Schedule

Colombia has been in a state of civil war for over half a century. The biggest and most influential of the rebel groups that oppose the government is the FARC-EP. Since 2012, it’s been in peace talks with the government. We met with the rebels (almost half of whom are women) to find out why they joined the fight and what their hopes are for the long-awaited peace. 

In Tanzania, the tradition of child brides is still prevalent. Despite strict laws against this practice, promising harsh punishment for grooms and parents, young girls are still married off to much older men. In exchange, the family of the bride receives cows that it considers more useful than their daughter.

During the immigration influx of 2014 and 2015, Sweden accepted 244,178 asylum seekers – by far, the highest rate per capita in the EU. Since then, the rate of violent crime has soared, particularly for sexual assault, and the country now has 23 so-called ‘no-go zones’. Some Swedes are fed up with what they see as the authorities’ inaction, and have taken matters into their own hands.

In October 1917, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power under the banner of socialism and set out to build the world’s most equitable society. Today, capitalism prevails everywhere and crushing inequality and poverty is rampant around the globe. So, was the October Revolution really as significant as it seemed 100 years ago? We spoke to unrepentant Leninists from different backgrounds and parts of the world to find out.

Life was good for people in the Indonesian village of Semunying Jaya, comfortably living off the surrounding forests. That all changed when Duta Palma began to cut down the Dayak Iban people’s rainforest and replace it with oil palms. The corporation’s plantations have poisoned the environment, and now farming, fishing, and hunting are virtually impossible. But the villagers aren’t willing to give up without a fight.

According to a World Health Organisation report, a 1/3 of the world’s population lives without access to proper toilets. This causes natural water reserves to become contaminated with human waste, which in turn causes disease. India is just one of many countries in which rural populations suffer acutely as a direct result of poor, or no sanitation.

All things are hidden. In the suburbs of Beirut, Maria Finoshina is getting access to a hidden hospital, where civilians and fighters from the war in Syria get medical attention. The doctors have to keep the place secret from the Lebanese government. Meanwhile in London, reporter Harry Fear is lost in the urban jungle trying to find a location for his first interview. 

Some of the biggest news stories around the world. In News Team, an award-winning documentary crew traverses the globe, keeping up with the channel’s leading reporters as they cover the stand-off in Ukraine, the war in Syria, and the machinations in the EU’s corridors of power.

The cover of the night can be good or bad. Christians living in Lebanon are worried about the ISIS threat, and Maria Finoshina is investigating. Visiting a village close to the Syrian border, she joins a Christian militia mounting nighttime patrols to guard against ISIS infiltrators. Elsewhere, Paula Slier meets a man who uses the night to smuggle escaping refugees out of Syria and into Iraq.

On the Turkey-Syria border, Paula Slier reports on the Kurds who have come to defend their land from ISIS. She meets a 90-year-old woman who has travelled a long way to join the unarmed cordon. The volunteers see smoke rising from the town of Kabani, which for some, was once their home. Meanwhile, Harry Fear gets a haircut ready for his big day. 

It’s a tense time for Maria Finoshina as she makes contact with ISIS sympathisers in Lebanon. The team is led to a village close to the Syrian border, where they are given access to a small sleeper cell of ISIS fighters. The interviews are cut short and Maria and crew have to get away quickly. There’s a sigh of relief as they arrive safely back in Beirut. 

Maria Finoshina returns to Syria where war has raged for four years. On her way to Aleppo, the closest city to the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, she stops in a small Christian village, hit hard by zealous militants. Meanwhile, Roman Kosarev monitors sick children being evacuated to Moscow from Eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk.

In late 1966, Ernesto Che Guevara came to Bolivia to incite a guerrilla war, but he was largely unsuccessful in winning peasants over to his revolutionary cause. After 11 months, he was captured and executed. This film features the memories of people who met or had contact with this enigmatic, yet iconic figure during his final days. Their stories give insight into the reasons for his demise and his legacy in Bolivia. 

For 100 years, Jharia town in India has lived on top of a perpetually burning coal field. Once green and beautiful, the region is now scorched and barren, while its people are suffering from respiratory diseases. Despite the danger, most families daren’t relocate because coal provides their only means of income.

Jurij Kofner is an investigative journalist.  As a German, he’s worried about how relations have developed between his homeland and the US. His goal now is to reveal the extent to which his country is influenced by America’s global agenda. 

Meet China’s 'makers': inventors, engineers and visionaries whose innovations have the potential to shape the future of their country and the whole world. They let their imaginations fly and have fun with their creativity, making the process of building a business seem easy. 

Camp Sundown is no ordinary summer camp because the fun doesn't start until after dark. These campers live with rare genetic disorders that make exposure to sunlight very painful, or even deadly. Unable to repair skin cells that get damaged by natural light, they have to take numerous precautions and steer clear of all the fun usually associated with sun shine. At Camp Sundown, these extraordinary children can enjoy ordinary activities with peers from around the world who have the same condition.

Cyberbullying has caused teenage suicides all over the world. It knows no physical or moral boundaries and can even reach out to terrorise victims in the apparent safety of their own homes. No punch is too low for the anonymous trolls who use the internet to threaten, insult and intimidate.

The life in squalid shacks in the Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh is grim. But its residents, the Rohingya people, have no other choice. Their homeland of Myanmar doesn’t want them and doesn’t recognise their rights. In 2017, a ferocious army crackdown forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya to escape to safety in Bangladesh. RTD meets those who survived the violence and those who claim it never occurred.

Around 2 million refugees have entered Europe since 2015. One of the countries was the Netherlands. Boasting a liberal culture, Dutch society presented the newcomers with an environment strikingly different from what they were used to. However, despite the challenges, Holland seems to be making the integration work. We travel there to find out how the refugees are adapting to their new realities and who is helping them.

