About this season
A BBC documentary film strand, with the focus on investigative journalism.
Episodes (14)
1. A Peaceful Exit
Aired 11 January 1996
2. A Band is Born
Aired 18 January 1996
3. Caroline's Baby - Update
Aired 30 January 1996 • 55 min
Update on the story of a London Civil Servant who was arrested in New York in 1994 carrying her dead baby. After eight months on remand, Caroline awaits her trial date.
4. On My Feet Again
Aired 1 February 1996
5. Alison's Last Mountain
Aired 9 February 1996
6. £830,000,000 - Nick Leeson and the Fall of the House of Barings
Aired 12 June 1996
25 Million Pounds details the collapse of Barings Bank in the mid 1990s primarily by a broker called Nick Leeson, who lost £827 million ($1.3 billion) by speculating on futures contracts. The film contextualises the downfall as the history of Barings Bank was one of the oldest and most prestigious merchant banks in Britain, run by the same family for decades with extensive ties to Britain's elites. But in the late 19th century Barings almost went bankrupt after investing heavily in South American bonds, including backing the construction of a sewer system in Buenos Aires. The bank was saved by The Bank of England, but Edward Baring, the head of the bank, was financially ruined and never recovered. This film explores the culture of Barings and of the financial markets during the 1990s, and how Nick Leeson was able to cause another huge loss of money to the bank, this time bankrupting the company.
7. Stalker Squad
Aired 17 July 1996
8. Miracle Babies: The Story of the Dionne Quintuplets
Aired 24 July 1996
In 1934, in Canada, Elzire Dionne gave birth to five identical girls. To ensure the babies' survival, the sisters were removed from their parents and looked after in a specially built hospital, only to become a major tourist attraction.
9. The Lady Guns
Aired 31 July 1996
10. Caring for Christopher
Aired 7 August 1996 • 50 min
The story of Christopher, a young boy who suffers from severe epilepsy. The film follows his development over five years, from child to teenager.
11. Eurocops '96
Aired 14 August 1996
12. Betrayal
Aired 21 August 1996
13. Karzan's Brothers
Aired 15 October 1996
14. Maxwell - The Downfall
Aired 29 October 1996
The inside story of the life of Robert Maxwell. Tom Bower reveals in forensic detail the financial web which underpinned the Maxwell empire and the people who supported him. This film details exactly what happened in the House of Maxwell in the years, months and days leading to his death on a yacht in the Canaries. Expertly woven together with incredible, previously unseen, private archive of Maxwell from his humble beginnings to his flamboyant, international, jet set lifestyle.