Misc Documentaries

The exploits of young Britons abroad often hit the headlines, but are holidaymakers risking more than just their reputations? BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James joins British tourists heading to party capital Magaluf on the Spanish island of Mallorca, to examine the risks that many seem all too willing to take with their mind, body and soul. .

Joan Root, with her husband Alan, produced beautiful and famous natural history films, born of her deep love of Africa and its flora and fauna. This delicate but determined member of Kenya's Happy Valley was gunned down in January 2006 by intruders bearing AK-47s. Four men were charged with her murder, including David Chege, the leader of a private vigilante group Root herself had financed to stop the illegal fishing that was killing Lake Naivasha, the beautiful lake beside which she lived. Chege was from Karagita, the largest of the slums that has sprung up beside the lake in the last twenty years. In that time, the population of Naivasha has rocketed from 30,000 to 350,000 as a desperate tide of impoverished migrant workers arrived in search of employment on Kenya's flourishing flower farms. This has created squalor, crime and, in the minds of Root and her fellow naturalists, ecological apocalypse. This film tells the story of the extraordinary life and brutal death of Joan Root, and of her campaign to save the lake she loved. Who killed Joan Root? Was it the fish poachers, whom Root stopped from plying their illegal trade in a bid to save her beloved Lake Naivasha? Was it her loyal lieutenant Chege, whom Root ultimately cut off from her payroll? Or was it one of her white neighbours, with whom Root had feuded? Through the telling of Root's story, the film opens a window onto contemporary Africa and the developed world's relationship to it. For it is the Kenyan rose, which is exported by the millions on a daily basis from Naivasha, that has brought not just jobs and foreign exchange earnings, but a population explosion that has caused the destruction of the environment Root worked so hard to stop. Her campaign may have ultimately cost her her life. .

Fiona Bruce traces the story of one of history's great royal love affairs: the love between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It was a love based on a powerful physical attraction, and grew into a marriage that set the tone for the Victorian age. Over the twenty years they spent together, until Albert's tragic death, they gave each other a dazzling collection of paintings, sculptures and jewellery. That collection will be on show - much of it for the first time - at a major exhibition in London, and shows a new and passionate side of the royal couple. Fiona meets HRH Prince Charles, and travels to the royal palaces that Victoria and Albert made their own, as well as the royal workshops where artworks for the exhibition are being restored, to tell the story behind a collection that is one of the wonders of the nation. .

Paul Merton goes in search of the origins of screen comedy in the forgotten world of silent cinema - not in Hollywood, but closer to home in pre-1914 Britain and France. Revealing the unknown stars and lost masterpieces, he brings to life the pioneering techniques and optical inventiveness of the virtuosos who mastered a new art form. With a playful eye and comic sense of timing, Merton combines the role of presenter and director to recreate the weird and wonderful world that is early European cinema in a series of cinematic experiments of his own. .

Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons This documentary goes beyond the text of the epic poem and examines the history behind its writing. With interviews and travels in Europe, BEOWULF AND THE ANGLO-SAXONS dives into the culture of the people who created the classic myth. This title also explores the warrior society of the ancient people. Miraculously preserved over the centuries, its artistic importance was unrecognized until an essay by J. R. R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) revealed its unity and multi-dimensional structure. Beowulf is now regarded as the most important manuscript the Anglo-Saxons have handed down to us, of immense linguistic as well as poetic value. This program sets out to trace the origins of the tribes that brought this epic into being, the war-like Norsemen from Sweden, Denmark and Germany who were to conquer and settle regions of a more clement and fertile island that would become known as England, named after the tribe of the Angles. Using 3-D animation, location footage, archive materials and interviews, the Beowulf epic is examined in the light of the civilization that created it. It investigates their religious beliefs as well as their everyday life, and suggests that, old as the poem is, it may have roots in an even more ancient fertility cult.

Up to a million gladiators are thought to have died in arenas across the Roman Empire. And, apart from ancient Italy itself, Roman Britain had the highest density of purpose-built gladiatorial arenas in Europe. Interest in gladiators has been at an all-time high since Russell Crowe's sword and sandals epic. But the details of the lives and deaths of gladiators remain fragmentary. Now, featuring sensational new archaeological discoveries, Gladiators: Back from the Dead vividly recreates the world of the Roman arena and how six gladiators lived, fought and died. The programme reveals how the various types of gladiator were trained in special schools, including Retiarii, who fought with nets and tridents, heavyweight Myrmillonis sword fighters, Thracians armed with special 'bent' swords, Secutors (literarily pursuers) who wore special helmets, and the Bestiarii, who fought wild animals. The programme follows archaeologists and forensic anthropologists as they analyse dozens of Roman skeletons found in Britain over recent years: individuals who evidence shows came from across the Roman Empire. And, using injuries found on the bones, including weapon cut marks and even large carnivore bite marks, as well as evidence of heavy training, the programme re-creates ancient gladiatorial life and death.

