Dispatches is the British TV current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health,religion, international current affairs and the environment, and often features a mole inside organisations under journalistic investigation.
A look at the case of soccer coach Barry Bernell.
Dispatches goes undercover to investigate how former cabinet ministers are offering themselves to private companies as Brexit advisers. Antony Barnett discovers how, with Brexit causing ever more confusion and uncertainty, this presents an opportunity for those with the right knowledge to cash in on their experience.
Dispatches investigates missing and broken mail and the people who are responsible for it.
Greg Wise explores how he as a priveleged man can meet a tax-planner and avoid paying a large amount of tax each year.
Morland Sanders investigates the increasing demand on the ambulance service and how response times are calculated.
Morland Sanders investigates hidden pollution hotpots in our everyday lives.
In the week of Donald Trump's inauguration, Dispatches investigates the controversial figures now surrounding him and their ties to powerful corporations that could have far-reaching consequences beyond America. Following promises to 'drain the swamp' of outside interests in Washington, team Trump is now stacked with 'Big Oil' and gas company favourites. While the president-elect remains unpredictable, many of these key players have made it clear exactly what they want. Antony Barnett travels to the US to discover more about Trump and his administration's funding and commercial ties to the fossil fuel industry. Examining the threats to America's Clean Air Act and the Paris Agreement on climate change, he also speaks to one prominent advisor who has helped shaped Trump's energy strategy. Among the rhetoric, ongoing drama and controversy, could this be the issue that ends up defining Donald Trump's presidency?
Dispatches goes undercover to investigate the textile factories in the UK making clothes for some of the biggest brands, and discovers what Made in Britain really means. In 2010 reporter Tazeen Ahmad exposed poor conditions in clothes factories located in the heart of Britain. Now she returns to find out if things have improved. She discovers workers being paid less than half the national living wage and working conditions that pose a serious fire risk. Secret cameras capture one textile boss revealing that he considers he's in direct competition with Bangladesh to meet the orders. Tazeen also meets a new breed of shopper who never leave their homes to get the latest designs quickly. The booming industry labelled Fast Fashion has changed the face of the textile market, and Dispatches discovers what it means for the workers who make the clothes.
Dispatches goes undercover to investigate how former cabinet ministers might be looking to make money from Brexit. Antony Barnett discovers how, with Brexit causing ever more confusion and uncertainty, this presents an opportunity for those with the right knowledge to cash in on their experience.
It's Britain's biggest and fastest growing hotel chain, but when a Dispatches reporter goes undercover as an agency housekeeper at a central London Premier Inn to make those comfy beds and clean the rooms, she finds some less-than-comfortable truths about what it can be like for some of the people working there.
Former youth football coach Barry Bennell, whose trial ended today, was found guilty of a total of 43 offences relating to 11 victims, following years of abuse against young boys he coached. In an Al Jazeera investigation for Channel 4 Dispatches, Deborah Davies reveals how one of the top talent spotters in Britain with ties to major clubs like Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra spent his days coaching children, and his nights abusing them. Davies first reported on Barry Bennell's crimes 20 years ago for Dispatches. In a powerful and heart-breaking documentary, she describes how some of his victims have turned to substance abuse and even attempted suicide.
New year, new diet? Dispatches investigates the rising popularity of veganism. It's better for your health, the environment and animals but why do some activists resort to such extreme tactics to promote it? Reporter Morland Sanders meets farmers who feel increasingly worried about some vegan protests, and looks into the ideology behind the diet, speciesism.
As the number of children leaving mainstream education in favour of home education doubles, Dispatches investigates the reasons behind this dramatic rise and the impact it is having on the young people who are now learning at home in the UK. Children's Commissioner for England Anne Longfield considers whether the rights of parents to remove their child from school are coming before the education, and even the safety, of children.
With promised speeds of 250mph, the HS2 high-speed train line from London to Birmingham will be one of the world's fastest passenger trains. From April, the government will plough over ?ú4 billion a year into this single railway, for the next ten years: equivalent to two-thirds of state spending on the entire national rail network. But how much demand is there for a multi-billion-pound high-speed line connecting London to Birmingham, and then Manchester and Leeds, when the capital is already connected to these cities? As the construction of HS2 begins in earnest, Dispatches hears from those calling for HS2 to be cancelled and from northern commuters furious that it will siphon off cash needed to improve the state of their local rail services. The boss of HS2 defends the project but political insiders tell Dispatches that the HS2 line may stop in the Midlands, ignoring the north altogether.
More than a decade has passed since major tobacco companies were found to have misled the public over the dangers of smoking. Now, one of the largest firms has said it wants a smoke-free future and offers so-called reduced-risk alternatives. Jane Moore examines Philip Morris International's campaign and investigates attempts to promote the brand in the UK, while billions of cigarettes continue to be sold across the world.
As Britain has grown into a nation of coffee lovers, Starbucks and Nespresso have become two of the world's biggest coffee brands. They have revolutionised what people drink and how they consume it. On the back of their success, both firms make bold claims about how their beans are ethically sourced and, in particular, that child labour is not used in their supply chains. But in this investigation, Dispatches travelled to Guatemala and discovered young children working long hours in gruelling conditions to pick coffee beans that supply these two coffee giants. Reporter Antony Barnett hears how a day's work can earn the children little more than the price of a Starbucks latte or a pack of Nespresso pods.
Lockdown Britain is enduring the sharpest economic nosedive for 300 years, with jobs and companies disappearing fast, government debt spiralling, and the Bank of England printing hundreds of billions of pounds to help make ends meet. Reporter Liam Halligan investigates the economic costs of the pandemic and what it could mean for our futures, revealing new figures on the scale of the damage and the shocking levels of joblessness the nation may soon face. He investigates the hard choices confronting the Chancellor and Prime Minister in the March Budget and the impact they could have on everyone. Will they gamble and borrow even more, hoping to boost jobs and generate economic growth to pay the Covid bill, or take the UK into austerity, with tax rises and spending cuts? As Halligan reveals, both options are fraught with danger.
Filmed over four months, this edition of the programme gives a unique perspective on life on the NHS frontline. Dr Saleyha Ahsan filmed her own journey through the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, capturing the pressure and personal tragedies she faced with the surge in patients, which included her own father. This special Dispatches film also shows the emotional and physical burden faced by friends and colleagues, and how they came close to breaking point with the psychological toll of fighting to keep people alive.
Antony Barnett goes undercover in Ghana to investigate the truth about Britain's best-loved chocolate brand, and the use of child labour in the Cadbury supply chain. He hears from farmers who earn less than £2 a day and children who have been injured harvesting beans while working long hours in the searing heat.
Morland Sanders reports on the impact of rising gas and electricity bills on households in Britain. The programme examines the reason for the spike in prices, a string of failures among energy companies, and whether the organisation set up to protect consumers has been up to the job.
Dispatches follows four pensioners through winter as they struggle to make ends meet with the exceedingly high price of energy and soaring inflation. John, 76, lives alone in Sunderland in the home he used to share with his parents and siblings and spends his nights sat in darkness, afraid his energy bills are too high to turn the lights on. Sixty eight-year-old Doreen has had only two visitors in the 38 years she has lived in her home and goes to bed early to stay warm. In rural Leicestershire, 82-year-old Harry and his wife 77-year-old Christine skip dinner as a desperate attempt at cutting costs.
Coca-Cola is the biggest soft drinks producer in the world and stands accused of being its biggest polluter. Reporter Ellie Flynn - herself a big Coca-Cola lover - looks at what Coke says its doing and investigates the reality - from uncovering what happens to used bottles to Coke's claims about recycled plastic and water sustainability. Flynn examines the impact of her thirst for Coke in the UK and globally.
