Dispatches 1987
★ 6.5/10 · 13 votes TV-PG DocumentaryNews 40 seasons · 1026 eps Returning Series
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Quick answer
What is Dispatches?
Dispatches is a long‑running investigative documentary series broadcast on Channel 4 that began in 1987. The programme examines a broad spectrum of subjects, including British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and environmental issues.
- Type
- TV series
- Year
- 1987
- Status
- Returning Series
- Episodes
- 1,026
- First aired
- Oct 30, 1987
- Last aired
- Feb 9, 2026
- Original language
- EN
- Origin
- GB
- Networks
- Channel 4
- Genres
- Documentary, News
- Updated
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How long to binge?
Estimate the schedule using 1,026 episodes and an average 45-minute runtime.
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Overview
Dispatches is a long‑running investigative documentary series broadcast on Channel 4 that began in 1987. The programme examines a broad spectrum of subjects, including British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and environmental issues. It is recognised for its use of undercover techniques, often placing a covert reporter, described
Sources & verification
Dispatches (TV Series 1987- ) - IMDb
Dispatches (TV Series 1987- ) - Cast & Crew — The Movie Database (TMDB)
Dispatches — The Movie Database (TMDB)
Dispatches (1987) Full Cast & Crew - Plex
Dispatches (1987-2025) - Full Cast and Crew - Moviefone
Dispatches - Full Cast & Crew - TV Guide
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Should you watch it?
“Undercover journalists infiltrate organizations to expose hidden truths about British society.”
Reasons to watch
- Groundbreaking undercover access to secretive organizations
- Exposes important social and political issues in Britain
- Influential journalism that sparks public debate
Keep in mind
- Disturbing content may be upsetting
- Some episodes involve potentially triggering situations
You want to see fearless investigative journalism that goes behind closed doors.
Contains mature themes and potentially disturbing investigative content.
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Cast
Comprehensive Directory
Episode guide
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Season 1 · 8 episodes
Open the complete Season 1 guide & lore primer →- E1 The Plutonium Black Market Mytharc Oct 30, 1987
- E2 In The Red Core Nov 6, 1987
- E3 AIDS - The Unheard Voices Core Nov 13, 1987
- E4 Divided by Law Core Nov 20, 1987
- E5 Selling the Tunnel Core Nov 27, 1987
- E6 Gunning for Government Mytharc Dec 4, 1987
- E7 Kimberly Carlile - Falling Through the Net Mytharc Dec 11, 1987
- E8 Korea: Poverty Prohibited Mytharc Dec 18, 1987
Season 2 · 34 episodes
- E1 The Miner's Debate Mytharc Jan 8, 1988
- E2 Waiting for the Consultant Core Jan 15, 1988
- E3 Danger! Men at Work Core Jan 22, 1988
- E4 Interview with John Stalker Core Feb 5, 1988
- E5 Iran: A Widening Gulf Core Feb 12, 1988
- E6 Palau: Paradise Lost Core Feb 19, 1988
- E7 Working for Welfare Core Feb 26, 1988
- E8 Radioactive Britain Core Mar 4, 1988
- E9 The Lobby Core Mar 11, 1988
- E10 Charity Fraud Core Mar 18, 1988
- E11 Single Union Deals With Employers Core Mar 25, 1988
- E12 Cuba From Inside Core Apr 8, 1988
- E13 Talking to the Terrorists Core Apr 15, 1988
