Overview of 'Panorama' Season 71

Episode 1 - The NHS Crisis: Can It Be Fixed?

Release Date: 2023-01-16

The NHS is in a critical condition. As hospitals struggle with soaring demand, increasing waiting times and their biggest ever workforce crisis, Panorama investigates what can be done to fix the health and care system.

Episode 2 - Dogs, Dealers and Organised Crime

Release Date: 2023-01-23

Reporter Sam Poling goes undercover to reveal the increasingly close relationship between organised crime and dog dealing.

Episode 3 - Forgotten Heroes of the Covid Front Line

Release Date: 2023-01-30

Catherine Burns meets NHS workers who are living with long Covid and struggling to return to work. They now face the prospect of having to retire early or even being sacked.

Episode 4 - Is the Cloud Damaging the Planet?

Release Date: 2023-02-06

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

Episode 5 - Aftershock: The Turkey-Syria Earthquake

Release Date: 2023-02-13

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.

Episode 6 - Sex for Work: The True Cost of Our Tea

Release Date: 2023-02-20

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.

Episode 7 - Ukraine's War Diaries

Release Date: 2023-02-21

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.

Episode 8 - Crisis Pregnancy Centres Uncovered

Release Date: 2023-02-27

An investigation into pregnancy advice centres outside the NHS giving misleading information. Reporter Divya Talwar also uncovers links between some UK centres and the US anti-abortion movement.

Episode 9 - Elon Musk's Twitter Storm

Release Date: 2023-03-06

When one of the world’s richest men bought Twitter, almost everything there changed. Thousands of staff were sacked and users previously banned for breaking Twitter’s rules were reinstated. Panorama investigates how Elon Musk’s ownership is transforming one of the world’s most influential social media platforms. Reporter Marianna Spring speaks to current and former insiders in San Francisco and the UK and reveals how hate and misogyny are thriving under the new owner.

Episode 10 - Cops, Cash and Fraudsters

Release Date: 2023-03-13

Every year, scammers steal billions from the public, and fraud now represents around 40 per cent of all reported crime in the UK. Over the last year, Panorama has had exclusive access to Kent Police as their detectives try to catch the fraudsters. With more than 10,000 reports of fraud in the county last year, they estimate that only around 20 cases were solved. The programme explores why so few cases are prosecuted and shows how fraudsters target the vulnerable, often using sophisticated techniques to dupe victims into handing over their cash. Les

Episode 11 - Surviving the Pay Squeeze

Release Date: 2023-03-20

Millions of people in the UK feel like they've had a pay cut, with wages often not keeping up with the cost of living. As public sector workers continue to take strike action, the BBC's Analysis Editor Ros Atkins asks why so many people are feeling so poor. He returns to Cornwall, where he grew up, to meet families struggling to make ends meet in what has become one of the country's most deprived areas.

Episode 12 - What’s Gone Wrong with Our Housing?

Release Date: 2023-03-27

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

Episode 13 - The Drug Wars that Killed Olivia

Release Date: 2023-04-03

When Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead in her home, the nine-year-old became the youngest victim of Liverpool's drug wars. There have been dozens of deaths in the city as rival gangs fight for control of the lucrative drug trade. Reporter Bronagh Munro investigates how the city came to dominate the UK drug market and how organised crime brought death to Olivia's door.

Episode 14 - Road Wars - Neighbourhood Traffic Chaos

Release Date: 2023-04-17

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.

Episode 15 - Will King Charles Change the Monarchy?

Release Date: 2023-04-29

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.

Episode 16 - Private ADHD Clinics Exposed

Release Date: 2023-05-15

More and more people are turning to private clinics for an assessment to determine whether they have ADHD. Panorama investigates whether they are being given a reliable diagnosis.

Episode 17 - Landfill: Britain’s Toxic Secrets

Release Date: 2023-05-22

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.

Episode 18 - Ultra-Processed Food: A Recipe for Ill Health?

Release Date: 2023-06-05

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.

Episode 19 - Electric Cars: Is It Time to Buy?

