Top Rated Documentary TV Series - Page 197

Efterlyst

1991

Efterlyst

1991
9
Efterlyst is a Swedish TV program, equivalent of America's Most Wanted. The show plays security camera footage, reconstructions of crimes, and then takes calls and tips from the Swedish public. Efterlyst has since its start gotten many leads that have led to the arrest of many of Sweden's most noted criminals. In Swedish prisons, Efterlyst is commonly referred to as "Golartimmen", literally meaning "Snitch-hour". The host, Hasse Aro, was, until the season of 2009, assisted by crime-expert Leif G W Persson. From the 2010 season he is assisted by former State Police Chief Tommy Lindström. Since 2011 he is assisted by Jens Lapidus and Thomas Bodström. In the 2012 season only Thomas Bodström will assist as expert commentator.
Antikrundan

1989

Antikrundan

1989
5.3
Antikrundan is the Swedish version of the original BBC format Antiques Roadshow. The show visits different locations in Sweden and lets people bring their antiques to be valued by experts. It remains popular and often has more than 2 million viewers. The 19th season was shown in 2009. Most of the experts have been with the programme since the start. Jesper Aspegren was the original host. He left in 1999 and was succeeded by Anne Lundberg. Antikrundan started out as a coproduction between SVT Malmö and the BBC where the Antiques Roadshow would visit Scandinavia for two programmes. Antikrundan premiered in August 1989 on TV2 and has since been shown on SVT every year. Antiques Roadshow is shown on BBC Lifestyle and TV8 in Sweden.
Gardeners' World

1968

Gardeners' World

1968
8.5
Gardeners' World is a long-running BBC Television programme about gardening, first broadcast in 1968 and still running as of 2013. Its first episode was presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. The magazine BBC Gardeners' World is a tie-in to the programme. Most of its episodes have been 30 minutes in length, although there are many specials that last longer. The 2008 and 2009 series used a 60-minute format.
Who Do You Think You Are?

2007

Who Do You Think You Are?

2007
5
Well known Canadians set out to discover their family roots.
Evolution

2001

Evolution

2001
7.7
Evolution is a 2001 documentary series by the American broadcaster Public Broadcasting Service and WGBH on evolutionary biology. The spokespeople for the series were Jane Goodall, Kenneth R. Miller and Stephen Jay Gould, Eugenie C. Scott, Arthur Peacocke and Arnold Thomas. The series was narrated by the Irish actor Liam Neeson. The series was accompanied by a book by the popular science writer Carl Zimmer Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea. An extensive website provides teaching resources for each episode's material, including "The Mating Game", further looks at Charles Darwin, and an interactive history of speciation in the invented "pollencreeper" birds.
72 Hours: True Crime

2003

72 Hours: True Crime

2003
4.7
72 Hours: True Crime focuses on crime, specifically on the first 72 hours after a crime is committed, a critical time period for solving it. Rather than focus on fictional crimes, as do Law & Order and other TV shows elsewhere, True Crime depicted actual crimes that occurred throughout Canada, using dramatic reenactments and documentary-style footage of crime scenes.
History Detectives

2003

History Detectives

2003
7
A group of researchers help people to find answers to various historical questions they have, usually centering around a family heirloom, an old house or other historic object or structure. It devotes itself "to exploring the complexities of historical mysteries, searching out the facts, myths and conundrums that connect local folklore, family legends and interesting objects."
Culloden

0000

Culloden

0000
8
Culloden is a 1964 docudrama written and directed by Peter Watkins for BBC TV. It portrays the 1746 Battle of Culloden that resulted in the British Army's destruction of the Scottish Jacobite uprising and, in the words of the narrator, "tore apart forever the clan system of the Scottish Highlands". Described in its opening credits as "an account of one of the most mishandled and brutal battles ever fought in Britain", Culloden was hailed as a breakthrough for its cinematography as well as its use of non-professional actors and its presentation of an historical event in the style of modern TV war reporting. The film was based on John Prebble's study of the battle.
Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn

1993

Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn

1993
7.7
Filmed on location in some of the world's most beautiful, noteworthy gardens, hosted by Audrey Hepburn, and co-narrated by Michael York, this series includes exemplary public and private gardens in England, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Dominican Republic & U.S.A.
Taxicab Confessions

1995

Taxicab Confessions

1995
5.7
Taxicab Confessions is a television series of hidden camera documentaries that have aired on HBO since January 1995. In segments taped in New York City and Las Vegas, the taxi drivers are also producers who steer both the vehicle and the conversations with passengers. When passengers enter the cab, they are recorded with several small cameras hidden in the taxi. The producer prompts passengers into discussing their past and/or present circumstances. This has led some participants to reflect on their life, recalling extreme tragedies or triumphs. Much is verbally or visually graphic, including explicit sex talk and sex acts performed in the back seat. At the end of the taxi ride, passengers are asked to sign waivers allowing the hidden camera footage to be used on the program, and footage of this revelation is sometimes seen during the closing credits.
Mary Queen of Shops

