The WORST episodes of Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries

#1 - 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.

#2 - 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

#3 - 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

#4 - 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.

#5 - 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

#6 - 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

#7 - 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.

#8 - 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.

#9 - 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.

#10 - Inside Cadbury: Chocolate Secrets Unwrapped

Season 2019 - Episode 49 - Aired 9/15/2019

#11 - My Daughter the Teenage Nudist

Season 2012 - Episode 79 - Aired 1/21/2012

Mollie and Alex are part of a growing group of teens and twenty-somethings embracing the world of public nudity. They are on a quest to normalise nudity, question the media's obsession with... See full summary »

#12 - 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.

#13 - 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.

#14 - 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?

#15 - 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.

#16 - 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.

#17 - Ken Russell 'In Search of the English Folk Song'

Season 1997 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/31/1997

#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 - Caught on Camera: Homes from Hell

Season 2019 - Episode 40 - Aired 8/1/2019

Real-life footage reveals some of the dangers lurking inside homes, from bugs and the chaos caused by animals and children to dodgy DIY and conflict with neighbours. Psychologists also reflect on the anxieties that can be caused for homeowners experiencing these situations while trying to relax.

#22 - Britain's Giant Pet Food Factory

Season 2019 - Episode 39 - Aired 8/1/2019

Mars make more pet products than chocolate. A look inside the company's giant pet food factory reveals a world of animals, science, and a million pet food pouches a day.

#23 - George Clarke's Council House Scandal

Season 2019 - Episode 38 - Aired 7/31/2019

George Clarke embarks on a campaign to kick start a housing revolution, and attempts to uncover the reasons behind the steep decline in affordable council house building. George meets visionary architects of the past, and visits the best and worst examples of housing on offer, and a trip to Vienna - where social housing can come with indoor and outdoor pools - proves inspirational for his housing vision for the future. Back in the UK, George challenges government to reform housing policy, before taking matters into his own hands on his campaign to kick start a new wave of council house building.

#24 - 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?

#25 - Sun, Sea and Surgery

Season 2020 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/8/2020

This show follows three women visiting the Comfort Zone clinic in Turkey, where their holiday package includes new boobs and a bigger bum. But will they get the results they're looking for?