Panorama Season 70, Episode 29: The Housing Benefit Millionaire

1

The NHS vs Covid: The Fight Goes On

Two years since the start of the pandemic, the NHS is facing a new Covid crisis. The latest coronavirus variant, Omicron, is producing the biggest wave of infection yet, adding to the normal winter pressures and a waiting list that now stands at nearly six million in England. Panorama reporter Jane Corbin returns to University Hospital Coventry, where she was when the pandemic first hit, to see how it is coping now with a surge in cases and a shortage of beds and staff.

29 min

2

Britain's Killer Roads

Richard Bilton investigates the increased risks we face when we get behind the wheel of a car and asks whether weaker policing could be to blame.

29 min

3

Anti-Social Behaviour: Afraid in My Own Home

When a Middlesbrough homeowner shouted at kids climbing onto a neighbour’s roof, he had no idea it would trigger a series of violent attacks on his property, some caught on CCTV. Panorama reporter Rory Carson investigates how anti-social behaviour blights communities across Britain and discovers how hard it can be to get help. Research by Panorama reveals that many local councils and police forces are failing to use the full force of the law to stop anti-social behaviour and how, if left unchecked, it can have serious consequences.

29 min

4

Boris Johnson on the Brink

Panorama tells the extraordinary story of how Downing Street parties led to the greatest crisis of Boris Johnson’s career. Senior Conservatives, backbench MPs and former civil servants explain how the allegations of lockdown breaches have consumed the party and engulfed government. Tracing other recent scandals, reporter John Ware asks what 'partygate' says about the prime minister’s character - and his relationship with sticking to the rules and honesty.

29 min

5

Afghanistan: A Country at Breaking Point

It is being described as the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. After decades of war, eight million people are now facing starvation in Afghanistan. A million children could die. Reporter John Simpson goes back to explore the shocking unravelling of a country he has been reporting on for more than 40 years. The Taliban takeover and sanctions imposed by the west have contributed to economic collapse. There is food in the markets, but families are being driven to the edge because they simply don’t have the money to buy it.

29 min

6

A Cow's Life: The True Cost of Milk?

Most of us drink cow’s milk, but are we paying enough for it? Panorama investigates the dairy industry to find out whether animal welfare is being compromised in the drive to keep milk prices low. The film features disturbing undercover footage of farmworkers abusing cows, while reporter Daniel Foggo speaks to farmers and vets about the lives most dairy herds can expect to lead.

29 min

7

Why Aren't We Vaccinating the World?

The best way to win the battle against Covid is to vaccinate the whole world, but in poorer countries, not enough people are getting the job. Only six and a half per cent of the population in low-income countries are fully protected. There are now enough vaccines being made for everyone on the planet, so why aren’t they being shared more fairly? Reporter Bronagh Munro investigates why the global vaccine rollout is failing and asks if governments and big drug companies could do more to keep us all safe.

29 min

8

Maternity Scandal: Fighting for the Truth

It’s one of the biggest scandals in the history of the NHS - many babies died whilst others were left with life-changing injuries following repeated failures in maternity care at hospitals in Shropshire. Reporting for Panorama, the BBC's Michael Buchanan who first investigated the extent of this hidden tragedy meets families who have never spoken out before and former insiders who describe a dysfunctional culture that contributed to the truth being buried for so long. The programme also hears from the former midwife who is leading an official inquiry into what went wrong, ahead of her full findings being published next month.

59 min

9

Putin's War in Ukraine

Four days after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Panorama reports on the conflict. With Paul Kenyon in Kyiv and Jane Corbin in London, the programme asks what lies behind Putin's invasion, and how Ukraine and the rest of the world have responded.

29 min

10

Manchester Arena Bombing: Saffie’s Story

Panorama follows the parents of the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing as they navigate the public inquiry into the attack. As the fifth-anniversary approaches, they ask could the bomber have been stopped and could their daughter have survived her injuries?

29 min

11

Roman Abramovich’s Dirty Money

Chelsea-owner, Roman Abramovich, has been sanctioned by the UK government for his ties to Vladimir Putin. But where did the Russian billionaire’s money come from? Panorama reporter Richard Bilton travels to Siberia to investigate the corrupt deals that made his fortune. He uncovers new details about Mr Abramovich’s murky past and his relationship with the Kremlin.

29 min

12

Ukraine's Resistance: Standing Up to Putin

For almost a month, Ukraine has fought off one of the world’s super-powers. Can it hold on and repel President Putin’s forces? Panorama’s Paul Kenyon reports from the frontline in southern Ukraine. In Mykolaiv, he finds a city on the brink, fighting hard not to become encircled by Russian forces and face the same fate as the besieged city of Mariupol. On the Black Sea coast in Odesa, he finds a city bracing itself for the worse. With exclusive footage from inside nearby Kherson, which has already fallen into Russian hands.

29 min

13

Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Britain’s Rape Crisis

Panorama is on the frontline with Derbyshire Police to investigate why only one per cent of reported rapes in England and Wales results in a conviction. For more than 18 months, the film follows five people who have reported rape and the detectives investigating their cases as they journey through the criminal justice system. They include 'Sam', who says she was raped by a stranger after a night out, and two sisters who say they were repeatedly raped by their father as children and whose case has already been turned down by the Crown Prosecution Service.

59 min

14

Fixing Unfair Britain: Can Levelling Up Deliver?

Levelling up is one of Boris Johnson’s flagship policies. It’s intended to improve the quality of life for millions of people who live outside London and the south east by investing in local communities and infrastructure. Billions of pounds have been allocated for high streets, transport links and skills. For Panorama, the BBC’s new political editor Chris Mason returns to his home county of Yorkshire to find out what the residents of Barnsley think of the policy.

28 min

15

Surviving the Cost of Living Crisis

Britain is feeling the squeeze. With inflation rising to its highest rate for 30 years and energy bills spiralling, households across the country are having to make do with less. So how are people coping? Panorama follows three families, as they try to cope with what is predicted to be the biggest fall in living standards since the 1950s.

29 min

16

Obesity: Who Cares if I’m Bigger?

Eighteen months after the prime minister launched his strategy to help the nation lose weight, EastEnders actress Clair Norris, who is overweight herself, wants to know if it is working. One in four adults in the UK are currently living with obesity, a health risk highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Clair meets teenagers on a weight management scheme in Sheffield, a man-versus-fat football team in Norfolk, and a dancer running classes for plus-size women. She delves into the complex reasons why some people find it difficult to lose weight and asks if you can be overweight and stay healthy.

29 min

17

The Post Office Scandal

The story of the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British legal history and those whose lives were devastated by it.

59 min

18

Protecting Our Children: A Balancing Act

Granted rare, exclusive permission from the family courts, reporter Louise Tickle hears from families who have been damaged by decisions made by one local authority. With the government pushing social workers to step in earlier than ever, what happens if they go too far, too fast?

29 min

19

Hunting Putin's War Criminals

As Ukrainians return to areas once under Russian control, they are uncovering evidence of war crimes. Panorama’s Paul Kenyon travels to Kyiv to investigate the elite Russian units he encountered on the first day of the war. He hears allegations of looting and murder and speaks to witnesses who lived through the occupation. Tracking the soldiers east he visits a frontline town from where Ukrainian forces are launching counterattacks against troops who had previously occupied the suburbs of Kyiv.

29 min

20

Partygate: Inside The Storm

Ahead of Sue Gray's report into parties in government buildings, Laura Kuenssberg investigates what went on under Boris Johnson's roof during lockdown. Panorama follows MPs as they react to events and decide whether to support the prime minister or call for his resignation as he is fined and forced to apologise. Three former staffers who worked in Downing Street give accounts of how they attended parties, for which two of them were fined. They say there was a complete lack of social distancing and rules were routinely broken.

58 min

21

Recycling: Where Does My Rubbish Go?

The logo of US-based company TerraCycle is on the packaging of many of our household goods. The company says it wants to eliminate the idea of waste and that it has recycled more than seven billion items, including hard-to-recycle plastics, worldwide. Reporting for Panorama, Mobeen Azhar investigates TerraCycle’s green credentials and its relationship with major brands.

28 min

22

Undercover: Britain's Biggest GP Chain

Panorama investigates Britain's biggest GP network. US owned Operose Health provides GP services to the NHS, with 70 surgeries from Leeds to London and more than half a million registered patients. Reporter Jacqui Wakefield reveals a shortage of GPs, some less qualified medical staff working without adequate supervision and a backlog of important patient paperwork.

29 min

23

A Social Media Murder: Olly's Story

Thirteen-year-old Olly Stephens left home for the final time on a Sunday afternoon in January 2021, telling his parents he was meeting a friend nearby. Fifteen minutes later, he had been murdered. Lured out by a teenage girl and stabbed to death by two teenage boys she had met online, the entire attack was planned on social media and triggered by a dispute on a chat group. With exclusive access to Olly’s parents Amanda and Stuart, Panorama reporter Marianna Spring investigates the violent and disturbing world their son had been exposed to online and follows their campaign for tighter regulations on harmful content.

