On Assignment

CATALONIA – JAMES MATES After recent turmoil in Catalonia revealed the depth of divisions between the Catalan government in Barcelona and the Spanish authorities in Madrid, Europe Editor James Mates asks whether there really is a desire for independence in the majority of Catalan homes. He also investigates whether the recent actions of the national government have pushed the pressure for an independence vote to critical, and looks into the history behind the movement that could reshape Spain as we know it. SATIRE AND TRUMP – MARTIN GEISSLER What happens when reality is too surreal for satire? One year on from the US election, correspondent Martin Geissler travels to New York to explore how American satirists and comedians have dealt with the Trump administration. Martin meets Trump impersonators, political cartoonists and satirists to ask whether we are living in the golden age of political comedy. THE RAREST PASTA IN THE WORLD – MARY NIGHTINGALE Mary Nightingale travels to a tiny village in Sardinia to meet Paola Abriani, a 62 year old grandmother who can make su filindeu (‘threads of God') – the rarest pasta in the world. It's a family tradition. Paola is one of only three women who can make it - the other two are her niece and sister-in-law. Last year, a team of engineers from Barilla pasta came to see if they could reproduce her technique with a machine, but they couldn't. The sacred dish has only been served to the faithful who complete a 20-mile pilgrimage on foot or horseback from Nuoro to the village of Lula for the biannual Feast of San Francesco. Mary follows the 1,500 pilgrims as they descend on Lula, to discovers what makes this delicate pasta so special.

Rageh Omaar presents the current affairs series featuring in-depth reports from around the world by ITN's top correspondents. Juliet Bremner is in the state of New York where a controversial battle is taking place over the diagnosis and treatment of lyme disease, one of the fastest-growing diseases in the world. As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, Chris Ship is in Toronto where he explores the nature of the Canadian identity and stereotyping. Angus Walker explores the unusual world of artificially-intelligent sex dolls, including a visit to a sex doll brothel in Barcelona, as he discovers how close - or far - technology is from successfully recreating sentient humanoid rob

Rageh Omaar presents the current affairs series featuring in-depth reports from around the world. Alok Jha visits the forests and parks of Wyoming to explore the science behind the many wild fires that have raged across the western United States this past summer. Julie Etchingham returns to the city of Mostar, twenty years after reporting from there during the Bosnian war, to discover how the city has tried to heal the ethnic divisions brought to the fore by the conflict. Emma Murphy investigates Moldova to see the central role that the country's wine is playing in a complex geo-political game between Russia and the West.

Rageh Omaar presents the current affairs series. John Ray revisits Sierra Leone, three months after torrential rains triggered a devastating mudslide that claimed over 1,000 lives. John Irvine investigates a local controversy surrounding India's famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal. Critics believe the row has become emblematic of growing Hindu nationalism encouraged by the government to the detriment of Muslims in India. Debi Edward meets the Mongolians conquering Japan's most traditional sport - sumo.

Three months ago, the British Virgin Islands were devastated when Hurricane Irma ripped through the Caribbean. Penny Marshall was one of the first journalists to report from the archipelago, and she returns to see how the islanders are trying to rebuild their wrecked communities and vital tourist industry. Joel Hills is given rare access to Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit in Seattle, to ask who is responsible for preventing cyber-attacks and to explore the issue of state-sponsored hacking. Rageh Omaar travels to his family's home country, Somaliland, which could become the first state in Africa to eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation.