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File on 4 Investigates

BBC Radio 4

News-making original journalism documentary series, investigating stories at home and abroad.

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

43:01

The priest and the pay-off.

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/08/13

Over three decades, a priest assessed as posing a risk of “significant harm” to children and vulnerable people worked in the Church of England. But allegations against him didn’t stick, leading to him remaining in post until after he was offered a substantial pay-off. The surprising manner in which he finally left in 2022 raises serious questions about the judgement of Church leaders.If you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support are available at

42:47

Something in the Water: The Secrets of Camp Lejeune

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/07/30

Camp Lejeune is a vast US Marine Corps base in North Carolina. It’s been in operation since the 1940s and covers a massive 240 square miles. But for years it hid a secret. For decades, its water supply was contaminated with harmful chemicals found to increase the risk of some cancers. It’s estimated that one million people might have been exposed to the toxic water. But it wasn’t just American personnel who were based at Camp Lejeune. Soldiers from all over the world - including from the UK - also

43:13

The Child Rescue Con

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/07/16

Project Rescue Children claims to save children from trafficking and abuse, but the BBC has uncovered evidence of false and misleading social media posts. The charity's director, Adam Whittington, has raised thousands of pounds from sponsors and donors around the world. But the BBC has found that unsuspecting children are being used as props, and the rescue centres have no children. Project Rescue Children rejects the BBC's findings and says its work has benefitted hundreds of children

43:07

Ghost Houses

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/07/09

There are more empty homes than homeless households in this country. Why?Filled with cobwebs, windows broken, and rats scurrying about in their overgrown gardens, the UK has hundreds of thousands of ghost houses - properties where no one lives. The UK also has the worst homelessness problem in the rich world. So could we use those empty homes for the people in dire need of a home?Simon Maybin investigates the phenomenon of empty homes and, over nine months, follows the work of someone trying to turn

42:35

On Trial: Protestors versus the Law

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/07/02

New laws aimed at preventing protestors causing disruption, more severe punishments and fewer defences in court have led some to question if the freedom to protest is coming under threat. Josephine Casserly investigates the growing volume of prosecutions against environmental protestors and examines how the criminal justice system is dealing with such cases. She also examines the increasing use of private injunctions by corporations and public authorities to restrict protests at locations such as

41:47

The Final Battle: Veterans fighting for compensation

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/06/25

There are two compensation schemes for veterans who’ve suffered injury or illness as a result of service - the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme - or AFCS - and the War Pension Scheme. The schemes are managed by Veterans UK which is an organisation run by the Ministry of Defence.But veterans have long criticised both schemes. Some say they reject claims unfairly, and are slow to resolve them. File on 4 has been told in some cases it’s taken almost 12 years for a final decision to be made. How does

42:22

Sick of Waiting: The children struggling to get...

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/06/18

In the headlines about NHS waiting lists, children don’t often get a mention. Yet hundreds of thousands are waiting to start hospital for treatment. Jane Deith investigates the reasons for the gap between adult and paediatric surgery. She hears from children whose conditions are deteriorating, some of whom could be left inoperable if they aren’t operated on soon.NHS leaders admit long waits can have life-long consequences for young people’s development and say hospitals are working hard to tackle

43:09

Detained and Restrained: Britain's Vulnerable Kids

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/05/22

The most senior family court judge in England has described the growing use of Deprivation of Liberty orders for vulnerable children as a 'crisis.' File on 4 hears from young people who were held under the order supposedly for their own safety. But they say they were under constant supervision, denied access to their phones and the internet and kept away from their families. Some say they were subjected to physical restraints and even supervised when they were having a shower. And one teenager who

38:15

Long Covid: Mind Over Matter?

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/05/21

There are some two million people with long Covid in the UK - and most of them - around one and a half million - have symptoms that interfere with day to day activities. Fatigue, breathlessness, heart palpitations and severe dizziness are just some of the conditions people experience.Currently there’s no test for long covid and it could be years before we know for sure how best to treat the condition. This struggle to get help is leaving some very unwell people desperate - and willing to try

37:55

Teams and Regimes: Sportswashing in Football

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/05/14

Manchester City are dominating English football, with a trophy cabinet full of silverware. The club’s success has been bankrolled by money from Abu Dhabi. Now Newcastle United have followed in their wake, with backing from a Saudi consortium transforming a sleeping giant of English football into perhaps the world’s richest club. But with the money comes accusations that the clubs are being used to launder the reputations of repressive regimes accused of human rights abuses, and that the cash from

36:47

Caught on Camera: The special school staff who abused...

