Episode list

Dispatches

Politicians for Hire: Cashing in on Brexit
Dispatches goes undercover posing as representatives of a Chinese company to investigate how politicians, including former cabinet ministers, are looking to make money by advising businesses about Brexit.
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Undercover in Premier Inn
A reporter goes undercover as an agency housekeeper working at a Premier Inn hotel in central London and discovers some uncomfortable truths about what it is like for some of the people working there.
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Undercover Inside the Priory
Faced with a shortage of places to treat mental health patients, the NHS is placing patients in private hospitals. Dispatches goes undercover inside one of the American-owned Priory Group's hospitals to investigate.
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Britain's University Spending Scandal
At a time when students are graduating up to 58,000 pounds in debt and university staff are protesting about cuts to their pensions, Dispatches investigates the expenses of Britain's top universities.
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The Week Britain Froze
The Week Britain Froze examines the causes of the Beast from the East, tells extraordinary stories of human courage, and asks if this freezing weather is a sign of things to come.
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Who Speaks for British Muslims?
Across Britain the police, government agencies and other public bodies have been reaching out to Muslim groups in the fight against extremism - but how much do they know about some of these groups?
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Britain's Diesel Scandal
An undercover investigation into how British hauliers are using hi-tech cheat devices and computer hacking to disable the emissions controls on their lorries saving them money but worsening air quality.
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The True Cost of Green Energy
An investigation of the government-subsidised renewable energy industry turning trees into fuel, asking whether burning wood is really a more environmentally friendly alternative to burning coal.
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Britain's Benefits Crisis
Morland Sanders asks if the changes made to the Universal Credit system have forced some people to become homeless and to turn to food banks for support and if the nationwide roll-out of the changes should be halted.
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Myanmar's Killing Fields
For the past five years an undercover network of Rohingya activists have been risking their lives to secretly film evidence of years of repression, violence and mass murder by the authorities in Myanmar.
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Getting Rich from the Housing Crisis
Britain faces a major housing shortage so how is it that some of those who are responsible for providing the social housing that is so desperately needed seem to be doing so well out of the crisis?
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Breastfeeding Uncovered
Journalist and television presenter Kate Quilton investigates why Britain has some of the worst breastfeeding rates in the world and also explores some of the scientific evidence for the benefits of breast milk.
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Lawless Britain: Where Are the Police?
An increasing number of victims of crime are claiming that the police are not fully investigating their cases, while police cite a lack of resources. Are we entering a new era of policing?
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Cannabis: Time to End the Ban?
Over 2 million people smoke cannabis in the UK. Some police forces no longer prosecute for possession. Canada and several American States have legalised it. So should the UK follow suit?
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Born on the Breadline
Examines the growing need for baby banks in the UK and meets the working parents who are turning to them to provide their young children with nappies, clothes, toys and cots.
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Edit Focus

The Dream of Shahrazad

The Dream of Shahrazad

THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD is a feature-length documentary film that brings together the famous story collection THE 1001 (or "ARABIAN") NIGHTS with recent political events in Egypt, Turkey and Lebanon... Description The "Arab Spring" of early 2011 was a momentous global event, raising great hopes for anyone interested in the forward march of humanity. No one, however, is yet sure about the meaning or consequences of these events... THE DREAM OF SHAHRAZAD is a feature-length documentary film which locates the Egyptian revolution - and also recent political changes in Turkey and Lebanon - within a broader historical and cultural framework: that of storytelling and music. More particularly, it looks at the legacy of the famous collection of stories known as THE 1001 (or "ARABIAN") NIGHTS. Weaving together a web of music, politics and storytelling, the film follows a series of unforgettable characters, all of whom draw their inspiration from the NIGHTS and whom, like Shahrazad - the storytelling princess in the NIGHTS who saves lives by telling stories - puts creativity to new political use... A young female Turkish violinist travels to Istanbul, where a charismatic conductor uses Rimsky-Korsakov's SCHEHERAZADE suite as a tool for political education, leading up to a final performance at Istanbul's Topkapi Palace. A young Lebanese woman makes peace with her past by learning the art of storytelling in Egypt. An older visual artist who is obsessed with THE NIGHTS finds his "dream of Shahrazad" manifesting through the appearance of a beautiful young storyteller. Members of a Cairo theatre troupe meet with the mothers of martyrs of the January 25 Revolution and turn their testimonies into new storytelling performances... This richly kaleidoscopic film is at once observational documentary, concert film, political essay and visual translation of an ever-popular symphonic and literary classic. It is a documentary homage to THE NIGHTS, to the SCHEHERAZADE suite, and to the role of a rich historical and creative legacy within huge current political change.

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