Dispatches - Season 34 / Year 2019

New year, new diet? Dispatches investigates the rising popularity of veganism. It's better for your health, the environment and animals but why do some activists resort to such extreme tactics to promote it? Reporter Morland Sanders meets farmers who feel increasingly worried about some vegan protests, and looks into the ideology behind the diet, speciesism.

As the number of children leaving mainstream education in favour of home education doubles, Dispatches investigates the reasons behind this dramatic rise and the impact it is having on the young people who are now learning at home in the UK. Children's Commissioner for England Anne Longfield considers whether the rights of parents to remove their child from school are coming before the education, and even the safety, of children.

With promised speeds of 250mph, the HS2 high-speed train line from London to Birmingham will be one of the world's fastest passenger trains. From April, the government will plough over ?ú4 billion a year into this single railway, for the next ten years: equivalent to two-thirds of state spending on the entire national rail network. But how much demand is there for a multi-billion-pound high-speed line connecting London to Birmingham, and then Manchester and Leeds, when the capital is already connected to these cities? As the construction of HS2 begins in earnest, Dispatches hears from those calling for HS2 to be cancelled and from northern commuters furious that it will siphon off cash needed to improve the state of their local rail services. The boss of HS2 defends the project but political insiders tell Dispatches that the HS2 line may stop in the Midlands, ignoring the north altogether.

Dispatches investigates the response of the London Fire Brigade to the Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people, and asks whether the brigade's decision to tell residents to stay put contributed to the high death toll. Through interviews with survivors and firefighters, and using critical new evidence released by the public inquiry, this programme explores if a lack of training meant that firefighters were ill-equipped to cope with a fire of this kind. The LFB commissioner Dany Cotton says she 'wouldn't change anything' about her brigade's response on the night. But could more have been done?

In a television first, cameras are allowed inside a women's refuge to follow the stories of women who are fleeing from violent partners, and who have agreed to be identified.

Former Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe examines why there has been a rise in knife crime and asks what Britain needs to do to get the problem under control.

Dispatches investigates those who have got rich since the referendum, capitalising on the almost unprecedented political uncertainty around Britain's exit from the EU. Entering the world of the super-rich, the programme looks at those who have reportedly made millions by 'shorting', or betting against Britain. Reporter Antony Barnett also examines other financial winners post-referendum, from the politicians paid for speeches and advisory roles to the consultancy firms brought in to help government in this turbulent time. The reality is that most will not be able to profit on the scale of the political and business elite. Barnett also explores the other side of the story, meeting the people who don't have the means to Brexit-proof their livelihoods.

Kate Quilton asks if formula milk is being priced fairly, and whether claims made for it are unbiased and scientifically proven

Dispatches reveals the shocking conditions that tenants of one of Britain's biggest social landlords are being forced to live in. A year-long investigation finds that Sanctuary Housing left family homes in disrepair. The programme uncovers evidence that this had a critical impact on the health of some of their most vulnerable tenants. As the housing association has grown, official channels of complaint have failed to force it to act reasonably, leaving residents feeling voiceless. In desperation they've turned to social media to share their experiences and offer support. Dispatches asks: are housing associations the new landlords from hell?

Thousands of British personnel employed by the UK defence company BAE help keep fighter jets sold to the Saudi air force flying so that they can launch air strikes on Yemen, in a bombing campaign that's killed an estimated 4000 civilians, and helped create a famine in which perhaps 80,000 children have died from starvation. British military officers also work in the Saudi Air Operations Centre from where bombing is directed. Dispatches investigates the extent to which the war in Yemen is made in Britain.

In Britain today, there are 3.7 million EU workers. But in the wake of the Brexit vote, the number of new arrivals has plunged, giving us a taste of what life without migrants might be like. Reporter Seyi Rhodes travels across the UK in the run-up to Brexit to find out what's happening in key sectors of the economy: agriculture, social care and healthcare. The Leave campaign painted a lurid picture of a land swamped by cheap migrant labour.

In the wake of the Jeremy Kyle Show's cancellation after the death of a guest on the programme, Dispatches investigates what lies behind the headlines, what went wrong and who might be to blame. Talking to insiders and former guests, Morland Sanders examines the culture of Kyle's show and others and asks what its abrupt end might mean for the future of reality television.

