Politics documentaries
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.
Zelensky: The Making of a President
In just over three years, Volodymyr Zelensky has gone from Ukraine’s best-known comedian to one of the world’s most recognizable leaders. He’s rallied his country in its fight for survival against Russia and has gained global respect and admiration.
This in-depth documentary tells the fascinating story of the Ukrainian president’s transformation. The BBC’s former Ukraine correspondent Jonah Fisher who followed Zelensky closely during his rise to power, explores one of the world’s most incredible political journeys.
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.
Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists
The West Bank has been the white-hot center of global religious and political unrest for decades. Now, a subculture of Jewish ultra-nationalists are considering it their obligation to populate some of its most sensitive areas. British filmmaker Louis Theroux gets close to the people most involved with driving this extreme movement, finding them warm, humorous – and deeply troubling.
Gandhi
How did a man so loyal to the British Empire that he acted as a recruiting sergeant in World War 1 eventually lead the Indian people to a revolution that would end British rule forever? And how, when his blueprint for India would be largely ignored, is he still revered as the ‘Father of the Nation’?
Journalist Mishal Husain uncovers the complicated legacy of Mahatma Gandhi in this biographical documentary on BBC Select.