Panorama backdrop
Documentary•News

The Best Episodes of Panorama Season 71

Every episode of Panorama Season 71 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Panorama Season 71!

Binge this in 12h 6m•Peaking at 7.9/10

Current affairs programme, featuring interviews and investigative reports on a wide variety of subjects.

Airs on
BBC One
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons74

All1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697071727374

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Panorama Season 71 Episode 7 - Ukraine's War Diaries
    7.9/10(14 votes)

    S71:E7

    When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Panorama asked five Ukrainians to start filming their lives. The result is a powerful documentary marking the first anniversary of the war.

    Director:Tanya Stephan
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Panorama Season 71 Episode 20 - The Antidepressant Story
    7.9/10(25 votes)

    S71:E20

    In the UK, around one in seven now take an antidepressant. Globally they have made the pharmaceutical industry billions. When the current generation of drugs was launched 35 years ago, they promised a safe and effective treatment, free from the side effects of older medicines. But have they lived up to those claims? While many people say they have benefited from taking them, Panorama reveals evidence of some companies trying to conceal concerns about their drugs, following patients who have suffered serious side effects as they continue their fight to be heard.

    Director:Clare Hix
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Panorama Season 71 Episode 22 - Westminster's Toxic Culture
    7.9/10(9 votes)

    S71:E22

    Parliament is once again under fire over complaints about sexual harassment and bullying, with MPs suspended from their parties and claims of a toxic workplace culture going unchecked. Reporter Naga Munchetty speaks to staff members and MPs who give their accounts of sexual harassment and bullying. Exactly five years after parliament set up a new system to deal with complaints, many of those campaigning to clean up the House have lost faith in it, saying it is too slow and complex.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Panorama Season 71 Episode 28 - The Dark Side of Ballet Schools
    7.9/10(9 votes)

    S71:E28

    Panorama investigates claims of bullying and body shaming at two of the UK's top ballet schools, The Royal Ballet School in London and Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Panorama Season 71 Episode 39 - The Water Pollution Cover-Up
    7.9/10(8 votes)

    S71:E39

    Water companies are dumping huge quantities of sewage in UK rivers every year. So why do some of the worst offenders have such good environmental ratings? Reporter Joe Crowley investigates.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Panorama Season 71 Episode 27 - Teenage Vaping: What's the Harm?
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S71:E27

    Vaping among Britain's teenagers is on the rise, and there's growing concern that some companies are targeting underage vapers. So, should we be worried about young people getting addicted? Rachel Burden investigates the youth vaping phenomenon and talks to young people, parents and experts about how to tackle it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Panorama

    READ
  7. Panorama Season 71 Episode 41 - Care Workers under Pressure
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    S71:E41

    Panorama investigates a care home short of staff, where external medical professionals report seeing residents neglected, and overseas staff complain of being exploited. Britain’s health and care sector is increasingly reliant on overseas staff, with more than 120,000 visas issued last year. Reporter Balagopal Balakrishnan investigates one of 15 care homes run by a company in north east England. He finds carers being charged thousands of pounds by an unscrupulous recruitment agency and nurses locked into lengthy contracts with financial penalties if they leave early. The programme also hears about dozens of safeguarding alerts, including reports of neglected residents suffering unexplained bruising and uncovers evidence that the company boss is willing to protect staff from regulators when things go wrong. The company says any suggestion that there is systematic bad practice would be unfair and inaccurate.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Panorama Season 71 Episode 18 - Ultra-Processed Food: A Recipe for Ill Health?
    7.6/10(13 votes)

    S71:E18

    The UK is facing a chronic illness epidemic, with diabetes rates at record levels and cancers in young people rising steeply. Now, there’s growing evidence suggesting this could be linked to the food we eat. Ultra-processed convenience foods contain chemicals that UK regulators say are safe, but Panorama investigates emerging scientific evidence of a link between some of these chemicals and cancer, diabetes and strokes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Panorama Season 71 Episode 35 - Boohoo's Broken Promises
    7.6/10(8 votes)

    S71:E35

    Fast fashion giant Boohoo faced serious criticism in 2020 for poor working conditions at its suppliers. A Panorama investigation reveals renewed pressure to slash costs.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Panorama Season 71 Episode 26 - Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed
    7.4/10(20 votes)

    S71:E26

    Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering and harming babies. So what turned a likeable nurse into a serial killer? For the first time, Panorama hears from a family whose child died, a friend who’s stood by her and a doctor who tried to raise the alarm. Reporter Judith Moritz reveals evidence of a cover-up by hospital bosses and asks whether some babies’ lives could have been saved.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Panorama Season 71 Episode 32 - Challenging Putin: Moscow and the Mutiny
    7.4/10(10 votes)

    S71:E32

    Jane Corbin investigates what really happened during the mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin and asks what the long-term consequences might be for Putin's presidency.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Panorama Season 71 Episode 5 - Aftershock: The Turkey-Syria Earthquake
    7.3/10(7 votes)

