Documentary Specials

Victoria’s Secrets 1 x 52 minute programme

She inherited the throne of Great Britain at the age of eighteen and ruled for sixty-three years, bestowing her name upon her age. In the reign of Queen Victoria, the British Empire reached the peak of its power and took the leading role in politics and economy. Although she was one of Britain’s most popular queens, little is known about her life. Learn Victoria’s Secrets in this insightful documentary.

Windsor Restored 1 x 52 minute programme

The nightmare began at 11am on 20th November 1992 when Windsor Castle caught fire. The fire started in the Private Chapel and spread rapidly through some of the State Apartments. It took almost three days, 36 fire engines, more than 200 firemen and 1.5 million gallons of water to extinguish the blaze. It destroyed 105 rooms almost one fifth of the castle. Yet amazingly, in five years since those dreadful events, Windsor castle will be fully restored. This film tells the true story.

In the most compelling account of the fire and the aftermath, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duke of York all give their separate accounts of the devastation caused by the fire and how the restoration was effected. 78 miles of scaffolding and 12,000 delivery vehicles supported by some 200 specialist contractors employing roughly 4,000 craftsmen and personnel, working on an area of 10,000 square metres, which is more than 3 football pitches. Nothing on this scale has been attempted before, nor within this time frame. You have to see it to believe it!

X-Pats 1 x 43 minute programme

A Co-production with C5

Sex, sun and partying is the major preoccupation of the young ex-pat. This humourous and sometimes unbelievable film looks at the lifestyle of the young, rich and affluent who have moved to Singapore to live their lives to the full. Part travelogue, part social documentary the film-maker gets to places where even the sun rays can’t reach the x-pat enclosure. We observe how they do or don’t fit in with the local culture and record their irreverent antics. Coupled with a soundtrack of the latest dance hits X-pats will blow the lid on the roller-coaster side of expatriate life in the Far East and will bring our own existence strongly into focus.

Outwitting Hitler 1 x 52 minute programme

You are alone. You are being hunted. Armed with only your wits and artistic skills, you must stay one step ahead of the world’s most horrendous killing machine. Could you do it? Few people have acted as audaciously while belated outwitting the Third Reich time and again. After escaping from the brutal Janowska concentration camp with help from a young Simon Wisenthal, art student Marion Pretzel forged Nazi documents that allowed him to eat, sleep, live and even work amongst the Germans, often risking exposure and certain death.

Forbidden Pleasures 1 x 52 minute programme

Forbidden Pleasures tackles one of the few remaining taboos of our society: Have disabled people the same right to their sexuality as non-disabled people? Critically acclaimed Forbidden Pleasures was broadcast in prime time on Channel 4 (UK) and achieved an impressive viewer-ship. In our culture, sex is geared so much to the able-bodied that the minorities are often ignored. For the first time on television this balance is redressed and this difficult yet important subject is tackled head on. A moving film that deals with important issues and opens a universal debate.

The World’s Most Romantic Places 1 x 60 minute programme

A Co-production with Lifetime Channel

Join Delta Burke on a fantasy journey to three very different, but wonderfully romantic places in the world. Venice is always magical, but never more so than during Mardi Gras. The colourful and vibrant carnival season happens when the people of this floating Italian city dress in elaborate costumes, don masks and promenade through the squares and attend glittering balls, all of which helps to recreate the bygone Renaissance era. The ancient pyramids and the great River Nile between them provide the most spectacular backdrop for never-to-be-forgotten encounters with and experiences of Egypt. These stunning man-made and natural phenomenon create a unique atmosphere, which rarely fails to amaze. Then for something completely different we contrast the hurly-burly of the Far East metropolises of Singapore and Bangkok with another experience of an almost lost era. The age of the train and the luxury of the Orient Express. Directed by BAFTA award winner Robin Bextor and Mike Porecki