 11/4/2018
On the centenary of the end of the conflict, Dan Cruickshank reveals the extraordinary story behind the design and building of the iconic World War One cemeteries and memorials - including those at the Somme and Gallipoli - and of the remarkable man whose vision created them.
#24 - The Fires that Foretold Grenfell
Season 2018 - Episode 255 - Aired 10/30/2018
This 60-minute documentary is the dramatic, haunting story of five fires that foretold the Grenfell disaster, told through the eyes of those directly involved. This vivid and moving film for BBC Two collates the memories of survivors, the bereaved, fire-fighters, safety experts and the politicians linked to five intensely fierce fire disasters that preceded Grenfell. This telling collection of interviews and archive footage shows the clear warnings that existed and could have predicted a Grenfell-type inferno happening in Britain. The programme focuses on three factors: the application of flammable material and cladding to buildings, the 'Stay Put' advice given by fire services, the absence of sprinklers - and how they contributed to each of the previous five blazes, sometimes with fatal consequences. Made over the course of 12 months, the film tells the story of the legislative history of building regulations from 1973 to the present day through five fires. It explores the causes, subsequent investigations and the recommendations that were sent to successive UK governments, ultimately posing the question: if lessons had been learned as a result of tragic repetition of errors over the decades, could Grenfell have been avoided? The five fires revisited include the Summerland disaster, Douglas, Isle of Man (1973), Knowsley Heights fire, Liverpool (1991), Garnock Court fire, Irvine, N Ayrshire (1999), Harrow Court fire, Stevenage, Herts (2005), and Lakanal House, London (2009).
#25 - Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas
Season 2018 - Episode 175 - Aired 7/28/2018
Drama set in the 16th century. Horse trader Michael Kohlhaas is wrongfully taxed by a corrupt baron, his horses taken from him and his servant attacked. Thwarted in his attempts to seek compensation through the courts, he raises an army and begins a revolt in search of justice.