Educational TV

The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth review – the finest possible tribute to the astronauts who lost their lives

This moving, thorough analysis of what went wrong when seven Nasa crew members died 20 years ago doesn’t waste a moment. It’s a full, fitting memorial that’s not a minute too long

Lucy Mangan

12, Feb, 2024 @10:00 PM

‘Guaranteed to be a banger’: the 50 must-see TV shows for 2024

A terrifying Kate Winslet! A new Sally Wainwright epic! Benedict Cumberbatch with a 7ft puppet! Want to know what TV to devour in 2024? Here’s your guide

Stuart Heritage and Kate Abbott

28, Dec, 2023 @6:00 AM

Elizabeth: A Life Through the Lens review – the late queen’s reign looks like one long marketing campaign

This swift documentary looks at the use of photography to shape the previous UK monarch’s image. It’s a fascinating account of her reliance on imagery

Jack Seale

11, Jun, 2023 @7:00 PM

Access to contraception has got harder in England, top doctor says

Lesley Regan, women’s health ambassador for England, says ‘destructive’ changes to NHS system in 2012 are failing women

Rachel Hall

04, Jun, 2023 @11:01 PM

David Olusoga to receive Bafta special award for contribution to TV

Historian and broadcaster has made ‘an outstanding contribution’ to society and culture as well as television, says Bafta CEO

Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent

02, May, 2023 @7:00 AM

Naked Education review – the look at pubic hair is wonderfully revelatory

Giggling, blushing teens! Unbridled nudity! It’s yet another Anna Richardson show about nakedness, but surprisingly, this one features genuine moments of wisdom

Jack Seale

04, Apr, 2023 @8:00 PM

Dinosaur with Stephen Fry review – as enchanting as Jurassic Park

This four-part series uses CGI beasts to make it look like its host has been sent back in time, and it’s excellent – full of fascinating insights and gripping experiments

Stuart Jeffries

12, Feb, 2023 @8:00 PM

The Secret Genius of Modern Life review – irresistibly contagious TV

Prof Hannah Fry is a joy, and will make you deeply excited about the weirdest things – like the magnetic strip on the back of your bank card

Rebecca Nicholson

10, Nov, 2022 @9:01 PM

‘This is still happening today’: the story of an abused wife accused of murder

A sensitive new docuseries considers the case of Sally McNeil, a woman who killed her violent husband in self-defense

Adrian Horton

02, Nov, 2022 @6:06 AM

‘The cultural memory of the UK’: unearthing the hidden treasures of the BBC archive

For years the corporation has been digitising its vast reserve of content, turning up lost footage of everyone from General Eisenhower to Victoria Wood. Meet the team bringing a century of footage back to life

Simon Usborne

08, Oct, 2022 @10:55 AM

The Australian beach tragedy that inspired a global rip safety movement

A 2016 drowning at a NSW beach spurred a rescuer and a film-maker to create a series of documentaries that would change the conversation around our number one coastal hazard

Dwayne Grant

11, Jun, 2022 @8:00 PM

Devil’s Advocate review – a mind-boggling tale of a real-life grifter

This documentary looks at the rise and fall of the ‘lawyer’ Giovanni di Stefano, whose list of clients reads like a Who’s Who of criminality – from Saddam Hussein to Harold Shipman