BBC Productions - Investigative Docs

BBC Radio 1

"Girlz 'n' Tha Hood" - 1995

Produced by Matt Brown

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

 

"The Glass Ceiling" - 1995

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 


BBC Radio 2

"Whodunnit?!" - 1995

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 


BBC Radio 3Hardeep on location in Ukraine

"Sorochintsy Fair" - March 2009 - 1x45mins

Presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli / Produced by Richard Bannerman

In his short writing career Nikolai Gogol made an indelible mark on the nascent Russian literary scene. His first stories, led by his tale ‘Sorochintsy Fair’, were inspired by the folklore of his native Ukraine. Published in 1832, they brought him the friendship of Pushkin and instant fame. He followed these with plays, stories and his novel ‘Dead Souls’, all of which combined fear and laughter, brilliant observation and comedy rubbing shoulders with the fantastic and grotesque. Marking the 200th anniversary of Gogol’s birth, Hardeep Singh Kohli begins his journey through the Gogolian world at the bustling Sorochintsy Fair in the Ukraine, and follows the trail into the darker, madder worlds that followed, ending with the burning of Gogol’s final work and his painful, desperate death.

 

To Do list

"Between The Ears - Doing The To Do List" - 2005 - 1x30mins

Produced by Richard Bannerman

Everyone has a to do list - this original montage piece looks at the to do lists of people from around the UK, learning just what these lists mean to their owners, and whether or not they ever achiebe their ultimate aims! Featuring comedian Arthur Smith.

 

 


BBC Radio 4Frank Gardner

"Birds & The Battlefield" - January 2009 - 1x30mins

Presented by Frank Gardner / Produced by Merilyn Harris

BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner, himself a bird watcher, looks at the sometimes surprising links between soldiers and birds and the comfort soldiers get from such an interest in times of extreme stress.  It’s a thread that can be traced from those who served in the trenches of the Western Front in the First World War, through other twentieth century engagements, to those now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Interviews with today’s servicemen and women are combined with letters from the Front, poetry, music and birdsong.

 

Twin Sisters Two Faiths

"Twin Sisters, Two Faiths" - April 2009 - 1x40mins

Presented by Anna Scott-Brown / Music by Matthew Ferraro / Produced by Adam Fowler & Anna Scott-Brown

Identical twins, Elizabeth and Caroline, chose to follow two very different faiths – Islam and Christianity. They talk frankly to Anna Scott-Brown about their strongly-held but separate beliefs, and how this affects their relationship within the family. As their own lives unfold, during the course of the programme they also have to confront their mother’s terminal illness and come to terms with what her death will mean to them

 

 

 

Who's My Half-Brother? Where's My Half-Sister?

"Who's My Half-Brother? Where's My Half-Sister?" 2009 - April - 1x30mins

Presented & Produced by Kati Whitaker

Children conceived through a sperm donor are aware that they may have a number of half-brothers and sisters with whom they can make a new family bond. Kati Whitaker talks to those in the UK and the USA about the ways in which these contacts can be made, and the difficult choice for both parents and children. For some there is the reward of discovery of a half-sibling, but for others the search is a journey into the unknown.

 

Hardeep Singh Kohli

"Three Rivers" - June 2009 - 3x30mins

Presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli / Produced by Richard Bannerman

Hardeep explores three rivers from their source to their past, and meets the people who love them, know their story and look to their regeneration in the 21st century.

 

John Waite

"Protected By Faith" - 2009 - 1x30mins

Presented by John Waite / Produced by Neil Gardner

John Waite visits the Vatican Secret Archives to learn that, far from hiding the treasures of history, the Church is leading the way in preserving and conserving priceless artefacts.

 

 

Hardeep Singh Kohli

"Tea & Biscuits" - 2009 - 5x15mins

Presented Hardeep Singh Kohli / Produced by Richard Bannerman

Tea and biscuits underpin British culture. Hardeep visits people and places where a cup of tea - and a biscuit - smooth the way, offer a welcome, soothe the upset, lead to a conversation, make the peace.

 

 

 

Yasmeen Khan

"Home Grown" - 2009 - 1x30mins

Presented by Yasmeen Khan / Produced by Yasmeen Khan & Neil Gardner

Yasmeen Khan investigates the growing trend amongst British Asian men to marry women from their native countries...forget arranged/forced marriages, this is something completely different!