Reporter and motoring journalist Ginny Buckley talks to drivers badly affected by potholes. She asks whether councils are really doing all they can to fix them, and how much the damage they cause is costing the taxpayer. Ginny also explores controversial low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) schemes and reveals the money they're bringing in from fining motorists.
A raw and unflinching look at how the lives of millions have been uprooted and destroyed since the events of October 7th 2023 - seen and told through the eyes of children, journalists and doctors as they experience and witness breathtaking horrors. Filmed over 200 days by a team of Palestinian journalists and filmmakers across Gaza, this documentary hears heart-breaking testimony: from children, as they recount inconceivable horrors; from doctors at work in overcrowded hospitals that are barely able to cope with the huge number of injured people; and from civilians as they are forcibly displaced from north to south Gaza. As vital services break down in Gaza and food is scarce, this film examines the toll of Israel's military campaign.
Dispatches reporter Ellie Flynn investigates Britain's obsession with skinny jabs and asks whether profits are being prioritised over patient safety. Undercover filming exposes the drugs being sold by a major high street chain to an under-age patient; and exposes registered NHS nurses prescribing the jabs without proper checks on patients. With an estimated half a million Britons currently being prescribed these drugs, Ellie talks to experts, who are concerned about the lack of oversight. 'Where there are huge profits to be made, unfortunately,' says one, 'that can lead to cutting of corners'. Ellie asks why there are so many patients living with obesity who are unable to get these jabs on the NHS, and reveals for the first time entire areas of the country where the NHS is not prescribing the drugs.
For the first time, Dispatches investigates and tracks down the woman who facilitated Mohamed Al Fayed's sexual abuse of women at Harrods. Reporter Cathy Newman hears testimony from victims of the former Harrods owner who allege that a former senior employee of Harrods was instrumental in enabling and covering up their rape and abuse by the notorious billionaire over more than a decade. Newman hears how the woman would recruit young girls inside the world-famous store and even out on London's streets, then deliver them to Fayed. Afterwards, she would threaten and persuade the women to keep quiet about what happened to them.
Complete episode guide for Dispatches with detailed information about every season and episode including air dates, summaries, ratings, and streaming availability in United States.
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Simon Cox looks at how easy it is for terrorists to exploit stolen antiquities on the streets of the UK.
The episodes explores who are the ones who are winning and losing in one of the most controversial housing poliices in decades.
This episode explores the housing crisis and homelessness, and how it is on the rise in Britain. The episode will reveal the numbers and scale of rogue landlords, confronting those exploiting the benefit system to make millions from supplying poor accomdatation.
It's six year since Britain's beloved Cadbury was bought by American giant Kraft. As the Easter chocolate indulgence approaches, the episode will explore what's been happening to one of our favourite brands.
Missed visits, not being washed or dressed for days, waiting hours for your dinner and mistakes made with medication. Many older people in this country are facing serious problems with their home care. For Dispatches, Jackie Long investigates the fate of some of Britain's most vulnerable pensioners, who rely on council-funded home care. Working as a frontline carer, an undercover reporter discovers an overstretched service, concerns about pay not meeting the minimum wage and workers cutting short appointments and falsifying log books. Dispatches sets up hidden cameras in one pensioner's home to find out more about the standard of care she receives. The introduction of the living wage means care costs could soar, at the same time as care budgets have been slashed. The industry body, representing care companies, now warns that the market is increasingly unviable.
The row over cuts to welfare benefits has rocked the Government to its core. Iain Duncan Smith resigned, attacking his own department's plans to cut disability benefits as balancing the books on the back of the poor and vulnerable. George Osborne has backed down; the cuts have now been put on ice. But the new benefit that prompted the row - Personal Independence Payment - is still going ahead. Hundreds of thousands of disabled people are now having to apply for this new benefit and many claim it is deeply unfair. Former Paralympian Ade Adepitan investigates and, using secretly recorded material, reveals some disturbing sides to the new benefit.
As the war against Isis intensifies and Syrian troops retake Palmyra, here in the UK the battle to stop the terrorist group cashing in on looted antiquities is being waged on the streets of the capital and beyond. Dispatches investigates how easy it is for terrorists to exploit this trade. Investigative journalist Simon Cox has been tracking the antiquities business in Britain for the last eight months. Together with a group of leading archaeologists, Cox has gone undercover to investigate this lucrative business and test the rules designed to regulate it. He finds a world of dubious provenance and questionable deals in the heart of London and on the Internet. He also looks at what Isis is doing to World Heritage Sites in territory it holds. How much are the two be linked? Cox examines how much of what is looted might be being sold in the UK, and what the authorities are doing to stop it.
It's that time of year, when dreams of a summer escape will soon be just an air ticket away, if only you can find the best price. Dispatches goes undercover to learn the secrets of a major player in the travel trade. Are the lowest fares all that they seem? Are you getting the best deal? And if your plans need to change, how will you be treated? Harry Wallop uses secret camera footage to test the promises of the travel business.
In a unique and important investigation, Dispatches has gone undercover inside one of Britain's largest and worst performing children's services departments, where social workers are battling to keep vulnerable children safe. For several years, Birmingham City Council's Children's Services has been criticised for failing children, and in 2013 was described by Ofsted's Chief Inspector as a 'national disgrace'. Birmingham has faced 27 serious case reviews over the last 10 years. Earlier this month, a woman was found guilty of brutally murdering 18-month old baby Keegan Downer, who Birmingham's Children's Services had placed with her after Keegan was removed from her drug-addicted birth mother. Keegan is just the latest of several children killed in the city in recent years by those supposed to be caring for them. Birmingham City Council has insisted that sorting out its Children's Services is a top priority, and claims that substantial improvements have been made.
Dispatches investigates the impact of the National Living Wage. Introduced earlier this year, it was supposed to mean a pay increase for some of Britain's poorest workers, but is everyone really getting richer? Morland Sanders meets the staff who have been threatened with the sack if they don't sign new contracts which would make them poorer. Dispatches finds some of Britain's biggest companies cutting perks and privileges and goes undercover to investigate the businesses offering wages far lower than the new ú7.20 an hour minimum.
Racist abuse is on the rise in post-Brexit Britain and increasingly it's being caught on camera. In particular, Muslims are bearing the brunt of the xenophobia, in person and online. Seyi Rhodes investigates this rising tide of racism, revealing the scale of the abuse, and uncovers dramatic recordings of physical and verbal attacks.
Post-Brexit it's been a scary few weeks for the UK economy. Many company pension schemes are already in deficit and falling long-term interest rates are now adding further pressure. Will there be more companies like BHS who struggle to meet their pension commitments? Former accountant Shaunagh Connaire investigates the implications for your retirement.
David Cameron says the expansion of the academy school system is one of the greatest achievements of his time as Prime Minister. Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money now flow directly into academy trusts. Dispatches reporter Antony Barnett investigates the finances behind these schools and discovers big salaries and generous expenses. From the American consultant on sky-high rates, to the cost of your new school uniform, Dispatches reveals the secrets of the academy expansion.
Following the car emissions scandal last year when some manufacturers admitted they manipulated the results of exhaust tests, reporter Morland Sanders investigates if we can trust manufacturers and testers with car safety. With new evidence that some cars might not perform as well in real crashes as their safety rating suggests, Dispatches asks: could more be done to protect drivers and passengers? He also looks at the recall system and finds that the discovery of a fault doesn't always mean an immediate recall.
Picking our food, cleaning our toilets and packing our parcels... With Brexit a reality, Dispatches looks at who will now work in Britain's low paid jobs if cheap EU workers are no longer in plentiful supply. Could the answer be found in mainland Europe? Reporter Morland Sanders finds a shadowy workforce which is helping to fund one of the world's most repressive regimes: North Korea. He investigates claims that North Koreans are already working to supply British companies from the continent. He also asks if they could end up working here in our fields and factories when no more cheap European labour is available.