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/04/30

Three years ago, dozens of memory sticks were discovered in a sealed box at a school for children with special educational needs. There was 500 hours of footage which showed children being held in so-called 'calming rooms.' The videos showed the children being hit and denied access to a toilet. File on 4 investigates why a subsequent police investigation and an independent inquiry didn't lead to staff being sacked. File on 4 reveals how staff who were filmed hitting, kicking, and leaving children

37:06

Lasting Legacy: What went wrong at a Hull funeral home?

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/04/16

The discovery of 35 bodies and an unknown quantity of unidentified human ashes at a Hull funeral home has become one of the most harrowing investigations in the history of Humberside Police. Linsey Smith investigates what went wrong and hears from some of the many families who've been left devastated by the discovery - some of whom now know the ashes they were given didn't belong to their loved ones. File on 4 also hears how the funeral industry is largely unregulated and how concerns raised more

41:42

Slimming Groups and Eating Disorders

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/04/09

Slimming World is the leading diet organisation in the UK. It has 700,000 members and, at a time when obesity is spiralling in the UK, it has helped millions lose weight. It has contracts with the NHS and local government. If you meet the criteria, your doctor can sign you up for free. But could the Slimming World diet be encouraging disordered eating by some members? File on 4 hears from people who believe that Slimming World has seriously damaged their health and destroyed their relationship with

41:55

Degraded by Deepfakes

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/04/02

Jodie had everything - a good job, great friends and a busy social life. But her world was turned upside down when she was targeted by an online abuser who posted pornographic deepfakes of her online. Initially turned away by the police, she turned detective herself - but nothing could prepare her for what she eventually discovers. She now struggles to trust anyone. And what happened to Jodie could happen to any of us. Here she tells her story for the very first time. Reporter: Kate WestProducer:

37:43

No Place to Call Home

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/03/19

As the cost of living crisis continues to increase the strain on families, a record 142,000 children in England are homeless and living in what should be short term temporary accommodation.Children are being consigned to B&Bs and hotels, former office blocks - even shipping containers – some without a bed of their own, living among rats and cockroaches - conditions the children’s commissioner has condemned as Dickensian. With the help of young people and their families, File on 4 investigates

37:02

Investigating Employee Assistance Programmes

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/03/12

‘Employee Assistance Programmes’ - almost 25 million workers in the UK have access to one through their employer. They’re designed to help people deal with personal problems that might affect their performance at work by offering advice, support or counselling sessions. But are all providers offering a good service? File on 4 investigates.Reporter: Alys HarteProducers: Vicky Carter and Ella Rule Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Coordinators: Jordan King and Tim Fernley Editors: Clare

37:43

The Trouble with Parenting

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/03/05

"Maria" ended up in A and E after being assaulted by her 11-year-old child. There’s nothing unusual about children being rude or sometimes abusive to their parents, particularly when they’re adolescents. But some parents are attacked and abused by their children on a regular basis. It’s a pattern of behaviour that can begin as young as three years old and become unmanageable by teenage years. Many parents remain silent out of shame and out of fear of the consequences if they seek help, worried that

36:57

A Coal Town Mystery

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/02/27

It’s a scandal that went uncovered for 30 years. Body parts and organs from former workers in the nuclear industry were systematically removed for research. But the families of those former workers were never told. The truth only came to light following a three year inquiry published in 2010. But was this practice contained to one industry, or was this happening on behalf of others too? News reports around the time of the Sellafield scandal claimed that organs of coal miners were also being

36:51

When Abortion is a Crime

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/02/20

The case of Carla Foster made headlines last year after the mother-of-three was initially sentenced to two years in prison for taking abortion pills after the legal cut-off. Since then, several other women have appeared in English courts accused of having illegal abortions, with increasing numbers of women under police investigation. Reporter Divya Talwar hears from women who have been investigated on suspicion of procuring illegal abortions, meets one woman who was prosecuted and sentenced, and

36:58

A Plan to Kill - The Murder of Brianna Ghey

File on 4 Investigates ·

2024/02/02

File on 4 tells the story behind the brutal killing of schoolgirl Brianna Ghey. She was attacked in a park near Warrington in Cheshire on a Saturday afternoon in February 2023. Two teenagers - Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe - who were obsessed with murder and torture, have been convicted of her murder. In the build-up to the killing, they exchanged text messages outlining details of their plan. The girl even wrote a detailed plan of how they would go about the murder which was found by

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