OBAMA:THE PRESIDENT WHO INSPIRED THE WORLD

In this TV special, Matt Frei examines Barack Obama's life and career, a year after the end of his presidency

Channel 4 Director Mark Radice

DIAMETER OF THE BOMB

In June 2002 a suicide bomber destroyed a rush hour bus in a Jerusalem suburb. Filmed 16 months later, 29 people who are connected by the attack trace the memories and the outcomes of the catastrophe to give an alarming snapshot of our times.

Victims and their families, friends of the bomber, paramedics, forensics and fire fighters are among those who give testimony and in doing so, bring home the tragedy more powerfully than any amount of political rhetoric.

Guardian review by Ian Brooks

Steven Silver and Andrew Quigley's harrowing documentary takes its title from Yehuda Amichai's poem about the ripple effects of violence in the world at large.

The starting point is a 2002 suicide bombing aboard a Jerusalem bus.

From here we are led out, past jittery drivers, anguished surgeons and the bearded Zaka volunteers, who bike between the bombsites in order to sponge every last drop of blood from the roadside.

We wash across a gallery of bereaved relations, from the bomber's defiant Palestinian parents to the Israeli mother who recalls her last words to her daughter ("I said shalom, not goodbye. I never took my leave of her").

That this makes for such a peculiarly frustrating experience is surely intentional. Instead of hope or resolution, Diameter of the Bomb spotlights an endless flow of despair, waste and bewilderment.

It suggests that the 2002 ripple is still in motion and that there are plenty of others close behind.

Storyville/ Theatrical Director Andrew Quigley, Steven Silver

ROD STEWART- YOU CANT STOP ME NOW

From beatnik to mod, from folkie to disco tart, from glam rocker to, most recently, crooner of From beatnik to mod, from folkie to disco tart, from glam rocker to, most recently, crooner of American standards, Rod Stewart has had a remarkable musical journey. Alan Yentob visits Rod at his homes in Beverly Hills and Essex and talks to his friends and family, including all eight children aged from two years old to 50. 

Featuring rare archival footage of Rod when he was barely out of his teens and living above his parents' north London sweetshop, Imagine examines an entertaining career across five musical decades.

BBC One- Director Sarah Aspinall

MARK KNOFLER & BRIAN JOHNSON MEET CARLOS SANTANA

Six part documentary series to air from 25th April on Sky Arts, featuring best friends and rock legends, Brian Johnson and Mark Knopfler

SKY Arts Director Andy Dunn

Episode 1: Johnson and Knopfler’s Music Legends: Tom Jones

In the series opener, Brian & Mark meet icon, Sir Tom Jones. In conversation and song, they reminisce on their earliest musical influences and Sir Tom shares captivating stories from his career, including his friendship with Elvis Presley.

Episode 5: Johnson and Knopfler’s Music Legends: Carlos Santana

Brian & Mark travel to California to visit Carlos Santana, who recounts his incredible journey in music, from early days, through his Woodstock performance and resurgence in the late 90s. Together, they jam an amazing version of Black Magic Woman and Carlos plays some of his biggest hits.

FESTIVALS BRITANNIA

The feature length documentary film traces the ebb and flow of British festival culture from jazz beginnings at Beaulieu in the late 50s through to the Isle of Wight festivals at the end of the 60s, early Glastonbury and one-off commercial festivals like 1972's Bickershaw, the free festivals of the 70s and 80s and on through the extended rave 

BBC TV Director Sam Bridger

JEFF BUCKLEY-EVERYONE HERE WANTS YOU

Retrospective look at the life and music of Jeff Buckley through the eyes of family, friends, and fans. Featuring interviews from Jimmy Page, Brad Pitt, Hal Wilner and Patti Smith

BBC TV Director Serena Cross

TONES, DRONES & ARPEGGIOS-THE MAGIC OF MINIMALISM

Musician Charles Hazlewood explores Minimalism in music. Beginning with the pioneering experiments of Californians La Monte Young and Terry Riley, this two-parter culminates in Philip Glass and Steve Reich’s mesmerizing work in New York.

BBC4 Director Ben Whalley

INKY FINGERS-THE STORY OF THE NME

The story of the world's longest running weekly rock music paper, the British New Muscial Express. Featuring a rare interview with legendary journalist Nick Kent. Contributions from Charles Shaar Murray, Paul Morley, Tony Parsons, Hugh Cornwell, Chrissie Hynde, The Kaiser Chiefs. Featuring fantastic BBC music archive - inc. The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Clash.