 

 

 

Dr Phil Hammond

"Metaphor For Healing" - 2009 - 1x30mins

Presented by Dr Phil Hammond / Produced by Jane Feinmann & RIchard Bannerman

The transformative power of the right metaphor, long exploited in poetry, politics and marketing, is increasingly recognised in health care, coaching and therapy  - engaging the unconscious to activate self-healing, reclaiming optimism and fuelling the imagination  with the energy necessary to attain goals.  Dr Phil Hammond investigates.

 

Tom Mangold

"Inside The Bermuda Triangle - The Mysteries Solved" - September 2009 - 10x15mins + 2x60mins

Presented by Tom Mangold / Produced by Adam Fowler

Tom Mangold takes one of the most iconic legends in the world and debunks the myths that have given the Bermuda Triangle such endurance.

 

Northwest Passage

"The Great Game In A Cold Climate" - January 2008 - 1x30mins

Presented & Produced by Adam Fowler

Adam Fowler travels to the town of Churchill in Northern Canada to discover the potential benefits of global warming for this tiny community on the Hudson Bay.  As the Arctic ice cap melts, northern sea routes will open up and mineral deposits will become accessible, turning Churchill into the new Klondike. And while nation states begin staking their claim to sovereignty in and around the North West Passage, Adam finds out just how important Churchill could become in the scramble for the Arctic. 

 

 

 

The Miracle Berry

"The Miracle Berry" - April 2008 - 1x30mins

Presented by Tom Mangold / Produced by Adam Fowler

Tom Mangold encounters a fruit which turns sour tastes to sweet, and the entrepreneurs who planned to market it in the United States in the 1970s. Their dreams of producing a sweetener enabling diabetics to eat what they want, and the rest of us to consume as much confectionary as we can without gaining weight were shattered when the US Food and Drug Administration suddenly banned their product.  Mangold investigates a tale of dirty tricks and industrial espionage in the far from sweet world of sugar and its artificial alternatives.

 

 

Tom Mangold

"The Divine Detective" - January 2008 - 1x30mins

Presented by Tom Mangold / Produced by Adam Fowler

Tom Mangold shadows private investigator and un-ordained Presbyterian minister, Jim McCloskey on his quest to free innocent people from United States’ jails.

 

 

Yasmeen Khan

"A Failure To Provide?" - June 2008 - 1x30mins

Presented by Yasmeen Khan / Produced by Yasmeen Khan & Neil Gardner

2nd & 3rd generation British Asians are facing a new problem...how to care for their elderly parents now that the extended family has split up and become more Anglicised and less traditional.  Yasmeen Khan travels around the UK to learn first-hand if culturally-specific care services are provided for elderly Asians, and asks whether there is a failure to provide for those whose language, nutritional and religious needs are varied and complex?  If there is a failure, then who is doing the failing...the families, the communities, the local councils or national government?

 

 

 

FBI

"Under Investigation - The FBI at 100" - March 2008 - 10x15mins + 2x60mins

Presented by Tom Mangold / Produced by Adam Fowler

Tom Mangold tells the story of the FBI, America’s main law enforcement agency, from its creation in 1908 when its powers were strictly limited, through the controversial Hoover period and the rise of the G-man, through to the disaster of 9/11 and the 21st century’s ‘war on terror’.

 

Comedian Paul Sinha

"That's No Job For An Asian!" - November 2008 - 1x30mins

Presented by Yasmeen Khan / Produced by Yasmeen Khan & Neil Gardner

Yasmeen Khan explores the current state of British Asian comedy and asks whether the job of being a comedian has become an acceptable alternative to the more traditional professions of doctor, lawyer and accountant?  Along the way she meets up with comedians who are new to the scene, those who have been doing the rounds for many years, and those at the top of their game, including Sanjeev Bhaskar, Paul Sinha, Sajeela Kershi and Ahir Shah.

 

 

Dr Phil Hammond

"To Err Is Human" - August 2008 - 1x30mins

Presented by Dr Phil Hammond / Produced by Jane Feinmann & Richard Bannerman

There are claims that many patients die each year because doctors and nurses, although technically skilled, are not alert to the risk of a potentially life-threatening error. This happened to the wife of airline pilot Martin Bromiley, who talks to Phil Hammond, writer on medical matters and a practising GP, about his experiences. Also in the programme and at the forefront of the campaign to understand and prevent human error, are the Health Minister Lord Darzi, Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson, and American surgeon and leading authority Dr Atul Gawande.

