The BEST episodes of Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries season 2008

#1 - 1983 Brink of Apocalypse

Season 2008 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/5/2008

On this near-fateful day, a series of accidents nearly unleashed the Third World War. Senior figures in the Soviet Union had convinced themselves that they were about to come under nuclear attack from the West, and the vast Soviet nuclear arsenal of missiles, bombers and submarines were put on maximum alert, ready to launch a full nuclear retaliatory attack on Western Europe and the US. Armageddon beckoned.

#2 - The Harp

Season 2008 - Episode 14 - Aired 4/4/2008

Harpist Catrin Finch takes a musical journey to discover the ancient and fascinating history of the harp in Wales and the world, with interviews and performances from internationally-renowned guests including Alan Stivell, Carlos Orosco, Alemu Aga, Isabelle Perrin and Elinor Bennett.

#3 - Jamie Cooks...Christmas

Season 2008 - Episode 29 - Aired 12/18/2008

Jamie’s Essex home is wreathed in decorations and he's cooking food for the whole season, with help from his friend and former mentor, Gennaro Contald.

#4 - Booze: A Young Person's Guide

Season 2008 - Episode 28 - Aired 2/4/2008

A candid view of the highs and lows of drinking, this programme explores the risks that young people expose themselves to when drinking.

#5 - Quest for the Lost Ark

Season 2008 - Episode 27 - Aired 3/14/2008

#6 - The Qur'an

Season 2008 - Episode 26 - Aired 7/14/2008

#7 - Inside Hamas

Season 2008 - Episode 25 - Aired 2/10/2008

#8 - The Secrets of the 12 Disciples

Season 2008 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/23/2008

In The Secrets of the Twelve Disciples, broadcast in Easter 2008, Beckford explored Paul the Apostle's role in founding the Church and his relationship with Jesus' family; the Roman Catholic Church's claim to Saint Peter; Thomas the Apostle's travels to India; James, son of Zebedee as a patron saint of Spain; the demonisation of Judas Iscariot; and female Apostles.

#9 - The Victorian Sex Explorer

Season 2008 - Episode 23 - Aired 6/9/2008

Rupert Everett takes a revealing and witty journey, retracing the steps of one of his great heroes: the infamous author, explorer and sexual adventurer, Sir Richard Burton.

#10 - Sex Change Soldier

Season 2008 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/21/2008

Captain Ian Hamilton is one of the most highly decorated officers in the British Army - and the first officer and paratrooper to undergo a sex-change operation.

#11 - The Man Inside Dame Edna

Season 2008 - Episode 21 - Aired 1/9/2008

A character portrait of the enigmatic comedian Barry Humphries on his most recent Australian tour and an examination of the connections to his two most famous alter egos, Dame Edna and Sir Les Patterson. Interviews include Bruce Beresford and Geoffrey Rush.

#12 - The Queen's Coronation: Behind Palace Doors

Season 2008 - Episode 20 - Aired 9/15/2008

This documentary uncovers the tensions and conflict between the Queen Mother and Prince Philip in the build-up to Princess Elizabeth's coronation in 1953.

#13 - Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy

Season 2008 - Episode 19 - Aired 9/14/2008

A group of fossil hunters uncover not only the bones of a 77 million year old dinosaur, but its mummified and fossilized 'body'. After excavating the duckbill nicknamed 'Leonardo', scientists begin a battery of tests including a radiographic autopsy. Journey along with a team of paleontology experts as they make several astonishing discoveries including the creature's last meal and never-before-seen internal organs.

#14 - Prince John: The Windsors' Tragic Secret

Season 2008 - Episode 18 - Aired 11/18/2008

Prince John was born in 1904 as the youngest child of George V and died in 1919 after a severe epileptic seizure. This is the story of the young prince's tragically short life.