BBC2 Director Chloe Thomas

ART THAT SHOOK THE WORLD-PET SOUNDS

Pet Sounds. The story of the Beach Boys' masterpiece as recalled by, among others, Eric Clapton , ex-Verve star Richard Ashcroft , former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and singer Graham Nash . How did Brian Wilson 's compositions evolve from the likes of / Get Around - and what price did he pay in the process? Colleagues and relatives have their say, and there's exclusive footage of Brian Wilson 's recent tour, plus an interview with the man himself.

BBC 2

Narrated by Mark Lamarr. Director Sarah Aspinall ; Series editor Andrea Miller www.bbc.co.uk/arts/artthatshook/

THE BOLEYNS: A Scandalous Family

BBC Studios Director Richard Carson Smith

BACK TO BERLIN

Back to Berlin follows eleven modern day motor bikers on a mission to carry the Maccabiah torch, and fly the Israeli flag from Tel Aviv to Berlin.​

This is the first biker flick-meets-holocaust feature documentary. Eleven motor bikers’ mission is to take the Maccabiah torch from Israel to the site of Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics. Our riders, like the Nazis’ torch relay for the 1936 Olympics, carry their torch from Athens to Berlin but this time take a detour via Auschwitz.

​

As resurgent populism and anti-Semitism once again rear their ugly heads, this film brings an important message through the voices of those who have been personally affected by one of the darkest pages in human history. This isn’t simply a “Jewish” story. It is the story of people overcoming the worst from fellow man to restate our common humanity. 

Theatrical Director: Catherine Lurie-Alt

ALLIES AT WAR

The strained but necessary relationships between the Allied forces in World War II made for somewhat of a war of its own. Although united against the Nazis and Japan, their battles behind the scenes were as bloody" and contentious as those on the front lines. This documentary brings to light the interactions between FDR, Britain's Winston Churchill and France's Charles DeGaulle. Narrated by Brian Dennehy.

BBC TV Directed by Andrew Quigley



THE MYSTERY OF THE HOPE DIAMOND

The program tells the history, both documented and supposed, of the Hope Diamond including the source of the legendary curse. Then the mystery of the deep blue color and red phosphorescence is partially explained. Starring Kim Basinger and Lucy Worsley

Smithsonian Channel Director Mark Radice

JOE ORTON -LAID BARE

TV Movie exploring the wit, work and world of Joe Orton through his own words, and the testimony of those who knew him and worked with him. Starring Rosie Cavaliero, Ben Miles, Christopher Hampton, Freddie Fox, Bryan Dick, Jonathan Case, Eva Gabor

BBC 2 Director Richard Carson Smith

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR

A star-studded account of Oscar Wilde's glittering and controversial career before his trial for homosexual crimes and tragic fall from grace. With scenes from his greatest work. Starring Anna Chancellor, Anna Devlin, Ben Lloyd Hughes, Nicholas Rowe, Alice Orr Ewing, Freddie Fox, James Fleet 

BBC 2 Director Richard Carson Smith

LEONARDO

Semi-dramatised documentary series on the life and works of Leonardo Da Vinci from his illegitimate birth to the unveiling of his masterpiece, The Last Supper. Presented by Alan Yentob, starring Mark Rylance

BBC One Director Sarah Aspinall, Tim Dunn, Nick Rossiter

PHILIP ROTH-UNLEASHED PARTS 1&2

Comprehensive Survey of a Great Author's Life and Work

Although now officially retired from novel-writing, Philip Roth can lay claim to be one of America's greatest living novelists. Throughout his long career he has experimented both with the content and form of the novel, to such an extent that the overarching themes of his oeuvre are very difficult to identify. He remains a protean figure, often writing autobiographically (using his alter ego Nathan Zuckerman), but seldom revealing too much about himself. This public persona remains much the same in Alan Yentob's documentary - although willingly consenting to be interviewed, he reveals little about himself, even though he seems ready and willing to talk about his work. This program (the first in a two- parter) focuses especially on Roth's Jewishness, and how it has colored much of his work: at once an insider and an outsider, he has rarely felt part of the New York society he has mostly inhabited. Most of his novels are about alienation, whether physical or mental; and how the protagonists learn to cope - or not to cope - with it. While critics have often represented him as a 'shocking' novelist (especially after the publication of PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT), Roth himself rejects that construction, preferring instead to concentrate on his experiments with the novelistic form.