 

 

 

Hardeep at the Scotland/England Border

"Where Scoland Meets England" - July 2008 - 2x30mins

Presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli / Produced by Richard Bannerman

Hardeep Singh Kohli traces the story of border country, beginning at the easternmost point just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed  in the first of two programmes. Scottish devolution and the promise of an Independence referendum has brought renewed attention to the Borderline, and Hardeep, who was brought up in Glasgow and whose heart is in Scotland,  meets those who live and work on both sides - walkers, politicians, cooks and football supporters – to explore the history, the countryside, the cooking and the different points of view.

 

New York 911 Tribute in Light

"A Garden In New York" - April 2007 - 1x30mins

Presented by Stephen Evans / Produced by Judith Kampfner

Less than a mile from Ground Zero, a small square in the Wall Street area of New York has been transformed into a garden of remembrance for the 67 British citizens who lost their lives on 9/11. The BBC's Stephen Evans , who was at the World Trade Center when the attack happened, considers how a garden can help the process of grieving, and visits the garden with Camilla Hellman, the driving force behind the project. The garden has been made with stone, plants and trees traditional to Britain, but the true test is in how the relatives and friends, who lost loved ones, respond to this square in New York, dedicated to the memory of those who died, and who have no other grave.

 

Hardeep Singh Kohli in Pakistan

"Crossing The Border" - July & August 2007 - 3x30mins

Presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli / Produced by Richard Bannerman

In August 1947 a line was drawn which partitioned India. The result was a new independent India, and the creation of West and East Pakistan. In the three-programme series ‘Crossing The Border’ (part of the R4 India/Pakistan Partition season), the writer and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli makes a personal journey across the borders of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and hears the stories of those who were affected by Partition 60 years ago and how the consequences are still being felt by the new generation.

 

Josephine Baker

"The Rainbow Tribe" - 2007 - 1x30mins

Presented & Produced by Kate Meynell

The cabaret star Josephine Baker adopted twelve children of different nationalities in the 1950s and 60s. They were brought up in a chateau in the Dordogne, taught their native languages and paraded for tourists to take their photograph. Called the Rainbow Tribe they were part of her mission to show that different nationalities and religions could live together. Members of the Tribe recall this strange upbringing, the traumatic eviction from the chateau, and life with an increasingly eccentric mother

 

"Giants On Our Hands" - April 2006 - 1x30mins Anna Scott-Brown on location

Presented by Adam Fowler / Produced by Anna Scott-Brown

BUY IT NOW via Giants On Our Hands: The Unemployed Elephants of Asia (Unabridged) 

From Sri-Lanka's forests to the streets of Bangkok, from India to indonesia, Adam Fowler uncovers the plight of the working elephant. Once the work horse of Asia, many thousands are now redundant and face an uncertain future. He walks this twilight zone with them as ancient culture and modern politics struggle to find the answer.

 

Territorial Army

"The Other S.A.S. - Serving in the T.A." - 2006 - 2x30mins

Presented by Mike Nicholson / Produced by Adam Fowler

At one time the Territorial Army was seen as a social club and a chance to shoot off a few real weapons. Not any more. With TA members being compulsorily drafted to fight in combat zones, these 'Weekend Warriors' are being asked to provide more and more of the British army's fighting strength. Mike Nicholson discovers the consequences for Territorials, their families and their employers, and asks the policy-makers if this is good defence policy or just a way of getting an army on the cheap. He also considers how their commitment to the TA affects the lives of the soldiers themselves and their families, and asks how the 'One Army' notion of the Territotirals and the Regulars fighting together is born out in training and suppport, when injury and even death have to be faced.

Simon Fanshawe

"Bridging The Gap" - August - 2006 - 1x30mins

Presented by Simon Fanshawe / Produced by Tamsyn Challenger

BUY IT NOW via Bridging the Gap (Unabridged)

'On The Streets' in Gorton, Manchester, tries to re-address the cavernous void between the young and old. It's originators could be described as the surrogate parents of a generation of Manchester tearaways. Simon Fanshaw discusses the key contribution they are making to a generation of would-be ASBO kids, and guides us through a story fo hope and positivity in an area that has come under increasing media scrutiny since Manchester was declared the ASBO capital of Britain.

