Factual - Q1 New Year 2014 highlights

23 December 2013

Big Ballet
A new three –part Arts series follows a troupe of plus size amateurs as they attempt to realise their ambition of performing scenes from Swan Lake mentored by choreographer and dancer Wayne Sleep and ballet dancer Monica Loughman. Sleep was the shortest ballet dancer ever to make his debut on the Royal Ballet stage and now he wants to unlock the world of ballet for a wider audience and break one of the biggest taboos in the ballet world: weight.

 

 

Secrets of the Living Dolls
This eye-opening documentary delves into the secretive world of ‘female masking’ – men who transform themselves into dolls by squeezing into a second skin.

Female maskers, also known as ‘dolls’ are a hidden community of ordinary family men who lead extraordinary double lives, dressing up in elaborate rubber suits as they strive to become their very own ideal, fantasy woman. There are thousands of female maskers all over the world, but fearing scorn and ridicule most have kept their secret behind closed doors.

First time director Nicholas Sweeney enters this private world, meeting the men coming to terms with what has, for many, become an all-consuming hobby. With thousands of hours and hundreds of pounds spent creating their alter-egos.

 

 

Meet the Mormons
For the first time, Mormon leaders in America have permitted the Church in the UK to open its doors to cameras. With unprecedented access to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this documentary follows a young British Mormon as he gives up two years of his life to convert the people of Leeds.

Known to most people as the men in suits who knock on our doors, young Mormon missionaries have the job of converting us to their particular brand of Christianity – they are the ‘Ambassadors of God’.

This one-hour film gains fascinating and extremely rare insight into a controlled world, through the eyes of a young British Mormon, dedicated to serving his church.

 

 

First Dates – Series 2
The observational documentary series returns, capturing the thrills, fears and loves of modern dating. The series once again follows daters who are hoping to find the love of their lives.

Using a fixed-rig, the series will film new couples each week in a unique restaurant – where everyone is on a first date. The programmes will show everything from faux pas to blossoming connections as it aims to see first love unfolding.

After each date, the couples will talk openly to the camera about their evening and answer the killer question – will they see each other again?

 

 

24 Hours in A&E – Series 5
The RTS award-winning 24 Hours in A&E returns for a new series, capturing dramatic and emotional stories of love, life and loss on the frontline of the NHS. The series is filmed around the clock at one of Britain’s busiest A&E departments at King’s College Hospital in south London. Each programme focuses on people who were treated within the same 24-hour period, capturing the joy and heartache faced by patients and their families, as well as the hard work and professionalism of the staff.

 

 

One Born Every Minute – Series 5
The popular observational series returns, this time set in the Westcountry, following the parents-to-be and hospital staff at the busy maternity unit of Southmead Hospital, Bristol. From births in the car park to emergencies in the operating theatre, this ground-breaking series promises more drama, tender moments and births than ever before.

 

 

Food Unwrapped – Series 3
Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt return with a new series of the food and science series that travels the world to lift the lid on what's really in the food we eat.