    S71:E5

    More than 30,000 people are known to have been killed in the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria. Panorama asks if more could have been done to save lives.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Panorama Season 71 Episode 6 - Sex for Work: The True Cost of Our Tea
    7.3/10(8 votes)

    S71:E6

    An undercover investigation for Panorama reveals that women working on plantations producing tea for PG Tips and Lipton are pressured to have sex with their bosses in return for work.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Panorama Season 71 Episode 24 - The Millionaire Who Cheated a Council
    7.3/10(13 votes)

    S71:E24

    A series of disastrous investments has left Thurrock Council effectively bankrupt. Services are being cut and council tax raised to try to cover the second biggest deficit ever run up by a local authority. Most of the council's cash was invested in one man's business. Liam Kavanagh promised his solar farms would provide a safe return, but his companies have been wound up and the council faces big losses. Reporter Bronagh Munro reveals how the millionaire businessman spent council cash on himself and left local people to pay the price.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Panorama Season 71 Episode 25 - Beyond Human: Artificial Intelligence and Us
    7.3/10(21 votes)

    S71:E25

    Reporter Lara Lewington speaks to some of the so-called 'godfathers' of AI about their hopes and fears, and she meets researchers developing technology allowing computers to read emotions and minds.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Panorama Season 71 Episode 12 - What’s Gone Wrong with Our Housing?
    7.2/10(9 votes)

    S71:E12

    Richard Bilton investigates the problems Margaret Thatcher's right-to-buy policy is causing 40 years later, including the return of slum landlords.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Panorama Season 71 Episode 37 - Putin and Ukraine's Stolen Children
    7.2/10(22 votes)

    S71:E37

    The Ukrainian government says that thousands of children have been taken unlawfully to Russia since the start of the war. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for President Putin’s arrest. Now, Panorama investigates what happened to more than 40 children taken by Russian forces from a children’s home in Kherson. The film-makers, working with journalists in Ukraine, uncover falsified birth certificates, a secret adoption and a trail of evidence leading all the way to the Russian parliament.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Panorama Season 71 Episode 38 - My Teacher the Abuser: Fighting for Justice
    7.2/10(12 votes)

    S71:E38

    Ever since Nicky Campbell went public about the abuse that he both experienced and witnessed in the 1970s, he’s become the public face of a campaign by former pupils of two renowned private schools in Scotland. Now, Panorama meets the men who shared a dark secret, they had been sexually and physically abused. Inspired by each other’s bravery, the men are determined that one teacher should be returned to the UK to face justice.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Panorama Season 71 Episode 15 - Will King Charles Change the Monarchy?
    7.1/10(9 votes)

    S71:E15

    As the nation prepares for the coronation of King Charles III, Panorama asks if the new king will adapt the monarchy to suit modern times.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Panorama Season 71 Episode 21 - Is China Watching You?
    7.1/10(13 votes)

    S71:E21

    From spy balloons to secret police stations and dissidents on the run, Panorama investigates China’s global surveillance operation. We reveal new details about Beijing’s fleet of spy balloons and hack a Chinese-made security camera to show how similar devices that line our streets could be exploited. With the UK government now declaring China the biggest security challenge of our age, we ask: Is China Watching You?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Panorama Season 71 Episode 36 - Why Are We Still Searching for Fossil Fuels?
    7.0/10(6 votes)

    S71:E36

    Richard Bilton investigates why oil, coal and gas exploration is booming when almost every country in the world has committed to limit the rise in global warming to 1.5 degrees.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Panorama Season 71 Episode 4 - Is the Cloud Damaging the Planet?
    6.8/10(28 votes)

    S71:E4

    Panorama reporter Richard Bilton investigates the environmental cost of moving our lives online and into the cloud.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Panorama Season 71 Episode 14 - Road Wars - Neighbourhood Traffic Chaos
    6.8/10(7 votes)

    S71:E14

    Justin Rowlatt reports on plans to reduce traffic through Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, in what has become a battle between those who support the scheme and those who do not.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Panorama Season 71 Episode 17 - Landfill: Britain’s Toxic Secrets
    6.8/10(13 votes)

    S71:E17

    Every year, millions of tonnes of waste are dumped in landfill sites, but how safe are they? Reporter Amber Haque investigates a Staffordshire landfill which residents claim has affected their health and examines the potentially toxic legacy of historic landfill sites.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Panorama Season 71 Episode 29 - Downfall of the Crypto King
    6.8/10(38 votes)

    S71:E29

    Panorama explores the breakneck rise and sensational fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, the maths genius who set out to transform the world of crypto but ended up being its biggest loser.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 71 Ratings Summary

"Ukraine's War Diaries" is the best rated episode of "Panorama" season 71. It scored 7.9/10 based on 14 votes. Directed by Tanya Stephan and written by Unknown, it aired on 2/21/2023. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "The Antidepressant Story".