 

 

 

Ainsley Harriot in Ipswich

"Kitchen Connections with Ainsley Harriot" - 2006 - 5x15mins

Presented by Ainsley Harriot / Produced by Clare Csonka

Chef Ainsley Harriot travels around the UK to meet 5 immigrant families to learn how they are integrating their traditional cooking into their new lives, and just why they left their home countries to come to the UK.

 

 

Tom Mangold at Swedish ethanol factory

"Driven By Oil" - September - 2006 - 4x30mins

Presented by Tom Mangold / Produced by Adam Fowler

A landmark series presented by investigative journalist Tom Mangold, analysing how the age of oil has driven how we live, where we live, how we travel, and how political and military struggles for power and wealth have always been linked to it. And with oil supply peaking, where do we look now for a replacement power source?

 

Hardeep SIngh Kohli

"The Loneliness of the Goalkeeper" - October 2008 - 1x30mins

Presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli / Produced by Adam Fowler

Hardeep Singh Kohli, brushes the grass from his knees,  trudges to the back of his net,  picks up the ball, and watches the backs of his team mates disappear towards the centre circle in a tragi-comic look at just how isolated the job of a goalie can be.  

 

Edi Stark

"Mishkids - Living With The Consequences" - 2005 - 1x30mins

Presented by Edi Stark / Produced by Anna Scott-Brown

Edi Stark investigates the impact of being a child of a missionary. From those who see it as a blessing, to those who loathe it as a curse. With personal recollections and incredible stories, being a Mishkid was a mixture of fun and hardship.

 

 

The End

"The End" - 2005 - 1x30mins

Produced by Richard Bannerman

Everything ends eventually - from the ultimate ending of death, through to more mundane endings, like final chapters, end of sports events and finishing a song. This montage piece takes the listener through the varied endings we all reach in our lives.

 

Fireworks

"Painting The Sky" - 2005 - 1x30mins

Presented by Rob Brydon / Produced by Richard Bannerman

Lighting up the sky with stars and streamers are the competing fireworks teams at the annual Pyromusical Firework Championships. Mat Lawrence and Mac McNally are the best of friends except on this one night at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire when their respective firework installations send thousands of pounds up in smoke in their 15 minute displays to music. The public watches and votes via mobile phones for this year's champion. Rob Brydon tells their sotry from the visit to China to choose the latest inventions, to six months later, when in pouring rain wires are laid and fuses primed. Who will win? Will the fireworks even go off?!

 

 

David Selznick

"Memo From David O Selznick" - 1995

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

 

 

"On Their Wavelength" - 1992-1994

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

 

"Don't Hang Up" - 1992-1994

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 


 

BBC Radio 5 LiveGarry Nelson

"Future Football" - January - 2000 - 1x60mins

Presented by Garry Nelson / Produced by David Wood & Neil Gardner

Following the success of 'Soccer's Secret Weapons', author and former player Garry Nelson investigates the way ahead for football, both on and off the pitch...10ft tall goalies?!

 

 

"Soccer's Secret Weapons" - 1997 - 1x60mins

Presented by Garry Nelson / Produced by David Wood

Writer and ex-professional footballer, Garry Nelson, goes in search of the unsung heroes of the game. In his travels he meets Manchester United’s chaplain - John Boyers, veteran scout - Fred O’Donoghue,  the England national team’s masseur - Steve Slattery, and the commercial manager of Blackburn Rovers - Ken Beamish.

 

Carl Lewis

"Carl Lewis - On The Record" - 1996 - 1x30mins

Presented by Sarah Dickinson & Philip Bacon / Produced by Louise Armitage

In an interview recorded earlier this year for the BBC World Service series About Face, Carl Lewis talks frankly with Sarah Dickinson and Philip Bacon about his preparations for the 1996 Olympics, the controversies that have surrounded his career, and his personal hopes for the future.

