Eurovision Secrets & Scandals (2022)

Det svenska schlagerkriget

After ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 Sweden was tasked with hosting it the next year. This documentary tells the story of that production and places it in the social and political context of Sweden in 1975 and a music scene that was anything but supportive of the endeavour.

Eurovision: 30 Unforgettable Moments

Celebrating the most spectacular moments in Eurovision's long history, including the outlandish outfits and gimmicks that have made the competition so very memorable over the years.

Synonymous With

A student's increasingly intimate line of questioning causes his interview with a local horror host to take a vulnerable turn.

Goodbye Television Centre

After 53 years Television Centre, the BBC's TV headquarters, is closing its doors and Michael Grade gathers together many of its best-loved faces to stroll down memory lane.

ABBA Silver, ABBA Gold

ABBA Silver, ABBA Gold takes Abba from the Swedish heats of the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, where their song 'Waterloo' swept all before it, right up to today's new CGI performances.

Celine Dion: Rise of a Diva

In 1988, 20-year-old Céline Dion won Eurovision for Switzerland with the song ‘Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi’, a moment that kickstarted her international career and propelled the young Celine to world fame. This documentary looks back through the archives at an event that changed the Quebec singer's life, with interviews from the song’s composer as well as from Scott Fitzgerald, the British singer who was runner up at Eurovision 1988, beaten by just one point.

Eurovision at 60

Hosts and competitors tell the behind-the-scenes story of 60 years of Eurovision, the greatest and maddest song contest on earth.

Sounds Like Teen Spirit

A 2008 documentary and debut feature film of Bafta-Award nominated director Jamie Jay Johnson. It follows the lives of the participants of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007, specifically the entrants from Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Georgia. The film sees them proceed from the national finals that saw them crowned the representatives of their country through to the international song festival itself held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands where they each compete against 16 other acts.

VHS Revolution

Using testimonies by pioneers and witnesses of the times, delve into the feverish visual culture the media generated – with far-fetched examples of canine television games, seduction manuals, aerobics class while holding a baby, among others.

Disclosure

An investigation of how Hollywood's fabled stories have deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves.

ABBA Forever: A Celebration

This definitive music documentary, featuring a greatest hits soundtrack and bounty of classic performance clips, provides an inside look into how Swedish pop group ABBA's music was made, as the former members and various colleagues tell their story from pre-ABBA days onward.

This is CEEFAX

A look-behind-the-scenes at a television development that could be in everyone's home in just a few years' time. Reporter Angela Rippon tells the story of CEEFAX - the BBC's latest form of broadcasting. She visits Kingswood Warren where BBC Research Department 'boffins' developed it; and looks at some of its uses: News, weather, travel, sports results, farm prices and business information.

Exporting Raymond

A documentary on Phil Rosenthal's experiences during the making of "Voroniny," the Russian-language version of "Everybody Loves Raymond".

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most influential children's show in television history. From the iconic furry characters to the classic songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed the world.

The Punk Voyage

In December 2016 a remarkable chapter in music history was closed as the Finnish punk rock band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät (PKN) retired. Punk Voyage is a feature length documentary film about the last years of the band, with all the ups and downs included. After becoming celebrities in Finland, this incredible quartet continued to conquer new fans around the World. In its seven years run PKN played nearly 300 gigs in 16 countries. In 2015 the band was selected to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest, where they played to over 100 million television spectators. However, the busy traveling and success created a lot of pressure within the band: Kari struggled with the temptations and responsibilities brought by publicity; Sami extended his territory to politics and religion; Toni's and the band's roadie Niila's crush to the the same girl caused conflicts; and Pertti, tired of this all, decided to retire.

The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story

A journey behind the scenes of the Nickelodeon television network to chronicle its unprecedented success, from its humble origins as a small local channel to its status as an international phenomenon that helped shape an entire generation of children.

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession

A documentary on the Z Channel, one of the first pay cable stations in the US, and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974, the LA-based channel's eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.

A Song Called Hate

The pro-Palestinian, anti-capitalist, BDSM-provocative, techno-punk performance art ensemble Hatari unsurprisingly drew attention to themselves with their performance at the Icelandic qualifiers for the Eurovision Song Contest. So much so that they won and therefore were allowed to perform at the main event in Tel Aviv. But what now? Should they boycott the event, swallow their idealism, or use their airtime to criticise the host country for their illegal occupation of Palestine? The Icelandic director Anna Hildur joins the boys in the band all the way to the fateful final.

imagine… Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me

imagine... follows celebrated British TV writer Russell T Davies as he prepares to return as the showrunner of Doctor Who – with two Doctors and bigger ambitions.

Behind Your Radio Dial

Familiar radio voice Ben Grauer leads the viewer on a behind the scenes tour of the National Broadcasting Company studios -- both radio and television -- in Rockefeller Center and Hollywood. The original 25-minute film previewed by network execs and affiliates in the fall of 1948 was cut down to 20 minutes before its first broadcast, reportedly to excise high-profile stars and programs such as Amos 'n' Andy, Jack Benny, and Edgar Bergen that had since left NBC for other networks.

Liverpool. The Blue and Yellow Submarine

A documentary project that shows viewers behind the scenes of this cultural exchange and explores the current processes of integrating Ukrainian culture into the European context. The heroes of the project are the participants and visitors of the festival, who demonstrate with their own stories the unique connection and cultural integration of Ukraine into the plane of Liverpool, one of the cultural capitals of Europe. In particular, Sarah Fisher, director of Liverpool's Open eye gallery, Yuliia Kurinna, a volunteer and displaced person from Nova Kakhovka, and actor and director Yurii Radionov will share their thoughts.

