Global Affairs Documentaries
The Shamima Begum Story: The Girl Who Joined ISIS
Shamima Begum left London aged just 15 and disappeared inside the Islamic State group. She emerged four years later in 2019, a vilified figure who had her British citizenship revoked. Now Shamima gives the definitive account of everything that happened to her. In this exclusive interview she explains how she was radicalized, what life in ISIS was like and her hopes for the future.
The World's Biggest Bomb
Why did American and Soviet scientists race to explode the biggest bomb of all time?
In 1954, the USA exploded its first hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific. It remains America’s biggest bomb. A few years later the USSR detonated a device even larger and more devastating. It’s one of the most extraordinary tales in the history of science, yet one which is largely unknown. This fascinating history documentary examines why these superpowers raced to build the world’s biggest bomb.
Hong Kong's Fight for Freedom
Hong Kong, 2019: Protests against a new extradition bill spiral into some of the worst violence the city has ever seen, as thousands of Hongkongers feel their freedom is under threat and take to the streets.
Using artificial intelligence to protect their identities, this two-part documentary series tells the extraordinary story of the uprising through the eyes of four young people at the heart of the movement.
Putin's Russia
For 20 years, Russia has been in his grip. The fact that we’re still asking ‘Who is Putin?’ says a great deal about the former spy who became president.
British journalist David Dimbleby finds out what Russians see in Putin. From the deputy prime minister and kids loading their guns in a patriotic youth club to the protesters who accuse him of ‘criminal thuggery,’ this Putin documentary gives a fascinating insight.
Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi
His oil income was a billion dollars a week, and he used torture and murder to silence the opposition. Is this why Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi was called a ‘mad dog’ by Ronald Reagan?
No other dictator so cannily threatened to turn Western powers to cowed appeasers. This dense, powerful documentary interviews those he bereaved, the ones who tried to stop him – and the people who assisted his tyranny.