Benefits Street - Season 1

Episodes

Season 1Episode 150 min

Episode 1

Viewers are introduced to the residents of James Turner Street in Birmingham, where there is a high proportion of benefit claimants. Residents are seen committing crimes, such as benefit fraud, cannabis cultivation and shoplifting, with the programme including a demonstration of how to steal designer clothes and remove the security tags. Shoplifter Danny is returned to prison after breaching an anti-social behaviour order that excluded him from the city centre, while Fungi, another resident takes free magazines from a hotel lobby and sells them on the streets for £2.50. Smoggy, a reformed ex-convict sells 50p sachets of sugar and washing powder to raise money for himself. The street's sense of community is highlighted too, as White Dee—styled as the "mother" of the street because everyone turns to her for advice—offers Black Dee advice when she is threatened with eviction, and attempts to help Fungi to overcome his drug habit.

Season 1Episode 250 min

Episode 2

This week’s episode showed the disruption caused by Romanian arrivals. Fourteen Romanians living in one house started a metal collection business. They rooted through everyone else’s bin bags looking for scrap and left a mess the council refused to clean up. Emotions were running high and we saw Fungi abusing a Romanian woman. It made distressing viewing, especially since last week he was more loveable rogue than bigot. Contrary to what its critics allege, though, the programme does not present people as simple stereotypes.

Season 1Episode 350 min

Episode 3

Episode three focuses on the children of the families on James Turner Street. The episode deals with Sam, whose son has been taken away from her because of her addiction to heroin. The programme also features Mark and Becky, a young couple struggling to raise their two young children. Children are seen swearing and misbehaving, while White Dee reprimands her son for losing his bicycle.

Season 1Episode 450 min

Episode 4

The fourth episode deals with ambition. White Dee's 15-year-old daughter wishes to follow a career as a gym instructor and undertakes work experience at a leisure centre. SB, an aspiring model who left her abusive partner has her children schooled at home, and finds work in a local takeaway. Fungi, whose electricity has been cut off, and has no contact with his children, experiences personal disappointment when a planned meeting with his son is cancelled by the boy's adoptive parents.

Season 1Episode 550 min

Episode 5

The final episode of the series sees the breakdown of the relationship between Hannah and her Zimbabwean partner, Simba who she leaves after he loses his benefits because he failed to renew his visa and starts drinking excessively. She is rehoused by the local authority, while he is left without an income because of his lapsed immigration status. Fungi goes for hospital tests after discovering a lump on his chest. He is relieved to learn it is not cancerous, but is told it is being aggravated by his lifestyle of drink and drugs. Information technology worker Ewan takes part in a cleanup initiative as the street prepares to enter a Britain in Bloom contest.

Season 1Episode 650 min

The Last Word

Following the immense reaction to Benefits Street from dozens of headlines to questions in parliament, this follow-up documentary gives the residents of James Turner Street the chance to discuss their experiences of being on benefits and their perspectives on the welfare system. The programme features a number of interviews with some of the key contributors to the series.

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Running

Below Deck Mediterranean

With a new boat, new location, and new faces, the excitement, drama, and adventure of life aboard a private luxury yacht is taken to another level in the Mediterranean. Providing unparalleled service to wealthy and uncompromising guests is made even more difficult as the team faces everything from love triangles to seeing fellow crew members shockingly cross the line with guests. Voyaging from Santorini, Mykonos, and many of the Greek islands, each episode features a new group of elite clientele who present a new set of challenges, all while offering the crew a glamorous lifestyle and exotic perks that most people only dream of experiencing. For these young, attractive, and adventurous yachties, the "work hard, play harder" nature of the job combined with the pressure of working in the most exclusive yachting scene in the world pushes the team close to the breaking point on Below Deck Mediterranean.

GenreDrama, Travel

Teen Titans Go!

Running

Teen Titans Go!

Teen Titans Go! is a character-driven comedy series focuses on the funny that happens in between saving the world and living together as teenagers without adult supervision. The comedic mayhem of the animated series is punctuated by pranks and the occasional need to fight crime, but it will also deal with the everyday issues of adolescence. With epic staring contests to decide who does the laundry, a series of quests and battles to construct the perfect sandwich or fighting crime in Jump City, one thing is for sure, these Titans will always be ready for an adventure inside the house and out.

GenreComedy, Action, Science-Fiction

Dark Matter

Running

Dark Matter

Hailed as one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade, Dark Matter is a story about the road not taken. The series follows Jason Dessen, a physicist, professor, and family man who – one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago – is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the multiverse of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of mind-bending realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself.

GenreScience-Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

🍪 We use cookies to provide necessary website functionality and improve your experience. You can review our Cookies Policy to learn more. By using our website, you agree to these policies.