Schedule

Correspondent Harry Fear heads to the notorious Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre outside London to do a story about an Afghan inmate who has reportedly been denied treatment for hepatitis for five months. However, on arriving at the prison-like facility, Harry isn’t allowed in, and the detainee doesn’t answer his phone. The producers in Moscow insist that he do a report anyway, so Harry has to come up with a way to salvage his story.

They call it “The Grey Zone” – the village of Zaitsevo found itself caught between two warring sides: Ukraine’s Armed Forces and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Residents are hostages to the ongoing conflict; they sleep to the sound of artillery fire, never knowing if they’ll survive the night. 

There's not much life on the 80th parallel north, close to the northernmost point in the world. It's a vast icy desert with the occasional polar bear or walrus seen in the distance. Russian researchers are making their way there aboard the Akademik Tryoshnikov to wedge into an ice floe and simply, 'go with it'. Drifting polar stations were first set up in the 1930s, but became too risky when rising temperatures started causing the ice caps to melt. RTD joins the experimental Transarktika-2019 expedition on a month-long voyage to revive the drifting polar missions.

James Brown enlists and is sent to boot camp, where he will see if he has what it takes to become one of Russia's elite Airborne Troops or VDV.

James Brown joins the paratroopers' mountain division, where he and his comrades engage the enemy in wargames. 

The Siberian tiger was recently on the brink of extinction, but it is now roaming Chinese forests once more. RTD travels to Hunchun National Nature Reserve on the country’s north-eastern border with Russia to stalk its most magnificent beast and learn from rangers and scientists about what it takes to save these awe-inspiring kings of the wild.

In the poorest regions of India, widows are a burden. Formerly, they would be burnt alive while their husbands were cremated. Today, many widows are made to leave their families and forced to beg in the streets. Fortunately, some Hindu monasteries are able to offer shelter and hope to these betrayed women.

In Sierra Leone, the deadly Ebola virus continues to take its toll on people who beat it. After being cured, former patients often face ignorance and stigma within their communities. RTD shares the stories of survivors, struggling to rebuild their lives while fighting to be accepted by society.

Oscar and Glen visit­­­­­­ a town nestled in the Caucasus Mountains, renowned in ancient times for some of the world’s finest steel weapons and armour. After visiting a local swordsmith, the ‘gastronauts’ try their hands at making a unique Dagestani flatbread before sitting down for a feast including lamb shish kebabs.

Kidnapping girls to marry them is common practice in Kyrgyzstan. Some of those couples live happily together for the rest of their lives, but a lot of the women can never put up with the shame of forced marriage and sometimes take their own lives. 

Correspondent Harry Fear heads to the notorious Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre outside London to do a story about an Afghan inmate who has reportedly been denied treatment for hepatitis for five months. However, on arriving at the prison-like facility, Harry isn’t allowed in, and the detainee doesn’t answer his phone. The producers in Moscow insist that he do a report anyway, so Harry has to come up with a way to salvage his story.

After decades of political antagonism with the West, the Soviet Union made its first Olympic appearance in the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki.The USSR’s team shocked the world, leaving European countries and Australia in the dust, coming in second only to the USA. It was hard to believe that some of the gold medal winners had been wounded in World War II or nearly starved during the siege of Leningrad. A number had even survived multiple Nazi concentration camps. Team’s members describe how they overcame hardships to achieve remarkable victories for their country.

The Chukchi, an indigenous population in Russia's far northeast, have hunted marine mammals for centuries. RTD travels to the largest ethnic settlement of Chukotka to meet the whale hunters. They learn what it takes to land a big catch and why their job is crucial to the survival of their community.

More than 4,000 people with haemophilia in the UK have contracted HIV or hepatitis C, and in some cases both, from contaminated blood products imported from the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Patients who already lived with a rare and severe disorder received the infected drug derived from blood donations of up to 40,000 people, including prisoners and drug users. Only decades later, after hundreds had died as a direct result of contamination, were victims and their families given a chance to find the truth behind the contaminated blood scandal. In April 2019, a Public Inquiry opened, hearing victim testimonies around the country. RTD travels to the UK to hear from infected blood victims and campaigners seeking answers and desperate to know why, and how, the tragedy was allowed to happen.

While violence in Gaza continues unabated, local children and teenagers still pursue their everyday interests. RTD follows students of a Gaza City music school who have lived through three major military conflicts since 2008. Despite their experiences, they remain hopeful that peace will eventually come. Until then, they seek comfort in music.

Letters written by a young man, Flip Slier, while condemned to the Nazi’s concentration camps, were found during a renovation of an old house in Amsterdam. RT correspondent and Flip’s relative, Paula Slier, goes on a personal journey to learn about his fate and those of 119 of her relatives who were killed in death camps.

