BBC Documentaries

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2001
2001x1
Top of the Pops - The True Story
Episode overview
Jamie Theakston presents the history of Britain's best-loved music show, spanning four decades of great music and including archive footage of classic performances and backstage antics. .. show full overview
2001x3
Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood
Episode overview
Feature-length documentary recounting the making of Cleopatra, which starred Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. The 20th Century Fox's 1963 epic film has been called the most expensive film .. show full overview
2001x43
My Little Pony
Episode overview
In a documentary exploring the bond between a child and its pony, eight children talk about their feelings for their equine pets.
2001x7
Victoria Died in 1901 but Is Still Alive Today
Episode overview
Jonathan Meades explores the architectural legacy of Queen Victoria's reign.
2001x44
Challenger
Episode overview
Documentary recalling the events of 28 January 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded soon after its launch killing the crew of seven outright. The programme includes expert .. show full overview
2001x11
Ellen MacArthur: Sailing through Hell
Episode overview
A documentary chronicling the extremely demanding voyage of yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur who, at the age of only 24, became the fastest woman ever to singlehandedly circumnavigate the world.
2001x45
The Life and Lyrics of Kirsty MacColl
Episode overview
Documentary tribute to the singer-songwriter who died in a freak boating accident last year. The daughter of choreographer Jean Newlove and folk singer Ewan MacColl , she will be best .. show full overview
2001x46
Fertility Tourists
Episode overview
A documentary following a small but growing band of would-be parents who, in their pursuit of the child they desire, refuse to be bound by their country's laws, rendering fertility an .. show full overview
2001x47
Little Women - a Day in the Life of the Tweenager
Episode overview
There is a new generation of pre-teen girls who possess the confidence, sense of style, and to some degree, the emotional complexities of a teenager, but who are aged between 7 and 11 .. show full overview
2001x12
Through the Eyes of the Old
Episode overview
This feature-length documentary follows men and women in their daily lives aged from their early 60s to over 90. Those featured include active friends Connie and Joy and Chelsea Pensioner Archie.
2001x48
Positive Women
Episode overview
There are now more new cases of HIV infection among heterosexuals each year than among homosexual men, and most of the 10,000 HIV-positive heterosexuals in Britain are women. In this .. show full overview
2001x13
Mine Seekers
Episode overview
United Nations statistics show that there are at least 60-70 ! million landmines around the world, and that 25,000 people are killed or maimed by mines every year. This documentary .. show full overview
2001x49
Like a Hurricane: the Alex Higgins Story
Episode overview
A profile of one of the most exciting players that the game of snooker has ever produced, recalling the career of the twice world champion and crowd favourite and examining his turbulent life off the table.
2001x14
When Boxing Ruled the World
Episode overview
This documentary looks back on the golden era of the sport's heavyweight division, which at the dawn of global television broadcasts was dominated by Muhammad Ali. It recalls how Ali's .. show full overview
2001x50
Magic - Art of Darkness
Episode overview
A documentary which shows that arcane wizardry is not just the preserve of horror films and Harry Potter novels. For accounts assistant Andrew Stockall , it is a serious pursuit. Over .. show full overview
2001x51
Forgotten Heroes: Korea Remembered
Episode overview
Fifty years ago this weekend, a heroic last stand was fought against the Chinese Army by British troops serving with the UN in Korea. Veterans of the Battle of the Imjin river recall the event and the cruel aftermath in PoW camps.
2001x15
Football's Dream Factory
Episode overview
Alan Hansen reveals how Britain's most talented footballers are discovered and groomed for a career that promises instant wealth and fame for the lucky few who succeed.
2001x16
Get Real ... Casualty
Episode overview
Four regular Casualty cast members assume their TV roles for real in this one-off programme which sees Ian - Kelsey (Patrick), Sandra Huggett (Holly), Catherine Shipton (Duffy), and Ian .. show full overview
2001x17
Hollywood Knives
Episode overview
The' Secret History of Tinseltown under the Scalpel. The myth behind Hollywood glamour, including interviews with those who were responsible for the surgical makeovers of movie stars including Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne.
