Picture This (BBC)

This first film portrays the lives of a group of people who all wait on tables. Ellen became a waitress as a 14-year-old when she moved to London. At night, she works for a catering firm that has employed her friend Pam as a waitress for 16 years. Meanwhile Sasa, who arrived in Devon from Serbia six years ago, is astonishing guests with his eccentric approach at a Torquay hotel.

Film-maker and former performance artist Annie Griffin provides an insight into the hectic world of television channel MTV Europe, when she spends a day shadowing the company's creative director Peter Dougherty, who gave Griffin her first break in television five years ago.

A quintessential image of England, Beachy Head has also gained infamy as a spot for people determined to commit suicide. Members of the local community talk about how the area's grim reputation shapes their day-to-day lives.

The reel of the 51st is one of the most famous and best-loved Scottish dances, but the origin of its steps date back to a Second World War battlefield. Kate Bannatyne's film traces how members of the Scottish 51st Highland division created the dance after being captured at Dunkirk in 1940.

As a result of contracting meningitis as a toddler, Nick Stephens is now paralysed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair. But in 1996 he won a place at New College, Oxford University, to study law. With the help of camera attached to his wheelchair, Nick tells the story of his first term at Oxford.

Each year, from March to October, 250 painters set about the task of painting the nation's electricity pylons. The work is uncomfortable and carries considerable health risks. Kirkham Jackson 's film follows a team of four painters who remain undeterred by the hazards of their profession.

In London's Leicester Square, TJ, Sumi and Bobby compete with other portrait painters for commissions from visiting tourists and passers-by. In Preeya Lai's film, the trio discuss the factors that compelled them to earn their living on the streets. Series editor Peter Symes

For the past 40 years, Acorn Films and David Piggott have been making the Chingford Newsreels. In the style of the old Pathe or Movietone films, they record the changing face of life in the London suburb. The programme follows Piggott and Tim Emblem-English as they record another year.

Ten years ago, The Herald of Free Enterprise capsized, killing 193 people. One of the ferry's passengers, Andrew Parker , saved over 20 people by forming a "human bridge" in the freezing water. He was hailed as an overnight hero but fame has carried a heavy price and his own life has been a long struggle to return from disaster to normality.

A tongue-in-cheek look at the history and design of the swimsuit as a group of women share their experiences of trying to find the perfect costume.