The BEST episodes of Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries season 2019
Every episode of Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries season 2019, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries season 2019!
Channel 4, in common with the other main British stations, airs a highly comprehensive range of programming. It was established in 1982 with a specific intention of providing programming to groups of minority interests, not catered for by its competitors, which at the time amounted to only the BBC and ITV.
#1 - The Rebel Chef: My Restaurant Revolution
Season 2019 - Episode 50 - Aired 9/19/2019
Gary Usher, Britain's most controversial chef, builds an eatery out of rubble as he brings excellent affordable bistro food to working class locals on Merseyside.
#2 - How to Halve Your Supermarket Bill
Season 2019 - Episode 59 - Aired 11/5/2019
Sabrina Grant and Anna Richardson reveal how to save a fortune on the weekly shop
#3 - How Europe Stole My Mum
Season 2019 - Episode 58 - Aired 10/31/2019
This irreverent comedy doc, presented by Kieran Hodgson, features Harry Enfield and Liza Tarbuck, and examines how Brexit came about and how we can put a divided country back together.
#4 - The World According to Putin
Season 2019 - Episode 57 - Aired 10/30/2019
A comic but ultimately alarming glimpse into the surreal world of Russian TV, from the Skripal poisoning to President Putin's hidden talent as a nightclub crooner
#5 - Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o
Season 2019 - Episode 56 - Aired 10/23/2019
Oscar-winning actress, author and producer Lupita Nyong'o uncovers the truth behind the women who inspired the Dora Milaje of Marvel's film Black Panther. Travelling to Benin in West Africa, Lupita reveals the stories of the real-life warrior women who fought African and European powers alike from the 17th to the 19th centuries in the Kingdom of Dahomey, centred in the modern-day country of Benin
#6 - Bill Turnbull: Staying Alive
Season 2019 - Episode 55 - Aired 10/24/2019
In 2017, journalist and TV presenter Bill Turnbull was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer shortly after filming The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer. Like many others, Bill chose to ignore the early warning signs and by the time he went to his doctor, the cancer had spread from his prostate to his bones. He then made the decision to go public in the hope of encouraging more men to get checked. This documentary follows Bill over a year as he undertakes chemotherapy, tries cannabis for medicinal purposes and adopts a healthier diet.
#7 - Charlotte Church: My Family & Me
Season 2019 - Episode 54 - Aired 10/17/2019
One-off documentary in which singer Charlotte Church explores the relationship people have with their parents by spending a week alone with her own mother and father for the first time since she was a teenager. The Churches travel to an isolated part of Devon, where they prove themselves to be an ordinary working-class family from Cardiff who just happened to have a superstar daughter. But while there is love, things at times are incredibly difficult, and it becomes apparent there is a major issue from the past that the parents and daughter have never been able to resolve
#8 - Lost Pharaohs of the Nile
Season 2019 - Episode 53 - Aired 10/13/2019
Archaeologists excavate magnificent sites - from pyramids to temples - along the Sudanese Nile Valley, to reveal the history of the ancient African superpower: the Black Pharaohs
#9 - Egypt's Lost Pyramid
Season 2019 - Episode 52 - Aired 9/29/2019
Documentary following archaeologists working on a 4,000-year-old pyramid containing a burial chamber, still apparently sealed. As light enters the tomb for the first time, the artefacts contained within reveal a gripping detective story as although there are no signs of entry, the contents have been disturbed. To solve the mystery, Egyptologists explore the nearby Black Pyramid to see how pyramid builders used every trick in the book to protect the treasures, discovering a dark and complex labyrinth of dummy tombs, false passages and stone portcullises to fool robbers.
#10 - Thomas Cook: The Rise & Fall of Britain's Oldest Travel Agent
Season 2019 - Episode 51 - Aired 10/6/2019
Documentary exploring the reasons behind the collapse of one of the world's best-known holiday brands. The company was founded in 1841, but collapsed after running into severe financial difficulties in recent years, leaving thousands of staff out of work and 150,000 holidaymakers stranded. This programme explores where the current situation leaves customers and if a similar collapse could occur again.
#11 - Boom, Bust & Bankers
Season 2019 - Episode 61 - Aired 11/19/2019
Documentary exploring the history and the workforce of Broadgate, the financial complex at the heart of the City of London, which is home to 28 international banks. The building has stood since 1985, when it formed a central element in Margaret Thatcher's efforts to redirect the British economy from manufacturing to finance. The programme examines the daily lives of those who work here, from CEOs and bankers to cleaners and security guards.
#12 - Inside Cadbury: Chocolate Secrets Unwrapped
Season 2019 - Episode 49 - Aired 9/15/2019
#13 - Brexit Debate: A Very British Coup?
Season 2019 - Episode 48 - Aired 9/2/2019
On the eve of Parliament returning amid a growing crisis over Brexit and its prorogation, Krishnan Guru-Murthy presents a live debate in which voters discuss the future of the UK with leading politicians.
#14 - 50 Years of the Troubles: A Journey Through Film
Season 2019 - Episode 47 - Aired 9/1/2019
Mark Cousins presents a personal perspective on the Northern Irish Troubles through the prism of film, revealing how his passion for cinema was fuelled by his formative years in Belfast.
#15 - Britain's Extreme Weather: Superstorms & Heatwaves
Season 2019 - Episode 46 - Aired 8/26/2019
Tornadoes, torrential rain, lightning storms, flash floods and a record breaking temperature of 38.7C. We haven’t even reached the end of August yet. This programme features archive footage, personal stories and striking visuals of Britain’s recent heatwave. We delve into the latest science and ask why this is happening. Is this part of a developing global pattern of record extreme weather, and as a country, can we cope? With 15 of the 16 hottest summers on record occurring since 2001, we look at climate change and its link to severe weather events – exploring how they are likely to hit harder and more often in the years ahead. The unfolding scene at Whaley Bridge has prompted deeper questions on how prepared we are for these potentially devastating changes to our climate. Can our ageing infrastructure – with damaged dams, melting roads, buckled railways and burst sewers – cope with this ever more brutal onslaught? What effect will this have on our agriculture and the cost of living? How will we live in our overheated cities? We examine calls from many climatologists to change our lifestyles – now. If we’re going to press pause on Britain’s extreme weather, what practical steps can we take to help stop this climate crisis destroying Britain?
#16 - Prince Albert: A Victorian Hero Revealed
Season 2019 - Episode 45 - Aired 8/24/2019
With access to private papers and thousands of photographs, Professor Saul David examines Albert's significant role in shaping Victorian Britain.
#17 - Train Your Baby Like A Dog
Season 2019 - Episode 44 - Aired 8/20/2019
Animal behaviourist Jo-Rosie Haffenden discusses applying her methods to parenting, and how a greater emphasis on rewarding positive actions than punishing bad behaviour can turn infants into caring and compassionate human beings. The programme follows her as she works with a three-year-old prone to violent tantrums and an 18-month-old baby who refuses to sleep in her own cot.
#18 - Jamie Oliver: The Naked Chef Bares All
Season 2019 - Episode 43 - Aired 8/21/2019
#19 - The Great Train Robbery: The Hidden Tapes
Season 2019 - Episode 42 - Aired 8/12/2019
With access to tapes that have been hidden for over 40 years, this documentary goes behind the legend of the 1963 heist to uncover the true story of the crime of the century. Through tape recordings made by one of the key masterminds, the film explores the truth about the background to the robbery, and the audacious planning to carry it off, as well as revealing how one of the men managed to escape the police and live off his share of the loot until he died a few years ago.
#20 - Egypt's Great Pyramid Uncovered
Season 2019 - Episode 41 - Aired 8/10/2019
Documentary exploring the latest evidence concerning the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and looking into the lives of those involved in building the vast structure. Among recent discoveries connected to the pyramid are the log book of a labour team leader, that provides an insight into the planning and logistics of the build and how the labourers were housed, fed, and organised.
#21 - Christmas at Chatsworth House
Season 2019 - Episode 69 - Aired 12/12/2019
One-off documentary going behind the scenes of Chatsworth, one of England's most impressive stately homes, as the Duke, Duchess and their 800 staff brace themselves for an influx of 200,000 visitors over the 2019 festive season. Christmas is the most important event for the Derbyshire estate and crucial to its survival. In just five days, the house is transformed with 30 Christmas trees, 60,000 baubles, and a million fairy lights. But this year Derbyshire has been crippled by unprecedented flooding. Can family and staff rally to make this a season to be remembered?
#22 - Richard Osman's World Cup Of The Decade
Season 2019 - Episode 78 - Aired 12/27/2019
As we hurtle towards 2020, Richard Osman look back and celebrate the very best of the past ten years across various categories: film, TV show, song, and new thing. Viewers will take a nostalgic trip down memory lane as Richard and his celebrity guests discuss the potential winners in each category, before revealing the ultimate winner in each group. In the lead up to the show, Richard will host a World Cup style tournament on Twitter giving the public the opportunity to have their say on each of the five categories with the winners being revealed on the show. A fun and irreverent celebration of the best the decade has had to offer, we'll see heated, funny discussion from our studio panel, mixed with a meaningful public vote to ensure the World Cup goes to its rightful home.
#23 - Kylie's Secret Night
Season 2019 - Episode 77 - Aired 12/25/2019
Fresh from her Glastonbury legends slot triumph and a raft of sold-out tour dates throughout the world, this one-off sees an audience arrive for what they believe is a Kylie-themed fan extravaganza hosted by Alan Carr. They're actually going to be spending a secret evening with the lady herself. Over the course of the show, Kylie Minogue will treat her guests to the ultimate thank you through heartfelt conversation with Alan, memorable performances, surprise money-can't-buy gifts, hidden camera VTs and funny stunts.
#24 - Inside the Toy Factory at Christmas
Season 2019 - Episode 76 - Aired 12/23/2019
A look at toy-makers around the world, revealing how they work hard year-round to ensure their product makes it onto countless children's Christmas lists each December. Cameras visit the colourful creations of Crayola in Pennsylvania, the charming home of Steiff teddy bears in Germany and the fun-filled world of Top Trumps in the UK. Plus, there's a tour of FAO Schwarz, New York's biggest and most famous toy store, which is behind a proud new addition to Selfridges in London's Oxford Street, its first UK outlet.
#25 - What a F****** Year on TV with Mel B & Mel B
Season 2019 - Episode 75 - Aired 12/17/2019
A look back at the past year on TV with Mel B and Bo' Selecta's parody of her, who give their take on some of the most memorable moments from a high-rise apartment in Leeds. Donning the classic leopard print dress, surrounded by party food and a fridge full of bevvies, the Mels give their honest and brutal opinion on the TV highlights that have made us laugh out loud and shed a tear over the past year