Episoder
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Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers came under attack during the riots that swept across the country earlier this month. The courts have been tough on violent disorder, but File on 4 examines how tackling the possible root causes may require an even stronger effort. Tensions over immigration are still simmering, particularly in areas that have long been in economic decline. Paul Kenyon reports.
Producer: Hayley MortimerTechnical Producer: Nicky EdwardsProduction Coordinator: Tim FernleyEditor: Alys Harte
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Fishermen from the Philippines, Ghana and Sri Lanka speak out about how badly, they say, they were treated by a Scottish fishing company that hired them. Most of the fishermen have been waiting in the UK for more than 10 years for their case to be heard. Despite two extensive police investigations, no convictions have been secured for human trafficking or modern slavery. This is the first time the fishermen have spoken out.
Reporter and Producer Monica Whitlock. Music by Jon Nicholls. Mix and Sound Design by Tom Brignell. Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley.Editor Alys Harte.
Image: Fishermen from the Philippines and Ghana who worked on scallop boats.
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Manglende episoder?
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Over three decades, a priest assessed as posing a risk of âsignificant harmâ to children and vulnerable people worked in the Church of England. But allegations against him didnât 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 bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Reporter: Aleem MaqboolProducers: Steve Swann and Fergus Hewison Technical Production: Richard Hannaford Production Coordinator: Tim FernleyEditor: Carl Johnston
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Camp Lejeune is a vast US Marine Corps base in North Carolina. Itâs 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. Itâs estimated that one million people might have been exposed to the toxic water.
But it wasnât just American personnel who were based at Camp Lejeune. Soldiers from all over the world - including from the UK - also spent time there on training exercises and exchange programmes.
Emma Forde hears from the British veterans and their families who lived and worked on the base and have since suffered serious health problems or seen loved ones die from conditions associated with exposure to the water. But despite a compensation scheme for victims being widely reported in the US, there are concerns that those from the UK are still unaware of the serious health risks they were exposed to. And time is running out.
Reporter: Emma FordeProducer: Andrew PickenTechnical Producer: Richard HannafordProduction Coordinators: Ellie Dover & Tim FernleyEditor: Carl Johnston
Image: Royal Marine Captain Joe House and Captain Jonathan Lear handing over to each other at Camp Lejeune.
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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 worldwide.
Reporter: Hayley MortimerProducer: Kate WestAssistant Producer: Katy LingTechnical Producer: Richard HannafordImpact Producer: Melanie Stewart-SmithProduction Coordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Carl Johnston
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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 unused properties into homes for families among the record numbers who are now homeless.
Reporter/producer: Simon MaybinTechnical producer: Neil ChurchillProduction coordinators: Ellie Dover & Tim FernleyEditor: Richard Vadon
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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 public roads and oil terminals. They say the orders are necessary to prevent disruption caused by tactics including walking slowly down roads and blocking entrances to businesses, but lawyers acting for protestors say they amount to a "privatised system of justice."
Reporter: Josephine CasserlyProducer: Tom WallProduction Coordinators: Ellie Dover & Tim FernleyEditor: Carl Johnston
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There are two compensation schemes for veterans whoâve 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 itâs taken almost 12 years for a final decision to be made. How does the system work? And what is the impact on veterans who claim they have to fight for financial compensation for conditions they say are a result of their service? File on 4 hears from one ex-servicemen whose claim took over seven years to resolve, and from the family of another former soldier who took his life after his claim for PTSD was repeatedly turned down.
If you are affected by anything in this programme, details of organisations offering support with mental health and self-harm, or feelings of despair, are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Producer: Vicky Carter Reporter: Datshiane NavanayagamTechnical producer: Richard HannafordProduction co-ordinator: Tim Fernley and Ellie DoverEditor: Carl Johnston
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In the headlines about NHS waiting lists, children donât 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 arenât operated on soon. NHS leaders admit long waits can have life-long consequences for young peopleâs development and say hospitals are working hard to tackle the backlog. But surgeons and doctors warn that in the race to cut waiting lists, children risk being left behind.
Reporter: Jane DeithProducer: Alys HarteTechnical producer: Craig BoardmanProduction co-ordinator: Tim FernleyEditor: Carl Johnston
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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 was on a Deprivation of Liberty order tells the programme he preferred being in prison.