 


BBC World ServiceGemma Mortensson

"Special Rapporteurs" - August & September 2006 - 3x25mins

Presented by Gemma Mortensson / Produced by Tamsyn Challenger

The Special Rapporteurs are UN-appointed investigators of the human rights world. In this series Gemma Mortensson follows three of them as they go on fact finding missions in Europe, India and Russia.

 

 

Dr Oliver Sachs

"About Face" - Series 5 - October & November 2000 - 6x30mins

Presented by Sarah Dickinson & Philip Bacon / Produced by Neil Gardner

Sarah & Philip return for another series where they jointly interview six figures of international acclaim.

This series guests include Dr Oliver Sachs, Darcey Bussell, Michael Holding, Camille Paglia, James Galway and Sebastian Coe.

 

"To Be Continued..." - 1998 - 8x30mins

Presented by Brian Sibley / Produced by Malcolm Prince

To Be Continued investigates one of the most enduringly popular forms of radio and TV drama, a genre of entertainment that's enjoyed the world over and rooted in the most time-honoured art form - storytelling.  As the World Service’s own soap Westway celebrates its first birthday, To Be Continued… discovers - from the makers of soaps and continuing serials, and from those who follow them - how the style and appeal of soaps vary across the globe.

 

"Danger Squad" - 1997 - 2x30mins

Presented by Adrian Quine / Produced by Louise Armitage

In radio’s very own version of television’s hugely popular real-life “999” formats, Adrian Quine joins the world’s emergency services and brings listeners a slice of the every day heroism and tragedy of emergency crews in diverse locations across the globe. Quine gives an insider’s view of life in London’s helicopter Emergency Medical Service, which flies low amongst the crowded skyline of the capital; the ambulance service in Calcutta, a city with one of the highest mortality rates in the world; the vice squad of the Hong Kong Police Force, the Johannesburg Fire Service and Flying Squad in South Africa and The Mountain Rescue Service in Switzerland.

 

 

"New Ideas" - Series 2 - 1997 - 6x30mins

Presented by Carmen Pryce, Adrian Quine, Barry Fox & Eka Morgan / Produced by Rosalind Furlong

Six more fast-moving programmes specially designed to communicate the excitement of the latest innovations - and their implications - in the most-listener friendly language. The host is Carmen Pryce, a trained scientist well-known as the presenter of Tomorrow's World on BBC TV and of Ladbroke Radio's Thinking Machines for BBC World Service.  No journalist or broadcaster is more closely in touch with the latest happenings in science and technology, nor better equipped to explain their significance. Her team consists of Adrian Quine (specialising in consumer stories), Barry Fox (CV attached - new patents), and Eka Morgan (technology).

 

"About Face" - Series 4 - 1996

Presented by Sarah Dickinson & Philip Bacon / Produced by Louise Armitage

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

 

"New Ideas" - Series 2 - 1996 - 6x30mins

Presented by Carmen Pryce, Adrian Quine, Barry Fox & Eka Morgan / Produced by Rosalind Furlong

Six fast-moving programmes specially designed to communicate the excitement of the latest innovations - and their implications - in the most-listener friendly language. The host is Carmen Pryce, a trained scientist well-known as the presenter of Tomorrow's World on BBC TV and of Ladbroke Radio's Thinking Machines for BBC World Service.  No journalist or broadcaster is more closely in touch with the latest happenings in science and technology, nor better equipped to explain their significance. Her team consists of Adrian Quine (specialising in consumer stories), Barry Fox (CV attached - new patents), and Eka Morgan (technology).

 

 

"Omnibus - Water Water Everywhere" - 1996

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

 

"In Praise Of God" - 1996

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

"The Other Honours List" - 1995

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

"About Face" - Series 3 - 1995

Presented by Sarah Dickinson & Philip Bacon

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

"Wicked Words" - 1992-1994

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

 

"About Face" - Series 1 & 2 - 1992-1994

Presented by Sarah Dickinson & Philip Bacon

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

 

 

"Thinking Machines" - 1992-1994 - 4x30mins

Presented by Carmen Pryce

What can help catch murderers, fly planes and monitor the health of your unborn baby?  Answer - the computer, the subject of the series THINKING MACHINES.  Wherever you are in the world, you may be surprised by the impact computers have already made on your life.  But how did the technology develop, and are there dangers as well as advantages? 

 

 

 

"National Secrets" - 1992-1994

No programme information at this time - bear with us, it's on its way!

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