Dubbed the Philippines' last ecological frontier, Palawan Island is in danger from massive deforestation. Stretches of virgin rainforest are being razed to make way for industries taking over Palawan's natural resources. To save the island and its forest-based indigenous tribes, ecological activists take the fight into their own hands, capturing loggers and their equipment, demolishing unsanctioned logging sites and exposing corrupt officials.

Yellow Vests protests have been sweeping over France since November 2018. Priscillia Ludosky, who launched the anti-tax petition that sparked the movement; Ghislain Coutard, who came up with the idea of using warning vests as a symbol; and Jerome Rodrigues, who became the face of the movement after being partially blinded by a rubber bullet, explain why common people in small-town France are so angry.

Civil rights were supposed to give African Americans access to the American Dream. But after decades of legal equality, many feel an entire system is stopping them from being successful. Black Lives Matter activists blame systemic racism and White supremacy, but an activist Imam and a Trump-supporting pastor question the whole American Dream.

Their death defying stunts are scary to watch. Their videos tempt young fans to emulate their exploits. However, these adrenaline junkies publish them anyway in pursuit of internet fame. Russia’s self-proclaimed ‘Spiderman’ even took on a 70-storey building without protection to promote his name. RTD spent a week with the craziest Russian ‘rooftoppers’ to find out what motivates them… and what price they are ready to pay for more likes.

They call it “The Grey Zone” – the village of Zaitsevo found itself caught between two warring sides: Ukraine’s Armed Forces and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Residents are hostages to the ongoing conflict; they sleep to the sound of artillery fire, never knowing if they’ll survive the night. 

There's not much life on the 80th parallel north, close to the northernmost point in the world. It's a vast icy desert with the occasional polar bear or walrus seen in the distance. Russian researchers are making their way there aboard the Akademik Tryoshnikov to wedge into an ice floe and simply, 'go with it'. Drifting polar stations were first set up in the 1930s, but became too risky when rising temperatures started causing the ice caps to melt. RTD joins the experimental Transarktika-2019 expedition on a month-long voyage to revive the drifting polar missions.

In the poorest regions of India, widows are a burden. Formerly, they would be burnt alive while their husbands were cremated. Today, many widows are made to leave their families and forced to beg in the streets. Fortunately, some Hindu monasteries are able to offer shelter and hope to these betrayed women.

In Sierra Leone, the deadly Ebola virus continues to take its toll on people who beat it. After being cured, former patients often face ignorance and stigma within their communities. RTD shares the stories of survivors, struggling to rebuild their lives while fighting to be accepted by society.

Oscar and Glen visit­­­­­­ a town nestled in the Caucasus Mountains, renowned in ancient times for some of the world’s finest steel weapons and armour. After visiting a local swordsmith, the ‘gastronauts’ try their hands at making a unique Dagestani flatbread before sitting down for a feast including lamb shish kebabs.

The International Tchaikovsky Competition, first held over 50 years ago, is a highly prestigious award in the classical music world. It attracts well-established and less well-known musicians from all over the world. They all come hoping for glory and international recognition though only one can win.

Correspondent Harry Fear heads to the notorious Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre outside London to do a story about an Afghan inmate who has reportedly been denied treatment for hepatitis for five months. However, on arriving at the prison-like facility, Harry isn’t allowed in, and the detainee doesn’t answer his phone. The producers in Moscow insist that he do a report anyway, so Harry has to come up with a way to salvage his story.

Kidnapping girls to marry them is common practice in Kyrgyzstan. Some of those couples live happily together for the rest of their lives, but a lot of the women can never put up with the shame of forced marriage and sometimes take their own lives. 

Guns have historically been a distinct feature of American life, but school shootings that have become more frequent recently have raised a question whether the US government should ban people from keeping guns at home.

After decades of political antagonism with the West, the Soviet Union made its first Olympic appearance in the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki.The USSR’s team shocked the world, leaving European countries and Australia in the dust, coming in second only to the USA. It was hard to believe that some of the gold medal winners had been wounded in World War II or nearly starved during the siege of Leningrad. A number had even survived multiple Nazi concentration camps. Team’s members describe how they overcame hardships to achieve remarkable victories for their country.

The Chukchi, an indigenous population in Russia's far northeast, have hunted marine mammals for centuries. RTD travels to the largest ethnic settlement of Chukotka to meet the whale hunters. They learn what it takes to land a big catch and why their job is crucial to the survival of their community.

