About this season
Long-running Channel 4 documentary series covering issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment. Known for featuring a mole inside organisations under journalistic investigation.
Episodes (23)
1. Britain's £400bn COVID Bill: Who Will Pay?
Aired 22 February 2021
Britain in lockdown faces the worst economic nosedive in 300 years. Liam Halligan looks at the financial cost of the pandemic and what it could mean for our futures.
2. Condition Critical - One Doctor's Story
Aired 1 March 2021
A powerful, intimate story of life on the NHS frontline as Dr Saleyha Ahsan films her own journey through four months of the second wave of Covid, fighting to keep patients alive.
3. The Dirty Truth About Your Rubbish
Aired 8 March 2021
A look at how millions of tonnes of household recycling end up incinerated, hiking carbon emissions, with councils locked into long and expensive waste contracts.
4. The Truth About Long Covid
Aired 15 March 2021
It is now estimated that as many as 500,000 people have long Covid in the UK. In Bradford, one of our worst hit cities, Dispatches asks can the National Health Service cope with the virus's lasting legacy?
5. The High Street Cash Crisis
Aired 22 March 2021
Britain's high streets are in turmoil. Antony Barnett digs into the collapse of several chains - from Debenhams to Poundworld - owned by private equity firms. How much are these firms to blame?
6. The Black Maternity Scandal
Aired 29 March 2021
A C4 documentary detailing the NHS's systemic racism.
7. Low Pay Britain: About Your Job
Aired 12 April 2021
As Britain emerges from lockdown and Brexit, Dispatches examines the future of work, wages and safety, and the emerging gig economy of brands like Amazon and Deliveroo.
8. Royals for Hire
Aired 10 May 2021
Antony Barnett goes undercover to see what some of the Queen's family might be prepared to do for cash, including offering access to Kensington Palace and to Vladimir Putin
9. Second Wave: Did the Government Get It Wrong?
Aired 17 May 2021
Why did two thirds of Britain's Covid deaths come after September 2020? Dispatches examines the role that the Prime Minister's decisions played in the second wave.
10. Football's Gambling Addiction
Aired 7 June 2021
Ruth Davidson examines the uncomfortable relationship between gambling and football. Why is football so dependent on money from gambling, and what harm might it be causing, particularly to young fans?
11. Undercover in Africa's Secret State
Aired 16 June 2021
A gripping, eye-opening investigation of Eritrea, one of the world's most secretive regimes, with shocking allegations of torture, detention and forced conscription.
12. Torn Apart: Family Courts Uncovered
Aired 20 June 2021
An unprecedented look at what's going on behind closed doors in family courts, including shocking personal testimony and footage.
13. India's Rape Scandal
Aired 27 June 2021
With over 70 Indian politicians facing charges of crimes against women, Ramita Navai investigates two rape cases that have sparked allegations of a cover-up.
14. Cops on Trial
Aired 11 October 2021
Ellie Flynn reports on the scale of sexual misconduct by serving British police officers, including personal accounts from victims and long term partners of serving officers who have endured domestic violence and abuse.
15. Clapped Out: Is the NHS Broken?
Aired 18 October 2021
Eighteen months into the worst pandemic in a century, this hard-hitting special travels the country asking some tough questions about the performance of our much-loved NHS.
16. Growing Up Poor: Britain's Hidden Homeless Kids
Aired 25 October 2021
As lock-down ended and kids went back to school, in Luton, Dispatches examines the devastating impact of overcrowded, unsuitable housing on young lives.
17. How Green Is the Government?
Aired 1 November 2021
Is Britain really one of the world leaders in fighting against climate change? Dispatches investigates as the COP26 summit is held in Glasgow.
18. Did Brexit Work for Business?
Aired 15 November 2021
Is Brexit, and the new free trade deal with the EU, the huge success the Government said it would be? Dispatches meets firms struggling with increased costs and dwindling profits.
19. The Truth About Electric Cars
Aired 22 November 2021
As Britain frets over climate change and fuel shortages, is now a good time to sink tens of thousands of your hard-earned pounds into buying an electric car?
20. Escape from the Taliban
Aired 27 November 2021
In the immediate aftermath of the Taliban taking Kabul, local journalists film terrified Afghans trying to escape abroad - among them noted female rights activist Zoya Faizi.
21. The Truth About Your Chicken: Dispatches
Aired 29 November 2021
With over a billion chickens eaten each year in the UK, Dispatches investigates supermarket chicken, animal welfare, and what industrial farming means for our countryside.
22. Vaccine Wars: Truth About Pfizer
Aired 10 December 2021
Pfizer's Covid vaccine has saved millions of lives around the world. But with rising prices and record profits, is the drug firm profiteering from the pandemic?
23. The Truth About Disability Benefits
Aired 17 December 2021
An investigation into a series of deaths, including suicide, by disabled benefits claimants. What impact did government failings have on those who died?