Release Date: 2023-06-12

With the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to be banned in less than seven years, we’re all supposed to be going electric. But so far fewer than one in thirty vehicles on Britain’s roads are battery-powered. So why aren’t more of us going green? Reporter Richard Bilton takes a trip to find out what the electric vehicle revolution feels like and whether the UK is ready.

Episode 20 - The Antidepressant Story

Release Date: 2023-06-19

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.

Episode 21 - Is China Watching You?

Release Date: 2023-06-26

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?

Episode 22 - Westminster's Toxic Culture

Release Date: 2023-07-17

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.

Episode 23 - Debt Trap: Who's Cashing In?

Release Date: 2023-07-24

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.

Episode 24 - The Millionaire Who Cheated a Council

Release Date: 2023-07-31

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.

Episode 25 - Beyond Human: Artificial Intelligence and Us

Release Date: 2023-08-14

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.

Episode 26 - Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed

Release Date: 2023-08-18

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.

Episode 27 - Teenage Vaping: What's the Harm?

Release Date: 2023-09-04

Vaping among Britain's teenagers is on the rise, and there's growing concern that some companies are targeting underage vapers. So, should we be worried about young people getting addicted? Rachel Burden investigates the youth vaping phenomenon and talks to young people, parents and experts about how to tackle it.

Episode 28 - The Dark Side of Ballet Schools

Release Date: 2023-09-11

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.

Episode 29 - Downfall of the Crypto King

Release Date: 2023-09-25

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.

Episode 30 - The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool

Release Date: 2023-10-02

Panorama investigates allegations of exploitation and abuse at the top of one of the biggest fashion brands in the US.

Episode 31 - The Big Mortgage Squeeze

Release Date: 2023-10-09

The BBC’s cost of living correspondent Colletta Smith meets the homeowners feeling the squeeze as they come off cheaper fixed-rate mortgages and adjust to much higher bills.

Episode 32 - Challenging Putin: Moscow and the Mutiny

Release Date: 2023-10-16

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.

Episode 33 - At War: Crisis in the Middle East

Release Date: 2023-10-23

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?

Episode 34 - Prime Suspect: Who Took Madeleine McCann?

Release Date: 2023-10-30

It’s been 16 years since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Richard Bilton travels across Portugal and Germany to find out more about the man suspected of abducting and killing her.

Episode 35 - Boohoo's Broken Promises

Release Date: 2023-11-06

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.

Episode 36 - Why Are We Still Searching for Fossil Fuels?

Release Date: 2023-11-13

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.

Episode 37 - Putin and Ukraine's Stolen Children

Release Date: 2023-11-23

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.

Episode 38 - My Teacher the Abuser: Fighting for Justice

Release Date: 2023-11-30

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.

Episode 39 - The Water Pollution Cover-Up

Release Date: 2023-12-04

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.

Episode 40 - The Billionaire Bishop and the Global Megachurch

Release Date: 2023-12-11

With more than 30 branches in the UK, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, led by a Brazilian billionaire businessman, claims to transform lives through its preaching. But Panorama uncovers allegations that members can feel manipulated into giving money to the church, that it tells young members mental health conditions are linked to evil spirits which can be ‘cast out’ by what it calls, strong prayers; and that it persuades members to stay with the church by suggesting that leaving can lead to serious illness.

Episode 41 - Care Workers under Pressure

Release Date: 2023-12-18

Panorama investigates a care home short of staff, where external medical professionals report seeing residents neglected, and overseas staff complain of being exploited. Britain’s health and care sector is increasingly reliant on overseas staff, with more than 120,000 visas issued last year. Reporter Balagopal Balakrishnan investigates one of 15 care homes run by a company in north east England. He finds carers being charged thousands of pounds by an unscrupulous recruitment agency and nurses locked into lengthy contracts with financial penalties if they leave early. The programme also hears about dozens of safeguarding alerts, including reports of neglected residents suffering unexplained bruising and uncovers evidence that the company boss is willing to protect staff from regulators when things go wrong. The company says any suggestion that there is systematic bad practice would be unfair and inaccurate.