Documentaries that have stuck with you.

[LetsGoCrazyPurpleBanana]

I remember in the early 9Os watching a documentary about 2 men who were partners, living with and ultimately dying from AIDS. Found it on YouTube and watched it again at the weekend. I've not stopped thinking about them. It's called "Silverlake life,the view from here" 😭

Also another one,again early to mid 1990s called "The dying room" about China's orphanages.

@LetsGoCrazyPurpleBanana it is called Gale Is Dead. It's on iPlayer - it's an episode of the old Man Alive documentary series.

One that I didn't mention before is 9/11: Voices From The Towers. It was on Channel 4 and is now on YouTube. All about the last phone calls/ voicemails from people trapped in the twin towers. Incredibly moving.

I remember watching Cathy Come Home when it was first transmitted. What made it so outstanding was the naturalistic acting. Although I recognised the actor who played the father none of the rest of the cast were familiar. At one point I actually checked in the Radio Times to ensure it was a play.

I just found that crazy. And how his friends could write character statements in court. No consequence for him at all!

Thank you!! Will check it out x

Not so sad but seriously weird, I recommend 'Ticked', David Farrier's 2016 documentary about competitive tickling matches, it's just absolutely nuts and gets crazier as it goes on.

Apologies if it's already been mentioned, but Audrie and Daisy is another documentary that stays with you. It's a harrowing watch though.

Another on I remember - a lady recluse who bred loads of German Shepherd type dogs in ramshackle barn type buildings. They had the run of the place and were running around in a pack and she had to really shout to show dominance so they wouldn't attack her 😬

This program about that Bulgarian orphanage affected me so much. I cried my eyes out from beginning to end. Absolutely heartbreaking. I often wondered what happened to the children after the program and Have thought about them over the years, just can’t forget about it at all- it was so, so painful.

My Nan went to Romania many years ago to volunteer in an orphanage and she was really touched by it.

So many children just desperate for a cuddle.

There was even one little girl covered in burns. Her parents didn’t want her and tried to kill her that way.

My Nan took one of the older boys to McDonald’s and it took him an hour to eat a Big Mac because he had never had one before and he was savouring every bite

A bbc documentary about surrogacy. It was filmed in India about 10 years ago I think, caused me to completely rethink my views on surrogacy and see it for what it is, baby trafficking and exploitation of poor, desperate women and their families.

I’ve just remembered one I watched years ago about a man that ate roadkill. It was called something like The Man who eats Badgers??? He had a huge chest freezer full of squashed owls, rabbits etc

I vaguely remember this

I remember this and was very struck by it. I think she was from Canvey Island or maybe Essex somewhere? She maybe also already had a toddler child? It was very graphic IIRC. V disturbing as she was clearly v vulnerable. There was some issue with her Dad I think?

'Give me the child until he is seven and I will show you the man'. I think it's Aristotle...

And 63-Up was in 2019!!! Tony was lovely - he knew he wanted to work with horses from the very first episode and he went on to be a jockey. I remember being so sad for Neil who was so happy in the first one but seemed to struggle his whole adult life.

Abused by my girlfriend.

Relatively recent BBC doc about Alex Skeel.

Heartbreaking

The Puppet Master
Tinder Swindler

I only watched Our Father a few nights ago but have forgotten how it ended already - was the trial for his crimes against the women or for lying about it? I can’t remember!

The Tinder Swindler is brilliant.

Not sure if anyone's mentioned this one yet but, The Imposter.

Much like Touching the Void, I sat with my jaw agape for two hours.

Blackfish is also amazing but incredibly upsetting.

Oh, and Fyre (Festival). Jaw dropping.

That's hilarious.

The Voices in my Head - BBC documentary about people who hear voices. One young man in particular I found heartbreaking - how awful it must be and how proud he was at the end to have found a job and to be coping. Hope he still is.

One of those ones you can watch with a gleeful sense of schadenfreude because almost everyone in it is so awful!

Yes, which is what makes it so funny, even if it shouldn't be!
It's what the phrase, "more money than sense", was made for.

Maybe we need a thread for cheerful documentaries?

I loved the Farm Series (Tales from Green Valley, Tudor Farm and so on) as well as Victorian Kitchen Garden and the other series, Dark Ages the Age of light (and anything else with Waldemar Januszczak in it) and some great documentaries about dangerous ways to school (very American though).

I watched Rain in my Heart last night on the back of this thread... Just devastating.

Toni's story was so shocking and David's distress was especially hard to watch. I then read that Vanda had died within a couple of years. Just awful