2001x18
Rod Stewart - Wine, Women and Song
Episode overview
Documentary account of the colourful career of the London-born Scottish pop singer, with contributions from family, colleagues and admirers.
2001x6
The New Romantics: A Fine Romance
Episode overview
Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, Visage, Marilyn, Adam and the Ants, Duran Duran, ABC... At the dawn of the 80s, a whole host of strangely dressed men in make-up burst forth onto the music .. show full overview
2001x19
Annie Goes to Hollywood
Episode overview
Documentary following Anne Robinson 's progress as she goes from BBC Watchdog presenter to quiz show host on The Weakest Link, a programme which has also taken America by storm. .. show full overview
2001x20
Brigadier Birtie's Last Battle
Episode overview
Documentary following Brigadier Alex "Birtie" Birtwhistle, a few days away from retirement, as he embarks on one last mission - to sort out the chaos of the foot and mouth crisis in the country's worst affected area, Cumbria.
2001x21
When Liverpool Ruled the World
Episode overview
On the eve of Liverpool's bid to win a major European trophy for the first time in 17 years, this documentary looks back - on the period during the seventies and eighties when the Reds were arguably Europe's top club side.
2001x22
The Oklahoma Bomber
Episode overview
It was the worst domestic terrorist attack in US history - a bomb in Oklahoma six years ago that killed 168 people and injured 500 more. Timothy McVeigh , found guilty of planting the .. show full overview
2001x52
Are You Captain Corelli?
Episode overview
As the biggest British film of the year opens in London, this documentary recalls the shocking wartime events that inspired the original novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. On the Greek .. show full overview
2001x23
Volcano Man
Episode overview
A documentary about Welshman Mark Davies who works in some of the most inhospitable and dangerous places on earth -the volcanos of Montserrat and Nevada Del Ruiz.
2001x73
Cruikshank: 1,000 Ways of Getting Drunk in England
Episode overview
Art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon reveals a fascinating history of the nation's love affair with the bottle as George Cruikshank 's forgotten masterpiece The Worship of Bacchus goes on show .. show full overview
2001x24
A British Legend - the Search for Bluebird
Episode overview
Donald Campbell died when his boat crashed at 300mph on Lake Coniston, Cumbria. For 34 years the crash remained shrouded in mystery, as the wreck of Bluebird lay submerged in the depths .. show full overview
2001x25
The Joy of Text - Text Maniacs
Episode overview
With almost one billion messages sent each month in Britain, this documentary explores both the amusing and serious sides of the text phenomenon.
2001x53
America, America - the Films of Ken Burns
Episode overview
A profile of celebrated film-maker Ken Burns, showing as a prelude to the first episode of his epic musical series "Jazz". At his home in the New Hampshire town of Walpole, the man who .. show full overview
2001x8
Eyes of the Detective: The Murder of James Bulger
Episode overview
Coinciding with the parole hearing of James Bulger's killers, this program offers a personal account of the murder from the perspective of Albert Kirby, the senior investigating officer. .. show full overview
2001x26
When Tennis Ruled the World
Episode overview
A nostalgic look back at tennis in the seventies, a period many see as the sport's golden age when Borg, McEnroe, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King lit up Wimbledon with their bewitching brand of showmanship, spirit and sex appeal.
2001x27
There's Only One Madonna
Episode overview
As Madonna's first world tour since 1993 arrives in London tonight, this film examines her love affair with Great Britain. Friends and contemporaries, including Jean Paul Gaultier , Mel .. show full overview
2001x69
Pevsner Revisited
Episode overview
Jonathan Meades investigates the life of the architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner, and the writing of his largest work, The Buildings of England.
2001x54
A Pocketful of Posies
Episode overview
A documentary in which some of Britain's older citizens recall the circumstances of their childhoods early last century in a series of moving stories accompanied by rare archive film, stills and dramatic reconstructions.
