TV series
An in-depth look at news stories. Documentaries that take you behind the scenes giving an insight into people's lives or institutions.
Availability
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Dispatches premiered October 30, 1987. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
An in-depth look at news stories. Documentaries that take you behind the scenes giving an insight into people's lives or institutions.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
Britain in lockdown faces the worst economic nosedive in 300 years. Liam Halligan looks at the financial cost of the pandemic and what it could mean for our futures.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 2
A powerful, intimate story of life on the NHS frontline as Dr Saleyha Ahsan films her own journey through four months of the second wave of Covid, fighting to keep patients alive.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 3
A look at how millions of tonnes of household recycling end up incinerated, hiking carbon emissions, with councils locked into long and expensive waste contracts.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 4
It is now estimated that as many as 500,000 people have long Covid in the UK. In Bradford, one of our worst hit cities, Dispatches asks can the National Health Service cope with the virus's lasting legacy?
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 5
Britain's high streets are in turmoil. Antony Barnett digs into the collapse of several chains - from Debenhams to Poundworld - owned by private equity firms. How much are these firms to blame?
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 6
A C4 documentary detailing the NHS's systemic racism.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 7
As Britain emerges from lockdown and Brexit, Dispatches examines the future of work, wages and safety, and the emerging gig economy of brands like Amazon and Deliveroo.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 8
Antony Barnett goes undercover to see what some of the Queen's family might be prepared to do for cash, including offering access to Kensington Palace and to Vladimir Putin
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 9
Why did two thirds of Britain's Covid deaths come after September 2020? Dispatches examines the role that the Prime Minister's decisions played in the second wave.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 10
Ruth Davidson examines the uncomfortable relationship between gambling and football. Why is football so dependent on money from gambling, and what harm might it be causing, particularly to young fans?
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 11
A gripping, eye-opening investigation of Eritrea, one of the world's most secretive regimes, with shocking allegations of torture, detention and forced conscription.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 12
An unprecedented look at what's going on behind closed doors in family courts, including shocking personal testimony and footage.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 13
With over 70 Indian politicians facing charges of crimes against women, Ramita Navai investigates two rape cases that have sparked allegations of a cover-up.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 14
Ellie Flynn reports on the scale of sexual misconduct by serving British police officers, including personal accounts from victims and long term partners of serving officers who have endured domestic violence and abuse.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 15
Eighteen months into the worst pandemic in a century, this hard-hitting special travels the country asking some tough questions about the performance of our much-loved NHS.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 16
As lock-down ended and kids went back to school, in Luton, Dispatches examines the devastating impact of overcrowded, unsuitable housing on young lives.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 17
Is Britain really one of the world leaders in fighting against climate change? Dispatches investigates as the COP26 summit is held in Glasgow.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 18
Is Brexit, and the new free trade deal with the EU, the huge success the Government said it would be? Dispatches meets firms struggling with increased costs and dwindling profits.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 19
As Britain frets over climate change and fuel shortages, is now a good time to sink tens of thousands of your hard-earned pounds into buying an electric car?
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 20
In the immediate aftermath of the Taliban taking Kabul, local journalists film terrified Afghans trying to escape abroad - among them noted female rights activist Zoya Faizi.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 21
With over a billion chickens eaten each year in the UK, Dispatches investigates supermarket chicken, animal welfare, and what industrial farming means for our countryside.
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 22
Pfizer's Covid vaccine has saved millions of lives around the world. But with rising prices and record profits, is the drug firm profiteering from the pandemic?
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode 23
An investigation into a series of deaths, including suicide, by disabled benefits claimants. What impact did government failings have on those who died?
Where to watch DispatchesEpisode information updated Jul 25, 2026
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