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Dispatches

Dispatches

1987Returning Series40 Seasons397 Episodes6.7TMDB
Channel 4

Long-running Channel 4 documentary series covering issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment. Known for featuring a mole inside organisations under journalistic investigation.

Season 27 Episodes

Browse every episode and jump into details.

Episode 1: Secrets of Your Car Insurance

Jan 7, 2013

Investigates claims that major insurers cash in when you have a crash, through maximizing profits, lucrative referral fees and rebate deals, sometimes at the expense of doing what's best for you and your car.

Episode 2: Sharing Mum and Dad

Jan 14, 2013

Today, 1 in 3 children in the UK grow up in a home with only one parent. Are we doing what's best for the children of separated parents? Dispatches investigates the current situation surrounding shared parenting after divorce or separation

Episode 5: Britain's Hidden Child Abuse

Jan 30, 2013

In a year-long investigation, other victims of child abuse from this closed community express their anger about the lack of justice caused by their leaders' misguided approach to dealing with the issue.

Episode 7: How Safe Is Your Child's Nursery?

Feb 11, 2013

As the government unveils its plans to increase the number of children each nursery staff member is allowed to look after, Dispatches investigates whether parents can really trust their child's nursery.

Episode 8: The Horse Meat Scandal

Feb 18, 2013

From burgers to ready meals, Britain's horse meat scandal has grown and grown. For Dispatches, Morland Sanders asks how Britain's meat supplies became so contaminated with unauthorized horse meat and who is to blame?

Episode 9: Britain on Benefits

Feb 25, 2013

The Disability Living Allowance helps more than 3 million people lead useful lives. But the benefit bill has to be cut, and the gov't plans to take more than half a million claimants off DLA. What will that mean for those who depend on it?

Episode 10: Death on the Wards

Mar 4, 2013

Dispatches investigates the truth behind allegations that tens of thousands of seriously ill people have been put on a pathway to death. That doctors have callously killed off patients who could have had months or even years to live.

Episode 11: Undercover Designer Dogs

Mar 11, 2013

Designer dogs are all the rage with celebrities and many animal lovers. But Dispatches has discovered a darker side to this canine phenomenon: thousands of puppies are being imported illegally into Britain every year from Eastern Europe.

Episode 12: Rich and on Benefits

Mar 18, 2013

In budget week Michael Buerk investigates claims that Britain's pensioners are part of an untouchable group when it comes to government welfare cuts and that some should not be receiving any help at all.

Episode 13: The Truth About Junior Doctors

Mar 25, 2013

Three years ago, European regulations were brought in to limit hours and to protect both doctors and patients. In this Dispatches, Dr Christian discovers that junior doctors across Britain are still regularly working up to 100 hours a week

Episode 14: Immigration Undercover

Apr 15, 2013

In this report Morland Sanders investigates whether Britain's immigration system is fit for purpose with reports that tens of thousands of files sit uncleared in the system and a large backlog of immigration cases not dealt with.

Episode 15: Syria: Across the Lines

Apr 17, 2013

A remarkable film from award-winning documentary maker Olly Lambert who has spent weeks living deep inside Syrian territory - with both gov't and opposition supporters - to explore how the 2 year old conflict is tearing communities apart.

Episode 16: Britain's Millionaire Criminals

Apr 22, 2013

Why are some convicted criminals still enjoying luxury lifestyles funded by their ill-gotten gains? Dozens of fraudsters, drug dealers and money launderers are still enjoying the high life despite being convicted of serious crimes.

Episode 17: Secrets of Your Missing Mail

Apr 29, 2013

With shoppers increasingly relying on private parcel companies to deliver online purchases, Dispatches goes undercover to find out why couriers sometimes fail to deliver.

Episode 18: Murdered in Tenerife

May 13, 2013

In 2011, Jennifer Mills-Westley, a 60-year-old British grandmother, was attacked and publicly beheaded in broad daylight in Tenerife. Traumatized by the event, her family have never spoken in detail - until tonight.

Episode 19: The Hunt for Britain's Sex Gangs

May 20, 2013

Three years ago Telford police allowed cameras to start filming what became one of the biggest child sex abuse cases in the UK. The investigation, Operation Chalice, encompassed over 100 victims, and around 200 suspected perpetrators

Episode 20: Boston, Woolwich & the New Terror

Jun 3, 2013

On 15 April two bombs exploded at the finishing line of the Boston Marathon. Just over a month later a British soldier was run over and hacked to death on a London street. The images from either side of the Atlantic shocked the world.

