Panorama - Season 69 / Year 2023

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. We're an ageing population, living with more long-term
health conditions. After years of underfunding, the Covid pandemic has exposed the scale of the crisis. The BBC's social affairs editor, Alison Holt, assesses the innovation and new ways of working that might offer the NHS the lifeline it needs. She meets the patients getting hospital
treatment at home, and the doctors, nurses and care staff desperate for change.

Panorama goes undercover to reveal the increasingly close relationship between organised crime and dog dealing. Reporter Sam Poling infiltrates a network of dealers making millions by breeding dogs to extremes. She exposes how some drugs dealers have switched from dealing narcotics to dealing dogs, and shows how the growing popularity of breeds like American and French bulldogs has led some breeders to resort to cruel and dangerous tactics.

Health workers, hailed as heroes during the pandemic, say they're being abandoned by the NHS and the government. Some are living with long Covid and say it's having a devastating impact on both their personal and professional lives. For Panorama, the BBC's health correspondent, Catherine Burns, meets staff struggling to return to work and reveals how some are now facing financial hardship and the prospect of having to retire early or, worse, being sacked.

We all love the Cloud. It stores our pictures and emails, it powers our internet searches, and it helps us stream movies and box sets. But out of sight, the cloud depends on processing factories - vast data centres that use enormous amounts of power and water. Every time we go online, we increase its carbon footprint. Richard Bilton investigates the growing environmental problem we're all responsible for.

More than 30,000 people are known to have been killed in the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria last week, and the death toll is expected to increase. With the help of teams from BBC Turkish and BBC Arabic, Panorama follows survivors and rescue workers from both sides of the border, and asks if more could have been done to save lives. 

PG Tips and Lipton are world-famous tea brands. Now, an undercover investigation for Panorama reveals that women working on plantations producing their tea are being pressured to have sex with their bosses in return for work. The investigation focuses on plantations that have been owned for years by two British companies – Unilever and James Finlay & Co – who between them have produced half the tea drunk in the UK. Reporter Tom Odula has spoken to dozens of women who say they have been sexually assaulted or harassed, while undercover footage reveals how one young woman was targeted for sex at a job interview.

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 through shocking and heartwarming personal stories.

Featuring people from across Ukraine, including a female paramedic experiencing the brutality of life on the frontline, a TV presenter who rescues civilians under fire, a19-year-old army volunteer, a wedding photographer turned war photographer, and a young couple swept up in the horror of their home town being occupied by Russian forces.

Crisis pregnancy advice centres are supposed to help women with unplanned pregnancies. But a Panorama investigation reveals evidence that some clinics operating outside the NHS are giving misleading information, and offering counselling that could persuade women not to have abortions. Reporter Divya Talwar also uncovers links between some UK centres and the anti-abortion movement in America.

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.

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.

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. The government says the pandemic and the war in Ukraine are the key drivers of the cost-of-living crisis, but Ros discovers problems stretching much further back and asks whether we are getting the full story about the extent of the challenges facing the UK economy.

Millions of council houses were built after the war to help protect people from slum landlords. They used to be home to around a third of the UK population. Margaret Thatcher's flagship right-to-buy policy boosted home ownership, but the council house sell-off is causing major problems 40 years on. Many former council properties are now in the hands of private landlords. In some parts of the country, rents are going through the roof, and slum landlords are back. Reporter Richard Bilton investigates what's been happening, by telling the story of one housing estate in London.

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.

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.

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. In recent months, the royal family has come under unprecedented attack from Prince Harry and there has been discussion of a slimmed-down, more transparent, more inclusive monarchy. Jane Corbin drills down into the sometimes opaque structures and finances that surround the monarchy. And with an exclusive opinion poll, Jane asks both supporters and critics what change might be possible and if it is on the cards.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of adults who think they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The NHS has been overwhelmed by the number of patients looking for a diagnosis. Now thousands of people are turning to private clinics for assessment instead.

Panorama reporter Rory Carson poses as a patient to reveal some clinics charging large fees for a short online consultation, as well as evidence suggesting that diagnoses are being handed out to almost everyone who books an appointment.

The programme also reveals clinics prescribing powerful drugs without carrying out proper checks.

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.

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.

With the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to be banned in less than seven years, Richard Bilton finds out what the electric vehicle revolution feels like and if the UK is ready.

Panorama examines whether the current generation of antidepressant drugs have lived up to their promises, following patients who have suffered serious side effects.

From spy balloons to secret police stations and dissidents on the run, Panorama investigates China's global surveillance operation.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering and harming babies. So what turned a likeable nurse into a serial killer? Reporter Judith Moritz reveals evidence of a cover-up by hospital bosses.

Vaping among Britain's teenagers is on the rise and there's growing concern some companies are targeting under-age 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.

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.

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.

Panorama investigates allegations of exploitation and abuse at the top of one of the biggest fashion brands in the US. Former CEO Mike Jeffries transformed Abercrombie and Fitch from a failing retail chain to a multibillion-dollar empire and the epitome of cool. Now, after months of painstaking investigation, reporter Rianna Croxford speaks to men who say they were recruited into a dark world, created to satisfy the sexual fantasies of Mike Jeffries and his British partner Matthew Smith. Silenced for years by the fear of breaking non-disclosure agreements, these men describe feeling exploited and traumatised by their experience. One high-profile American lawyer has called for prosecutors to investigate.

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.

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.

Panorama reports on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Reporter Jane Corbin hears the human stories on both sides and asks what does the escalating crisis mean for the wider region?

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.

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.

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.

The Ukrainian government says that thousands of children have been taken unlawfully to Russia. Panorama investigates what happened to more than 40 children taken from a children's home in Kherson.

Since Nicky Campbell went public about the abuse he experienced at school in the 1970s, he's become the face of a campaign by former pupils. They are determined that one teacher should face justice.

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

With more than 30 branches in the UK, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God claims to transform lives. But Panorama uncovers allegations that members can feel manipulated into handing over money.

Panorama investigates a care home short of staff, where external medical professionals report seeing residents neglected, and overseas staff complain of being exploited.