- E14 Cancer Research Core Apr 22, 1988
- E15 Freemasonry Core May 6, 1988
- E16 The P.L.O. Core May 13, 1988
- E17 War in the Desert Core May 20, 1988
- E18 NATO's Nuclear Programme Core May 27, 1988
- E19 Illegal Betting Core Jun 3, 1988
- E20 What's Best for the Children? : Coventry Core Jun 10, 1988
- E21 The Raid on San Fernando: Communist Rebels in The Philippines Core Jun 17, 1988
- E22 Milky Business Core Jun 24, 1988
- E23 The Hashish Connection Core Jul 1, 1988
- E24 Disciples of Chaos Core Oct 5, 1988
- E25 Trouble on the Waterfront Core Oct 12, 1988
- E26 The Two State Solution Core Oct 19, 1988
- E27 Turkey: Trading with Torture Core Oct 26, 1988
- E28 Exporting High Technology from West to East Core Nov 2, 1988
- E29 Tibet - A Case to Answer Core Nov 9, 1988
- E30 The Day the Dream Died Core Nov 16, 1988
- E31 The Winds of Death Core Nov 23, 1988
- E32 The Battle for Stone Bassett Core Nov 30, 1988
- E33 The Countertraders Mytharc Dec 7, 1988
- E34 A Very Polish Secret Mytharc Dec 14, 1988
Season 3 · 39 episodes
- E1 Return to Year Zero? Mytharc Jan 4, 1989
- E2 Gorbachev's Asylums Core Jan 11, 1989
- E3 Cooking the Books Core Jan 18, 1989
- E4 The Spy Who Broke the Code Core Jan 25, 1989
- E5 Buckets of Money Core Feb 1, 1989
- E6 The Copper Seven Story Core Feb 8, 1989
- E7 Afghan Core Feb 15, 1989
- E8 The Toxic Trail Core Feb 22, 1989
- E9 The Case of 'F' Core Mar 1, 1989
- E10 The Return of the Death Squads Core Mar 8, 1989
- E11 Burma - Dying for Democracy Core Mar 15, 1989
- E12 Voices From Long Larten Core Mar 22, 1989
- E13 Young, Homeless and Broke Core Mar 29, 1989
- E14 Chico Core Apr 5, 1989
- E15 Carry on Flying Core Apr 12, 1989
- E16 The Most Neglected Crime Core Apr 19, 1989
- E17 Dispatches (26/04/1989) Core Apr 26, 1989
- E18 A Suitable Case for Treatment Core May 3, 1989
- E19 The Sins of the Fathers Core May 10, 1989
- E20 Not What the Doctor Ordered Core May 17, 1989
- E21 Warlord of Kayan Core May 24, 1989
- E22 The Ultimate Blasphemy Core May 31, 1989
- E23 Fit as a Fiddle Core Jun 7, 1989
- E24 Empire of the Sun Core Jun 14, 1989
- E25 Year of the Locust Core Jun 21, 1989
- E26 A State of Decay Core Jun 28, 1989
- E27 Terror Island Core Jul 5, 1989
- E28 The Spanish Connection Core Oct 4, 1989
- E29 The Day of the Technopath Core Oct 11, 1989
- E30 No, Prime Minister Core Oct 18, 1989
- E31 The Undoing of Edwina Core Oct 25, 1989
- E32 Mission Impossible Core Nov 1, 1989
- E33 In the Coal Hole Core Nov 8, 1989
- E34 The False Confession File Core Nov 15, 1989
- E35 Hungarians Not Comrades Core Nov 22, 1989
- E36 Twelve Days in November Core Nov 29, 1989
- E37 Licence to Kill Core Dec 6, 1989
- E38 Privatising Poland Mytharc Dec 13, 1989
- E39 Road to Damascus Mytharc Dec 20, 1989
Season 4 · 39 episodes
- E1 The Plunderers Mytharc Jan 3, 1990
- E2 When Porton Pays the Piper Core Jan 10, 1990
- E3 Gamma Alarm Core Jan 17, 1990
- E4 The Great Leap Backwards Core Jan 24, 1990
- E5 Miracle Molecule Core Jan 31, 1990
- E6 Degrees for Sale Core Feb 7, 1990
- E7 Stalin's Ghost Core Feb 14, 1990
- E8 Troubled Waters Core Feb 21, 1990
- E9 Beyond the Rubicon Core Feb 28, 1990
- E10 A Greater Germany Core Mar 7, 1990
- E11 Gerry Core Mar 14, 1990
- E12 Legalise It! Core Mar 21, 1990
- E13 In the Name of Hunger Core Mar 28, 1990
- E14 Apartheid's Assassins Mytharc Apr 4, 1990
- E15 Terms for Peace Core Apr 11, 1990