2007

Mary Queen of Shops

2007
6.7
Mary, Queen Of Shops is hosted by Mary Portas. Mary attempts to help smaller fashion retail outlets survive in a tough market against the bigger retail stores.
J-MELO

2005

J-MELO

2005
6.7
J-MELO is a weekly Japanese music television program broadcast by NHK. It is recorded entirely in the English language. It began broadcasting on October 7, 2005. The program is available on NHK's World Service television station, Radio Japan, Digital Educational TV and on its Domestic General Channel.
Zembla

1995

Zembla

1995
9.3
Zembla is a Dutch television documentary programme by VARA and NPS. The documentaries are based on in-depth research which can take months. The subjects are often controversial. A documentary in 2001 about fraud in the Dutch construction sector led to parliamentary inquiries. In May 2006 the programme exposed the fact that politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali had lied in her claim for asylum, which led to her resignation from parliament.
Bindi, the Jungle Girl

2007

Bindi, the Jungle Girl

2007
9
Bindi the Jungle Girl is an Australian children's television nature documentary series, presented by Bindi Irwin, the daughter of Steve and Terri Irwin. The series is produced and shot in Queensland by The Best Picture Show Company for Discovery Kids and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The first series was scheduled for 26 episodes, and ran from 9 June 2007 until 31 May 2008 on American networks Discovery Kids and simulcast on Animal Planet and on ABC1 in Australia from 18 July 2007. Also appearing on the show are Bindi's mother Terri, her younger brother Robert, and Steve Irwin's "best mate" and director of Australia Zoo, Wes Mannion. Bindi performs songs and dances with a group called the Crocmen, and answers questions from viewers in the "Bindi's Blog" segment. It was aired on Playtime Krumeater. Steve Irwin appeared in several episodes filmed prior to his death in 2006. The second series was produced after his death, but he appears in archive footage in a segment named "Croc Hunter Unplugged", and is
Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy

2002

Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy

2002
6.3
Over three episodes, Dawn French interviewed some of the most prolific and celebrated female comedians of the time. Later in 2006, several of the interviews were shown in full. The interviewees being: Whoopi Goldberg, Catherine Tate, Kathy Burke, Julie Walters, Victoria Wood and Joan Rivers.
CMT Crossroads

2002

CMT Crossroads

2002
8.3
Country music stars collaborate with performers from other musical genres and exchange stories about their mutual love for music.
World War One

1964

World War One

1964
7.3
This historical survey of the First World War was produced and aired by CBS to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of hostilities. The series used footage that was shot during the era of the war. Much of the footage had never been aired on television before.
American Hot Rod

2004

American Hot Rod

2004
5.7
American Hot Rod is a reality television series that originally aired between 2004 and 2008 on The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel. The unique series documented the crew at Boyd Coddington's car shop and their personal struggles to build hot rods and custom vehicles. It was made on location at Coddington's hot rod and wheel shop in La Habra, California. Many employees went to work for Overhaulin's Chip Foose, a former partner of Coddington, for a more relaxed environment. Custom built cars built during the series included the "Alumatub", 61 Impala Bubbletop, 63 Chevy Corvette Stingray and a 42 Woodie. In July 2007, the shop made an Elvis Tribute Car, a modified 1957 pink Cadillac, sponsored by Reese’s. Boyd Coddington died in February 2008. His shop closed its doors for the final time on Friday June 20, 2008.
The Real Thing

1983

The Real Thing

1983
8.3
Asking how you tell what's real and what isn't sounds like an obvious question. But in this series of six programmes, James Burke shows that the more you think about it the harder it is to answer. After all, what have you got, apart from your five senses, to prove those senses are giving you the real thing?
Closer to Truth

2000

Closer to Truth

2000
6
Closer to Truth is a continuing television series on PBS & public television originally created, produced and hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn. The first premiere series aired in 2000 for 2 seasons, followed by a second series aired in 2003 for a single season. The current / third series of the program, Closer to Truth: Cosmos. Consciousness. God., launched in 2008, with 12 full seasons to date. Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, executive producer, writer and presenter of the series. Peter Getzels is the co-creator and producer / director. The show is centered on on-camera conversations with leading scientists, philosophers, theologians, and scholars, covering a diverse range of topics or questions from the size and nature of the universe, to the existence and essence of God, to the mystery of consciousness and the notion of free will.