Many people in Britain dream of owning their own home, but the reality is many of them never will. Harry Wallop investigates the failure to build enough houses in the UK. He finds out what happened to a much-heralded government plan to sell off enough public land to build 100,000 new homes, and discovers deals done with big developers at a potential loss to the taxpayer: plans for luxury hotels and high end apartments. Harry also finds large areas of sold-off land sitting empty, while millions of people can't find an affordable home to buy. With home ownership in England at a 30-year low, just how committed are the government to easing the housing crisis? And what plans are actively in place to solve the problem?
Antony Barnett investigates the Labour Party, just days before the declaration of whether Jeremy Corbyn has retained his leadership.
Dispatches investigates the anti-abortion movement in the UK.
Can't afford a house? Haven't got a pension? Don't expect a pay rise? If so, you're probably part of Britain's younger, struggling generations. The wealth gap between young and old has become a defining feature of our times; in this special Dispatches, Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson investigates just how divided our country has become. Nelson reveals new figures showing the extent of the gap and investigates its causes. He speaks to leading politicians and hears fears from the top of Government that older voters have effectively been kept sweet at the expense of the young.
The government promised to fix so-called neighbours from hell with its Troubled Families Programme, but Dispatches meets families who say it has had no real impact
With personal debt at an all-time high, Morland Sanders asks if more could be done to help families kick the spending addiction.
British men are Europe's fattest, our women the second fattest. Millions of children are overweight. So why's Downing Street diluted its obesity strategy?
Many are struggling to find a home; a reason why is too few houses are being built. Liam Halligan probes developers deliberately holding back land to maximise profits.
In a second investigation into Britain's clothing industry, Dispatches investigates working conditions in the warehouses that service our online orders.
With councils struggling to meet the demand for emergency housing, Dispatches investigates the impact on homeless women attempting to get off the streets.
From shrinking Toblerones to a Marmite price row, Dispatches investigates Brexit's impact on the prices, and sizes, of some of our favourite brands.
Each year Britain's airports make roughly £2 billion from shops in their terminals. Harry Wallop goes undercover to investigate the secrets of airport shops.
Thousands of young people with severe learning disabilities and autism are still locked up in hospitals, despite promises made by the government in its Transforming Care Policy. NHS commissioners continue to send these vulnerable young people to big institutions, instead of providing more bespoke care packages to meet their complex needs. This Dispatches Special from Bafta Award-winning director Alison Millar tells the stories of families whose loved ones have been locked away in one of the biggest institutions in the country, subject to restraint, seclusion and frequent sedation. The programme also shows what good care looks like, and the dramatic improvements it can make to people's quality of life. With mental health services facing a rise in demand at the same time as public spending is being squeezed, the programme asks how best to provide appropriate care for those in desperate need.
Morland Sanders investigates the impact that Brexit is having on the NHS, as it faces the largest nursing shortage in recent times.
Seyi Rhodes investigates the impact of the government's latest benefit cap and learns that its unintended consequences may push the benefits bill up in other ways.
Dispatches investigates Coca-Cola, one of the world's most iconic brands.
President Trump has said that his foreign policy will be based on the principle of 'America First'. He's surrounded in the Oval Office by people who dispute the notion that the US has an obligation to maintain a stable international order. Some are hostile to the EU and attach little value to international institutions such as Nato and the United Nations. And now Donald Trump has his finger on the trigger of nearly 7000 nuclear warheads. Abi Austen travels to the US to find out what the Age of Trump means in practice for the rest of the world and asks: just how worried should we be?
As Sunni refugees flee from Isis in Iraq, they face a new threat from Shia militia fighters. Dispatches investigates allegations of torture, execution and sectarian cleansing.
Donald Trump is worried about vaccines. He thinks 'big' shots like MMR may cause autism, but there's no scientific evidence for that. So who's he been listening to? In this investigation, Cathy Newman reveals the role played by the disgraced British doctor Andrew Wakefield, struck off by the GMC seven years ago, but now astonishingly resurgent in Trump's America.
As the way we care for our ageing relatives becomes an increasingly hot topic, Dispatches goes undercover to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect at specialist dementia care homes run by Bupa, the UK's biggest name in healthcare. Bupa promises to provide person-centred, high quality care but covert footage captured in one home over three months by a Dispatches reporter raises serious questions about that commitment. Jackie Long investigates evidence of over-stretched and under-resourced care staff, questionable treatment of residents and safety worries. It's a picture that raises serious questions about how society should look after an ageing population and the quality of care provided by one of Britain's biggest brands.
A year on from the referendum the Brexit talks are just starting. Top of the agenda will be the status of three million Europeans living here. Many of them and their children were born in the UK or have lived here most of their lives. You may have thought that being born here would immediately guarantee them a British passport, but that's not the case. For Dispatches, Datshiane Navanayagam investigates just how hard it can be to get a British passport and the real impact that the lack of a passport has on many people's lives. Navanayagam reveals that there are already 120,000 children and young people born or raised in the UK who think that they are British but will not automatically gain citizenship. She reveals some of the huge costs involved in applying for citizenship, examines how the Home Office assesses claims and asks whether Brexit will make the situation worse.
Almost two million Brits took a cruise last year, fleeing our polluted cities and towns for amazing scenery and fresh sea air. But how clean is the air you breathe on these holidays of a lifetime? Dispatches goes undercover to investigate deep concerns about the impact some cruise ships could be having on the environment and public health. Travelling as a passenger on a European cruise, reporter Tazeen Ahmad discovers more about the pollution levels some customers could be exposed to and investigates the wider impact of cruising holidays, from waste flushed straight into the sea to on-shore pollution.
As the national spotlight falls on the need for Britain to build more high-quality affordable homes, a Dispatches investigation asks why so few affordable properties are being built at a time when housebuilders have been making record profits. Reporter Antony Barnett travels across the country revealing how property companies have failed to deliver new affordable homes and asks questions about the links between the government and the property industry. Airing in a week of programmes on Channel 4 and More4 exploring issues of housing and homelessness.
With new forms of finance driving Britain's thriving new car market, Morland Sanders investigates whether the bargains on offer in the showroom are all they seem. Finance schemes are making cars more affordable to more drivers than ever before. But as concern grows around household debt levels Dispatches asks whether the deals on offer are making the second biggest purchase you'll ever make a liability for your bank balance. Sanders asks if the car industry is being entirely straight with customers. Undercover filming exposes questionable sales patter and confusing advice. Sanders also talks to one driver who says she was caught out by the small print in her car finance deal. And the programme reveals one little-known way to get the car of your dreams at a lower price than the one quoted by most sales staff.
This is an era of stagnant wages: British workers are going through 15 years without any real-term pay rise. Morland Sanders investigates who's responsible and whether we can turn the tables on our bosses. Sanders reveals how much British workers have suffered from low wage growth and how we fail to properly negotiate pay rises with our employers. In this Dispatches with a difference, master negotiator Dan Hughes - the expert who's training the civil servants who are representing the UK at Brexit negotiations - reveals his top tips on how to prepare for that all-important pay discussion. Dan coaches two employees, who haven't had a rise for years, on tactics and negotiating skills to help them find the confidence to ask for more. They then approach their employers to discuss their pay; can they confidently negotiate their terms? And can Dan's masterclass teach us all how to get a pay rise?
Did the Trump campaign collude with the Russians? Matt Frei investigates this epic tale of mystery and intrigue, which reads like a thriller featuring spies, models and notorious political players.
Dispatches investigates what life's like for police officers, nurses and other public sector workers following seven years of pay freezes and pay caps.
