Modern Times — Season 5

Feb 1997

Documentary looking at the growing of mangetouts on a farm in Zimbabwe for Tesco. Follows Mark Dady the produce buyer on his annual visit to the Chipaware farm and Claire Montague who throws a dinner party serving mange tout to her guests.

Mar 1997

Contemplates the future of Hong Kong, once it is handed back to the Chinese, with comments from old colonials, young entrepreneurs both British and Chinese.

Mar 1997

Documentary following Steve and Michaela's wedding plans. Before they can get married Steve has to convert to Judaism and the documentary follows the long process that he goes through.

Mar 19971h

In 1951, scientists removed cancerous cells from American Henrietta Lacks just before she died in the hope that they held the secret of how to conquer cancer.

Mar 1997

If you were told you had a fortune to spend, but only a year to live, what would you do? Terminally-ill people can now cash in their life policies and use the money to fulfil their dreams. Tonight's programme follows two such people as they set out to enjoy themselves.

Apr 1997

You can tell a lot about people from the mess that they make, and cleaners have the most intimate vantage point from which to view others. From daily helps to street cleaners, these are the stories of the sights that are seen, and the lives that are led, by those who do other people's dirty work.

Apr 1997

The world of business is becoming increasingly competitive, but what happens when the going gets too tough? Four men, driven to succeed, found the pressure led them to despair. These are the moving stories of families where the men have either disappeared, committed suicide, or simply given up everything

Apr 1997

What is it really like to be a juror? What are the personal ramifications of sitting through a high profile trial, exposed to harrowing evidence? Forthe first time, jurors - all of whom have served on highly distressing murder trials - talk frankly about the trauma of what they have seen and heard.

Apr 1997

As the influence of organised religion wanes, more and more people are devising alternatives to the traditional methods of burying the dead. One man ordered a bubble-wrapped cardboard coffin to lay his aunt to rest in, while another has built up a funeral superstore in what used to be a carpet warehouse. From pagan ceremonies to burial in a wicker basket, the programme looks at the different ways people are saying their last goodbyes.

Apr 1997

What do the British public really want to talk about? It's not politics it seems, but sex and relationships. In the intimacy of the hairdresser's chair, people happily confess their personal tales of birth, love and death. Shot secretly from behind a mirror, this film captures the surprising secrets of ordinary lives.