documentary

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. 

BBC One announces a documentary about Marcus Rashford MBE’s child food poverty campaign

Marcus Rashford (Credit: BBC)

Rashford has previously spoken about his own experiences of child food poverty and the sacrifices he and his family faced while he was growing up. 

The Premier League striker will learn about how child food poverty affects millions of children across the UK and how COVID-19 has exacerbated the issue. 

Cameras will uncover the obstacles and successes Rashford has gone through to try and eradicate child food poverty in the UK permanently, including the pressure his campaign put on the UK Government to offer support to over 1.7 million children. 

BBC Two commissions new documentary on the Maxwell family

As an impoverished survivor of the Holocaust, Robert Maxwell came from humble beginnings.

After serving the British Army in World War II he started working in publishing, building up Pergamon Press to a major publishing house before buying multiple competitors.

Robert’s alleged accidental death in 1991 triggered the collapse of his publishing empire and led to revelations of fraud on a grand scale.

Channel 4 announces sun-soaked documentary Welcome to Barbados

Credit: Channel 4

The series follows British families and individuals, looking for a new adventure on the tropical island of Barbados, as they take on the challenge of relocating in the middle of a pandemic and working remotely from the Caribbean sanctuary.

The Barbados government introduced the Barbados Welcome Stamp on the 30th June 2020, which allows people to apply for a visa, enabling them to work remotely in Barbados for a maximum of 12 months.

McFly reveal all in new ITV documentary McFly: All About Us

In their most open interviews to date, Tom, Danny, Dougie and Harry speak candidly of the origins of the band, the collaboration with Busted for McBusted and the real reason for the band’s break.

With unseen archival footage and honest conversations between the band members, the film will piece together their personal and professional highs and lows, from their rise as teenage pop stars to selling over 10 million records worldwide.

UKTV announces two more series of The Architecture The Railways Built

Tim Dunn (Credit: UKTV)

The two ten-part series will be led by railway historian and architecture enthusiast Tim Dunn, following him as he travels around Britain and beyond visiting the unique architecture that lines the railway networks.

With behind the scenes access, Dunn gets to explore beyond the viaducts and stations, discovering other buildings with stunning architecture that were created due to the railways, including signal boxes, tunnels, pedestrian passages, workshops and hotels.