documentary

Channel 4 commissions Syrian conflict documentary

(Credit: Channel 4)

Filmed from 2011 until 2016, For Sama begins with Al Kateab as a student at the University of Aleppo and follows her journey as she joins the uprising against the regime, falls in love, gets married and eventually gives birth to her daughter, Sama.

In 2016, Waad Al Kateab and her husband Hamza made the difficult decision to remain in Aleppo despite the looming approach of Syrian forces.

TV Picks of the week: 14 - 20 January

Cold Feet

Monday: ITV, 9.00pm

ITV’s dramedy series Cold Feet, starring James Nesbitt, Fay Ripely, John Thomson, Robert Bathurst and Hermione Norris, promises dramatic developments for its eighth series, with a wedding possibly on the cards.

Set in Manchester, the series follows a group of middle aged friends as they struggle with parenthood, major life changes and a shifting society. Adam (Nesbitt) finds himself reassessing his habit of flirting with much younger women, while Karen (Norris) and David (Bathurst) try to support their unhappy son Josh.

Channel 4 to air a new documentary series on Michael Jackson abuse allegations

Michael Jackson (Credit: Channel 4)

From award-winning director Dan Reed (This World), Leaving Neverland (w/t) documents the accounts from James Safechuck and Wade Robson as they describe the sexual abuse they went through as children by Michael Jackson.

At the time of the allegations, Safechuck was 10 years-old and Robson was seven as they were befriended by Jackson during the height of the music star’s career.

BBC Two searches for the greatest icon of the 20th Century

(Credit: BBC)

Co-produced with The Open University, Icons will tell the history of the 20th century through the people who shaped it, inviting the public to vote on 28 icons shortlisted by a panel of academics.

Each episode will focus on different categories of excellence, including leaders, explorers, scientists, entertainers, activists, sports stars, and artists and writers.

The series follows influential figures such as Nelson Mandela, Marie Curie, Billie Holiday, Martin Luther King Jr and Virginia Woolf.

Top TV picks: 29th December

The Secret World of Emily Brontë

Channel 4, 6.05pm

Emily Brontë superfan Lily Cole hosts a one-off documentary, The Secret World of Emily Brontë, exploring the Yorkshire landscape that influenced Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

Cole also makes her own film in this special, Balls, which reimagines Heathcliff’s early life in Liverpool.

Top TV picks: 27th December

Morecambe & Wise in America 

Gold, 8.00pm

Jonathan Ross hosts new documentary Morecambe & Wise in America, which will focus on the comedy double act’s attempt to break America.

Iconic duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise’s working relationship is explored in this three-part series, which features over an hour’s worth of footage never seen before in the UK. Morecambe & Wise in America follows the pair on a series of trips they made to appear on one of the USA’s largest variety show, The Ed Sullivan Show.

Channel 4 commissions documentary Training Teachers to Kill

(Credit: Channel 4)

Training Teachers to Kill shines a light on the very real debate taking place in the US today, where school boards are considering arming teachers to protect students from future gun attacks.

Featured is Butler County Ohio, where the debate is raging due to a devastating mass shooting that took place there two years ago. The documentary will see the town’s Sheriff putting up billboards in an effort to persuade the community to arm teachers.