Rise Like A Phoenix

Eurovision aka the Gay World Cup. A poetic documentary about Eurovision Song Contest fans. The film hears the intimate testimonies of what the contest means to them.

Graham Meets Olly

Olly Alexander is preparing to fulfil one of his biggest life ambitions - to represent the United Kingdom in the much-loved Eurovision Song Contest. Ahead of the grand final in May, Olly joins fellow Eurovision lover and commentator Graham Norton to talk candidly about competing in Sweden. As an extra treat for Eurovision fans, Olly reveals the first full play of the music video on TV for his Eurovision song Dizzy.

Kalush Orchestra, or How We Stopped Worrying and Won Eurovision During the War

A documentary story about the participation and victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 by the Ukrainian band Kalush Orkestra.

The Story of Soaps

This ABC/PEOPLE television special highlights the impact of the soap opera. In today's shifting television landscape, "The Story of Soaps" traces how female creators migrated from radio to television to become the dominant force in daytime for more than three decades. Today, the legacy of the soap opera continues all over prime time and reality t.v. An extensive look is taken at this iconic, impactful genre.

Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live

A retrospective of the first 5 years of Saturday Night Live.

What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

A documentary exploring the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the reasons it went from the black sheep of Star Trek to a beloved mainstay of the franchise, and a brainstorm with the original writers on what a theoretical eighth season of the show could look like.

Lucy and Desi

Explore the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy of one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz risked everything to be together.

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You

Arguably the most influential creator, writer, and producer in the history of television, Norman Lear brought primetime into step with the times. Using comedy and indelible characters, his legendary 1970s shows such as All In the Family, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons, boldly cracked open dialogue and shifted the national consciousness, injecting enlightened humanism into sociopolitical debates on race, class, creed, and feminism.

ABBA: How They Won Eurovision

Celebrating 50 years since ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 with Waterloo, through the extraordinary and entertaining story of how international stardom almost didn't happen for the group.

Fünf Hamburger nach Liverpool - Die Reise von Lord Of The Lost zum ESC

Documentary following Germany's representatives Lord of the Lost on their journey to Eurovision.

The Native Hue of Resolution

A documentary celebrating 20 years of the work of Kaleidoscope, an organisation devoted to the preservation of archive television.

Lena, Stefan & Co. - Peter Urbans 25 legendäre ESC-Jahre

Peter Urban has commentated Eurovision for German audiences for 25 years and as he is stepping down he takes a look back at his memories and the evolution of the contest during that time.

Ruth Lyons: First Lady of Television

Even though her program was only seen in four Midwestern cities, Ruth Lyons presided over America's highest-rated daytime TV talk show for nearly two decades! This documentary draws upon rare and previously undiscovered footage, along with comments from associates and admirers to create a portrait of an outspoken, multi-talented woman who became one of the most beloved and influential figures in TV history. Featuring the Recollections Of: Carol Channing, John Davidson, Phyllis Diller, Phil Donahue, David Letterman, Johnny Mathis, Peter Nero, Bonnie Lou, Nick Clooney, Oscar Robertson and many others, along with archival audio and video of Ruth Lyons' 50-50 Club.

Lance Loud!: A Death in An American Family

Eldest son Lance, of the Loud family profiled on PBS in 1973, became the first openly gay man on television and a gay icon for his generation. When Lance entered hospice in 2001 with a terminal HIV and hepatitis C co-infection, he asked original filmmakers Susan and Alan Raymond to film a final episode of the series. Lance reflects upon his days with Andy Warhol, his band The Mumps, a career as a writer and the experience of being the first reality TV star. It is a celebration of life and a cautionary tale.

Worst Kept Secret: The Subwoolfer Documentary

It started with a writing camp and a banana... and became a phenomenon that captivated Eurovision fans across the world. But who could possibly be behind the masks? Worst Kept Secret tells the story of Subwoolfer - Norway's iconic Eurovision entry in 2022 and the first ever anonymous yellow wolves from space to grace the Eurovision Song Contest stage. Finally the identities of Jim and Keith have been revealed... but not everything was always as it seemed.

Eurovision Calling: Jason and Chelcee’s Ultimate Guide

Comedian Jason Manford and singer-songwriter Chelcee Grimes present Eurovision Calling: Jason and Chelcee’s Ultimate Guide. This entertainment programme will see the pair explore why the Eurovision Song Contest is the greatest show on Earth. Using a mix of fascinating archive footage and revealing interviews with fans, experts and competitors, this one hour film will delve into the story of how the Contest has become the world’s largest live music event, creating global superstars and leaving an impact on the lives of many.

Eurovision: Everyone’s a Winner

From Liverpool's world-famous waterfront, Fleur East presents a special Top 20 Eurovision Countdown - songs that missed out on the big prize but still went on to become monster hits. Compiled by combining worldwide online streaming and viewing figures, Fleur reveals the Eurovision entries watched and listened to in their millions.

Sam Ryder: Road to Eurovision

Sam became a viral TikTok star during the pandemic, reaching a huge fanbase of 12 million people. We follow his journey as he represents the UK at the 66th Eurovision Song Contest

An American Family at 50

TV special revisiting the documentary series that became a media sensation 50 years ago and birthed a new television genre. Examines the enduring significance of the series, which chronicled seven months in the lives of the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California.