The Best Episodes of Panorama Season 71

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Panorama asked five Ukrainians to start filming their lives. The result is a powerful documentary marking the first anniversary of the war.

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In the UK, around one in seven now take an antidepressant. Globally they have made the pharmaceutical industry billions. When the current generation of drugs was launched 35 years ago, they promised a safe and effective treatment, free from the side effects of older medicines. But have they lived up to those claims? While many people say they have benefited from taking them, Panorama reveals evidence of some companies trying to conceal concerns about their drugs, following patients who have suffered serious side effects as they continue their fight to be heard.

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Water companies are dumping huge quantities of sewage in UK rivers every year. So why do some of the worst offenders have such good environmental ratings? Reporter Joe Crowley investigates.

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Parliament is once again under fire over complaints about sexual harassment and bullying, with MPs suspended from their parties and claims of a toxic workplace culture going unchecked. Reporter Naga Munchetty speaks to staff members and MPs who give their accounts of sexual harassment and bullying. Exactly five years after parliament set up a new system to deal with complaints, many of those campaigning to clean up the House have lost faith in it, saying it is too slow and complex.

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Ever since Nicky Campbell went public about the abuse that he both experienced and witnessed in the 1970s, he’s become the public face of a campaign by former pupils of two renowned private schools in Scotland. Now, Panorama meets the men who shared a dark secret, they had been sexually and physically abused. Inspired by each other’s bravery, the men are determined that one teacher should be returned to the UK to face justice.

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The UK is facing a chronic illness epidemic, with diabetes rates at record levels and cancers in young people rising steeply. Now, there’s growing evidence suggesting this could be linked to the food we eat. Ultra-processed convenience foods contain chemicals that UK regulators say are safe, but Panorama investigates emerging scientific evidence of a link between some of these chemicals and cancer, diabetes and strokes.

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Jane Corbin investigates what really happened during the mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and asks what the long-term consequences might be for Putin's presidency.

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A series of disastrous investments has left Thurrock Council effectively bankrupt. Services are being cut and council tax raised to try to cover the second biggest deficit ever run up by a local authority. Most of the council's cash was invested in one man's business. Liam Kavanagh promised his solar farms would provide a safe return, but his companies have been wound up and the council faces big losses. Reporter Bronagh Munro reveals how the millionaire businessman spent council cash on himself and left local people to pay the price.

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Reporter Lara Lewington speaks to some of the so-called 'godfathers' of AI about their hopes and fears, and she meets researchers developing technology allowing computers to read emotions and minds.

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Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering and harming babies. So what turned a likeable nurse into a serial killer? For the first time, Panorama hears from a family whose child died, a friend who’s stood by her and a doctor who tried to raise the alarm. Reporter Judith Moritz reveals evidence of a cover-up by hospital bosses and asks whether some babies’ lives could have been saved.

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Panorama investigates claims of bullying and body shaming at two of the UK's top ballet schools, The Royal Ballet School in London and Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham.

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Fast fashion giant Boohoo faced serious criticism in 2020 for poor working conditions at its suppliers. A Panorama investigation reveals renewed pressure to slash costs.

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As the nation prepares for the coronation of King Charles III, Panorama asks if the new king will adapt the monarchy to suit modern times.

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Panorama reporter Richard Bilton investigates the environmental cost of moving our lives online and into the cloud.

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From spy balloons to secret police stations and dissidents on the run, Panorama investigates China’s global surveillance operation. We reveal new details about Beijing’s fleet of spy balloons and hack a Chinese-made security camera to show how similar devices that line our streets could be exploited. With the UK government now declaring China the biggest security challenge of our age, we ask: Is China Watching You?

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Richard Bilton investigates why oil, coal and gas exploration is booming when almost every country in the world has committed to limit the rise in global warming to 1.5 degrees.

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The Ukrainian government says that thousands of children have been taken unlawfully to Russia since the start of the war. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for President Putin’s arrest. Now, Panorama investigates what happened to more than 40 children taken by Russian forces from a children’s home in Kherson. The film-makers, working with journalists in Ukraine, uncover falsified birth certificates, a secret adoption and a trail of evidence leading all the way to the Russian parliament.

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Richard Bilton investigates the problems Margaret Thatcher's right-to-buy policy is causing 40 years later, including the return of slum landlords.

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More than 30,000 people are known to have been killed in the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria. Panorama asks if more could have been done to save lives.

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An undercover investigation for Panorama reveals that women working on plantations producing tea for PG Tips and Lipton are pressured to have sex with their bosses in return for work.

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Justin Rowlatt reports on plans to reduce traffic through Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, in what has become a battle between those who support the scheme and those who do not.

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Panorama reports on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. After 1,400 Israelis, including women and children were murdered by Hamas fighters, Israel promised brutal retaliation to destroy Hamas. More than three thousand Palestinians, many women and children, have already been killed in Gaza. Reporter Jane Corbin hears the human stories on both sides and asks what does the escalating crisis mean for the wider region?

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As the cost of living crisis deepens, figures suggest almost 13 million people in the UK are falling behind on their bills and struggling with their debts. Panorama investigates the booming debt management industry and the companies signing up people for Individual Voluntary Arrangements. IVAs allow clients to pay off their debts in instalments, but reporter Lora Jones discovers that some vulnerable people have experienced high-pressure sales tactics, and others are charged fees they struggle to pay.

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Panorama explores the breakneck rise and sensational fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, the maths genius who set out to transform the world of crypto but ended up being its biggest loser.

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Every year, millions of tonnes of waste are dumped in landfill sites, but how safe are they? Reporter Amber Haque investigates a Staffordshire landfill which residents claim has affected their health and examines the potentially toxic legacy of historic landfill sites.

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