As President Trump touches down in the UK, a post-Brexit trade deal is top of the agenda. And one of the most controversial issues is whether we will have to accept chemically washed American chicken as part of a deal. It's been banned in the EU for more than 20 years because of concerns that it masks poor hygiene practices in other parts of the supply chain, but now that we are leaving the EU, should we be worried? Dispatches goes undercover in a major US poultry processing plant to investigate. Reporter Kate Quilton meets whistle-blowers and industry insiders who claim that the Trump administration's close relationship with the industry may mean that the worst is yet to come.

Dispatches runs a world-first experiment to reduce hundreds of primary school children's exposure to toxic air, and discovers that unidentified toxins are coming off every vehicle, even electric ones

A major investigation for Dispatches reveals how thousands of unsafe medicines used to treat conditions like prostate cancer, schizophrenia and epilepsy were dispensed to NHS patients

Reporter Abbie Eastwood investigates whether breast implants are making women sick - or, worse still, causing cancer

Former policeman Dan Clark-Neal investigates what is behind the rise in assaults on police officers serving on the frontline, featuring shocking footage captured on police bodycam, on CCTV and by the public. New research reveals an escalating problem across the country, with mounting numbers of assaults causing a devastating impact on the mental health of officers. Clark-Neal asks if government cuts to police numbers have put officers in more danger and eroded public trust in law enforcement and asks if respect for the police is at an all-time low, questioning what this means for the future of maintaining law and order.

Immigration to Britain is under the spotlight like never before and while many people trying to settle in the UK face personal risks and a hostile reception, this programme reveals an altogether different welcome if you happen to have £2 million to spare. Reporter Antony Barnett investigates the so-called 'golden' visa scheme that offers British residency to wealthy foreign nationals who are willing to invest £2 million into the country. Since the Skripal poisonings last year, concern has focused on the hundreds of Russians that have been given such visas, with critics claiming that the scheme is open to potential abuse. Dispatches discovers what's on offer for people with the money and the know-how who hope to buy themselves British citizenship.

With one in eight young people aged five to nineteen having a mental disorder, demand for access to mental health services is at an all-time high and antidepressant use is on the increase. Sanah Ahsan investigates what is fuelling the crisis and what treatment is available for young people, and whether it is over-reliant on antidepressants. She also asks if medical solutions are being offered for emotional problems and whether destigmatisation campaigns have had unintended consequences.

Following the convictions of serial killer Stephen Port and murderer Gerald Matovu, who both used GHB as their weapon, Dispatches has conducted an eight-month investigation with BuzzFeed News into the use of the drug among gay men. With the largest ever survey of GHB users, Dispatches reveals for the first time the human cost of the epidemic scale of abuse, with over a quarter of users reporting being sexually assaulted, almost half having overdosed, thousands of hospital admissions, and a hidden crime spree: rape, murder, and the live-streaming of sexual abuse. The law allows GBL to be sold for cleaning purposes, which enables easy access to industrial quantities of it online, which can then be used/sold as GHB to users. Dispatches interviews men who have been deliberately overdosed, raped, and those including Lord Brian Paddick who have lost partners and family members.

A look at the roles of Boris Johnson's special adviser Dominic Cummings and Jeremy Corbyn's communications and strategy director Seumas Milne, with both seen as disruptors who appear to sit outside the mainstream of their parties. Dispatches investigates concerns about the power they wield, looking at ways in which they have been instrumental in the attempts to deliver Brexit and how these unelected officials are looking to shape Britain's future?

An investigation into the retailer's seemingly unstoppable growth, with one in three online purchases being made through its site.

Homelessness is on the rise in the UK, but nobody knows how many pregnant women face the possibility of having their baby without a home to go back to. This programme explores the issue of expectant mothers who find themselves with no place to call home, and conducts a survey of midwives in collaboration with the Royal College of Midwives to try to get a sense of the scale of the problem. Ninety-five per cent of the midwives asked strongly felt that homelessness puts the health of the women and their unborn babies at risk. The report follows three women - two of whom are heavily pregnant - experiencing evictions, overcrowding and the reality of living in temporary accommodation for years on end.

In Britain today, 4.1 million children are growing up in poverty. Dispatches spent a year with three children and their families to show what life is really like if there's just not enough money for life's essentials of food, warmth and a place to call home.