Episode 21: Diets, Drugs and Diabetes

Jun 10, 2013

Dr. Deborah Cohen, investigations editor at the British Medical Journal, examines a new generation of diabetes drugs that some drug companies hope could also be a magic treatment for obesity.

Episode 23: The Police's Dirty Secret

Jun 24, 2013

Dispatches exposes the shocking story of Britain's secret police and how undercover officers reportedly used sex and lies to spy on members of the public. Dispatches reveals the names of high-profile targets spied on by the police.

Episode 24: The Prince and His Secret Properties

Jul 1, 2013

Last year Prince Charles earned more than £18 million from the Duchy of Cornwall, but how much do we know about this secretive estate? A hugely profitable property empire and the amount of tax Prince Charles is paying.

Episode 25: South Africa's Dirty Cops

Jul 15, 2013

With South Africa's future under the spotlight, Channel 4 Dispatches examines allegations that the country's police have become a brutal and corrupt force.

Episode 26: Taliban Child Fighters

Jul 22, 2013

More than 200 children convicted of fighting for the Taliban are currently being held in special prisons across Afghanistan. Their crimes include the laying of improvised explosive devices, ambush and the preparation of suicide missions.

Episode 27: NHS Undercover

Jul 29, 2013

Two undercover reporters reveal worrying failings in the new NHS 111 call system. Working as trainee call handlers, the reporters filmed evidence of patients left waiting, concerns about training, and staff shortages.

Episode 28: Celebs, Brands and Fake Fans

Aug 5, 2013

Dispatches investigate what's real and what's fake in the brave new world of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, exposing new tricks used by marketers to plug brands, from buying fake Facebook 'likes' to influencing social media conversations.

Episode 31: Secrets of Your Pay Packet

Oct 21, 2013

Morland Sanders meets employees at some of Britain's biggest businesses who say they're paying for the bosses' cost-cutting measures and, while profits have gone up, their working conditions may never recover.

Episode 32: The Property Market Undercover

Oct 28, 2013

Reporter Antony Barnett secretly films the latest tactics used by estate agents to secure sales and commissions and asks whether some agents are even willing to lie to seal the deal.

Episode 33: Energy Bills Exposed

Nov 4, 2013

Energy bills are on the rise and in the news. Consumers are furious. The Labour Party wants a price freeze. John Major wants a windfall tax. But the big six energy firms say it's not their fault prices are so high.

Episode 34: Can You Trust Your Surgeon?

Nov 11, 2013

Dispatches reveals that failing doctors routinely slip through the system. We've been filming secretly in GP practices and have uncovered concerning evidence of misdiagnosis by doctors who have failed in the past, but are still practicing

Episode 35: North Korea: Life Inside the Secret State

Nov 14, 2013

North Koreans are breaking down the barriers of the gulag state. Following covert filmmakers, this doc shows real life under the new leader Kim Jong Un, highlighting the contrasting ox-drawn farms to the glittering life of the elite in Pyongyang. The starving children on the streets are of artificial food shortages engendered by corruption. See how USBs, cell phones and DVDs from the South are transforming North Koreans' views of their world.

Episode 36: What's Your Pension Really Worth?

Nov 18, 2013

Michael Buerk investigates the pensions crises facing us all. As the cost of living rises faster than many pay packets and life expectancy increases, he asks what your pension is really worth?

Episode 37: Britain's Big Fat Bill

Nov 25, 2013

As Britain gets fatter, Channel 4 Dispatches investigates what the real cost is to the nation. The programme follows the treatment of some of Britain's morbidly obese patients to reveal the spiralling cost to the NHS.

Season 27 FAQ

Quick answers about this season's release timeline and episode lineup.

When did Dispatches Season 27 premiere?

Dispatches Season 27 premiered on January 7, 2013.

How many episodes are in Dispatches Season 27?

Dispatches Season 27 has 38 episodes.

What is the first episode of Dispatches Season 27?

The season opens with Season 27 Episode 1, "Secrets of Your Car Insurance". It aired on January 7, 2013.

Go to Season 27 Episode 1

Where to Watch

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