BBC Imagine Special Directed by Sarah Aspinall

MEL BROOKS UNWRAPPED

In Mel Brooks: Unwrapped, a new documentary streaming on HBO, Brooks drums on his desk, shops at Whole Foods for pasta, and drives around Los Angeles during sunset. Often unprovoked, he bursts into song. He sits, he chats, he watches TV. He does what many people do. Except he’s Mel Brooks and he’s 93 years old and I want to watch every single second of it.

Just point the camera at Brooks so we can save as much of this natural resource as possible. (review by Jacob Rosenberg)

BBC Imagine Special/ HBO Director Alan Yentob

STACEY DOOLEY SLEEPS OVER (USA)

Stacey meets Autumn, a 9-year-old who owns 36 guns and travels with her parents filming content for her dedicated YouTube channel showcasing her love of guns

Channel 5 Director Alice Bowden

THE STRIP

The team uncovers the glamorous world of high end strippers working in the hottest club on the Vegas Strip, a world of fierce competition, eye-popping outfits and mind-blowing dancing.

Paramount Director Jen Gilroy

THE CATCH (AKA TRAWLERMEN)

In this new series Channel 4 have taken the fixed-rig camera to one of the most extreme destinations yet. Deep-sea fishing is the one of the most dangerous jobs in Britain, by some margin, and The Catch gives us unprecedented insight into the reality of life at sea.

Channel 4 Director Jim Incledon

BRAINWASHING STACEY DOOLEY

Lead Editor on this mini series where Stacey visits groups or organisations offering unique services.

In Pro Life camp, Stacy embeds herself with an anti abortion group in Los Angeles, her aim is to understand their thinking and rhetoric.

In Gulabi Gang, Stacey is in India, where she will undergo training to become a member of the Gulabi Gang, who use direct and physical action to campaign for women's rights

BBC3

SURGEONS- ON THE EDGE OF LIFE

Transforming patients lives, at the cutting edge of medicine. Meet the world leading surgeons pushing science- and the human body- to its limits.

BBC2

OPEN HOUSE SERIES 1 & 2

THE GREAT SEX EXPERIMENT

Committed couples come to a luxury retreat to explore whether having open relationships and sex with other people can strengthen their bond

C4

THE SUPERVET

The TV show follows Professor Noel Fitzpatrick and the team at Fitzpatrick Referrals, sharing with the world the highs and lows of a working veterinary practice, and to explore the power of unconditional love between people and their animal family.

Fixed rig cameras in the practice’s waiting room and behind the scenes at the practice capture the raw emotion, the drama, and the playfulness of Noel and his staff as they treat the pets in their care. Added to this are the amazing scenes in the operating theatre, and powerful interviews that candidly reveal the sentiment, pathos and humour of these stories.

The Supervet continues to show how by giving back to our animal friends, we are making the world a better place one pet at a time.

C4

24 HOURS IN POLICE CUSTODY

Cameras follow Bedfordshire Police over a 24 hour period as they respond to emergencies, investigate crimes, arrest suspects and battle against the clock.

C4

SECRET LIFE OF 4,5 & 6 YEAR OLDS

Fixed Rig documentary series following groups of 4, 5 and 6 year olds as they learn to navigate the world around them.

C4

LUCY LETBY-DID SHE REALLY DO IT

Investigative documentary unpacking and questioning the evidence used to convict neonatal nurse Lucy Letby

C5

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN ELIZABETH

Veteran Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow discuss his personal connection with Elizabeth II, weaving his own memories of her time in the throne with an examination of the most pivotal moments in her life. This TV special was broadcast on the eve of her death.

Channel 4 Director Mark Radice

MARR ON MERKEL - BBC TV

In this revealing documentary, Andrew Marr shows how Angela Merkel rose from humble roots to become the most powerful woman in the world. He reveals how her astonishing ascent to power has been on her own terms - as a woman, a Lutheran and as she sees it, a defender of Western democracy.

BBC2 Director Mark Radice

HISTORY OF THE WORLD WITH ANDREW MARR

Andrew Marr goes on an epic journey through 70,000 years of human history, telling the story of how great forces of nature and individual genius shaped the world we live in today.

BBC TV Director Mark Radice

DOWN TO EARTH

Leaving behind their cosmopolitan life, a couple and their three young children travel the world searching for a new perspective on life. During their five-year journey they live with some of the oldest indigenous communities on the planet. They record their encounters with the elders tribal sages never filmed or interviewed before. Without a crew or schedule, just one backpack and one camera each. And the curiosity to listen. 