In Tanzania, the tradition of child brides is still prevalent. Despite strict laws against this practice, promising harsh punishment for grooms and parents, young girls are still married off to much older men. In exchange, the family of the bride receives cows that it considers more useful than their daughter.

In 1994, over a million people were killed in Rwanda when members of the Hutu tribe began to slaughter their Tutsi neighbours. Over 20 years on, citizens work every day to prevent the deadly schism from reopening in their society and everyone simply calls themselves Rwandan. RTD visits the first ever ballet school in Rwanda, where the young dancers strive to realise their dreams and give their country something better to be famous for than genocide.

In October 1917, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power under the banner of socialism and set out to build the world’s most equitable society. Today, capitalism prevails everywhere and crushing inequality and poverty is rampant around the globe. So, was the October Revolution really as significant as it seemed 100 years ago? We spoke to unrepentant Leninists from different backgrounds and parts of the world to find out.

Life was good for people in the Indonesian village of Semunying Jaya, comfortably living off the surrounding forests. That all changed when Duta Palma began to cut down the Dayak Iban people’s rainforest and replace it with oil palms. The corporation’s plantations have poisoned the environment, and now farming, fishing, and hunting are virtually impossible. But the villagers aren’t willing to give up without a fight.

In late 1966, Ernesto Che Guevara came to Bolivia to incite a guerrilla war, but he was largely unsuccessful in winning peasants over to his revolutionary cause. After 11 months, he was captured and executed. This film features the memories of people who met or had contact with this enigmatic, yet iconic figure during his final days. Their stories give insight into the reasons for his demise and his legacy in Bolivia. 

Sweden has a long history of welcoming refugees from military conflicts all around the world. The current refugee crisis is no exception. However, its scale is unprecedented and the country is still dealing with previous migration issues. Many are now asking if it’s all too much, even for Swedish hospitality.

Camp Sundown is no ordinary summer camp because the fun doesn't start until after dark. These campers live with rare genetic disorders that make exposure to sunlight very painful, or even deadly. Unable to repair skin cells that get damaged by natural light, they have to take numerous precautions and steer clear of all the fun usually associated with sun shine. At Camp Sundown, these extraordinary children can enjoy ordinary activities with peers from around the world who have the same condition.

Meet China’s 'makers': inventors, engineers and visionaries whose innovations have the potential to shape the future of their country and the whole world. They let their imaginations fly and have fun with their creativity, making the process of building a business seem easy. 

For 100 years, Jharia town in India has lived on top of a perpetually burning coal field. Once green and beautiful, the region is now scorched and barren, while its people are suffering from respiratory diseases. Despite the danger, most families daren’t relocate because coal provides their only means of income.

18-year-old Esteban Quispe Churata became world-famous as the “Bolivian Wall-E”. He is a self-taught robot maker who scours municipal dumps and flea markets to recycles e-waste for his inventive creations, many of which are inspired by movies. 

In 1994, over a million people were killed in Rwanda when members of the Hutu tribe began to slaughter their Tutsi neighbours. Over 20 years on, citizens work every day to prevent the deadly schism from reopening in their society and everyone simply calls themselves Rwandan. RTD visits the first ever ballet school in Rwanda, where the young dancers strive to realise their dreams and give their country something better to be famous for than genocide.

Cyberbullying has caused teenage suicides all over the world. It knows no physical or moral boundaries and can even reach out to terrorise victims in the apparent safety of their own homes. No punch is too low for the anonymous trolls who use the internet to threaten, insult and intimidate.

Jurij Kofner is an investigative journalist.  As a German, he’s worried about how relations have developed between his homeland and the US. His goal now is to reveal the extent to which his country is influenced by America’s global agenda. 

The life in squalid shacks in the Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh is grim. But its residents, the Rohingya people, have no other choice. Their homeland of Myanmar doesn’t want them and doesn’t recognise their rights. In 2017, a ferocious army crackdown forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya to escape to safety in Bangladesh. RTD meets those who survived the violence and those who claim it never occurred.

Around 2 million refugees have entered Europe since 2015. One of the countries was the Netherlands. Boasting a liberal culture, Dutch society presented the newcomers with an environment strikingly different from what they were used to. However, despite the challenges, Holland seems to be making the integration work. We travel there to find out how the refugees are adapting to their new realities and who is helping them.

Young Sofia Valiulina is entrusted with a lead role in “The Nutcracker” and now has to prove herself to her teachers. She’s technically capable of performing the role, but can she hold her nerve? Meanwhile, Arutyun decides not to wait for his injured foot to heal completely before making a return to the stage.

The Russian Ballet Theatre goes on a tour of Germany. A gruelling schedule leaves them no time for rest or sightseeing. Checking into a different city every day, they need to quickly adapt to new places and stages…some of which prove extraordinary difficult to dance on.

The tour of Germany has a gruelling schedule and it’s beginning to take its toll on the ballet dancers. Dmitry is under the weather and Anna’s desperate for a day off, but they have no time to relax. Next stop is Frankfurt – the first German city to welcome the Russian dancers. Here they’ll encounter a very demanding audience.

The Russian Ballet company’s exhausting tour of Germany has come to an end, but there’s no time to relax. The decision has been made to stage “The Last Tango”, a production that had previously been cancelled due to Anna’s illness. The team takes on this new challenge.

"Arabesque" is an international ballet competition held in Russia.  A victory here is a significant achievement that can launch an emerging talent's career. In this episode, we meet young hopefuls from Russia and across the world are ready to take on the competition.

In this episode, we spend more time with two of the "Arabesque" ballet competition contestants. Anna and Ivan are married and both work at the Natalya Sats Children’s Music Theatre, where they’re dance partners. During a rehearsal, Anna breaks her foot, putting the couple’s participation in jeopardy.