Social & External
The people behind it
Glittering facades, vibrant life, and people facing the daily struggle for survival. ZDF correspondents each profile a megacity within their reporting area. How do people celebrate, laugh, and love in such a city? How are problems like housing shortages, food supply, transportation, and climate change solved – in metropolises with over ten million inhabitants?
Young documentary subjects turn the camera on themselves to break down the misconceptions, prejudices or stereotypes they face. With guidance from professional filmmakers, they record all aspects of their lives from their own unflinchingly honest point of view.
American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.
In 2017, Spain suffered two terrorist attacks perpetrated by young members of its community. How could this happen? This incisive series investigates.
Grand boulevards are monumental witnesses to history. Their architectural splendour has endured for centuries, while they have remained stages for political and cultural change. Home to government buildings and renowned cultural institutions, they are also vital public spaces for residents and major attractions for tourists. Today, however, these iconic boulevards face global challenges. Luxury brands, international property companies, climate-neutral urban planning and changing patterns of use are reshaping their future. The challenge is to preserve historic façades and cultural identity while adapting to new needs. Traffic, urban transformation, housing and workplaces must be carefully balanced.
An Australian television soap opera, set in a tough fictional inner-city district called Westside. The stories revolve around the local community there. Created by Forrest Redlich and produced by Network Ten from 24 January 1989 to 13 May 1993.
The Peabody Award-winning public radio series that combines journalism with opinion, fiction and biography becomes this highly anticipated TV series hosted by Ira Glass.
The Rachel Zoe Project is an American reality documentary series starring celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe. The series premiered on September 9, 2008 on the Bravo television network. The show also airs on Arena in Australia, Really in the United Kingdom, TV3 in Norway, Cosmopolitan TV in Canada, SIC Mulher in Portugal, and Sub in Finland. The show was confirmed by Bravo for a second season on December 5, 2008. Production began in January 2009. Zoe was spotted during Paris Fashion Week 2009, being followed by a TV crew filming footage for the show. Season 3 premiered on August 3, 2010 on Bravo. The third season covered the departure of Zoe's longtime styling associate, Taylor Jacobson, while introducing a new member to Team Zoe, Ashley Avignone. Season 4 premiered on September 6, 2011 on Bravo. Zoe confirmed that the series had been picked up for a fifth season in September 2012. The fifth season debuted on March 6, 2013.
The sped-up, super-charged, half-hour history of the top innovators and brands behind the machines that built America. Thrusting viewers from the surprising beginnings all the way up to the present day and spotlighting the story you didn’t know, filling in blanks you didn’t even know were there, from iconic names like Chevrolet, Boeing, and Harley Davidson.
Suzy Klein and Frank Skinner look at the century-long history of music halls and variety theatre between 1850 and 1950 and recreate famous acts from Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno to Vera Lynn and Max Miller.
Dominic Sandbrook takes a fresh look at a dynamic decade. 1980s Britain changed in everything from politics and sport to fashion and popular culture.
They were cobblers, salesmen, barbers and landlords. Working men. Yet they were anything but ordinary. They were the State’s part-time killers; the hangmen.
Traveling across Europe, Euro Porn Exposed features an insider's view to the European adult industry. Take a contemporary look at porn paying attention to erotic imagery. This documentary also includes interviews with producers, porn stars and porn recruiters who specialize in finding new and unseen talent.
An investigation of the 2012 disappearance of Alabama teenager Brittney Wood reveals a truth more shocking than anyone could ever imagine.
Customs is a six-part Irish documentary television series that examines the role of customs officers, focusing on their daily lives and their regular encounters with the illegal drug trade and other difficult situations. It is the first time such a filming sequence has been carried out. The series was originally broadcast in editions of 30 minutes each on RTÉ One at 19:30 on Sunday evenings. The first episode aired on 14 September 2008. The makers of the series gained unprecedented access to the daily operations of Ireland's customs officers, allowing viewers to see first hand the way the authorities deal with the increasing level of illegal materials and substances being imported. For example, the first episode featured a suspicious passenger making haste for a nearby exit, a live snake found in luggage at Dublin Port, an undercover operation that halted a cigarette smuggling scam at Dublin Airport and the customs anti-evasion unit chasing down UK registered cars in Cork. A spokesperson for the show was quoted as saying: "They find shipments of drugs in the strangest places: a doll's house; picture frames; the bottom of a massive cargo ship. Large quantities of money, cigarettes and cars are regularly seized, as well as a myriad of other illegal goods and substances."
Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.
A series of standalone documentaries powered by the unparalleled journalism and insight of The New York Times, bringing viewers close to the essential stories of our time.
Don Wildman unearths relics from the world's greatest institutions to reveal secrets from the past. He examines each artifact to illuminate history's most incredible triumphs, sensational crimes and bizarre encounters.
Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.
The history of the sport of baseball in America, told through archival photos, film footage, and the words of those who contributed to the game in each era. Writers, historians, players, baseball personnel, and fans review key events and the significance of the game in America's history.
Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The running time of the first two series was 30 minutes, being extended to 45 minutes in the third. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons.
An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.
Motoring programme featuring reviews of and reports about cars of all types.
Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987. The older version featured historical figures such as Helen Keller and Mark Twain, or long-dead entertainment figures such as Will Rogers or John Barrymore. The A&E series has placed the emphasis on such people as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Plácido Domingo, Freddie Mercury, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Eric Clapton, Pope John Paul II, Gene Tierney, Selena, Diego Rivera, Mao Zedong and Queen Elizabeth II, and fictional characters like The Phantom, Superman, Hamlet, Betty Boop, and Santa Claus. The program ended up profiling enough figures that in 1999, A&E spun it off into an entire network, The Biography Channel.
An insider's look at the engineering and scientific miracles behind the things that form the modern world.
TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.
A look at the life and work of legendary comedian George Carlin.
Filmed across six continents, this docuseries uses cutting-edge camera technology to capture animals' nocturnal lives, revealing new behaviours filmed in full color like never before.
Actor Zac Efron journeys around the world with wellness expert Darin Olien in a travel show that explores healthy, sustainable ways to live.
Oscar and Grammy Award-winning producer and artist Mark Ronson explores the intersection of technology and musical innovation with his heroes and fellow hitmakers – including Paul McCartney, DJ Premier, Charli XCX, Dave Grohl, and Questlove.
The documentary takes viewers through Janet Jackson's life and career, contain never-before-seen footage, and feature home videos from the legendary artist. Jackson discusses her controversial 2004 Super Bowl halftime show performance with Justin Timberlake, her father Joe Jackson, the death of her brother Michael Jackson, and more.
This immersive series follows the world's most magnificent creatures, capturing never-before-seen moments from the heartwarming to the outrageous.
Through the prism of Jeff Goldblum's always inquisitive and highly entertaining mind, nothing is as it seems. Each episode is centered around something we all love — like sneakers or ice cream — as Jeff pulls the thread on these deceptively familiar objects and unravels a wonderful world of astonishing connections, fascinating science and history, amazing people, and a whole lot of surprising big ideas and insights.
Film historian and prop collector Dan Lanigan reunites iconic Disney movie props with the filmmakers, actors, and crew who created and used them in some of Disney’s most beloved films. Throughout this journey, Dan will recover lost artifacts, visit private collections, and help restore pieces from the Walt Disney Archives to their original glory.