Storyville is a documentary strand presented by the BBC featuring international documentaries. It first aired on 15 November 1997. It has been part of BBC Film since 2020.
List of documentaries
2025 series
Episode #Date first BroadcastTitleDescriptionSource107 Jan 2025Black Box Diaries Oscar-nominated documentary about journalist and filmmaker Shiori Itō's fight for justice after being raped by a senior colleague in Japan.211 Feb 202526.2 to Life: Inside the San Quentin Prison MarathonDocumentary following three men sentenced to life at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center training for a marathon around the prison yard.318 Feb 2025Gaucho Gaucho: Argentina's Last Ranchers2024 documentary film about the lives of gauchos in Argentina.425 Feb 2025The Battle for LaikipiaFilmed during severe drought, explores the relationship and tension between the nomadic Samburu people and the descendants of European settlers in Laikipia County.54 Mar 2025The Covid Queue at Pavilion 6Croatian doumentary film showing a snapshot of life in a COVID-19 vaccination centre.611 Mar 2025Eternal Spring: The Heist of China's AirwavesCanadian animated documentary about Falun Gong's 2002 hijacking of broadcast television.7 27 May 2025White Man WalkingDocumentary following white film-maker Rob Bliss as he travels across the southern United States wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt.43 Jun 2025The Jackal SpeaksDocumentary exploring the life of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal.510 Jun 2025Wedding NightUltra orthodox Jewish couples, married in arranged marriages in a community where boys and girls are raised almost completely seperatley, speak about their wedding night.617 Jun 2025The Contestant2023 documentary about Nasubi, an aspiring comedian in Japan who lived alone in a room for 15 months for a reality show.724 Jun 2025The Wolves Always Come at NightDocudrama telling the story of a Mongolian couple who must leave their lives as shepherds in the Gobi Desert and move to Ulaanbaatar.81 Jul 2025The Srebrenica TapeFollows a young woman returning to her birthtown of Srebrenica to learn more about her father who died in the Srebrenica massacre.930 Sep 2025Holding LiatDocumentary following the kidnapping of Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband during the October 7 attacks.107 Oct 2025The LibrariansDocumentary exploring how librarians around America are responding to campaign groups seeking to ban books. 1114 Oct 2025Mr Nobody Against PutinA Russian school teacher covertly films in classrooms and meetings as the government introduces patriotic lessons and military drills.1221 Oct 2025SanatoriumDocumentary showing the summer season in the Kuyalnik Sanatorium outside Odesa as staff and patrons navigate life as the Russo-Ukrainian war rages outside.1328 Oct 2025Welded TogetherAn independent young welder unexpectedly becomes the carer for her vulnerable half-sister.
2021 series
Date first BroadcastTitleDescriptionSource02 Oct 2021United Skates When America's last standing roller rinks are threatened with closure, a community of thousands battles in a racially charged environment to save an underground subculture - one that has remained undiscovered by the mainstream for generations, yet has given rise to some of the world's greatest musical talent.
2018 series
Episode #Date first BroadcastTitleDescriptionSource128 Jan 2018Trophy: The Big Game Hunting Controversy Documentary film about trophy hunting and wildlife conservation.211 Jun 2018City of GhostsBafta-nominated documentary about citizen journalists in Raqqa under IS control and their life as refugees after fleeing.317 Jun 2018Eagle Huntress (2016)A Kazakh documentary about 13-year-old girl's attempt to be the first female to compete in an eagle hunting festival.427 June 2018This is Congo51 July 2018Olympic Dreams of Russian Gold – Over the Limit69 July 2018John Curry: The Ice King722 July 2018Insha'Allah Democracy88 October 2018Jailed in America922 October 2018A Woman Captured1029 October 2018Selling Children1111 November 2018Quest: Surviving in America1219 November 2018Poisoning America: The Devil We KnowA group of citizens in West Virginia take on a powerful corporation.1326 November 2018Hurt Locker HeroThe story of a Kurdish colonel in the Iraqi army who disarmed thousands of landmines.149 Dec 2018The Farthest: Voyager's Interstellar JourneyThe story of Voyager, an epic of human achievement, personal drama and miraculous success.1517 Dec 2018Richard Pryor: Omit the LogicA documentary about Richard Pryor, chronicling his life from his troubled youth to his meteoric rise as one of the most respected comedians of the 20th century.