29 min

24

Hong Kong: Life Under the Crackdown

Panorama has spent the last year with young journalists and protestors as they live through the most turbulent period in Hong Kong's recent history. When the British government transferred sovereignty back to China in 1997, it promised to protect freedom of speech, but new laws have effectively silenced all criticism. Street protests have all but stopped, pro-democracy lawmakers have been replaced by Beijing loyalists and Hong Kong's new chief executive is its former security chief, who led the crackdown. Reporter Danny Vincent has been following those who've lived through the street protest movement, both as activists and reporters, many of whom are now in prison.

29 min

25

Taking us for a Ride: The Uber Files

Uber’s aggressive expansion across Europe sparked police raids and violent protests. The US tech firm attracted millions of customers by subsidising fares and undercutting traditional cabbies. Now, a leak of internal documents reveals how the company got away with it. Reporter Richard Bilton uncovers how Uber broke laws, upended employment rights and got the backing of politicians as the company forced its way on to our streets.

29 min

26

SAS Death Squads Exposed: A British War Crime?

British special forces killed hundreds of people on night raids in Afghanistan. The SAS say they were insurgents who were posing an imminent threat. But were some of the shootings executions? Panorama investigates a series of raids where people were shot dead after they surrendered to British troops. Reporter Richard Bilton uncovers new evidence and tracks down eyewitnesses who say they saw unarmed Afghans being killed in cold blood.

58 min

27

The Downfall of Boris Johnson

As Boris Johnson is forced from office, for Panorama Laura Kuenssberg follows the dramatic events of the last seven days in Westminster. She looks back at the scandals that defined his premiership and ultimately led to his downfall. She hears from the insiders who tried to persuade him to go, the candidates vying to replace him and the colleagues who warned it was always going to end like this.

28 min

28

Airport Chaos: What's Gone Wrong?

Strikes, delays, cancellations. With the peak summer holiday season almost here, many of the UK’s airports and airlines are struggling to cope. For Panorama, Rachel Burden investigates the aviation industry at home and across Europe. She hears from holidaymakers fighting to get compensation and reveals the best and worst performing airlines. She also gets tips on the key consumer advice you need to know before you try to get on a flight this summer.

29 min

29

The Housing Benefit Millionaire

Thousands of vulnerable people are housed and supported by not-for-profit social housing providers, many of them charities. Panorama investigates one charity and its links to a millionaire developer who has turned taxpayer-funded housing benefit into a personal fortune through the supply of properties. Reporter Rory Carson speaks to tenants who feel they’ve been let down by the charity, former employees who say serious problems of anti-social behaviour were sparked by the charity's focus on expansion and hears calls for better regulation of social housing to protect both tenants and the taxpayer.

29 min

30

The Billion-Pound Savings Scandal

Offshore money, huge fees, suspicious payments and a phantom head of the KGB - just some of what a group of ordinary British savers discovered when the £46 million fund they had invested in collapsed. Each year, a billion pounds is lost in failed investment schemes. Panorama tells the story of one of them and follows investors as they try to unravel the truth about the Blackmore Bond, a Manchester-based scheme, and challenge the regulators they believe failed them.

58 min

31

The Secret World of Trading Nudes

Panorama investigates the disturbing online trade in sexually explicit images and video of women, often taken and posted online without their consent. Reporter Monika Plaha meets women whose lives were ruined when intimate pictures of them were put on social media. She asks whether some tech companies are doing enough to combat this illicit trade, and she tracks down one man responsible for running an online community awash with explicit material.

29 min

32

The Energy Crisis: Who's Cashing In?

It is being described as a national emergency. Energy bills are soaring and families across the UK are struggling to cope. Millions are falling into fuel poverty and are wondering how they will heat their homes in winter. But not everyone is suffering from the energy crisis. Reporter Bronagh Munro investigates the big companies that are profiting from rising bills and asks whether some are cashing in at our expense.

29 min

33

Mental Health: Young Lives in Crisis

With unique access to the biggest mental health service in the UK and some of its young patients, Panorama reveals the challenges faced daily by clinicians as demand for services reaches unprecedented levels in the wake of the pandemic. In 2017 it was estimated that in England one in nine young people had a diagnosable mental health condition. Now it’s one in six. Dealing with growing waiting lists, staff shortages and more and more young people turning up at A&E in crisis, staff at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust open up about the pressures they face, while three young people with a range of complex needs and their families offer a rare insight into what it means to live with mental health conditions.

58 min

34

Channel Crisis: Could People Smugglers Be Stopped?

Sending asylum seekers to Rwanda is part of a government plan intended to help cut the number of small boats crossing the Channel and force people smugglers out of business. But will it really deter migrants trying to come to the UK? Reporter Jane Corbin investigates the smugglers who get people into Britain and finds out what the government’s plan means for those attempting the potentially deadly journey.