Is the country at breaking point? For many, high levels of immigration have caused real issues and arguably led directly to the Brexit vote. But is Britain really full? For Dispatches, Michael Buerk investigates the story behind the numbers and the impact of internal migration. New research reveals the true scale of massive movement within the UK and its impact on both overpopulated and underpopulated areas. Buerk travels to a northern English city that has almost halved in size over the years, meeting young people forming the exodus of migrants heading south for opportunity and better pay. Here he finds forgotten streets full of empty homes. The North-South divide is not just about wealth but also about numbers. Buerk asks whether we ignore the issue of internal migration at our peril and whether, with Brexit on the horizon, this issue will finally be discussed.
Dispatches gains exclusive access to go undercover with the British Transport Police's crime unit to expose racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism by football fans on Britain's trains. Reporter Morland Sanders investigates as ordinary passengers are subjected to shocking abuse. One youth sings anti-Semitic songs, and another group of fans subject travellers to their racism - all caught on secret cameras. The cops try to track them down and put them away. Paul Crowther, the BTP's most senior police officer, discloses that anti-social and abusive behaviour on Britain's trains by football supporters is under-reported by the public because it is tolerated as part of 'football culture'.
Following the Grenfell fire, Theresa May dedicated her premiership to fixing Britain's broken housing market. But do the government's actions contradict her pledge?
Is demand for long-term nursing care about to push the NHS over the edge? Ahead of the Budget, the Chancellor is coming under increasing pressure to raise more money to fund long-term social care. As local authorities struggle to meet these huge costs, reporter Tazeen Ahmad reports on the so-called 'dementia tax'. Ahmad investigates why some dementia sufferers have to sell their family homes to pay for care while others gain access to NHS funds. And Dispatches goes undercover to reveal the advice financial experts give to potential sufferers. Dispatches asks whether the system providing care for thousands is really fit for purpose.
Dispatches investigates allegations of sexual harassment against billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed.
In the grip of a funding crisis and with the number of mental health beds plummeting, the NHS is placing thousands of patients in private hospitals. The American-owned Priory Group is the biggest beneficiary receiving hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money over the last year. Dispatches goes undercover in one of the group's hospitals to investigate the care these patients are receiving and discovers a worrying picture.
Dispatches investigates the expenses of Britain's top universities, revealing over £7 million of spending by the institutions' senior leadership teams. Amid the national debate over university vice chancellors' large pay packets, Dispatches shines a light on the opaque area of spending on luxury hotels, executive travel, fine dining around the world, and other creature comforts. Britain has some of the best universities in the world, but does what they spend always represent value for money for students, and the taxpayer? Since fees tripled in 2012, vice chancellor pay has increased by at least 7 per cent, prompting the government to bring in a new regulator to keep pay 'under control'. But will the new body be tough enough? Reporter Antony Barnett lives the life of a vice chancellor as he interrogates receipts and credit card statements obtained by Dispatches under freedom of information laws.
This exclusive documentary filmed over two years examines the problem of female genital mutilation, or FGM, which involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia. It's estimated that some 137,000 women and girls are affected by FGM in England and Wales, and in any given year it's thought that 20,000 girls in the UK are at risk of FGM. Reporter Cathy Newman investigates.
The Financial Ombudsman is meant to investigate when customers have unresolved complaints against financial institutions. But is there a bias against customers in favour of the banks? Dispatches goes undercover to investigate allegations that staff with little or no training are judging cases, and that some are reaching decisions in favour of the banks without even properly reading case files.
Dispatches investigates how companies could artificially close their gender pay gap. Reporter Tazeen Ahmad reveals how the figures companies present to the government may not always be what they seem, as the deadline for disclosing the average difference between the pay of male and female employees fast approaches. Undercover reporters meet the 'gender pay gap consultants' who offer advice that could allow firms to exploit loopholes in the law in order to protect their own reputations, instead of tackling differences in pay. Dispatches looks at whether this flagship policy will be enforced and asks if this new law aimed at promoting pay equality and adding billions of pounds to the economy is fit for purpose.
Across Britain, the police, local authorities and other public bodies are reaching out to Muslim groups in the fight against terrorism and extremism. But how much do they know about some of the Muslim groups they are talking to? John Ware investigates.
Dispatches reveals a new vehicle emissions scandal. Going undercover, the programme investigates how British hauliers are using high-tech 'cheat' devices and computerised hacking to disable the emissions controls on their vehicles, which worsens our air quality, all to save themselves money. A former Government chief scientist has described the hauliers involved as having 'blood on their hands' as experts say the premature deaths of 23,000 people each year in the UK are linked to the types of dangerous gases produced by HGV diesel engines - gases that should be controlled by their emissions systems. Dispatches demonstrates how HGVs that have had their emissions systems modified by hauliers produce far higher levels of dangerous pollutants, by conducting the first ever scientifically controlled test to assess the impact of the 'cheat' devices on the air we all breathe.
Dispatches investigates a subsidised renewable energy industry that turns trees into fuel to keep the lights on in Britain, and in your home. But is burning wood instead of coal really an environmentally friendly answer to climate change? Reporter Antony Barnett travels to the forestlands of the south-eastern United States to find one source of this controversial 'carbon-neutral' fuel. Britain's households spend at least £500 million a year on biomass, which by 2020 will provide up to 30% of our renewable energy. But is there a wider cost to the environment? Barnett visits the biodiverse wetlands of Virginia and North Carolina where millions of tonnes of wood are harvested and processed into pellets, which are burnt in one of Britain's largest power stations.
Universal Credit is the government's big idea for the seven million people who receive benefits. But the new welfare changes have been mired in controversy, with claims that they are forcing people to use food banks and making some people homeless. Hansard reported last November that the government had announced what they called a balanced package of improvements to put more money into claimants' hands earlier. Reporter Morland Sanders speaks to people who rely on the benefit to see what difference the changes are making to their lives. And an exclusive poll of the staff employed to administer the new system reveals widespread discontent at the Department of Work and Pensions.
A Dispatches special edition from a multi-award-winning team of producer/reporter Evan Williams and director Patrick Wells. For the past five years an undercover network of Rohingya activists have been risking their lives to secretly film evidence of years of repression, violence and mass murder by the Myanmar authorities. Dispatches has been given exclusive access to hundreds of their videos and the first ever interview with the network to provide the most complete account of how ethnic tension degenerated into what some are calling state-sanctioned genocide, and ask whether Myanmar's leaders - including Nobel Prize-winning Aung San Suu Kyi - could be held accountable for the atrocities committed in Myanmar's killing fields.
Grenfell Tower was Britain's worst fire for a century. A year on from the disaster, Ed Howker investigates claims that even after the Hackitt Review of building regulations, Britain's tower blocks are still not safe. He looks at recommendations from experts that combustible cladding should be banned and sprinkler systems introduced, and examines new evidence of risks in hundreds of other blocks.
As Britain faces a major housing shortage, how is it that some of those responsible for providing the social housing that we so desperately need seem to be doing so well out of the crisis? Reporter Anthony Barnett travels the country to hear from communities under threat at a time when the pay of social housing bosses has hit record levels, while the provision of housing for social rent has hit an all-time low. Among his discoveries is that an executive of a housing association in one of the poorest parts of the country received a pay-out of more than a million pounds.
Dispatches goes undercover in the secretive world of the people who decide what can and can't be posted on the world's biggest social media site. The investigation looks at how those decisions are made and explores the impact that they have on the millions of people who use Facebook.
On the day when a far-right terrorist is convicted of preparing to murder an MP, and two others are jailed for membership of banned neo-Nazi group National Action, Dispatches tells the inside story of how the killing was planned, and how that plan was betrayed to the police. Given exclusive access to the far-right activist who blew the whistle on the plot, the programme penetrates the secretive world of Britain's new neo-Nazis.
Hundreds of thousands of people are officially homeless. Now, with unique access, reporter Datshiane Navanayagam goes behind the scenes inside two homeless hostels in London to reveal the increasing number of people who are in work and homeless, unable to afford expensive inner-city private rents. She draws on her own experience of being homeless and uncovers how a low-wage economy based on zero hour contracts is leaving some people with no alternative other than to sleep on the streets. Datshiane talks to housing charity Shelter about new statistics that lay bare the intense personal anguish and embarrassment felt by those who are working but homeless.