2016–2017 series Episode #Date first BroadcastTitleDescriptionSource 121 August 2017 Silk Road: Drugs, Death and the Dark Web Documentary about the dark web illegal drug marketplace Silk Road.2Chasing Asylum – Inside Australia's Detention CampsDirected and produced by Eva Orner, about Australia's treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.3Weiner – Sexts, Scandals and PoliticsPolitical documentary film by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg about Anthony Weiner's campaign for Mayor of New York City during the 2013 mayoral election.4Jim: The James Foley StoryAmerican documentary film about the life of war correspondent James "Jim" Foley, directed by Brian Oakes.5Brides for Sale – SonitaDocumentary film directed by Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami about Sonita Alizadeh, a 15-year-old Afghan rapper and refugee living in Tehran.6The Cult that Stole Children – Inside The FamilyFilm about The Family, an Australian New Age group formed in the mid-1960s under the leadership of Anne Hamilton-Byrne, which perpetrated child abuse and illegal adoption practices.7Forever Pure – Football and Racism in Jerusalem
2015–2016 series Episodes from the 2015–2016 series Episode #Date first broadcastTitleDescriptionSource128 April 2015Himmler: The Decent OneThe story of Heinrich Himmler through the private letters, photographs and diaries discovered at his home in 1945.213 July 2015Last Days in VietnamThe story of the final days of the Vietnam War as Saigon is about to fall to the North Vietnamese Army.322 July 2015Circus Elephant RampageThe story of Tyke a circus elephant who went on the rampage in Honolulu. She killed her trainer in front of spectators and she was shot dead.49 August 2015Atomic, Living in Dread and PromiseA look at life and death in the atomic age from Hiroshima to X-rays and MRI scans.528 September 2015A Syrian Love StoryAward-winning documentary telling the story of a family torn apart by the Assad regime.62 November 2015Lockerbie: My Brother's BomberKen Dornstein sets out to find the men responsible for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.79 November 2015Dreamcatcher: Surviving Chicago's StreetsHow a former prostitute helps vulnerable women escape danger on the streets of Chicago.816 November 2015Orion: The Man Who Would Be KingThe obscure singer who masqueraded as Elvis Presley back from the grave.923 November 2015Cartel LandAn exposé of the Mexican drug war and the cartels operating around the Mexico/US border.1030 November 2015FBI UndercoverFollowing an FBI counterterrorism operation with the help from a former 'Black Panther' turned FBI informer Saeed Torres.117 December 2015The Six-Day War: Censored VoicesInterviews of Israeli soldiers returning after the Six-Day War of 1967.1217 January 2016The Golden Age of Circus: The Show of ShowsThe story of circus performers, cabaret acts and vaudeville and fairground attractions.1324 January 2016The Great Gangster Film FraudDocumentary about a plan to scam the British taxman by faking the production of a movie.1431 January 2016A Death Row Tale: The Fear of 13The story of Nick Yarris, a convicted murderer on death row who was exonerated after petitioning the court asking to be executed.1514 February 2016Decadence and Downfall: The Shah of Iran's Ultimate Party The documentary of the Celebration of the 2,500 years of the Persian monarchy. 1721 February 2016The Black Panthers The documentary of the Black Panthers. 1828 February 2016Bolshoi Babylon The documentary of the Bolshoi Ballet. 1923 June 2016Unlocking the Cage The documentary of the animal rights lawyer Steven Wise.207 November 2016Being Evel Knievel The documentary of the success of Evel Knievel.
2014–2015 series Episodes from the 2014–2015 series:
Episode # Date first broadcast Title Description Source 23 My Mother the Secret Baby Daisy Asquith tells the story of her mother's conception after a dance in 1940s Ireland. 22 Masterspy of Moscow – George Blake Film about the spy George Blake, who escaped from jail and fled to the Soviet Union. 21 The Lost Gold of the Highlands A man searches a mysterious Scottish loch for a lost fortune he believes is hidden there. 20 Rocking Cambodia: Rise of a Pop Diva Documentary telling the story of the rise of the band Cambodian Space Project. 19 India's Daughter The story of the brutal gang rape and murder of 23-year-old medical student Jyoti on a moving bus in Delhi in 2012, and the unprecedented protests and riots which this horrific event ignited throughout India. 18 1.7 Billion Dollar Fraud: Full Exposure In October 2011, Olympus Corporation, a multibillion-dollar Japanese optical company, dismissed its president and CEO, British-born Michael Woodford, over cultural differences in management style. 17 The Great European Disaster Movie Authored documentary by Italian director Annalisa Piras and former editor of The Economist Bill Emmott, which explores the crisis facing Europe. 16 The Great Sex Addict Heist: The Dog Documentary about John Wojtowicz who is the inspiration for the 1975 movie Dog Day Afternoon. 15 Love Hotel Documentary about a love hotel in Osaka, day-to-day life of its staff and its patrons. 14 Love Is All: 100 Years of Love and Courtship A magical and moving archive trip through the universal theme of love, set to a stunning soundtrack by Richard Hawley. 13 Bulldozers, Paving Stones and Power: The Chinese Mayor Documentary which looks into how power works in the Chinese Communist Party, focused through the mission of one local mayor. 12 Mugabe and the Democrats Political documentary thriller set in Zimbabwe, following two political enemies forced on a joint mission. 11 The Internet's Own Boy Documentary which explores the life of Aaron Swartz, an activist for social justice and political organising on the internet, and the circumstances that led to his early death. 10 The Arabian Motorcycle Adventures Documentary about an American man, Matt Van Dyke's, multi-year, 35,000-mile motorcycle trip through northern Africa and the Middle East, which saw him fight in the Libyan conflict against Gaddafi. 9 Panto! Mayhem, Make Up and Magic Film following a cast of Nottingham amateur actors who are staging a production of Puss in Boots, reflecting the vital and life-changing role the theatre plays in people's lives. 8 Exposed: Magicians, Psychics and Frauds How magician James Randi has debunked faith healers, fortune tellers and psychics. 7 112 Weddings A filmmaker finds out what happened to some of the couples whose wedding videos he shot. 6 Particle Fever: The Hunt for the Higgs Boson Documentary which follows six scientists during the launch of the Large Hadron Collider. 5 Arms Dealer: The Notorious Mr Bout Documentary following Viktor Bout – entrepreneur, arms smuggler and amateur film-maker. 4 Web Junkies – China's Addicted Teens Film following Chinese teenagers in a Beijing rehabilitation centre for internet addicts. 3 Velorama Documentary using BFI archive footage to look back at a century of cycling. 2 The Lance Armstrong Story – Stop at Nothing Film telling the story of the man behind the greatest fraud in recent sporting history. 1 Searching for Sugar Man How the forgotten 1960s American rocker Rodriguez became a phenomenon in South Africa.
2013–2014 series
24. Shooting Bigfoot: America's Monster Hunters 8. Smash & Grab – The Story of the Pink Panthers