Dispatches (Season 30)

An in-depth look at news stories. Documentaries that take you behind the scenes giving an insight into people's lives or institutions.

  • Poster for Where's My Missing Mail?

    Where's My Missing Mail? (Episode 1)

    Air date: 2016-02-01

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Morland Sanders presents an undercover report into parcel delivery companies where missing items, broken gifts and late deliveries are all becoming a growing problem.

  • Poster for How the Rich Avoid Tax

    How the Rich Avoid Tax (Episode 2)

    Air date: 2016-02-08

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Actor Greg Wise secretly records his meetings with tax planners, who reveal to him a range of legal tax avoidance schemes that are available to the rich and famous.

  • Poster for 999: Where's My Ambulance?

    999: Where's My Ambulance? (Episode 3)

    Air date: 2016-02-15

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Demand for ambulance services are at an all-time high and many trusts are struggling to meet response time targets. Morland Sanders investigates why there is such a demand and what can be done to meet it.

  • Poster for Dirty Secrets: What's Really in Our Air?

    Dirty Secrets: What's Really in Our Air? (Episode 4)

    Air date: 2016-02-22

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: People are breathing in more harmful pollutants than official figures suggest. Morland Sanders uses high-tech monitoring equipment to identify hidden pollution hot-spots and talks to experts about the effect this is having.

  • Poster for Fight Against ISIS

    Fight Against ISIS (Episode 5)

    Air date: 2016-02-29

    Runtime: 45 min

  • Poster for How To Be A Council House Millionaire

    How To Be A Council House Millionaire (Episode 6)

    Air date: 2016-03-07

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: The Government plans to extend the right-to-buy scheme to housing association tenants, Antony Barnett looks at who will be the winners and losers. Includes undercover filming at one of the property companies hoping to benefit.

  • Poster for Housing Benefit Millionaires

    Housing Benefit Millionaires (Episode 7)

    Air date: 2016-03-14

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Antony Barnett reports on the rogue private landlords who are exploiting the housing benefit system by renting out sub-standard accommodation to tenants in receipt of the benefit, often putting lives at risk.

  • Poster for Secrets of Cadbury

    Secrets of Cadbury (Episode 8)

    Air date: 2016-03-21

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: 6 years ago British confectioner Cadbury was taken over by the U.S. food giant Kraft in one of the most talked about takeovers of recent years. Harry Wallop reports on the controversies that have plagued the company since then.

  • Poster for Britain's Pensioner Care Scandal

    Britain's Pensioner Care Scandal (Episode 9)

    Air date: 2016-04-04

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Dispatches goes undercover to examine the level of care that some of Britain's most vulnerable pensioners receive from a home care industry under pressure from rising costs and cuts to budgets.

  • Poster for The Great Benefits Row

    The Great Benefits Row (Episode 10)

    Air date: 2016-04-11

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Former Paralympian Ade Adepitan reports on the row over welfare cuts that has rocked the Government and prompted Iain Duncan Smith to resign as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

  • Poster for Isis and the Missing Treasures

    Isis and the Missing Treasures (Episode 11)

    Air date: 2016-04-18

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Simon Cox investigates the UK trade in antiquities that have been looted from areas under the control of ISIS, examining this lucrative business and testing the laws designed to regulate it.

  • Poster for The Truth About Cheap Flights

    The Truth About Cheap Flights (Episode 12)

    Air date: 2016-04-25

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Harry Wallop presents an undercover report revealing the secrets of one of the major players in the travel industry. Dispatches asks if really low fares are all that they seem and the best deal for passengers.

  • Poster for Undercover: Inside Britain's Children's Services

    Undercover: Inside Britain's Children's Services (Episode 13)

    Air date: 2016-05-26

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Dispatches goes undercover inside Birmingham City Council's Children's Services Department, Britain's largest, which was described in 2013 by Ofsted's Chief Inspector as a national disgrace.

  • Poster for Are You Owed a Pay Rise?

    Are You Owed a Pay Rise? (Episode 14)

    Air date: 2016-07-04

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Morland Sanders investigates the new National Living Wage. Despite only being introduced in April 2016 it has already caused controversy amid reports that employers are cutting other staff benefits.

  • Poster for Racist Britain

    Racist Britain (Episode 15)

    Air date: 2016-07-11

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Seyi Rhodes investigates the alarming rise in the number of hate crimes being reported in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, containing shocking footage of abuse and attacks.

