Dispatches — Season 2024

A Dispatches special investigation.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy chairs a debate on the issues raised in tonight's Dispatches, featuring politicians, patients, medical staff, health experts and members of the public. This discussion will examine the political parties' plans for the NHS and include testimony from those who work in and use the service, asking how the next government might go about future-proofing the healthcare system.

Coca-Cola is the biggest soft drinks producer in the world and stands accused of being its biggest polluter. Reporter Ellie Flynn - herself a big Coca-Cola lover - looks at what Coke says its doing and investigates the reality - from uncovering what happens to used bottles to Coke's claims about recycled plastic and water sustainability. Flynn examines the impact of her thirst for Coke in the UK and globally.

Reporter and motoring journalist Ginny Buckley talks to drivers badly affected by potholes. She asks whether councils are really doing all they can to fix them, and how much the damage they cause is costing the taxpayer. Ginny also explores controversial low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) schemes and reveals the money they're bringing in from fining motorists.

A raw and unflinching look at how the lives of millions have been uprooted and destroyed since the events of October 7th 2023 - seen and told through the eyes of children, journalists and doctors as they experience and witness breathtaking horrors. Filmed over 200 days by a team of Palestinian journalists and filmmakers across Gaza, this documentary hears heart-breaking testimony: from children, as they recount inconceivable horrors; from doctors at work in overcrowded hospitals that are barely able to cope with the huge number of injured people; and from civilians as they are forcibly displaced from north to south Gaza. As vital services break down in Gaza and food is scarce, this film examines the toll of Israel's military campaign.

Ellie Flynn investigates the Chinese shopping app with prices too good to be true, Temu. She finds out whether some of their products are made with high levels of harmful materials and if their safety products are accurately advertised as holding recognised safety certificates. The journalist travels across the UK revealing how Temu has reeled in so many customers and how addictive the app can be.

Undercover report filmed over two months at an NHS Accident and Emergency Department, which exposes the suffering and dangers patients face on a daily basis. The programme features footage of seriously ill patients forced to sleep on chairs for up to two days because there are no beds, and a dangerous superbug outbreak linked to overcrowding and falling hygiene standards.

Election campaigners and experts have warned that artificial intelligence tools could risk politically motivated disinformation flooding social media feeds in ways that recently seemed unimaginable. The fear is that deepfakes and other AI-generated material could influence votes. Cathy Newman reports on the issue, illustrating the effect that AI could have on 12 households of undecided voters. The homes are fed AI-generated material advised by political experts, with the residents none the wiser. Will the experiment succeed? If so, what does it say about the power of AI to influence the vote?

Revealing local hotspots across England and Wales where 100% of neighbourhood crimes can go unsolved, using exclusive analysis of police data. Isobel Yeung talks to criminals who rob with no fear of the police, victims with little faith in law enforcement and insiders from a global criminal network raking in thousands of pounds a month.

Journalist Isobel Yeung investigates one of the world's most iconic brands and its owner Mattel. The toy maker has profited from global 'Barbiemania' through giving Barbie a makeover as a 21st-century feminist, though filming undercover in one of Mattel's factories for the first time, Yeung exposes the daily reality for workers producing the famous dolls and other products.

With the cost of living crisis still biting, Vinted, the online second-hand market-place app, is offering an alternative to fast fashion, allowing users to recycle their wardrobes and bag a bargain. It's proving very popular with the number of Vinted UK users rising from 2.5 million users in 2023 to over 16 million in 2024. It's now the first secondhand clothing app to turn a profit. Ellie Flynn travels across the UK to meet Vinted shoppers, to determine whether the boom is too good to be true and uncover the truth behind some of the products being sold on the platform.

For years, the royals have tried to keep details of some of their wealth secret. Now Dispatches has found what they've not wanted you to know. With exclusive analysis of documents not seen in public before, the programme reveals who is paying them, and for what.

Matt Shea goes undercover to expose the organised criminal networks behind a shoplifting epidemic. The UK's rate of shoplifting is currently at the highest level since records began. Police estimate that a quarter of these incidents are down to organised gangs, who work across the country to steal an unprecedented volume of stock from retailers.

Fraser Nelson investigates the sharp rise in working-age people on sickness benefits, up a million in just five years. Over the course of three months Fraser has been filming with people living on benefits, as well as with top experts and politicians. He finds a broken system that can drive people towards benefits rather than work, with costs that threaten to derail the government's hopes of economic growth.