Dispatches (1987)
Long-running Channel 4 documentary series covering issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment. Known for featuring a mole inside organisations under journalistic investigation.
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2015x01 How to Blow Your Pension
12 January, 2015 8:00 pm
From April 2015, people over 55 will be able to take as much as they want from their private pensions. Michael Buerk examines the consequences, and the firms that are courting pension holders.
2015x02 Low Pay Britain
19 January, 2015 8:00 pm
Morland Sanders investigates the reality of employment in post-recession Britain: ultra-flexible, insecure and part-time work, and self-employment.
2015x03 The Great Car Con
26 January, 2015 8:00 pm
Motorists were promised diesel would be the cheap, green fuel of the future, but it turns out that's not the case. Why did politicians encourage the 'dash for diesel'?
2015x04 Secrets Of The Parking Wardens
16 February, 2015 8:00 pm
Dispatches goes undercover to investigate the private companies issuing more than 2.5 million parking tickets a year. It's a booming industry, thanks to new camera technology and changes in the law.
2015x05 Politicians for Hire
23 February, 2015 8:00 pm
Dispatches investigates the behaviour of politicians in Westminster.
2015x06 Britain's Benefits Crackdown
02 March, 2015 8:00 pm
Reporter Liz MacKean investigates Britain's new benefits regime and asks what life is really like for those hit with penalties.
2015x07 Benefits Britain
09 March, 2015 8:00 pm
The government say their flagship new benefit, Universal Credit, is working well and is helping people into work. Critics say it is a shambles. Dispatches goes undercover to investigate.
2015x08 Britain's Defence Squeeze
16 March, 2015 8:00 pm
Following cuts to the defence budget, can the UK defend itself against a range of new threats, from terror groups like IS to Russian bombers close to UK airspace?
2015x09 How to Buy a Meeting with a Minister
23 March, 2015 8:00 pm
A special undercover investigation into politics in the run-up to the General Election
2015x10 How Safe Are Our Planes?
01 April, 2015 8:00 pm
Last week an Airbus 320 heading from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the Alps with the loss of 150 lives, and after initial concerns over mechanical failure or an act of terrorism, it was eventually revealed to be an act of mass murder committed by the co-pilot. This documentary asks whether air travel is still the safest form of transport, examining the airline industry's safety record and incidents involving pilot error or emotional breakdown.
2015x11 The Secrets of Sports Direct
27 April, 2015 8:00 pm
Dispatches goes undercover to investigate the hidden cost of the clothes, shoes and discount gear that have helped Sports Direct buck the high street trend, making billions for Mike Ashley.
2015x12 Trains: Are You Paying Too Much?
01 June, 2015 8:00 pm
Dispatches goes undercover in one of Britain's biggest rail operators, investigating ticket prices, overcrowding and compensation, and revealing what the rail companies don't tell their passengers.
2015x13 Where to Save Your Money
08 June, 2015 8:00 pm
2015x14 Exams: Cheating the System?
15 June, 2015 8:00 pm
The show takes a look at how some teachers and pupils are dealing with the pressure by bending the rules and sometimes cheating the system.
2015x15 The Great British Property Divide
22 June, 2015 8:00 pm
Morland Sanders finds out the impact of new state-of-the-art housing developments and asks whether exorbitant house prices are squeezing out poorer residents and transforming our communities.
2015x16 Salt: Are You Eating Too Much?
29 June, 2015 8:00 pm
Tazeen Ahmad uncovers worrying inaccuracies in salt content food labelling
2015x17 Kids in Crisis
01 July, 2015 8:00 pm
Across the UK, children are being moved far from home to receive mental health treatment
2015x18 How Councils Blow Your Millions
06 July, 2015 8:00 pm
Dispatches uncovers unknown deals between councils and banks that cost taxpayers millions.
2015x19 Pensions and the Price of Growing Old
13 July, 2015 8:00 pm
As Britain's pensioner population soars, Michael Buerk investigates whether the public can continue to rely on the state to support us in our old age.
2015x20 Escape from Isis
15 July, 2015 8:00 pm
This Dispatches special exposes the brutal regime suffered by millions of women living under Isis, and the extraordinary story of a secret underground network trying to save them.
2015x21 Hunted: Gay and Afraid
23 July, 2015 8:00 pm
Dispatches investigates well-funded global networks that are supporting a wave of anti-gay laws around the world, including the World Congress of Families in the USA.
2015x22 Britain's Benefits Experiment
02 November, 2015 8:00 pm
Tazeen Ahmed reports on a Department for Work and Pensions initiative to encourage people in work and in receipt of benefits to boost their income and reduce their dependency on the state. The project has implications for Britain's million lowest paid workers, and this documentary investigates if advice and encouragement will help them earn more, or if financial punishments, also known as sanctions, are the best way to get the working poor off benefits.
2015x23 Aldi's Supermarket Secrets
09 November, 2015 8:00 pm
While Tesco and the other big supermarkets falter, Aldi goes from strength to strength. Named Supermarket of the Year, it has now overtaken Waitrose as Britain's sixth largest supermarket. But does the discounter always deliver on promises to provide amazing value, without compromising on quality and service? As more and more shoppers switch to Aldi, Dispatches goes undercover to investigate.
2015x24 How To Stop Your Nuisance Calls (II)
25 October, 2015 8:00 pm
Millions of us are plagued by nuisance callers flogging things we don't want. Dispatches goes undercover to find out how the cold calling trade works, and reveals how people are fighting back.
2015x25 Britain's Nightmare New Homes
16 November, 2015 8:00 pm
The Government has committed to building a million new houses by 2020. Dispatches investigates what impact the rush to put up new housing will have on the quality of these homes.
2015x26 Low Pay Britain II
07 December, 2015 8:00 pm
The Government has promised to help create 3 million apprenticeships alongside a new national living wage. Dispatches investigates claims that some employers are wasting public money and abusing the trust placed in them.
2015x27 How The Monarchy Can Make You Millions
14 December, 2015 8:00 pm
Around 800 companies hold royal warrants and it is thought that they make an extra £4 billion a year because of it. With the stakes so high, Antony Barnett examines the system of granting royal approval.
2015x28 White People
22 July, 2015 8:00 pm
Documentary on the concept of white privilege and how it effects white people and other cultures.
2015x29 The Children Who Beat Ebola
22 December, 2015 8:00 pm
Over a year in the making, this is the remarkable and uplifting story of five extraordinary children who beat the Ebola virus and then overcome loss and stigma to rebuild their lives. Today Sierra Leone is clear of the deadly Ebola virus. But for 19 months the country experienced the largest number of Ebola cases. After an extended nationwide State of Emergency and the closure of all schools, the government decided it was finally safe to allow a return to normality in April 2015.
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