
About this season
Current affairs programme, featuring interviews and investigative reports on a wide variety of subjects.
Episodes (44)
1. The Great Pit Disaster
Aired 11 January 1993
The economic case for closing 31 pits and putting 30,000 miners on the dole was "unanswerable", the government said. But public outcry forced them to order a review.
2. The Road to Hope
Aired 18 January 1993
On 20 January, Bill Clinton will become the first Democratic president of the United States for 12 years. Peter Jay, who was Britain's ambassador to the USA during the Carter administration, examines the mood of the country.
3. Episode 3
Aired 25 January 1993
4. The Bitter-Enders: Part 1
Aired 1 February 1993
First of a two-part report. As South Africa prepares for the coming election, David Dimbleby talks to President F W De Klerk and to Nelson Mandela.
5. The Bitter-Enders: Part 2
Aired 8 February 1993
Second of a two-part report. David Dimbleby talks to President F W De Klerk and to Nelson Mandela, and assesses the chances of the white and black population reaching a settlement which will put an end to the confrontation and bloodshed.
6. Episode 6
Aired 15 February 1993
7. Monarchy, Magic and Citizen Major
Aired 22 February 1993
This year sees the 40th anniversary of the Queen's coronation. What is the prospect for the monarchy today, and what place is there for its ancient magic in Citizen Major's Britain? Vivian White reports.
8. Whose Mind Is It Anyway?
Aired 1 March 1993
A month after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital, Tracey Evans killed her children in what she called an "act of love". Her husband believes it wouldn't have happened if she had received more supervision when she left hospital.
9. Arming for Islam
Aired 8 March 1993
A new military power looks set to overtake Saddam's Iraq. In the Islamic republic of Iran the heirs of Ayatollah Khomeini are spending billions on arms. Jane Corbin investigates that Iran is trying to get weapons of mass destruction.
10. A Class Apart
Aired 15 March 1993
The dramatic increase in the numbers of children expelled from school is causing problems for a Government already grappling with public anxiety over juvenile crime. Many children now receive as little as one hour's education a week.
11. The Peace Penalty
Aired 22 March 1993
As the post-Cold War military cuts go deeper, Britain faces hundreds of thousands of job losses in the defence sector, bringing despair to areas of previously high employment.
12. Underclass in Purdah
Aired 29 March 1993
Nisha Pillai reveals the emergence of a Muslim underclass among Pakistanis and Bangladeshis and looks at the dangers and dilemmas it throws up.
13. Fair Cops
Aired 5 April 1993
Britain's top policemen now admit that their old Dixon of Dock Green image was always a myth - and that in the battle to convict criminals, truth has often been the first casualty. Steve Bradshaw reports.
14. Dumping Granny
Aired 19 April 1993
By the end of this decade more than a million people in Britain will be over 85. Some families are already abandoning relatives when they become very old and frail, Margaret Gilmore investigates.
15. Episode 15
Aired 26 April 1993
16. Pack of Lies
Aired 10 May 1993
Tom Mangold investigates the tobacco companies' conspiracy to cover up research that helps prove the link between smoking, cancer and other diseases; and how the industry decided to drop the successful marketing of a safer cigarette.
17. Lucky to Have a Job
Aired 17 May 1993
Are workers in Britain being exploited by bosses who say they are lucky to have a job? Thousands are being forced to work longer hours for less pay. Others are sacked for no reason and there is nothing in the law to protect them.
18. The Beast of Corleone
Aired 24 May 1993
For more than ten years, Salvatore Riina was the Godfather of the Mafia, the world's largest criminal organisation. After 23 years on the run, he was arrested. Does his arrest mark a turning point in the struggle against organised crime?
19. The Gene Genie
Aired 7 June 1993
The race is on to discover the genes that determine people's susceptibility to illness and disease. Billions of dollars are available in the new market for genetic testing but the human costs of such advances may outweigh the benefits.
20. Secrets of the Citadel
Aired 14 June 1993
A report from Aldermaston, Britain's top-secret nuclear weapons factory, known as the Citadel. Nuclear weapons are being constructed in buildings that were condemned 15 years ago by an independent inquiry into the Atomic Weapons Facility.
21. Lloyd's Last Chance
Aired 21 June 1993
Lloyd's of London - the most famous insurance market in the world - is in crisis. After hurricanes, terrorism and tanker disasters losses run into billions, and legal actions alleging negligence and fraud abound.