- E16 The Children of Fire Core Apr 18, 1990
- E17 The Russians A Coming Core Apr 25, 1990
- E18 The Most Neglected Crime Core May 2, 1990
- E19 The Great Green Hype Core May 9, 1990
- E20 Romanian Roulette Core May 16, 1990
- E21 A Tale of Two Cartels Core May 23, 1990
- E22 Dispatches (30/05/1990) Core May 30, 1990
- E23 The Stasi Tapes Core Jun 6, 1990
- E24 The AIDS Catch Core Jun 13, 1990
- E25 Eritrea: Fight to the Death Core Jun 20, 1990
- E26 Game on the Ice Core Jun 27, 1990
- E27 Guinness - The Inside Story Core Sep 26, 1990
- E28 Listen to the Children Core Oct 3, 1990
- E29 Rivers of Fire Core Oct 10, 1990
- E30 Bad Meat Trail Core Oct 17, 1990
- E31 The Oregon Formula Core Oct 24, 1990
- E32 Black and Blue Core Oct 31, 1990
- E33 Moscow's Mafia Millions Core Nov 7, 1990
- E34 Kingmaker of Karachi Core Nov 14, 1990
- E35 Divided She Falls? Core Nov 21, 1990
- E36 A Good and Faithful Servant Core Nov 28, 1990
- E37 The Case Against War Core Dec 5, 1990
- E38 Against the Odds Mytharc Dec 12, 1990
- E39 The Prozac File Mytharc Dec 19, 1990
Season 5 · 35 episodes
- E1 Giant of the Gulf Mytharc Jan 9, 1991
- E2 What Happened at Christmas Island Core Jan 16, 1991
- E3 Mr Bush's Road to War Core Jan 23, 1991
- E4 Hanson Trust Core Jan 29, 1991
- E5 Saddam's Secret Army Core Jan 30, 1991
- E6 Crackdown Core Feb 6, 1991
- E7 Skeletons Have Names Core Feb 13, 1991
- E8 The Provoked Wife Core Feb 20, 1991
- E9 Thinking of the Soldier Core Feb 27, 1991
- E10 Voices From Tibet Core Mar 6, 1991
- E11 A Very British Recession Core Mar 13, 1991
- E12 Keep On Running Core Mar 20, 1991
- E13 Strange Case of Democracy Core Mar 27, 1991
- E14 Sir John's Shuttle Core Apr 3, 1991
- E15 A Dream Betrayed Core Apr 10, 1991
- E16 Tapping into Toxnet Core Apr 17, 1991
- E17 Mr Major's Number 10 Core Apr 24, 1991
- E18 The Promised Land Core May 1, 1991
- E19 The Ballot Fixers Core May 8, 1991
- E20 The Arthur Legend Core May 22, 1991
- E21 Saddam's Iraq Core May 29, 1991
- E22 Castro's Secret Fix Core Jun 5, 1991
- E23 The Movement Core Jun 12, 1991
- E24 The Committee Core Oct 2, 1991
- E25 Strange Customs Core Oct 9, 1991
- E26 In the Cleaning Machine Core Oct 16, 1991
- E27 Every Child in Britain Core Oct 23, 1991
- E28 Georgian Nightmare Core Oct 30, 1991
- E29 Missing in Action Core Nov 6, 1991
- E30 The Swiss Connection Core Nov 13, 1991
- E31 The Last Taboo Core Nov 20, 1991
- E32 The Truth that Sets Us Free Core Nov 27, 1991
- E33 Don King, Unauthorised Core Dec 4, 1991
- E34 Holding the Baby Mytharc Dec 11, 1991
- E35 Christmas in Kurdistan Mytharc Dec 18, 1991
Verified insights
Frequently asked questions
What kind of topics does Dispatches cover?
The series investigates British society, politics, health, religion, international affairs and environmental issues.
How does the show get its information?
Known for placing a mole inside organizations under journalistic investigation to gather evidence.
Is this a drama series?
No, this is a documentary series featuring real investigations and actual events.
Who broadcasts Dispatches?
The series airs on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom.
What makes Dispatches different from other documentaries?
Its signature approach involves undercover journalists infiltrating organizations to expose hidden truths.
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