About this season
World in Action was Granada Televisionâs flagship ITV current affairs series, running from 7 Jan 1963 to 7 Dec 1998, and built a reputation for film-led investigative reporting and a forceful editorial stance. Its journalism produced major public and political repercussionsâincluding investigations associated with miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Sixâand it also served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the first broadcast of âSeven Up!â as part of the strand in 1964.
Episodes (41)
1. The State of Britain - The Road to Brighton Pier
Aired 13 October 1980
2. South Africa's Bombshell
Aired 20 October 1980
3. Creating Criminals
Aired 27 October 1980
4. Choosing Labour's Leader
Aired 3 November 1980
5. The Party's Over
Aired 10 November 1980
6. Death on the Dole
Aired 17 November 1980
7. The H-Block Fuse
Aired 24 November 1980
Report at the beginning of the fifth week of the hunger strike in the H Block of Maze Prison by IRA prisoners seeking a recognition of their status as political prisoners including an interview with one of the prisoners, R.V. McCartney.
8. The Rossminster Affair
Aired 1 December 1980
9. The Hunt for the Ripper
Aired 8 December 1980
The Yorkshire Ripper is still at large, and this follows the hectic and demanding West Yorkshire police investigation.
10. No Room at the Inn
Aired 15 December 1980
11. The Blood Business
Aired 22 December 1980
12. The State of Britain - The Secret in South Wales
Aired 5 January 1981
13. Michael Foot
Aired 19 January 1981
14. The White House General
Aired 26 January 1981
15. The Social Democrats
Aired 2 February 1981
16. The F.B.I.'s Secret Tapes
Aired 9 February 1981
17. Killing for a Cure
Aired 16 February 1981
A look at vivisection, and the activities of the controversial Animal Liberation Front who believe more militant action is needed to end unnecessary cruelty to animals.
18. The State of Britain - In for a Penny
Aired 23 February 1981
19. Off the Rails
Aired 2 March 1981
A UK rail crash in 1978 was thought to have been caused by signalling equipment that was over 50 years old. Sir Peter Parker attempts to get more money from the government to invest in the railways.
20. The State of the Nation
Aired 9 March 1981
Journalists re-enact the political discussions around the economy on the eve of the budget.
21. These Children Are Mine
Aired 16 March 1981
Anwar Ditta is a mother. That is not disputed. But the government say she is the mother of one child. She says she is the mother of four. However, the other three are in Pakistan, and that disagreement means she cannot bring them here.
22. The Fight for the Centre
Aired 23 March 1981
23. The Men from Argentina
Aired 30 March 1981
24. The Curse of the Klan
Aired 6 April 1981
Report on the re-emergency's of the Ku Klux Klan in both northern and southern states of America and the rising tide of racism there. Includes interviews with Klan members past and present and members of the black community who have been attacked by them.
25. Comrades at Arms
Aired 13 April 1981
26. More Than Just a Few Perks
Aired 27 April 1981
A civil servant who questioned the expense claims of the GLC found himself out of a job.
27. The Shape of Wars to Come
Aired 11 May 1981
28. Home and Away
Aired 18 May 1981
29. Do Mind If I Smoke?
Aired 1 June 1981
An investigation into new claims that non smokers are at risk in smoke filled rooms.
30. To Russia with Love
Aired 8 June 1981
31. Tories for Turning
Aired 15 June 1981
32. Kevin at the Crossroads
Aired 22 June 1981
Follows Kevin, a victim of the drug thalidomide as he enters the job market.
33. The Silent Epidemic
Aired 29 June 1981
Very few people have heard of Alzheimer's Disease, despite the fact that one in 12 over 60s will get and possibly die from it.
34. Guns to the Right
Aired 6 July 1981
35. A Dangerous Age
Aired 13 July 1981
36. A Conflict of Evidence
Aired 20 July 1981
37. Toxteth Revisited
Aired 27 July 1981
Dr Ben Holman and Tommy Olds visited Liverpool eight years previously and predicted riots would happen in the future. They now make a return visit in the aftermath of the riots.
38. The Agony of Angola
Aired 3 August 1981
39. When Night Comes to Kandahar
Aired 17 August 1981
Report from Afganistan in which the World In Action camera team join a night time Afghan rebel attack, led by Ismael Gailani, on a government post in the capital, Kandahar and also look at the conditions for the Afghans under the present regime in the country. Looks at the way of life of the Afghan people under the regime supported by Russian forces.
40. Waiting for Justice
Aired 10 August 1981
41. A Picture of Health
Aired 24 August 1981