Martin Taylor's revealing behind-the-scenes look at Australia's longest running and probably most politically incorrect beauty contest, Miss Nude Australia. Best Undressed is an offbeat portrait of suburban Australia that's somewhere between Strictly Come Dancing and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; always entertaining, occasionally hilarious and sometimes a little tragic. It is an intimate insight into a group of young women and their families who share the same hopes and dreams as anyone and who are striving to be the very best at what they do but without any of the pretensions of more mainstream beauty pageants.

When Danielle Lineker married Gary in 2009, she became stepmum to his four teenage sons. With her oldest stepson George only 12 years younger than her, Danielle is finding her new role a challenge. What is the secret to a successful stepfamily? How should she behave to avoid being the wicked stepmother? In this intimate and honest documentary we follow Danielle on her journey to understand stepfamilies, the fastest growing family type in Britain. And on the way, she learns some home truths about herself and her new family.

Growing up is hard enough for most young people, but how different would it be if you couldn't view the world through your eyes. This documentary follows four young blind people on the rollercoaster ride to adulthood as they try to work out what they want from their lives. Eighteen-year-old Dwight seeks love and independence, Karen dreams of a career designing jewellery, and blind couple Katy and Scott face dilemmas about their future together.

Virtual love has never been bigger. In 2010, seven million of us will sign up for internet dating, a fifth of whom will find love online, and 12 million dates will be organised online. Dating websites are no longer stigmatised as a weird pastime for young people, and nearly two thirds of over-55s who are single are now using them. The internet has completely changed how people conduct their love lives, from long-distance relationships and keeping tabs on a crush, to obsessing about exes... and partners' exes. Lucy Robinson is a growing sensation in the blogging world. Her online diary, The Final Countdown, entertains thousands of marieclaire.co.uk readers with its frank and humorous tales from the frontline of internet dating. Lucy spares no detail of her cyber-love adventures, confessing freely to rampant internet stalking and imaginary love affairs with men she's never even met. In Love Virtually, actress Claire Wood portrays Lucy in a fictional documentary, at critical moments in her cyber love life: her first internet dates, her secret stalking of her new boyfriend and her heartbroken weeks with only the internet for company when it all goes wrong. As well as following Lucy's experiences, the documentary interviews several other internet-dating-savvy women, and provides an absorbing and comical glimpse of love in the 21st century: a time where new relationships are very often three-way affairs between man, woman... and the internet. After all, why sit around in a hedge with a long-lens camera when you can find out all you need to know at the click of a mouse?

Being a teenager is tough, but for 16-year-old Jasmine Burkitt it is even harder because she is just 3ft 8in tall and only fits clothes designed for a seven- to eight-year-old. The 12 months captured in this documentary are the most important of Jasmine's life so far. She goes to New York to meet others with similar genetic conditions; camps out at her first pop festival; celebrates her sixteenth birthday and tries to contact her estranged father, who is average size. Unexpected events in this engaging teenager's life make this a compelling film.

A warm hearted and emotional film, following 22-year-old Alice as she searches for her real dad. During Alice's life there have been six different men that she's thought of as being her dad - some meant more to her than others. But there's one of these men Alice has no memory of - her biological dad. In this film Alice sets off on a journey to meet these different men from her childhood, and in the process work out what it really means to be a dad. And Alice has a big decision to make, she's recently got engaged, but which of her dads will walk her down the aisle? .

In this shocking episode of Our World, Chris Rogers goes undercover, posing as one of the millions of so-called sex tourists who visit the South American country in search of cheap sex, often with children as young as seven years old. .

Documentary which offers intimate access to the extraordinary relationship between plastic surgery-obsessed glamour model Alicia Douvall and her surprisingly well-balanced 14-year-old daughter, Georgia. Should Georgia follow her mum's advice and become a surgically-enhanced glamour model, or should she finish her education and get a proper job? Alicia is having therapy for body dysmorphic disorder and a past she would rather forget. Georgia dotes on her mother, but must she emulate her? She would rather get on with her chemistry homework. When Alicia's breast implant collapses on the plane, Georgia finds herself stuck in America, nursing her mother through reconstructive surgery and missing out on school. The unforgettable trip changes both their lives, and forces Alicia to have an epiphany about Georgia's future.

Tulisa Contostavlos is best known for being the girl in the pop band N-Dubz, but she is also a carer for her mum who has suffered from a mental illness since before Tulisa was born. In this personal, authored documentary, Tulisa finds out what life is like for some of the 80,000 other young people in Britain caring for a parent with mental health problems. Drawing on her own experiences, which included seeing her mum forcibly sectioned in psychiatric care when she was five years old, Tulisa explores the day-to-day realities of caring for a mentally ill parent and finds that the effects can be overwhelming and often endured with little outside support. She discovers that there is help available, notably young carers groups where people can meet others in the same boat. Tulisa also looks into the difficult topic of heredity, asking whether her own hectic rock-star lifestyle is putting her at risk of developing an illness like her mum's.