22. Bad Medicine
Aired 28 June 1993
Can hospitals be trusted to provide the best possible care? Panorama offers evidence that some cannot and that differences in financing and treatment mean that certain hospitals and surgeons are more effective than others
23. The Gift of God or Human Torment?
Aired 5 July 1993
Thousands of Catholic priests have left active service to marry. Sex scandals involving American archbishops have rocked Rome and led Pope John Paul II to concede that the public's trust in the church and priestly morale is being eroded.
24. Wessex Man
Aired 12 July 1993
Wessex Regional Health Authority is said to have wasted tens of millions of pounds on installing a computer system that had to be abandoned. Vivian White uncovers the people and companies responsible for squandering vital NHS funds.
25. The Dental AIDS Mystery
Aired 19 July 1993
Florida dentist Dr David Acer has been held responsible for transmitting the deadly HIV virus to six of his patients. Two have died. Yet after a two-year inquiry no one can find out how it happened.
26. The Rape of Justice
Aired 26 July 1993
In cases of sexual assault, are the courts too lenient when it comes to sentencing? Will the government respond to public disquiet? Deborah Davies reports.
27. To Catch a Thief
Aired 2 August 1993
Is Britain becoming a nation of vigilantes? Peter Godwin investigates a growing trend of DIY crime-fighters - some legal, others definitely not.
28. Episode 28
Aired 9 August 1993
29. Episode 29
Aired 16 August 1993
30. The Whole Truth
Aired 23 August 1993
A succession of miscarriages of justice have brought about tougher measures to protect the accused in criminal cases. But have the scales of justice tilted too far in favour of the defendants?
31. An Ordinary Boy
Aired 6 September 1993
Two IRA bombs in a crowded Warrington shopping centre on 20 March this year killed 3-year-old Jonathan Ball immediately; 12-year-old Tim Parry died five days later. Steve Bradshaw reports.
32. The Norway Channel
Aired 13 September 1993
The story of a Norwegian couple who had formed a secret channel between the Israelis and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.
33. Panorama Special: The Manager
Aired 16 September 1993
34. Babies on Benefit
Aired 20 September 1993
Michele is 22 and expecting the fifth of her babies she's had by two different fathers. Janet lied to the authorities to gain extra welfare benefits for her children. Panorama investigates the cost to the state of young single motherhood.
35. Cut Adrift
Aired 4 October 1993
"It's very easy when you're in politics - to find yourself cut adrift from the everyday concerns of people in the country" John Major tells Panorama. Huw Edwards asks party members whether Mr Major can dispel the doubts on his leadership.
36. Pensioned Off
Aired 11 October 1993
Stephen Bradshaw reports that the state pays out billions of pounds in benefits to pensioners who don't need the money. Would it not make sense to target their pension money at the millions of poor old people who desperately need it?
37. The Sinful Messiah
Aired 18 October 1993
John Penycate examines the Branch Davidians and David Koresh's bizarre cocktail of religion, violence and sexual abuse, and reveals the story of the US government's role In the Waco shooting, siege and final conflagration
38. Securing a Headline
Aired 1 November 1993
With the Jamie Bulger trial about to start, and public concern about child criminals in the news, the Government is promising tough new policies to deal with the worst offenders. They plan new sentences and new lock-ups for 12-14 year-olds
39. Water - Profits and Poverty
Aired 8 November 1993
A few yrs ago water charges were a small item on the rates bill, but now they're increasing up to 8 times the rate of inflation. While water chiefs and shareholders enjoy a profits bonanza, water poverty threatens millions of families.
40. A Very British Folly
Aired 15 November 1993
This week the government is expected to give the final go-ahead to Thorp, a nuclear "laundry" meant to clean the used fuel of a new generation of atomic power stations. But is Thorp really needed? Correspondent Ian Breech reports.
41. Episode 41
Aired 22 November 1993
42. Episode 42
Aired 29 November 1993
43. Race, Violence and the Law
Aired 6 December 1993
New government figures suggest that racially motivated attacks in Britain are far more frequent than was previously estimated. Only a small proportion are reported, however, and even fewer reach the courts. Margaret Gilmore reports.
44. Getting Away with Murder
Aired 13 December 1993
Stephen Bradshaw reports from Foca, in Bosnia, where innocent civilians have been victims of war crimes, and of history's broken promises, and he names local politicians who failed to intervene and stop these crimes.