Reporter: Ashley John-Baptiste Producer: Phil Marzouk Technical Producer: Craig BoardmanProduction coordinator: Ellie Dover Editor: Carl Johnston
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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 thereâs 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 anything to get better. There are treatments to wash your blood, high pressure oxygen chambers normally used by deep sea divers. A rainbow of supplements. All with varying degrees of evidence. And perhaps most strongly dividing opinion - programmes that claim to retrain long Covid patients' brains to stop their symptoms. They say they can help people recover from illness by rewiring the brain using techniques to influence physical changes in the body. Rachel Schraer - the BBC's health and disinformation correspondent - hears from people with long Covid who say the programmes didn't work and in some cases made them feel worse. Others say they fully recovered. Reporter: Rachel SchraerProducer: Paul GrantTechnical producers: Cameron Ward and Nicky EdwardsProduction co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Carl Johnston
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Manchester City are dominating English football, with a trophy cabinet full of silverware. The clubâs 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 worldâs 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 the two oil rich states is being used to exert political influence locally and nationally in the UK.
Reporter: Adrian GoldbergProducer: Fergus HewisonTechnical Producer: Craig BoardmanProduction coordinator: Tim FernleyEditor: Carl Johnston
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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 sitting in urine have not been sacked or referred to the barring service.
Reporter: Noel TitheradgeProducer: Annabel DeasTechnical Producer: Craig BoardmanProduction Coordinator: Tim FernleyEditor: Carl Johnston
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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 than three years ago by the Competition and Markets Authority about the storage and treatment of the deceased haven't been acted upon.
Reporter: Linsey Smith Producers: Holly Clemens and Nicola DowlingTechnical Producer: Craig BoardmanDigital producer: Melanie Stewart-SmithProduction Coordinators: Tim Fernley & Jordan KingEditor: Carl Johnston
Image Credit:Christopher Furlong\Getty
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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 food.
Reporter: Josephine CasserlyProducer: Immy RhodesTechnical Producer: Craig BoardmanProduction Coordinator: Tim FernleyEditor: Carl Johnston
Image Credit: Kseniya Ovchinnikova\Getty
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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: Rhoda BuchananTechnical Producer: Nicky EdwardsDigital Producer: Melanie Stewart-Smith Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Carl Johnston
If youâve been a victim of harassment, stalking or revenge porn, details of organisations offering information and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
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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 â some without a bed of their own, living among rats and cockroaches - conditions the childrenâs commissioner has condemned as Dickensian.With the help of young people and their families, File on 4 investigates how temporary accommodation - meant to be a short term safety net - has become a trap some children canât escape.
Reporter: Jane DeithProducer: Nicola DowlingTechnical Producer: James BeardProduction Coordinator: Jordan KingEditors: Clare Fordham and Carl Johnston
Image: Imgorthand via Getty Images
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âEmployee Assistance Programmesâ - almost 25 million workers in the UK have access to one through their employer. Theyâre 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 RuleTechnical Producer: Craig BoardmanProduction Coordinators: Jordan King and Tim FernleyEditors: Clare Fordham and Carl Johnston
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"Maria" ended up in A and E after being assaulted by her 11-year-old child. Thereâs nothing unusual about children being rude or sometimes abusive to their parents, particularly when theyâre adolescents. But some parents are attacked and abused by their children on a regular basis. Itâs 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 their child may be taken into care or criminalised. So itâs a hidden problem. The issue is now on the governmentâs agenda with a consultation thatâs aiming to find a common definition for the issue. Jo Glanville talks to parents, practitioners and researchers about what happens in families when a child becomes violent, what should be done to support them and what lies behind this kind of behaviour.
Presented and Produced by Jo GlanvilleExecutive Editor: Bridget HarneyResearch: Maia Miller-LewisStudio Manager: Jon CalverActors: Jayne Ashbourne and Juliet CowanA Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
Organisations in the programme offering information or support on child to parent violence:
Family LivesParentline family support and bullying helpline | Family Liveshttps://www.familylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/confidential-helpline
CAPA First ResponseCapa First Response | You are not alone - Capa First Responsehttps://capafirstresponse.org/
Talk Listen ChangeYoung Peopleâs Programmes - TLC: Talk, Listen, Change (talklistenchange.org.uk)https://talklistenchange.org.uk/project/young-peoples-programmes/
Holes in the WallHOLES IN THE WALL | documenting parent abusehttps://holesinthewall.co.uk/
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Itâs 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 routinely removed during post-mortems at the request of the then National Coal Board.
So, was the coal industry involved in a similar scandal - and to what extent? And could the need to advance research and science ever be seen to outweigh the need for permission?
Reporter and producer: Emma FordeTechnical Producer: Richard HannafordJournalism Assistant: Tim FernleyEditor: Clare Fordham
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