2001x28
The Stalker
Episode overview
The phenomenon of stalking is tackled in this one-off documentary, which records the meeting between one young mother and the man she says is pursuing her. It also follows other stalking .. show full overview
2001x29
Summer Sensations
Episode overview
A one-off documentary celebrating summer-themed pop records from the past 40 years. Contributors include the Beach Boys, Alice Cooper , Martha Reeves , Hank Marvin , John Sebastian and John Peel.
2001x30
Through the Eyes of the Young
Episode overview
Following on from the acclaimed Through the Eyes of the Old, director/cameraman Christopher Terrill now turns his attention to the 18-30s who are tackling the world head on. Some are .. show full overview
2001x55
Hajj - the Journey of a Lifetime
Episode overview
Documentary following several British pilgrims astheyjoin three million Muslims from around the world to perform the Hajj -the annual pilgrimage to the sacred shrine at Mecca. The .. show full overview
2001x56
The Mosque
Episode overview
For the first time a British mosque - Birmingham Central - has opened its doors to cameras. The result is a documentary that offers a unique insight into the life of Britain's Islamic .. show full overview
2001x57
Hack the Planet
Episode overview
Documentary on the hackers who wrote a programme capable of hijacking million computers.
2001x58
Ian Botham: 100 Per Cent Beefy
Episode overview
As an antidote to England's 2001 Ashes defeat, a celebration of the 20th anniversary of cricketing all-rounder Ian Botham 's triumph in the 1981 Third Ashes Test. It offers a profile of .. show full overview
2001x31
Real Life Weakest Links
Episode overview
Disasters in sport, in space, at sea and in everyday life illustrate that even the briefest moments of madness can have far-reaching, and potentially disastrous, consequences. Paul Merton narrates this wry compendium of tales of human error.
2001x59
Lee Miller - a Crazy Way of Seeing
Episode overview
Documentary charting the fascinating life and work of Lee Miller , a model for Vogue in 1920s New York who became the only female photojournalist to cover the Second World War. Having .. show full overview
2001x60
Frank Lloyd Wright
Episode overview
Ken Burns 's documentary on the visionary American architect. The film examines Wright's legacy, as well as the problems he faced reconciling his creative genius with more mundane matters such as his finances and his family.
2001x61
Fashion Victim - the Killing of Gianni Versace
Episode overview
The murder of Gianni Versace in July 1997 on the steps of his Miami mansion sent shockwaves around the fashion world. Versace's name had become associated with the best in designer .. show full overview
2001x4
Ravi Shankar: Between Two Worlds
Episode overview
Filmed over two years in India and the USA, Mark Kidel's award-winning documentary brings together archive footage spanning seven decades of Ravi Shankar's performing life, and provides .. show full overview
2001x71
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Episode overview
Tom Cruise narrates a penetrating documentary, which explores the many sides to Stanley Kubrick - film director, producer, writer, photographer, husband and father.
2001x62
The Concorde Story
Episode overview
In July 2000 a Concorde crash in France killed many people, bringing its unparalleled safety record in civil - aviation to a shocking end. This documentary tells the story of British .. show full overview
2001x63
The Show Must Go On
Episode overview
A documentary follows Baz Luhrmann , the director of Strictly Ballroom and William Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet, as he travels round the world on a six-month promotional tour for his .. show full overview
2001x32
A Cruel Inheritance
Episode overview
Huntingdon's disease is the commonest inherited brain disease. Left untreated symptoms involve losing control of mind and body. This documentary follows the fate of two people who .. show full overview
2001x10
tvSSFBM EHKL
Episode overview
Documentary tracing the development of Surrealism, the origins of which Meades believes lie in the human impulse to express the content of dreams.
2001x33
Cheer for Charlie
Episode overview
Documentary following gardening makeover expert Charlie Dimmock as she swaps water features for the circus ring to transform herself into a flying trapeze artist for a night. But with .. show full overview
2001x34
Trips Money Can't Buy with Ewan McGregor
Episode overview
A one-off documentary in which survival expert Ray Mears offers actor Ewan McGregor the chance to go on a trek of a lifetime. The star of Trainspotting and Moulin Rouge rises to the .. show full overview
2001x35
Paul Daniels in a Black Hole
Episode overview
One-off documentary in which Britain's best-known magician tries to hit the big time in the United States. Beginning in Illinois, Daniels must rely on the skills acquired during 30 years of performing to build a new career in just four weeks.