Britain has some of the worst breastfeeding rates in the world and new mum Kate Quilton wants to find out why. Food Unwrapped presenter Kate gave birth to her son in May and found breastfeeding a challenge. At one point she said she felt like a 'leper' when she was feeding in public. So she investigates the obstacles to breastfeeding, to find out why Britain has some of the worst rates in the world and whether more support is needed. A survey by Swansea University, exclusive to Dispatches, suggests that 67% of us think that there's no biological difference between breast milk and formula. Kate meets scientists at Imperial College who have measured the presence of hundreds of vital living components in breast milk that make it so much better for babies than formula. These include natural pain killers, aids to sleep and immune support. She also explores how cuts in public health funding have led to breastfeeding support services closing down.
Have you been burgled, robbed or assaulted but feel that the police brushed you off? You're not alone. Dispatches hears from victims of crime who claim that the police have failed to investigate their cases fully, if at all. These are stories of violent attacks, homes broken into, property vandalised and family businesses left to fend for themselves against thieves. Exclusive research featured in the programme raises concerns that Britain is now sliding into a new era of policing. One of the most comprehensive analyses to date reveals the levels of crimes that many forces are choosing not to investigate. Dispatches also examines the wider impact of the policy of 'screening out' and other practices by the police. Some victims are being left to investigate and seek justice themselves, others feel that law and order is slipping away from their community.
Knife and gun crime is on the rise but prosecutions are falling. Key witnesses are terrified of giving evidence - with good reason. Livvy Haydock explores the dark world of witness intimidation, and finds a sophisticated and highly effective system of menacing violence amplified and driven by social media. She meets the gangsters who threaten 'stitches for snitches' and families of witnesses who paid the price of telling the truth in court.
Two point four million people smoke cannabis in the UK. Some police forces don't prosecute for possession any more, and doctors can now apply for licences to prescribe the cannabis to treat patients with certain medical conditions. Canada has just legalised it, as have several American States. So is it time to look at the evidence and assess whether UK policy needs to change? Former Met Police chief Lord Hogan-Howe, who has always supported tough laws on cannabis, investigates for Dispatches. He visits Colorado - one of the first states in the US to legalise - and sees first-hand how the cannabis business is booming, how the state is using its quarter-of-a-billion-dollar tax dividend and discovers that some strains of cannabis on sale are six times stronger than skunk. Will he change his mind about legalisation?
As Prime Minister Theresa May declares that 'austerity is over', Dispatches can reveal that more than 35,000 parents are now using baby banks to provide their young children with nappies, clothes, toys and cots. Dispatches has discovered that there are now more than 100 baby banks in the UK, the vast majority of which have been set up since the austerity programme began. For the first time, Dispatches has surveyed these baby banks, to get a sense of who they're serving and the services they're providing. The results of this ground-breaking survey show that demand has increased significantly. We meet working parents who can't afford the most basic essentials and have to rely on baby banks to provide for their children.
As the Prime Minster tries to deliver a Brexit that works for the country as whole, we reveal what the British people think of the likely deal on offer. Channel 4 has commissioned the largest independent survey of attitudes across the whole of the UK conducted since the referendum. We asked 20,000 people drawn from every UK constituency for their views and put the results to politicians and those who stand to gain, or lose, most from the outcome; all before a live studio audience in Birmingham. Krishnan Guru-Murthy hosts.
Dispatches investigates the response of the London Fire Brigade to the Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people, and asks whether the brigade's decision to tell residents to stay put contributed to the high death toll. Through interviews with survivors and firefighters, and using critical new evidence released by the public inquiry, this programme explores if a lack of training meant that firefighters were ill-equipped to cope with a fire of this kind. The LFB commissioner Dany Cotton says she 'wouldn't change anything' about her brigade's response on the night. But could more have been done?
In a television first, cameras are allowed inside a women's refuge to follow the stories of women who are fleeing from violent partners, and who have agreed to be identified.
Former Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe examines why there has been a rise in knife crime and asks what Britain needs to do to get the problem under control.
Dispatches investigates those who have got rich since the referendum, capitalising on the almost unprecedented political uncertainty around Britain's exit from the EU. Entering the world of the super-rich, the programme looks at those who have reportedly made millions by 'shorting', or betting against Britain. Reporter Antony Barnett also examines other financial winners post-referendum, from the politicians paid for speeches and advisory roles to the consultancy firms brought in to help government in this turbulent time. The reality is that most will not be able to profit on the scale of the political and business elite. Barnett also explores the other side of the story, meeting the people who don't have the means to Brexit-proof their livelihoods.
Kate Quilton asks if formula milk is being priced fairly, and whether claims made for it are unbiased and scientifically proven
Dispatches reveals the shocking conditions that tenants of one of Britain's biggest social landlords are being forced to live in. A year-long investigation finds that Sanctuary Housing left family homes in disrepair. The programme uncovers evidence that this had a critical impact on the health of some of their most vulnerable tenants. As the housing association has grown, official channels of complaint have failed to force it to act reasonably, leaving residents feeling voiceless. In desperation they've turned to social media to share their experiences and offer support. Dispatches asks: are housing associations the new landlords from hell?
Thousands of British personnel employed by the UK defence company BAE help keep fighter jets sold to the Saudi air force flying so that they can launch air strikes on Yemen, in a bombing campaign that's killed an estimated 4000 civilians, and helped create a famine in which perhaps 80,000 children have died from starvation. British military officers also work in the Saudi Air Operations Centre from where bombing is directed. Dispatches investigates the extent to which the war in Yemen is made in Britain.
In Britain today, there are 3.7 million EU workers. But in the wake of the Brexit vote, the number of new arrivals has plunged, giving us a taste of what life without migrants might be like. Reporter Seyi Rhodes travels across the UK in the run-up to Brexit to find out what's happening in key sectors of the economy: agriculture, social care and healthcare. The Leave campaign painted a lurid picture of a land swamped by cheap migrant labour.
In the wake of the Jeremy Kyle Show's cancellation after the death of a guest on the programme, Dispatches investigates what lies behind the headlines, what went wrong and who might be to blame. Talking to insiders and former guests, Morland Sanders examines the culture of Kyle's show and others and asks what its abrupt end might mean for the future of reality television.
As President Trump touches down in the UK, a post-Brexit trade deal is top of the agenda. And one of the most controversial issues is whether we will have to accept chemically washed American chicken as part of a deal. It's been banned in the EU for more than 20 years because of concerns that it masks poor hygiene practices in other parts of the supply chain, but now that we are leaving the EU, should we be worried? Dispatches goes undercover in a major US poultry processing plant to investigate. Reporter Kate Quilton meets whistle-blowers and industry insiders who claim that the Trump administration's close relationship with the industry may mean that the worst is yet to come.
Dispatches runs a world-first experiment to reduce hundreds of primary school children's exposure to toxic air, and discovers that unidentified toxins are coming off every vehicle, even electric ones
A major investigation for Dispatches reveals how thousands of unsafe medicines used to treat conditions like prostate cancer, schizophrenia and epilepsy were dispensed to NHS patients
Reporter Abbie Eastwood investigates whether breast implants are making women sick - or, worse still, causing cancer
Former policeman Dan Clark-Neal investigates what is behind the rise in assaults on police officers serving on the frontline, featuring shocking footage captured on police bodycam, on CCTV and by the public. New research reveals an escalating problem across the country, with mounting numbers of assaults causing a devastating impact on the mental health of officers. Clark-Neal asks if government cuts to police numbers have put officers in more danger and eroded public trust in law enforcement and asks if respect for the police is at an all-time low, questioning what this means for the future of maintaining law and order.
