Dispatches

Season 2015

TV-PG
Dispatches is the British TV current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, and often features a mole inside organisations under journalistic investigation.

Where to Watch Season 2015

29 Episodes

  • How to Blow Your Pension
    E1
    How to Blow Your PensionFrom 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.
  • Low Pay Britain
    E2
    Low Pay BritainMorland Sanders investigates the reality of employment in post-recession Britain: ultra-flexible, insecure and part-time work, and self-employment.
  • The Great Car Con
    E3
    The Great Car ConMotorists 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'?
  • Secrets Of The Parking Wardens
    E4
    Secrets Of The Parking WardensDispatches 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.
  • Politicians for Hire
    E5
    Politicians for HireDispatches investigates the behaviour of politicians in Westminster.
  • Britain's Benefits Crackdown
    E6
    Britain's Benefits CrackdownReporter Liz MacKean investigates Britain's new benefits regime and asks what life is really like for those hit with penalties.
  • Benefits Britain
    E7
    Benefits BritainThe 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.
  • Britain's Defence Squeeze
    E8
    Britain's Defence SqueezeFollowing 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?
  • How to Buy a Meeting with a Minister
    E9
    How to Buy a Meeting with a MinisterA special undercover investigation into politics in the run-up to the General Election
  • How Safe Are Our Planes?
    E10
    How Safe Are Our Planes?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.
  • The Secrets of Sports Direct
    E11
    The Secrets of Sports DirectDispatches 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.
  • Trains: Are You Paying Too Much?
    E12
    Trains: Are You Paying Too Much?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.
  • Where to Save Your Money
    E13
    Where to Save Your Money
  • Exams: Cheating the System?
    E14
    Exams: Cheating the System?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.
  • The Great British Property Divide
    E15
    The Great British Property DivideMorland 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.
  • Salt: Are You Eating Too Much?
    E16
    Salt: Are You Eating Too Much?Tazeen Ahmad uncovers worrying inaccuracies in salt content food labelling
  • Kids in Crisis
    E17
    Kids in CrisisAcross the UK, children are being moved far from home to receive mental health treatment
  • How Councils Blow Your Millions
    E18
    How Councils Blow Your MillionsDispatches uncovers unknown deals between councils and banks that cost taxpayers millions.
  • Pensions and the Price of Growing Old
    E19
    Pensions and the Price of Growing OldAs 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.
  • Escape from Isis
    E20
    Escape from IsisIn this one-hour special report Dispatches reveals the brutal regime millions of women face when living under the control of the so-called Islamic State and meets a dedicated team of men risking their lives to free them.
  • Hunted: Gay and Afraid
    E21
    Hunted: Gay and AfraidDispatches 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.
  • Britain's Benefits Experiment
    E22
    Britain's Benefits ExperimentTazeen 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.
  • Aldi's Supermarket Secrets
    E23
    Aldi's Supermarket SecretsWhile 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.
  • How To Stop Your Nuisance Calls (II)
    E24
    How To Stop Your Nuisance Calls (II)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.
  • Britain's Nightmare New Homes
    E25
    Britain's Nightmare New HomesThe 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.
  • Low Pay Britain II
    E26
    Low Pay Britain IIThe 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.
  • How The Monarchy Can Make You Millions
    E27
    How The Monarchy Can Make You MillionsAround 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.
  • White People
    E28
    White PeopleDocumentary on the concept of white privilege and how it effects white people and other cultures.
  • The Children Who Beat Ebola
    E29
    The Children Who Beat EbolaOver 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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