Theatrical Director: Rolf Winters

THE DUEL-HITLER VS CHURCHILL

A 90 min TV movie detailing the tumultuous early days of WWII between 10 May-31 July 1940. The film combines eye witness accounts, drama recon and archive to tell this this eighty day struggle that shaped our modern world

Channel 4 Director Simon Berthon

WORLD AT ARMS

From the French revolution in 1789 to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, two great empires battled over land and sea and ideology.

Channel 4 Director Andrew Quigley

WHO WAS JESUS

This is the story of what it was like to be Jesus, to be born into tyranny, executed for preaching harmony and forgiveness, and what it was like for his disciples to risk death by carrying the message of salvation. Historians, archaeologists and theologians will examine all kinds of evidence, and dig deeper into Jesus' life and the times he lived in than ever before.

PBS Director Gary Johnstone

LEE MILLER- A CRAZY WAY OF SEEING

Glamorous, talented and decidedly unconventional, Lee Miller led one of the most fascinating lives of the 20th century. A model for Vogue in 1920s New York, pupil and lover of Man Ray in Paris and the only female photojournalist covering the Second World War, her photographic work encompassed striking surrealist images and shocking reportage from Dachau. Having given up photography in later life and virtually disowned her work, Miller's extraordinary archive of 40,000 negatives was only rediscovered after her death in 1977.

George Melly, David Hare, Miller's friends and colleagues and her son Tony Penrose trace the story of her life through her own pictures, photographs of Miller herself and rarely-seen archive footage.

BBC2/4 Director Sarah Aspinall

THE ART OF CORNWALL

The art colony of St Ives in Cornwall became as important as Paris or London in the history of modernism during a golden creative period between the 1920s and 1960s. The dramatic lives and works of eight artists who most made this miracle possible, from Kit Wood and Alfred Wallis to Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, are featured in a documentary which offers an alternative history of the 20th century avant-garde as well as a vivid portrayal of the history and landscapes of Cornwall itself.

BBC TV Director Spike Gellinger

HOW ART MADE THE WORLD

How Art Made the World is a 2005 five-part BBC One documentary series, with each episode looking at the influence of art on the current day situation of our society.

"The essential premise of the show," according to Nigel Spivey, "is that of all the defining characteristics of humanity as a species, none is more basic than the inclination to make art. Great apes will smear paint on canvas if they are given brushes and shown how, but they do not instinctively produce art any more than parrots produce conversation. We humans are alone in developing the capacity for symbolic imagery."

BBC ONE

MODERN MASTERS- ANDY WARHOL

The first in a four-part series exploring the life and works of the 20th century's most important artists: Matisse; Picasso; Dali and Warhol.

Art critic Alastair Sooke sets out to discover why these artists are considered so great and how they still influence our lives today. He begins with Andy Warhol, the king of Pop Art. On his journey he parties with Dennis Hopper, has a brush with Carla Bruni and gets to grips with Marilyn. 

Along the way he uncovers just how brilliantly Andy Warhol pinpointed and portrayed our obsessions with consumerism, celebrity and the media, and then went on to re-invent them.

BBC TWO Director Sarah Aspinall

THE WINDSORS-INSIDE THE ROYAL DYNASTY

From the producers of "The Kennedys," this new six-part CNN Original Series tells the incredible, dramatic and emotional tale of the British Royal Family known as The Windsors. Using stunning archive and interviews with insiders and experts, the series weaves together the true story of the Windsor dynasty.

CNN

THE DUEL-HITLER VS CHURCHILL

A 90 min TV movie detailing the tumultuous early days of WWII between 10 May-31 July 1940. The film combines eye witness accounts, drama recon and extensive use of archive to tell this this eighty day struggle that shaped our modern world

Channel 4 Director Simon Berthon

THE BODY IN THE BAG

Documentary examining one of the most baffling unexplained deaths of recent years. In August 2010, Gareth Williams, a GCHQ employee on a 3-year secondment to MI6, was found dead inside a padlocked bag in the bath of his London flat.

C5 Director David O'Neill

THE NILSEN FILES

Film-maker Michael Ogden re-examines the case of Dennis Nilsen, asking why his victims are all but forgotten today and speaking to police officers who reveal regret over the premature closure of the investigation.

BBC TV Director Michael Ogden

CATASTROPHE 535 AD

Part 1: The Day the Sun Went Out

For nearly a century, humans forgot their glorious past and huddled in a state of ignorance and fear. Scientists now believe that the early Dark Ages may have been triggered by an actual event that occurred around 535 A.D. At the center of a stunningly complex chain of events seems to be “a loud bang” – a volcanic explosion equal to “two thousand million Hiroshima size bombs.”

PBS Director Gary Johnstone