Documentary telling the story of 14-year-old Rebecca Flint, an ordinary schoolgirl from the Isle of Man who in Japan becomes Beckii Cruel, a teen icon and an internet sensation. Beckii became famous in Japan after uploading films of herself dancing on YouTube. She did this secretly, without telling her parents. This intimate documentary has exclusive access to her as it explores the real world of Beckii and the other British teenage girls who hope to become famous in Japan. Beckii's breakthrough posting attracted almost half a million hits and showed her miming an eccentric Japanese dance called danjo. Beckii was then approached by a Japanese music manager who quickly helped her to take Japan by storm. Since August 2009 she has recorded five singles, released her own DVD and appeared on Japan's biggest TV shows. Now she wants success in the UK and there are a lot of businessmen ready to help her crack the teen market. Despite getting the fame every girl is supposed to dream of, life is not easy for this 14-year-old. Being a child doing a job in a very adult world isn't always fun and games. Balancing two different lives on opposite sides of the world is tricky, and wrestling with the consequences of a mainly male Japanese fan base can be embarrassing, especially if you've never even had a boyfriend. The film explores the fascinating world of Japanese anime and manga - crazes that grip millions in Japan and tens of thousands here – and shows that other girls see Beckii's success and decide they too might like to be big in Japan. But although getting famous seems as simple as uploading a crazy dance, the implications of being famous at 14 are anything but straightforward.

Tattoos aren't the first thing you think of when Jodie Marsh's name comes up, but she has over 70 of them - from her first, the word 'cheekie' tattooed on her lower back, to an exact copy of the stilettos she wore as a lap dancer at Stringfellows - and the art of inking is her passion. Now Jodie is taking on the biggest challenge of her life, as she intends to transform her passion into a profession by training as a tattooist. She'll spend time with professionals like Nicole Lowe and Louis Molloy and after attending art classes and building a portfolio, will learn the trade as an apprentice. As Jodie's ambition is to open her own studio, she will need to learn every aspect of the trade. Along the way, Jodie will be faced with many different challenges as she prepares to create a tattoo for a very important customer - her dad!

Documentary which captures the latest teen phenomenon sweeping high school leavers by following young people and their families in the lead up to their eagerly-anticipated end-of-school celebrations. Big hair, big dresses and outrageous forms of transport are just some of the ways that young people are trying to get noticed at these landmark events. The film focuses on six prom attendees, each going to one of three school proms being held at different schools across the UK. It gives a snapshot of the transition into adulthood of these six young people, who are from a range of backgrounds. What are their hopes and dreams for the future and what current realties are they and their parents coping with? Underneath the fake tans and fabulous frocks, this film says more about parenting skills than bank balances. .

Greg Foot buckles up for a 13.7 billion year trip through time, to answer the biggest question of them all - where do we come from? But the last thing you'll find in this programme is a particle accelerator. All Greg needs is the stuff that's lying around. So, you want to prove the Big Bang really happened? Easy - it can all be done by playing guitar at 60 mph and blowing up a watermelon in super slow-motion. What about calculating the speed of light? By microwaving ants on full power, of course. Whether Greg is squeezing a car into suitcase or making Big Ben strike 13 o'clock - this is the story of how we all got here, as you've never seen it before. .

'I want to know where my personality begins and dyslexia ends. I'm fed up with putting things on hold and having this vision that one day I'm going to be something different to who I am now'. Actress Kara Tointon dreams about reading a novel cover to cover. Standing in her way is her dyslexia. Kara is now wondering whether this neurological condition is affecting her work as an actress and even her day-to-day life. In this intimate documentary, Kara is tested and undergoes specialist help. She also meets other young dyslexics, many of whom share Kara's experience of feeling 'stupid'. As Kara faces some difficult truths about herself, will she be able to take control of her condition and transform her life?

Across Britain and Ireland lie thousands of unmarked mass graves. People drive past them every day, not knowing that in them are buried tens of thousands of tiny stillborn babies. Hidden and secret, it is as though they never existed. The babies ended up buried in these graves because of a piece of Catholic theology according to which babies who were stillborn or who died shortly after birth and that had not been baptised could be denied a cemetery burial. Their souls could not go to heaven but would remain in a place called Limbo. These are the so-called 'Limbo babies', stillborn babies born to Roman Catholic families who could not be buried in consecrated ground. In a rare personal testimony, mums, dads and families describe the harsh effects of this centuries-old practice on their lives. Many of them secretly buried their children as close as they could to consecrated ground, or in desolate, beautiful locations they felt had been touched by God. The film documents pioneering work by communities, clergy and people seeking change, such as at Milltown, Belfast's biggest Roman Catholic Cemetery. In Milltown, families made the shock discovery that their loved ones, some of them 'Limbo babies', were now buried in a wildlife reserve. Their mass unmarked graves had been sold through error by the cemetery. The film follows events as relatives of the Milltown babies began a weekly protest, the Catholic Church tried to seek resolution, and people began to arrive at the cemetery gates with stories of unresolved grief. Finally, Fr Thomas Norris, from the powerful International Theological Commission which advises the Pope, describes the current Limbo situation. Does it still exist? .