Season 4

1984 · 25 episodes

Episodes

1GigoloGigolos and the different types.
2The Happy MediumAbout the medium Doris Stokes.
3The Grendon ExperimentGrendon prison in Buckinghamshire, Britain's only voluntary psychiatric prison.
4Love in ExileThe Duke and Duchess of Windsor in self-imposed exile.
5On the ThroneThe history of lavatories.
6Rent BoysYoung male prostitutes in Manchester and Birmingham.
7AsylumThe mental asylum in Choroszcz in Poland where patients work in the community.
8The Loved OnesThe Animal Medical Centre in New York.
9The Promised LandBritain forty years ago, contrasted with present day Britain.
10Talking ProperAccents and dialects provoke strong prejudices and reactions. In a 40 Minutes film that examines why this should be, broadcaster Janet Street-Porter, Radio 4 announcer Susan Rae and actor Peter Bowles are among those who have suffered because of the way they speak. Meet the Queen's English Society, which keeps a candle burning for the purity of the spoken word, and the Devon Dialect Society, which has very different ideas about how vowels should sound. Eavesdrop on an elocution class, hear from Scottish schoolchildren whose accents might affect their job prospects, and go behind the scenes at the BBC Pronunciation Unit and the northern auditions for the Speaking Clock. See how fashions have changed over the years, and how trends are likely to develop in the future as we enter a world of talking robots and computers.
11Sweet F.A.The group 'Fascinating Aida' and the making of their first pop record.
12The End of the Pier ShowThe problems of putting on a show in the old style of pier entertainments at Cromer, Norfolk.
13The OutcastsA group of 'Hell's Angels' in East Anglia.
14Love StoryA film for St Valentine's Day.
15Free!Old Victorian mental hospitals are being closed down and the former patients face problems.
16Whose House Is It Anyway?A local Council has a compulsory purchase order on the home of two elderly men.
17The Eternal Triangle: The MistressThe first film in a trilogy which examines the Eternal Triangle.
18The Eternal Triangle: The WifeThe second film in a trilogy which examines the Eternal Triangle.
19The Eternal Triangle: The HusbandThe third film in a trilogy which examines the Eternal Triangle.
20Union StreetPlymouth, the area near the docks.
21Whatever Happened to Baby Paul?The story of a woman who took her baby to hospital where he was found to have several fractures. She denied having caused the injuries but he was taken from her care.
22Matters of Life and DeathThe effects of government cuts leading to the closure of a ward in Guy's Children's Hospital.
23Star PawsAnimals used in advertising.
24Laughter in GabrovoThe biennial festival of humour in Bulgaria. Can humour cross national boundaries?
25Dear Mr PresidentThe story of a family whose daughter is handicapped because of a drug taken by her mother during pregnancy. The American drug company claims the drug is safe.