documentary

BBC Two goes on the frontline with Yorkshire Firefighters

(Credit: BBC)

The four-part series will take viewers onto the frontline with the men and women of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has 900 firefighters who often put themselves in life-threatening situations to serve and help a population of more than two million people. 

Filmed using the latest technology, viewers will get an in-depth insight into real life emergencies and unprecedented access to the men and women keeping their communities safe during the pandemic.

Tom Parker to make Stand Up To Cancer documentary for Channel 4

The 32-year-old boyband singer was diagnosed with a grade four glioblastoma last October, which doctors told him was “the worst case scenario.”

For this year’s Stand Up To Cancer, Tom, his wife Kelsey and their two children will document their efforts to remain positive and leave a legacy for Tom by staging a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Tom is planning a joyful event and will split proceeds between Stand Up To Cancer, the national fundraising campaign from Channel 4 and Cancer Research U, and The National Brain Appeal.

Myleene Klass to discuss miscarriage for new W channel documentary

Having experienced her own pregnancy losses, Mylene Klass will open up on her trauma to help break the taboo that often surrounds the subject.

Klass said: "I think I needed to make this because I needed to watch this. After my miscarriages I had to try and find some answers, some peace, some solidarity with people who've been through it too.

“You just don't want to feel alone because the defining feeling of miscarriage is feeling alone."

Director James Bluemel on Once Upon a Time in Iraq, Exodus and making people empathetic

In his eyes, the mostly right wing governments responsible for the closures - and their supporters - were making justifications that lacked any historical context, and he felt obliged to make a correction. “They were saying things like ‘we don’t want them, it’s their fault that their country’s like that, why should they come over here with their attitude?’,” he recalls.

“I wanted to show that we – America, Europe, Britain – are meddling. Our fingerprints are all over the origins of the crisis, and therefore we owe some responsibility to the refugees that are fleeing.”

BBC Two announces documentary exploring Britney Spears conservatorship

Britney Spears (Credit: BBC)

A conservatorship is a legal arrangement in the US that sees an adult placed under the legal guardianship of another adult. 

Britney Spears' father, Jamie Spears, has been her legal guardian since 2008 due to worries about her mental health, and Spears has not been in control of her finances or career since then. 

Azhar travels from Spears’ hometown Kentwood in Louisiana to Los Angeles, speaking to the people who are fighting to give Spears her freedom back and the people closest to her to discover who she really is behind the headlines. 

BBC Three announces new documentary film Daisy Maskell – Insomnia and Me

Daisy Maskell – Insomnia and Me sees the breakfast radio host investigate her own insomnia, consulting experts to find the roots and causes, while offering personal insights into her consequent struggles with her mental health.

Maskell will also look at the various treatments and cures, and meet young people from across the country to explore why so many suffer from sleeping disorders. According to research by the NHS, the number admitted to hospital has doubled over the past seven years, and the pandemic has exacerbated the issue further still.

BBC Two commissions Horizon special Vaccine: The Inside Story

Given extensive access to leading research teams, including that of Pfizer/BioNTech, the Horizon special follows the global efforts at developing, trialling, manufacturing and distributing effective vaccines to fight the pandemic.

When news of the novel virus broke, elite scientists around the world sprung into action to tackle the biggest threat in the history of modern medicine. It required scope and speed never-before-seen, and the use of multiple new technologies.

Yesterday announces the Secrets of the Transport Museum

Credit: UKTV

The ten-part series, narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, will go behind the scenes of the Brooklands Museum in Surrey and meet the skilled and passionate volunteers who endeavour to preserve the museum’s historic racing cars, motorbikes and aeroplanes.

Brooklands has a special place in motoring history as the birthplace of motor racing and the location of the first British Grand Prix.

The museum prides itself on being one of the most important heritage sites for the auto and aviation engineering world. 

BBC Two commissions new documentary series on celebrity culture

Driven by dramatic technological and cultural advancements, the celebrity industry has seen seismic growth in recent times.

The series will chart the rise from the early days of reality television, through the emergence of social media stars and celebrity politicians, to our present day obsession with fame, which now impacts every aspect of our lives.

Channel 4 celebrates Christmas at Highclere and Warwick Castle

Credit: Channel 4

The two-part series will follow the castles as they get ready for their biggest time of year, Christmas.

Highclere is famous for featuring as the family house in Downton Abbey and is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. 

Viewers will discover what life is really like at the castle and go behind the scenes with the small team who keep everything running as they prepare for the festive period.

Warwick Castle dates all the way back to 1068 and was built on the order of William the Conqueror.