Adam Curtis
Director
40 Minutes (1981)
Season 9
40 Minutes was a BBC TV documentary strand broadcast on BBC Two between 1981 and 1994. The documentaries could be on any possible subject, the only connection being that they last forty minutes. Some documentaries in the original series were revisited and updated in a 2006 version, Forty Minutes On.
Released Oct. 1, 1981
Episode 40 min
None+
Genres: Documentary
Keywords: imdb.running-time-in-the-title, imdb.two-word-title
Network: BBC Two
Country: United Kingdom
Languages:
English
S9E1 - Danger Men
Ten of the most dangerous and disruptive men in the prison system have been brought together in an experimental unit at Hull Jail. A new softly-softly regime is being tested on inmates like Fred Low, who is serving three life sentences - one for killing a fellow prisoner - and Patrick Mackay, serving five life sentences for manslaughter and robbery. 40 Minutes gained access to the unit as the prisoners started to reveal themselves to the hand-picked staff, and as conflicts began. The most serious clash was over the only woman working full time in the unit, and it involved David McAllister, serving 19 years for armed robbery and assault, who later escaped from the unit and was on the run for five days. This film tells the story of the most controversial unit in our prisons.
Oct. 19, 1989, midnight
S9E2 - Me and My Bike
A eulogy to the joy of cycling.
Oct. 26, 1989, midnight
S9E3 - Crack Doctors
Nov. 2, 1989, midnight
S9E4 - City Parish
Nov. 9, 1989, midnight
S9E5 - Best Friends
Nov. 16, 1989, midnight
S9E6 - The Heart of the Angel
This film documents one day in the life of Angel station on the Northern Line of the London Underground in the days before its refurbishment. We see the ticket collectors, station manager and other staff as they cope with angry passengers, lift failures and cancelled trains.
Nov. 23, 1989, midnight
S9E7 - Bullies
At least one in every five children in Britain suffer from bullying. In our schools the problem is worse than anywhere else in Europe. 40 Minutes reveals what's really going on in the playground.
Nov. 30, 1989, midnight
S9E8 - Out of the Ruins
Dec. 7, 1989, midnight
S9E9 - All About Ambridge
Dec. 14, 1989, midnight
S9E10 - Stage Struck
Jan. 4, 1990, midnight
S9E11 - A Place for Tom
Jan. 11, 1990, midnight
S9E12 - Darling, Let's Start Up an Airline
Jan. 18, 1990, midnight
S9E13 - He's Playing Our Song
Jan. 25, 1990, midnight
S9E14 - Hilary's in Hiding
Feb. 1, 1990, midnight
S9E15 - S.A. Blues
Feb. 15, 1990, midnight
S9E16 - Adventures in the Skin Trade
John Pitman meets a selection of women to ascertain their views on the wearing of coats made of fur.
Feb. 22, 1990, midnight
S9E17 - A Safe Sex for a Safe Seat
March 1, 1990, midnight
S9E18 - Green Police
In New Jersey, USA, a team of cops and scientists is 'busting' polluters. For the first time a film crew has been given total access to their operations. 40 Minutes follows the trail - the surveillance. the 'sting', the raid. Whether it's one small operator dumping chemicals on the street or the president of a multi-million-dollar company caught polluting a river - both are likely to face serious criminal charges. In New Jersey, they believe only tough action will deter dumpers. Is there a lesson for us in Britain?
March 8, 1990, midnight
S9E19 - The Burny Mob Go Wild
March 15, 1990, midnight
S9E20 - Many Happy Returns!
Two children who feel sure they died terrible deaths and have been born again tell their extraordinary stories. Nicola, aged 12, lives in Keighley, Yorkshire, near to the railway tracks where she played in the 19th century in another life. Then, she says, she was a boy. Parish records suggest that it isn't just a childhood fantasy. Titu, aged 6, lives in north India in the shadow of the Taj Mahal. His is a violent story. He alleges he was gunned down by a murderer. Another vivid imagination? The radio shop he ran still exists, and his widow is still alive. When he mentions buried gold, it seems to jog her memory...
March 22, 1990, midnight
S9E21 - Tracey's Search
March 29, 1990, midnight
S9E22 - How Could She?
April 5, 1990, midnight
S9E23 - Mac to the U.S.S.R.
April 12, 1990, midnight
S9E24 - Killer Bimbos on Fleet Street
April 19, 1990, midnight
S9E25 - Karl's Kidney - For Sale
April 26, 1990, midnight
S9E26 - A View from a Bridge
May 3, 1990, midnight
BBC Two
40 min/ep
12880 min
Oct. 1, 1981
April 19, 1994, midnight
Ended
NR
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