#15 - America Unchained

Season 2008 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/5/2008

Between October and December 2006, Dave Gorman undertook a coast to coast road trip across the United States of America. A book about the trip, entitled America Unchained: A Freewheeling Roadtrip In Search of Non-Corporate USA, was released on 3 April 2008. The rationale for the trip was to discover whether it is possible to travel across the USA without ever patronising any corporate or chain-style businesses. Thus Dave ate, slept and filled his car in restaurants, hotels and gas stations which were independently owned.

#16 - The Last Duel

Season 2008 - Episode 15 - Aired 4/23/2008

Drama-documentary telling the story of one of the last trials by battle to be fought in Europe, a tale of sex, brutality and political machination set in 14th century medieval France. A knight, Sir Jean de Carrouges, accuses his former best friend, Jacques Le Gris, of raping his wife Marguerite. Unable to obtain justice from his feudal overlord, Carrouges appeals to the king for the ancient right to fight a duel to the death to find out God's truth. There is much at stake. If Carrouges dies in the battle, Marguerite will also be burned to death as a liar. This tense story, told from records of the day, is set against the backdrop of the 100 years war between England and France, 14th century attitudes towards women, crime and punishment and the political intrigues of the feudal system. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074sh3

#17 - Seven Wonders of the Muslim World

Season 2008 - Episode 13 - Aired 7/17/2008

The story of seven pilgrims to Mecca are interwoven with seven great Mosques of the world and the foundations of the Islamic Faith.

#18 - The Fun Police

Season 2008 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/4/2008

"Conkers and donkey derbys banned; trees and hanging baskets identified as a threat to human safety... But who are the so-called 'fun police' that are apparently banishing all risk from our everyday lives? This film goes behind the headlines to tell the tale of the inspectors, consultants and council officials who make it their business to protect us from harm"

#19 - The Man Who Killed Christ

Season 2008 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/23/2008

In AD 26, Pilate was sent by Emperor Tiberius to police the troublesome Roman province of Judea. For 10 years he ruled with great success, but his career is remembered only for the part he played in one of the most infamous events in human history - the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. With testimony from some of Britain's most eminent theological and Roman scholars, including the Bishop of Durham, Dr Tom Wright, Biblical expert Professor John Barclay, Roman expert Professor Michael Whitby and Pilate specialist Dr Helen Bond, this film reassesses Pilate's actions and motives.

#20 - Jamie's Fowl Dinners

Season 2008 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/11/2008

Having taken on the state of school dinners, Jamie is turning ringmaster to tackle an issue that raises difficult questions about animal welfare and what consumers are prepared to pay for quality food. Advertisement Click here Fifty years ago, chicken was a special treat we were lucky to have once a week. Now, thanks to modern farming methods, chicken has become an easily affordable everyday staple, with whole birds available for £2.50 – but farmers make just 3p per bird. With the help of poultry farmers and experts including Bill Oddie and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jamie has brought together consumers, producers and retailers to discuss how chickens and eggs are produced and consumed in this country and whether things need to change. Live in front of his guests Jamie uses demonstrations, films and interviews to highlight key aspects of chicken and egg production, including stocking densities, growth rates and how chicks and chickens are actually killed. And Jamie will be revealing the difference in living conditions for 'standard' broiler and battery chickens, 'enriched cages', barn, free range and organic birds. But will his guests still be hungry by the time he's finished?

#21 - Car Bomb Part 2

Season 2008 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/3/2008

#22 - Car Bomb Part 1

Season 2008 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/27/2008

Part 1 of a selected 2-part documentary on the evolution of the car-bomb as one of deadliest weapons of terrorism. From the team behind "Cult of the Suicide Bombers" and presented by ex-CIA man, Robert Baer.

#23 - The Unsinkable Titanic

Season 2008 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/3/2008

#24 - The Nativity Decoded

Season 2008 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/25/2008

Theologian Robert Beckford finds parts of the Nativity story perplexing, and so embarks on a global quest to investigate what lies at the heart of Christianity; the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus.

#25 - My Fake Baby

Season 2008 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/28/2008

Documentary exploring the lives of women who spend hundreds of pounds on life-like baby dolls. Loved like real babies, they're taken for walks, cuddled and even have their nappies changed.