29 min

35

Undercover Hospital: Patients at Risk

A Panorama undercover investigation has found evidence that a secure NHS psychiatric hospital is failing to protect some of its vulnerable patients. Secret filming reveals evidence of a toxic staff culture, patients being taunted and bullied, inappropriate use of restraint and falsification of important medical paperwork. Experts who have reviewed Panorama's findings have questioned the hospital’s safety, saying the evidence suggests its core therapeutic mission is being corrupted.

57 min

36

Why Kids Miss School

School’s back, but not everyone is turning up. Covid lockdowns have left a legacy of persistent absence amongst some students, and schools are under pressure to get them back through the gates. For Panorama, the BBC’s Education Editor, Branwen Jeffreys, has spent three months following the lives of students struggling to return to the classroom and asks whether harsher measures, including fining parents, can work.

29 min

37

The Green Energy Scandal Exposed

The wood-burning Drax power station in Yorkshire provides 12 per cent of the UK’s renewable energy. It has already received £6 billion in green energy subsidies from the government. But are the wood pellets the power station burns really as sustainable as the company claims? Reporter Joe Crowley investigates where the wood comes from and uncovers an environmental scandal. He reveals how Drax is chopping down trees and taking logs from some of the world’s most precious forests.

29 min

38

Will the NHS Care for Me?

Line of Duty actor and campaigner Tommy Jessop investigates why people with a learning disability are more than twice as likely to die from avoidable causes than the rest of the population. He hears from relatives who have lost loved ones prematurely, and from a mother on whose behalf the BBC went to court so she could speak publicly about her fight to get lifesaving care for her son.

29 min

39

The Champions League Final: What Went Wrong?

It was supposed to be a joyous end to an unforgettable season, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. Journalist Layla Wright investigates events as they unfolded at the 2022 UEFA Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid to try to understand what went wrong. Drawing on extensive first-hand testimony and mobile phone footage, Panorama pieces together the definitive forensic picture of what took place, examines mistakes made by UEFA and the French authorities, and asks what lessons can be learned for the future of fan safety.

29 min

40

Disaster Deniers: Hunting the Trolls

Panorama investigates how survivors of major terror attacks are hounded and abused by conspiracy theorists who claim they are 'crisis actors'. US conspiracist Alex Jones has just been ordered to pay nearly $1bn to families of the Sandy Hook school shooting after claiming the attack was a hoax. Now the BBC’s disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring hunts the disaster trolls who target survivors of terror attacks in the UK and reveals new research about the popularity of these beliefs.

29 min

41

Road Rage: Cars v Bikes

There are more cyclists on our roads than at any time in the last 50 years, and the government is spending billions trying to encourage even more people to get on their bikes. So why are there so many incidents of road rage and injury? Research suggests most people think the UK’s roads are too dangerous to cycle on. Filmed confrontations with motorists are now commonplace. Reporter Richard Bilton hits the road to investigate what’s going on between drivers and cyclists.

29 min

42

Trump: The Return?

Will Donald Trump run for president again? On the eve of the US midterm elections, reporter Hilary Andersson visits Selma, North Carolina, to find out whether voters want him back. Trump’s final days in office saw his supporters attack the US Capitol, bringing the country to the brink. The country has remained dangerously divided. As many Republican candidates line up to support Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen, Panorama asks whether American democracy can withstand the destructive forces now converging upon it.

29 min

43

Mariupol: The People's Story

In a little under three months, residents of what was a thriving city witnessed the deaths of women and children in a maternity hospital and bodies left abandoned on the streets of Mariupol. Filmed and told by many of the citizens of Mariupol, this powerful documentary records the deaths of thousands and daring escapes, and is the story of their loss, bravery and determination.

90 min

44

Why Is Food So Expensive?

Food prices are rising at their fastest rate in more than 40 years. As the cost-of-living crisis continues to squeeze household budgets, Panorama explores why food prices are so high and looks at the impact food inflation is having on our pockets and on our health. Reporter Kate Quilton asks whether supermarkets, food producers and the government are doing enough to help shoppers. And what can people do to help make food bills more affordable?

29 min

45

Cost of Living: Can’t Afford My Home

What does the winter hold for people struggling to get a home, or hold on to the one they already have? The rapid increase in interest rates has left many at breaking point. With mortgage rates up and rents soaring, Panorama spends time with those trying to survive. From young workers who’ve given up on ever owning a home of their own, to families facing eviction before Christmas. Reporter Richard Bilton investigates what’s gone wrong with the UK’s housing market.

29 min