50 Greatest Documentaries (British poll)

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In 2005, Channel 4 conducted a poll to determine what the British public considered to be the 50 greatest documentary films. The final result was broadcast in October 2005.

1. World in Action: Seven Up! (1964, and its follow-up programmes 1970–2005)

   "Give me the child at seven, and I will give you the man." Focusing on fourteen 7-year old children, that would later be revisited every seven years through life.

2. Touching the Void (2003)

   The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, and their failed attempt to scale the Siula Grande, that almost cost them their lives.

3. Bowling for Columbine (2002)

   Michael Moore explores the events surrounding the Columbine High School massacre, gun crime, and why proportionally more people are killed and injured as a result of violence in the U.S. than in other developed countries.

4. The World at War (1973)

   A detailed examination of the events of the Second World War, narrated by Sir Lawrence Olivier. A unique project, in which surviving veterans from both Allied and Axis forces, as well as Holocaust survivors.

5. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

   A film about a family troubled by allegations of child sexual abuse, utilising large amounts of home video footage.

6. The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off (2004)

   Following the last months of Jonny Kennedy, bringing the skin condition epidermolysis bullosa to public attention.

7. Life on Earth: A Natural History (1979)

   Sir David Attenborough's groundbreaking documentary series tracing the story of evolution on the planet.

8. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

   Michael Moore's highly controversial look at the causes and aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the subsequent "War on Terror", including the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.

9. When We Were Kings (1996)

   The story behind the Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, widely regarded as one of the best boxing documentaries ever made.

10. Faking It (2000–2003)

    Described as a "modern day Pygmalion", members of the public are mentored and trained in a trade opposite to their character, with the aim of fooling a panel of expert judges.

11. Hoop Dreams (1994)

    Following two teenagers from Chicago chasing their dreams of becoming professional basketball players over the course of 5 years.

12. This Week: Death on the Rock (1988)

    An investigation into Operation Flavius, in which SAS officers shot three members of the IRA in Gibraltar, spawning a government inquiry into the matter.

13. The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife (1991)

    Nick Broomfield's documentary about apartheid in South Africa, focusing on white supremacist AWB leader Eugène Terre'Blanche.

14. One Day in September (1999)

    The events of the Munich massacre during the 1972 Summer Olympics, in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed.

15. Fourteen Days in May (1989)

    Following the last days on Death Row of Edward Earl Johnson, convicted of murder and rape. Johnson had protested his innocence, and even some prison staff did not believe he was guilty.

16. The Family (1974)

    Dubbed by many as the precursor to modern-day reality television, this series followed a working-class family through their everyday lives, culminating in a wedding in the final programme.

17. Night Mail (1936)

    A famous short, with accompanying poem by W. H. Auden, which has now become a classic.

18. The Nazis: A Warning from History (1997)

    A series examining how a cultured people could have allowed Adolf Hitler's rise to power.

19. Super Size Me (2004)

    Morgan Spurlock investigates the effects of consuming large amounts of fast food with 30 days of self-experimentation.

20. The Death of Yugoslavia (1995)

    The events leading up to the civil wars in, and the ultimate collapse of, Yugoslavia.

21. Walking with Dinosaurs (1999)

    Minute-for-minute, one of the most expensive television programmes ever made, using computer-generated imagery to illustrate life in the Mesozoic era, spawning the spin-offs Walking with Beasts, Walking with Cavemen and Sea Monsters.

22. Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)

    Nick Broomfield's second film about Aileen Wuornos, this time focusing on her declining mental condition, and the questionable decision to execute her despite this.

23. Beyond the Clouds (1994)

    Following the lives of four families in Lijiang, China

24. Omnibus: Cracked Actor (1974)

    A film about David Bowie focusing on the times when he is known to have used mind-altering drugs.

25. The Secret Policeman (2003)

    An exposé of racism in Greater Manchester Police, examining the problem of institutional racism in police forces in general.

26. QED (TV documentary series): John's Not Mad (1989)

    The story of John Davidson, a person with severe Tourette syndrome, bringing the condition to public attention.

27. Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days (1989)

    The former Python attempts to emulate the fictional journey of Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's book, using only means of transportation that were available at the time.

28. The Thin Blue Line (1988)

    An investigation into the murder of a Texas police officer killed on a routine traffic stop, and the subsequent irregularities in the police investigation.

29. Wife Swap (2002)

    Two couples experience each other's lifestyles when, as the title suggests, the two wives switch households for a fortnight.

30. Simon Schama's A History of Britain

    An epic history of Britain from 3000BC to 2000.

31. The Power of Nightmares (2004)

    An examination of some of the fallacies around al-Qaeda, and whether the threat of terrorism is exaggerrated (or, conversely, underestimated).

32. Spellbound (2002)

    Following eight contestants in their preparations for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

33. The War Game (1965)

    A look at the possible sequence of events in a nuclear attack on Britain, famously unaired for 20 years after its initial production.

34. Signs of the Time on design and taste
35. Graham Taylor: An Impossible Job
36. Woodstock
37. People's Century
38. Beneath the Veil
39. Feltham Sings on the Young Offenders' Institution
40. The Human Body, with Professor Robert Winston
41. World in Action: In the Name of Justice, on the wrongful conviction of the Birmingham Six
42. Driving School
43. Hearts of Darkness, on the making of Apocalypse Now
44. Nanook of the North, on eskimo life
45. Home from the Hill, featuring Colonel Harry Hook
46. Civilisation, presented by Sir Kenneth Clark
47. Fred Dibnah Steeplejack, with Fred Dibnah
48. Malcolm & Barbara: A Love Story, on the reality of Alzheimer's
49. The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
50. When Louis Met Jimmy, Louis Theroux meets legendary DJ Jimmy Savile