More than 4,000 people with haemophilia in the UK have contracted HIV or hepatitis C, and in some cases both, from contaminated blood products imported from the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Patients who already lived with a rare and severe disorder received the infected drug derived from blood donations of up to 40,000 people, including prisoners and drug users. Only decades later, after hundreds had died as a direct result of contamination, were victims and their families given a chance to find the truth behind the contaminated blood scandal. In April 2019, a Public Inquiry opened, hearing victim testimonies around the country. RTD travels to the UK to hear from infected blood victims and campaigners seeking answers and desperate to know why, and how, the tragedy was allowed to happen.

They can hold their breath for several minutes and slow their heart rate to almost nothing. Free divers plunge to incredible depths with no scuba gear. They push themselves to the limit to break new records but despite the serious risks involved, they can’t resist the call of the deep.

While violence in Gaza continues unabated, local children and teenagers still pursue their everyday interests. RTD follows students of a Gaza City music school who have lived through three major military conflicts since 2008. Despite their experiences, they remain hopeful that peace will eventually come. Until then, they seek comfort in music.

Letters written by a young man, Flip Slier, while condemned to the Nazi’s concentration camps, were found during a renovation of an old house in Amsterdam. RT correspondent and Flip’s relative, Paula Slier, goes on a personal journey to learn about his fate and those of 119 of her relatives who were killed in death camps.

The Siberian tiger was recently on the brink of extinction, but it is now roaming Chinese forests once more. RTD travels to Hunchun National Nature Reserve on the country’s north-eastern border with Russia to stalk its most magnificent beast and learn from rangers and scientists about what it takes to save these awe-inspiring kings of the wild.

Dubbed the Philippines' last ecological frontier, Palawan Island is in danger from massive deforestation. Stretches of virgin rainforest are being razed to make way for industries taking over Palawan's natural resources. To save the island and its forest-based indigenous tribes, ecological activists take the fight into their own hands, capturing loggers and their equipment, demolishing unsanctioned logging sites and exposing corrupt officials.

As a transsexual, Yury Ovodov or "Julia" believes that he is actually a woman, and his decision to act the part has alienated his family and stunted his career prospects. However, he claims that he wouldn't be able to live with himself as a male. RTd follows a person trapped between two identities as he seeks acceptance, both from his community and from himself.

Becoming a professional ballerina is a journey that begins at a young age and is extremely competitive. We meet young girls devoting their lives to the profession, as well as the women, who end up on the very top, performing on stage at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

Oscar and Glen visit­­­­­­ a town nestled in the Caucasus Mountains, renowned in ancient times for some of the world’s finest steel weapons and armour. After visiting a local swordsmith, the ‘gastronauts’ try their hands at making a unique Dagestani flatbread before sitting down for a feast including lamb shish kebabs.

Yellow Vests protests have been sweeping over France since November 2018. Priscillia Ludosky, who launched the anti-tax petition that sparked the movement; Ghislain Coutard, who came up with the idea of using warning vests as a symbol; and Jerome Rodrigues, who became the face of the movement after being partially blinded by a rubber bullet, explain why common people in small-town France are so angry.

Correspondent Harry Fear heads to the notorious Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre outside London to do a story about an Afghan inmate who has reportedly been denied treatment for hepatitis for five months. However, on arriving at the prison-like facility, Harry isn’t allowed in, and the detainee doesn’t answer his phone. The producers in Moscow insist that he do a report anyway, so Harry has to come up with a way to salvage his story.

Civil rights were supposed to give African Americans access to the American Dream. But after decades of legal equality, many feel an entire system is stopping them from being successful. Black Lives Matter activists blame systemic racism and White supremacy, but an activist Imam and a Trump-supporting pastor question the whole American Dream.

Their death defying stunts are scary to watch. Their videos tempt young fans to emulate their exploits. However, these adrenaline junkies publish them anyway in pursuit of internet fame. Russia’s self-proclaimed ‘Spiderman’ even took on a 70-storey building without protection to promote his name. RTD spent a week with the craziest Russian ‘rooftoppers’ to find out what motivates them… and what price they are ready to pay for more likes.

On a bluff overlooking a scenic river near the picturesque hamlet of Tarusa, Oscar mentions to Glen it’s the perfect place to find a duck – and eat one. However, first, they have to shoot it! Luckily, a local gunsmith helps them out, and the pair has great fun running around in the woods playing Rambo. But will the ‘gastronauts’ bag their bird?

They are often called Europe’s last barbarians. Photographic and video images recording their centuries-old activities have shocked people.  Despite the international controversy that surrounds their traditional and bloody slaughter of pilot whales, the Faroese claim they have the right to continue doing it. But why?