  • Poster for Is Your Pension Safe?

    Is Your Pension Safe? (Episode 16)

    Air date: 2016-07-18

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Reporter Shaunagh Connaire investigates the increasing pressures on the UK pension industry post-Brexit and asks if more companies will find themselves struggling to meet their pension commitments.

  • Poster for How School Bosses Spend Your Millions

    How School Bosses Spend Your Millions (Episode 17)

    Air date: 2016-07-25

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Antony Barnett investigates the Government push to massively expand the academy school system, discovering the large salaries and extremely generous expenses and perks some staff receive.

  • Poster for How Safe Is Your Car?

    How Safe Is Your Car? (Episode 18)

    Air date: 2016-08-01

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Morland Sanders investigates whether manufacturers and testers can be trusted over car safety and examines if more could be done to protect drivers and passengers.

  • Poster for Brexit: Who'll Do Your Job Now?

    Brexit: Who'll Do Your Job Now? (Episode 19)

    Air date: 2016-08-01

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Morland Sanders asks who will take Britain's low-skilled jobs - picking food, cleaning toilets and packing parcels if EU workers are no longer plentiful and looks into reports of a shadowy North Korean workforce in Europe.

  • Poster for The Great Housing Scandal

    The Great Housing Scandal (Episode 20)

    Air date: 2016-08-15

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Harry Wallop investigates the housing shortage in Britain and in particular the Government sell-off of state-owned land to build housing on. He discovers that the land was undersold and few houses built on it.

  • Poster for The Battle for the Labour Party

    The Battle for the Labour Party (Episode 21)

    Air date: 2016-09-19

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Antony Barnett investigates the current state of the Labour Party in the run-up to the result of the leadership contest. He also investigates Momentum and those seeking to influence the party.

  • Poster for Undercover: Britain's Abortion Extremists

    Undercover: Britain's Abortion Extremists (Episode 22)

    Air date: 2016-10-05

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Dispatches investigates the anti-abortion movement in the UK

  • Poster for Britain's Wealth Gap

    Britain's Wealth Gap (Episode 23)

    Air date: 2016-10-10

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: The increasing wealth gap between the young and the old has become one of the defining features of our times. Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator magazine, reveals the extent of the gap and its causes.

  • Poster for Living With Nightmare Neighbours

    Living With Nightmare Neighbours (Episode 24)

    Air date: 2016-10-17

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: The Government promised to fix so-called "Neighbours From Hell" with it's new Troubled Families Programme. Morland Sanders investigates if the scheme has really worked, meeting families that say it has had little impact.

  • Poster for Addicted to Spending

    Addicted to Spending (Episode 25)

    Air date: 2016-10-24

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: From online shopping to contactless payment, it has never been easier to spend money. Reporter Morland Sanders meets those struggling to control their spending habits and the companies profiting from those debts.

  • Poster for The Secret Plan to Save Fat Britain

    The Secret Plan to Save Fat Britain (Episode 26)

    Air date: 2016-10-31

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: British men are the fattest in Europe, British women the second fattest and our children are getting fatter, younger. Antony Barnett investigates why the Government's plans to tackle childhood obesity seem to have been watered down.

  • Poster for Britain's Homebuilding Scandal

    Britain's Homebuilding Scandal (Episode 27)

    Air date: 2016-11-07

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: A shortage of housing in Britain has left many struggling to get onto the property ladder. Councils have granted planning permission to big building companies, so why are so few new houses being built? Dispatches investigates.

  • Poster for The World According to President Trump

    The World According to President Trump (Episode 28)

    Air date: 2016-11-14

    Runtime: 45 min

    Overview: Channel 4 Dispatches Editor George Waldrum has commissioned a Dispatches special from ITN Productions in response to the results of the US General Election - The World According to President Trump. What will a President Trump really do? Will he really ban all Muslims? Build a wall? Pal up to Putin? Smash Isis? How scared should we be? Will he back down from his campaign pledges? In this special film, Matt Frei speaks to those who know and attempts to get to the bottom of Trump's policies and future agenda as President of the United States. Commissioning editor George Waldrum says, "We have never seen anything like it before, or possibly ever will again. The controversy surrounding the election has been remarkable and it is a great opportunity to continue the coverage and analysis on Channel 4. Matt Frei has been at the heart of the election coverage and can provide great insight into the aftermath of the election."

Dispatches - Movie poster from The Movie Database (TMDB)