This World

When Hugo Chavez stormed to power in Venezuela in 1998 he promised to transform the lives of the poor. He was at the helm of the country with the largest proven oil reserves in the world and set about spending Venezuela's vast oil wealth. Around the world he was hailed as a new hope for socialism by left wing politicians, including Ken Livingstone and then back bench Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn. But now 20 years on, 90 per cent of families in Venezuela say they do not have enough to eat and the United Nations predicts that over five million people will have fled the country by the end of 2019. This film tells the extraordinary story of Chavez's 14-year presidency. A precursor to many of today's populist leaders, Chavez bypassed traditional media and spoke directly to the people through his weekly live TV show. Told by many of those who knew him, it is the story of incredible short-term achievements in health and education, but also of the tragic legacy of his idealism, populism and ruthless pursuit of absolute power. With populist movements increasingly taking power in countries around the world, it is a story that is now more relevant than ever. Part of BBC2's award-wining This World strand.

The extraordinary story of General Qassem Suleimani with first-hand accounts of his secret deals and shifting alliances across Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. For decades one Iranian commander has dominated the brutal struggle for power and influence across the Middle East. This film tells the extraordinary story of General Qassem Suleimani with first-hand accounts of his secret deals and shifting alliances across Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. During the Iraq War, Suleimani smuggled thousands of sophisticated bombs into the country arming the Shia militias who killed hundreds of British and American troops. But just a few years later the western coalition found themselves on the same side as Suleimani as they both fought to defeat the Islamic State. “We saw Suleimani as a very capable charismatic, skilled, professionally competent, diabolically evil human being” says General David Petraeus, who was head of US forces in Iraq. With Suleimani now coming out of shadows and taking centre stage in Iran’s strategic ambitions, this film asks whether he is shaping up for a new conflict with the west in the region. “We can see him as the Darth Vader of contemporary middle eastern politics" says US Diplomat Ryan Crocker.

In 2017, 25-year-old Anna Campbell from Lewes in East Sussex travelled in secret to northern Syria. She was heading for Rojava, the Kurdish territory in the north of the country. In the midst of the civil war in Syria, a fledgling feminist democracy had been established but almost immediately came under threat from the so-called Islamic State. Just eight months after arriving and with no military background, Anna went to the front line to fight with Kurdish YPJ. A month later she was killed by a Turkish air strike.

One year ago this August, tragedy struck in Italy following the collapse of Genoa’s Morandi bridge, resulting in 43 deaths. But with problems connected to the structure identified years prior to the collapse, could this disaster have been prevented? Chief magistrate of the region Francesco Cozzi is determined to uncover the truth. With 74 people currently under investigation in connection to the collapse, this documentary takes a closer look at potential reasons behind the bridge’s failing and the allegations surrounding the privatised motorway operator responsible for its safety. Featuring powerful first-hand survivor testimonies from a foreman who was rescued from a truck suspended 30 metres from the ground and a former footballer who emerged without a scratch following a 40-metre fall. In the last six years, six other bridges have collapsed across Italy. How many other bridges like this are at risk and is the necessary action being taken in order to maintain them?

As vaccine-sceptics are blamed by many for surging measles, what do they really believe? Is their fight even about science? And who is spreading their ideas – and why?

Lelian Chew is a wedding planner to the super-rich in the East Asia. With Asia now home to more billionaires than the USA or Europe, this film goes inside a world of unimaginable wealth and luxury.

The chilling account of the 2018 megafire that swept through northern California, containing moving interviews with the firemen, police and survivors who came face to face with the disaster.