Immigration to Britain is under the spotlight like never before and while many people trying to settle in the UK face personal risks and a hostile reception, this programme reveals an altogether different welcome if you happen to have £2 million to spare. Reporter Antony Barnett investigates the so-called 'golden' visa scheme that offers British residency to wealthy foreign nationals who are willing to invest £2 million into the country. Since the Skripal poisonings last year, concern has focused on the hundreds of Russians that have been given such visas, with critics claiming that the scheme is open to potential abuse. Dispatches discovers what's on offer for people with the money and the know-how who hope to buy themselves British citizenship.
With one in eight young people aged five to nineteen having a mental disorder, demand for access to mental health services is at an all-time high and antidepressant use is on the increase. Sanah Ahsan investigates what is fuelling the crisis and what treatment is available for young people, and whether it is over-reliant on antidepressants. She also asks if medical solutions are being offered for emotional problems and whether destigmatisation campaigns have had unintended consequences.
Following the convictions of serial killer Stephen Port and murderer Gerald Matovu, who both used GHB as their weapon, Dispatches has conducted an eight-month investigation with BuzzFeed News into the use of the drug among gay men. With the largest ever survey of GHB users, Dispatches reveals for the first time the human cost of the epidemic scale of abuse, with over a quarter of users reporting being sexually assaulted, almost half having overdosed, thousands of hospital admissions, and a hidden crime spree: rape, murder, and the live-streaming of sexual abuse. The law allows GBL to be sold for cleaning purposes, which enables easy access to industrial quantities of it online, which can then be used/sold as GHB to users. Dispatches interviews men who have been deliberately overdosed, raped, and those including Lord Brian Paddick who have lost partners and family members.
A look at the roles of Boris Johnson's special adviser Dominic Cummings and Jeremy Corbyn's communications and strategy director Seumas Milne, with both seen as disruptors who appear to sit outside the mainstream of their parties. Dispatches investigates concerns about the power they wield, looking at ways in which they have been instrumental in the attempts to deliver Brexit and how these unelected officials are looking to shape Britain's future?
An investigation into the retailer's seemingly unstoppable growth, with one in three online purchases being made through its site.
Homelessness is on the rise in the UK, but nobody knows how many pregnant women face the possibility of having their baby without a home to go back to. This programme explores the issue of expectant mothers who find themselves with no place to call home, and conducts a survey of midwives in collaboration with the Royal College of Midwives to try to get a sense of the scale of the problem. Ninety-five per cent of the midwives asked strongly felt that homelessness puts the health of the women and their unborn babies at risk. The report follows three women - two of whom are heavily pregnant - experiencing evictions, overcrowding and the reality of living in temporary accommodation for years on end.
In Britain today, 4.1 million children are growing up in poverty. Dispatches spent a year with three children and their families to show what life is really like if there's just not enough money for life's essentials of food, warmth and a place to call home.
Reporter Antony Barnett sets up a fake charity and goes undercover to reveal how some of the most famous people in Britain are profiting from the fundraising work they do, such as posting on social media and appearing at events. Big-name stars from the worlds of reality TV, sport and entertainment, and one of the most famous women in the world, all agree to back the fake charity in return for cash.
Despite rising fares, millions of rail commuters suffer daily from delays and overcrowding. The Government wants to spend billions on new infrastructure, particularly in the north of England with HS2, but the new high-speed supertrain won't arrive until 2040. In the meantime, Liam Halligan asks how the rail network can be fixed.
With panic-buying stripping the shelves bare, Harry Wallop investigates whether the nation's supermarkets can cope with the current Covid-19 crisis. There has been an unprecedented demand for some household items and calls for shoppers to stay calm, but how will manufacturers, suppliers and big stores deal with it?
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, likes to think of itself as the premier global event for politicians, business leaders and celebrities to put the world to rights. It proudly boasts of a commitment to the empowerment of women. But what's the reality? Cate Brown investigates allegations of sexism, harassment and even sex workers operating during the WEF, with undercover reporters infiltrating the event, as well as testimonies from female visitors who are fed up of their treatment by men.
A&E doctor Saleyha Ahsan looks at the pressing questions many are now asking about the health service, inlcuding bed capacity, vital equipment such as ventilators, the number of nurses and protection of NHS workers. Dr Ahsan also examines the impact on the many thousands across the country who now face delays in receiving regular treatment and operations.
As coronavirus takes hold of Britain, Dispatches investigates the long-term effects of the outbreak and asks how the deadly Covid-19 is changing Britain in the long term. As the death toll rises, the programme looks at everything from seismic changes in economic policy to shifts in the way we view and treat other people, and from a drop in pollution to the widening of the gaps between rich and poor, young and old. The programme asks what a post-Covid 19 Britain, torn apart by the disease, might look like, and the potential changes to the way people live their lives for years to come.
Examining the the British government's approach to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. With Britain's confirmed death rate from coronavirus now one of the highest in the world, and the Government's strategy to get the economy restarted and prevent a second spike still developing, Dispatches reporter Antony Barnett begins asking questions that may shed a light on how to beat the virus in the future. With the input of people at the heart of events, Barnett investigates the eight astonishing weeks that saw the UK move into lockdown, and reveals the key decisions and moments that led to the UK shutting down and that have determined what has happened since.
Matt Frei investigates the president's policies, actions and decisions during the pandemic, which has cost more than 200,000 American lives. There are revelations gathered from months of conversations with White House advisers and insiders, whistle-blowers, politicians who have worked with Trump and leading US scientists, as well as loyal Trump supporters.
Britain's service industry is battling for customers, but the public need to be convinced the big names are doing all they can to limit risk to exposure. Many hotel chains, transport companies, restaurants and pubs are making big promises of `deep cleans" and ``enhanced hygiene practices", but with the resurgence of Covid-19, Morland Sanders puts them to test and asks just how safe is it when we go out. Government public health guidance says regular cleaning of surfaces plays a vital role in limiting the transmission of Covid-19 in public settings. In a national experiment, the programme tests the cleanliness of the surfaces people might encounter on a commute, or going for a drink, a meal or a mini staycation? It also examines emerging research concerning airborne transmission of Covid, as well as meeting people whose wellbeing is reliant on the hygiene standards of the service industry.
As the furlough scheme comes to an end, the programme follows the response to a job advert for a minimum-wage server role at a Manchester restaurant. Almost 1,000 people apply, including Katie, a cabin services attendant; Faye, a cruise ship dancer; Jake, a hotel manager; and John, a ticket inspector. We get to know them, as well as Abi, the recruitment consultant in charge of narrowing down the field; and Kerry, a mum-of-two who lost her job at Bentley and is desperate to find a new position to avoid the family losing their home. Through the lens of this one position, Dispatches explores the jobs crisis brought on by Covid that is threatening to push unemployment over three million by Christmas.
After a presidential campaign like no other, the programme assesses the result and asks what happens next for America and its people.
In the month when the worlds' leaders should have been gathering in Glasgow to tackle global warming, Sophie Morgan investigates the carbon footprint of the technology industry and tests some of the environmental claims of some of the biggest names in the tech world. She also recruits two families to keep a diary of their online habits and together they discover some shocking truths about the hidden cost of their online habits.
A look at how millions of tonnes of household recycling end up incinerated, hiking carbon emissions, with councils locked into long and expensive waste contracts.
Dispatches reports from Bradford, one of the UK's worst-hit communities during the pandemic. It's predicted that up to half a million people in the UK are now living with Long Covid. Dispatches asks if the NHS will be able to cope with the lasting legacy of the virus. Narrated by Fatima Manji.
Antony Barnett reports on the collapse of several of Britain's best-known brands, examining the influence of the internet and the pandemic on the decline of high street shopping. Barnett asks how much are these firms to blame for the problems on our high street, and questions whether it's fair that their owners still earned millions while tens of thousands of shopworkers lost their jobs.
