World in Action was Granada Television’s flagship ITV current affairs series, running from 7 Jan 1963 to 7 Dec 1998, and built a reputation for film-led investigative reporting and a forceful editorial stance. Its journalism produced major public and political repercussions—including investigations associated with miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Six—and it also served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the first broadcast of “Seven Up!” as part of the strand in 1964.
World in Action (Season 17)
The State of Britain - The Road to Brighton Pier (Episode 1)
Air date: 1980-10-13
South Africa's Bombshell (Episode 2)
Air date: 1980-10-20
Creating Criminals (Episode 3)
Air date: 1980-10-27
Choosing Labour's Leader (Episode 4)
Air date: 1980-11-03
The Party's Over (Episode 5)
Air date: 1980-11-10
Death on the Dole (Episode 6)
Air date: 1980-11-17
The H-Block Fuse (Episode 7)
Air date: 1980-11-24
Overview: Report at the beginning of the fifth week of the hunger strike in the H Block of Maze Prison by IRA prisoners seeking a recognition of their status as political prisoners including an interview with one of the prisoners, R.V. McCartney.
The Rossminster Affair (Episode 8)
Air date: 1980-12-01
The Hunt for the Ripper (Episode 9)
Air date: 1980-12-08
Overview: The Yorkshire Ripper is still at large, and this follows the hectic and demanding West Yorkshire police investigation.
No Room at the Inn (Episode 10)
Air date: 1980-12-15
The Blood Business (Episode 11)
Air date: 1980-12-22
The State of Britain - The Secret in South Wales (Episode 12)
Air date: 1981-01-05
Michael Foot (Episode 13)
Air date: 1981-01-19
The White House General (Episode 14)
Air date: 1981-01-26
The Social Democrats (Episode 15)
Air date: 1981-02-02
The F.B.I.'s Secret Tapes (Episode 16)
Air date: 1981-02-09
Killing for a Cure (Episode 17)
Air date: 1981-02-16
Overview: A look at vivisection, and the activities of the controversial Animal Liberation Front who believe more militant action is needed to end unnecessary cruelty to animals.
The State of Britain - In for a Penny (Episode 18)
Air date: 1981-02-23
Off the Rails (Episode 19)
Air date: 1981-03-02
Overview: A UK rail crash in 1978 was thought to have been caused by signalling equipment that was over 50 years old. Sir Peter Parker attempts to get more money from the government to invest in the railways.
The State of the Nation (Episode 20)
Air date: 1981-03-09
Overview: Journalists re-enact the political discussions around the economy on the eve of the budget.
These Children Are Mine (Episode 21)
Air date: 1981-03-16
Overview: Anwar Ditta is a mother. That is not disputed. But the government say she is the mother of one child. She says she is the mother of four. However, the other three are in Pakistan, and that disagreement means she cannot bring them here.
The Fight for the Centre (Episode 22)
Air date: 1981-03-23
The Men from Argentina (Episode 23)
Air date: 1981-03-30
The Curse of the Klan (Episode 24)
Air date: 1981-04-06
Overview: Report on the re-emergency's of the Ku Klux Klan in both northern and southern states of America and the rising tide of racism there. Includes interviews with Klan members past and present and members of the black community who have been attacked by them.
Comrades at Arms (Episode 25)
Air date: 1981-04-13
More Than Just a Few Perks (Episode 26)
Air date: 1981-04-27
Overview: A civil servant who questioned the expense claims of the GLC found himself out of a job.
The Shape of Wars to Come (Episode 27)
Air date: 1981-05-11
Home and Away (Episode 28)
Air date: 1981-05-18
Do Mind If I Smoke? (Episode 29)
Air date: 1981-06-01
Overview: An investigation into new claims that non smokers are at risk in smoke filled rooms.
To Russia with Love (Episode 30)
Air date: 1981-06-08
Tories for Turning (Episode 31)
Air date: 1981-06-15
Kevin at the Crossroads (Episode 32)
Air date: 1981-06-22
Overview: Follows Kevin, a victim of the drug thalidomide as he enters the job market.
The Silent Epidemic (Episode 33)
Air date: 1981-06-29
Overview: Very few people have heard of Alzheimer's Disease, despite the fact that one in 12 over 60s will get and possibly die from it.
Guns to the Right (Episode 34)
Air date: 1981-07-06
A Dangerous Age (Episode 35)
Air date: 1981-07-13
A Conflict of Evidence (Episode 36)
Air date: 1981-07-20
Toxteth Revisited (Episode 37)
Air date: 1981-07-27
Overview: Dr Ben Holman and Tommy Olds visited Liverpool eight years previously and predicted riots would happen in the future. They now make a return visit in the aftermath of the riots.
The Agony of Angola (Episode 38)
Air date: 1981-08-03
When Night Comes to Kandahar (Episode 39)
Air date: 1981-08-17
Overview: Report from Afganistan in which the World In Action camera team join a night time Afghan rebel attack, led by Ismael Gailani, on a government post in the capital, Kandahar and also look at the conditions for the Afghans under the present regime in the country. Looks at the way of life of the Afghan people under the regime supported by Russian forces.
Waiting for Justice (Episode 40)
Air date: 1981-08-10
A Picture of Health (Episode 41)
Air date: 1981-08-24