2001x36
Lions - Spy in the Den
Episode overview
A one-off special documentary following the cubs of a pride of lions on the African plains. Using "bouldercam" - a remote camera disguised as a rock - the film follows the cubs as they .. show full overview
2001x64
Deep Trouble
Episode overview
A one-off documentary, showing as a companion to the series The Blue Planet, assessing the state of the world's oceans and the impact that humans have had on them. Presented by marine biologist Martha Holmes.
2001x74
The Tories: the Curse of the Mummy
Episode overview
Film revealing the inside story of William Hague 's doomed attempt to engineer a recovery after the Tories' landslide defeat four years ago. Nick Robinson asks whether Hague's successor, .. show full overview
2001x75
War Grave
Episode overview
Intimate and moving stories of loss and remembrance are told by friends and relatives of those killed in some of the major conflicts of the 20th century, from the First World War to the Falklands.
2001x37
The Walton Girls Come of Age
Episode overview
In November 1983. at odds of 104 billion to one, Janet and Graham Walton gave birth to the only surviving all-girl ' sextuplets in the world. As Hannah, Lucy, Ruth, Sarah, Kate and .. show full overview
2001x65
Cabinet Confidential
Episode overview
A revealing one-off documentary that provides an inside view of how Tony Blair and former prime ministers - including Harold Wilson , Margaret Thatcher and John Major - have run their .. show full overview
2001x38
Big Families
Episode overview
A one-off documentary featuring one summer in the lives of three large families. Featured are the Langleys, who already had ten children and needed a vasectomy reversal for number 11. In .. show full overview
2001x66
Police 2001
Episode overview
Nearly 20 years on from his series Police, criminologist and film-maker Roger Graef pays a return visit to Thames Valley Police to see how the service has evolved against the backdrop of .. show full overview
2001x39
Kids behind Bars
Episode overview
From petty criminals serving heavy sentences to convicts who have hardened at a tender age, this documentary on children in prison around the world examines their lives and whether they are likely to benefit from their incarceration.
2001x40
Tamzin Outhwaite Goes Wild with Dolphins
Episode overview
The EastEnders actress and dolphin-lover trades Walford for the sunnier climes of the Bahamas and Florida in this documentary where she comes face to face with the mammals in the wild.
2001x67
We Stand Alone Together - the Men of Easy Company
Episode overview
The men on whom Band of Brothers was based recall the reality of conflict in the Second World War. With Richard Winters , Fred "Moose" Heyliger, JB Stokes , Darrell "Shifty" Powers, .. show full overview
2001x41
Bigamy
Episode overview
With the help of candid interviews, this documentary helps shed light on the shady world of marriages based on deceit and duplicity, including the case of a bigamous union that lasted for decades.
2001x42
Threads of Life
Episode overview
The human genome contains the secret of human life, recording our evolution and holding the key to our future. In this one-off documentary, Robert Winston shows how the genome .. show full overview
2001x68
Constant Craving
Episode overview
Drug addiction takes many forms and is shrouded in misinformation. This documentary explodes many of the myths, and reveals radical new measures to prevent smoking and cocaine addiction.
2001x2
Marilyn on Marilyn
Episode overview
Documentary on Marilyn's life told by herself from the taped interviews she gave to Life magazine and French Marie Claire less than a month before she died accompanied by rare and previously unseen footage.
2001x72
Profile: The World of Philip Pullman
Episode overview
In this documentary, originally screened on BBC Knowledge, author Philip Pullman explores Oxford, where he was a student in the 1960s. The city provided the inspiration for the fictional .. show full overview
2001x5
The Soviet Union's Last Stand
Episode overview
Documentary looking at the events leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union with interviews from the people who were involved, some speaking for the first time.

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