Presenter and mother Rochelle Humes explores the shocking fact that Black women are four times more likely than White women to die during pregnancy and childbirth.
As Britain's economy feels the impact of coronavirus, lockdowns and Brexit, Dispatches examines the future of work, wages and safety in the gig economy.Dispatches reporter Morland Sanders investigates the reality of gig work and its growing influence in the job market over the last 12 months. Meeting current and former gig workers, Dispatches uncovers new evidence showing delivery workers feeling overworked, unsafe and under pressure to break the law, and meets NHS workers on zero hours contracts who lost all work in spite of the pressures of the pandemic.
Antony Barnett goes undercover to see what some of the Queen's family might be prepared to do for money, including offers of privileged access to Kensington Palace and Vladimir Putin
With two thirds of all British Covid deaths coming after September 2020, Dispatches investigates why, and examines what role the Prime Minister's decisions of last Autumn played in there being a massive second surge in infections that saw tens of thousands of people die. As Boris Johnson's former chief advisor Dominic Cummings threatens to reveal all, reporter Antony Barnett hears from some at the heart of Downing Street discussions, and learns why the Prime Minister ignored government scientific advice and continued to battle against another lockdown. Dispatches also probes the Prime Minister's border plans to stop virus variants coming into the UK and hears from a whistleblower who fears they've failed to do the job.
Ellie Flynn reports on the true scale of sexual misconduct by serving British police officers, including personal accounts from those who presented themselves to the police as the victim of a crime, and long term partners of serving officers who have endured domestic violence and abuse.
Harry Wallop reports on the impact that leaving the EU has had on Britain's import and export businesses, many of whom are struggling with increased costs, new tariffs and dwindling profits. The programme examines the evidence for whether the rising costs of EU trade are here to stay or simply bumps along the road.
As Britain frets over diesel and petrol shortages, and the Government advises the public to consider going green in all ways possible, electric cars have never been a more popular purchase. But is right now a good time to sink tens of thousands of pounds of hard-earned cash into buying an electric vehicle? Reporter and electric car owner Morland Sanders asks if Britain's charging network is good enough to keep drivers going flat-out, or set to leave them as flat as a pancake. He also looks at whether hybrid electric cars are as green as believed and considers the reliability and likely longevity of electric cars.
Morland Sanders investigates the health and environmental impact of industrial chicken production. This undercover investigation asks serious questions about supermarket chicken, animal welfare, environmental standards, and the impact that these farming techniques may be having on the British countryside.
Investigating a series of deaths, including suicide, by disabled benefits claimants - examining how failings by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) may have contributed. The programme includes findings from the first-ever survey into the devastating impact on the mental health of claimants. Reporter Richard Butchins, who has his own personal experience of dealing with the DWP, meets relatives who say they have lost loved ones as a result of the way the system is run.
An investigation into the Government's de-radicalisation programme, which is supposed to tackle extremism and engage with those believed to be at risk of radicalisation. Reporter Darshna Soni hears how in some cases obvious warning signs are being missed, and insiders blow the whistle on the failings that have enabled some extremists to carry out terrorist attacks.
Yinka Bokinni goes undercover to investigate a new frontier in cyberspace. The big tech companies say the future of the internet is one where, via an avatar, we can all interact in a parallel universe. But as well as a thrilling new world, she also finds a dangerous one in which some apps expose users to racism, sexually explicit behaviour and even sexual assault.
Undercover reporters investigate the far right's current tactics to gain support in some of the most deprived parts of the country. The programme examines how one organisation has been operating through the pandemic, and whether they interfered in a hard-fought by-election. The programme examines the group's plans for home-schooling, and how they are possibly luring a new generation into their membership.
If the trainer industry was a country, it would be the world's 17th largest polluter - yet major manufacturers all make claims of sustainability. Darcy Thomas travels to the Maldives to assess the ecological impact of the industry, putting the big brands' green credentials to the test.
Newly-elected MP Kim Leadbeater investigates the threats and abuse faced by MPs, and the terrible impact it can have on them, their staff and their families. Dispatches reveals new data on the scale of the problem, including powerful testimony from those on the receiving end.
An investigation into concerns that senior Metropolitan Police officers were linked to organised crime and that murders were going unsolved because of corruption, in a bid to address claims that the Met is institutionally corrupt.
The story of the battle for Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, told through the eyes of the civilians and emergency workers who bore the brunt of the Russian onslaught. For 10 weeks, a documentary crew followed fireman Roman, as he and his team tried to put out the relentless fires, and paramedics Tatjana and Irina, who attempt to save civilian casualties. Narrated by Cate Blanchett.
Investigation into three major mass killings by Myanmar's army, revealing evidence of soldiers systematically targeting peaceful protestors and those trying to help the wounded. The film was made by a group of young Burmese activists over more than a year and includes interviews with army defectors who reveal, for the first time, the orders issued by their commanders to unleash lethal force against civilians, as well as questioning why the international community has failed to intervene.
Earlier this year, Britain's airports were beset with cancellations, baggage chaos and delays. Jane Moore reports from behind the scenes at one of Britain's busiest airports, meeting travellers whose holidays have been ruined by the meltdown at British airports, and speaking to insiders and experts to investigate the cause of the chaos.
Ginny Buckley investigates the soaring cost of both new and second-hand cars, discovering an auto industry that is making huge profits and has some questions to answer. She also looks at the knock-on effects, such as rising car crime, and crashed cars with a hidden history being sold for a premium, as she advises how to avoid getting ripped off.
Jimmy Doherty investigates why companies have been allowed to get away with dumping untreated sewage into Britain's rivers and seas for so long, and who is really to blame. Jimmy finds companies breaking the law, a sewerage system that's too small to cope, and thousands of sewage spills at some of Britain's best beaches. An insider reveals why the Environment Agency regulator is failing to hold privatised water companies to account.
As Britain suffers the worst cost of living crisis in 70 years, Citizens Advice opens its doors, offering rare access to the work of its debt advisors. The film follows three stories, including that of a Southend mother-of-two who is coping with a spiralling £20,000 debt accrued from one pay-day loan on top of another, and a single father living with the daily threat of the bailiffs calling.
How, with record-high rents and no social housing available, many parents with young children are facing an uphill battle to find a new place to call home. Bella, aged seven, and her two younger sisters, Nylah and Macie, are being evicted from their two-bed flat in Birmingham - the only home they have ever known. Soon to be homeless, mother Clarissa and partner Theo have no choice but to turn to their local council for help. Over the course of six months, Dispatches follows Bella and her family as they move and move again - spending week after week cooped up in a hotel room. Narrated by Sheridan Smith.
Sophie Morgan reports on domestic abuse against disabled people, revealing shocking lack of services for survivors and the huge challenges they face with accessing support. Sophie visits the only refuge run by and for disabled survivors, and talks to frontline professionals, including healthcare workers and police, revealing that more than half wouldn't know which specialist service to refer a disabled person to.
An investigation into the crisis facing British policing due to lack of resources, accusations of serious misconduct and toxic culture. Police forces are experiencing increasing demands with fewer resources leaving victims of crime asking: where are the police? Thousands of crimes in the UK are receiving little or no investigation and cuts to other services are exacerbating the problem leaving pressure on officers continuously rising, impacting mental health and morale within the force. Dispatches also speaks to members of the public who feel let down by the police and feel they're no longer protected by them, asking the question: is the British policing system fit for purpose?
The full story of Boris Johnson's friendship with press baron Evgeny Lebedev and his former KGB spy father, Alexander Lebedev. Including exclusive interviews with intelligence officials and senior political figures who warned the former Prime Minister against the friendship, knowing it would put him `in a direct line of being able to be influenced and compromised". Despite being told by both Britain's security services and the House of Lords Appointments Commission that the friendship was dangerous, Johnson ignored this advice and became the first Prime Minister to over-rule intelligence advice related to national security for a parliamentary nomination.
Investigating one of the biggest atrocities in recent history, with exclusive access to the testimony of three whistle blowers and what they say about who was behind the huge attack.
An investigation into Sri Lanka's Easter bombing attacks in 2019 that killed 269 people including more than 40 foreign nationals and eight British tourists. Including testimony from high-placed whistle blowers who present evidence alleging top-level complicity in the bombings by Sri Lankan government officials.
A team of investigators search for evidence to prosecute Russian President Putin for the deportation and brainwashing of thousands of Ukrainian children. Dispatches has exclusive access to the team as they travel the dangerous borderlands of Ukraine, speaking to newly rescued children and trying to trace others who've disappeared from orphanages and schools during the Russian occupation.
An investigation of China's relationships with the UK and its institutions, including allegations about treatment of dissidents and critics on UK soil.
In the run-up to Christmas, nine million turkeys will be sold across Britain. Dispatches investigates food safety concerns at one producer.
Harry Wallop investigates Britain's soaring food prices as Christmas quickly approaches and discovers how some products have been secretly reformulated with cheaper ingredients. Plus, how some big brands have managed to sustain and even increase profit margins despite their rising costs and how loyalty-card discounts are really funded.
Ellie Flynn investigates the Chinese shopping app with prices too good to be true, Temu. She finds out whether some of their products are made with high levels of harmful materials and if their safety products are accurately advertised as holding recognised safety certificates. The journalist travels across the UK revealing how Temu has reeled in so many customers and how addictive the app can be.
Undercover report filmed over two months at an NHS Accident and Emergency Department, which exposes the suffering and dangers patients face on a daily basis. The programme features footage of seriously ill patients forced to sleep on chairs for up to two days because there are no beds, and a dangerous superbug outbreak linked to overcrowding and falling hygiene standards.
Election campaigners and experts have warned that artificial intelligence tools could risk politically motivated disinformation flooding social media feeds in ways that recently seemed unimaginable. The fear is that deepfakes and other AI-generated material could influence votes. Cathy Newman reports on the issue, illustrating the effect that AI could have on 12 households of undecided voters. The homes are fed AI-generated material advised by political experts, with the residents none the wiser. Will the experiment succeed? If so, what does it say about the power of AI to influence the vote?
Revealing local hotspots across England and Wales where 100% of neighbourhood crimes can go unsolved, using exclusive analysis of police data. Isobel Yeung talks to criminals who rob with no fear of the police, victims with little faith in law enforcement and insiders from a global criminal network raking in thousands of pounds a month.
Journalist Isobel Yeung investigates one of the world's most iconic brands and its owner Mattel. The toy maker has profited from global 'Barbiemania' through giving Barbie a makeover as a 21st-century feminist, though filming undercover in one of Mattel's factories for the first time, Yeung exposes the daily reality for workers producing the famous dolls and other products.
With the cost of living crisis still biting, Vinted, the online second-hand market-place app, is offering an alternative to fast fashion, allowing users to recycle their wardrobes and bag a bargain. It's proving very popular with the number of Vinted UK users rising from 2.5 million users in 2023 to over 16 million in 2024. It's now the first secondhand clothing app to turn a profit. Ellie Flynn travels across the UK to meet Vinted shoppers, to determine whether the boom is too good to be true and uncover the truth behind some of the products being sold on the platform.
For years, the royals have tried to keep details of some of their wealth secret. Now Dispatches has found what they've not wanted you to know. With exclusive analysis of documents not seen in public before, the programme reveals who is paying them, and for what.
Matt Shea goes undercover to expose the organised criminal networks behind a shoplifting epidemic. The UK's rate of shoplifting is currently at the highest level since records began. Police estimate that a quarter of these incidents are down to organised gangs, who work across the country to steal an unprecedented volume of stock from retailers.
Fraser Nelson investigates the sharp rise in working-age people on sickness benefits, up a million in just five years. Over the course of three months Fraser has been filming with people living on benefits, as well as with top experts and politicians. He finds a broken system that can drive people towards benefits rather than work, with costs that threaten to derail the government's hopes of economic growth.
As the Government releases thousands of offenders early, to ease prison overcrowding - one of its most controversial policies - Dispatches is undercover inside Britain's biggest tagging company, Serco, which is supposed to monitor offenders in the community. Dispatches finds a system in disarray and serious failures that put the public at risk.
Reporter Matt Shea goes on the trail of stolen cars to track down the thieves and recover the vehicles, meeting whistleblowers and criminals, and going undercover to expose the truth about Britain's car crime epidemic.
Political journalist Fraser Nelson goes beyond the headlines to explore the rise of Reform, assessing the impact of Nigel Farage and his young party on the existing political infrastructure. As Reform builds momentum, Nelson examines the deeper forces behind its support - disillusionment, identity and a hunger for disruption - and assesses whether Britain might be on the verge of a political earthquake. Is Reform merely the nation's biggest ever protest vote to date - or is it the start of a surge that will eventually see Farage become prime minister?
Drawing upon interviews from former US intelligence officials and White House insiders, this documentary highlights the factors apparently underpinning Donald Trump's relationship with Vladimir Putin. Is it unchecked admiration for a fellow authoritarian, a bold geopolitical gambit to divide Russia and China - or could the American president really be a recruited Russian asset?
Undercover report from an overstretched 999 control room. With services facing a record level of demand, the programme reveals how patients face dangerous delays and having to choose between waiting for an ambulance or risking making their own way to hospital. Some callers are told an ambulance is being arranged when staff are actually deciding whether they need one. Targets are routinely missed. As winter approaches, Dispatches asks whether the Government is doing enough to fix the crisis in emergency care.
Millions of workers in the UK could lose their jobs because of the artificial intelligence revolution. According to experts the impact on a range of industries could be dramatic, with skilled work particularly affected. As AI develops rapidly, with claims it can outperform humans in most tasks, Dispatches undertakes a bold and unique experiment that pitches human against machine to find out how true that is. Four professionals are invited into a specially-created test centre to compete in a set of identical tasks against their AI counterparts: a GP; a fashion photographer; a trainee solicitor; and a composer. With reputations as well as jobs at stake, who comes out on top - humans or AI?
It's been reported that a key witness in Prince Harry's high-stakes case against the publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday has dramatically claimed that an earlier witness statement in his name was made up. Prince Harry and six other high-profile public figures, including Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, accuse the papers of law-breaking, including phone hacking and bugging, to obtain stories. Associated Newspapers says the allegations are 'preposterous smears'. With the trial due to start in the new year, Dispatches examines what's been going on - and what the case means for Harry's wider war with the press and his relationship with his family.
Every seven seconds a parcel is stolen in Britain. With Christmas just around the corner, Dispatches goes on a mission to catch the crooks behind the escalating crime wave. The eye-opening film reveals the stark reality of Britain's disappearing doorstep deliveries, showing how it's become big business for criminal gangs. Reporter Tir Dhondy meets victims frustrated that their parcels keep going missing, even though they have doorbell footage of the criminals at work.To investigate what happens with stolen deliveries, Tir hides tiny tracking devices in parcels and leaves them on doorsteps. When they're stolen, the thieves have no idea that Tir is secretly following on their tail, ready to challenge them. Tir finds out how one doorstep thief susses out which homes offer the prime pickings, and learns that parcel theft is no longer just a petty crime for opportunist thieves but a lucrative business model for criminal gangs, costing more than an estimated £650m a year. Tir also discovers the shocking reality of how violent organised gangs are hijacking delivery vans, sometimes with deadly consequences. And how stressed-out delivery drivers are frightened in their daily work. With exclusive access to a major police operation, Tir sees first-hand how the cops are tracking and tackling the organised gangs who are determined to pinch our festive purchases.