Podcast
File on 4 Investigates
Hosted by BBC Radio 4 · EN
News-making original journalism documentary series, investigating stories at home and abroad.
41episodes
Episodes
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No CCTV: When train attacks go unrecorded
Feb 2400:37:41Tap to summarizeSexual harassment and assault on the rail network is on the rise across England, Wales and Scotland but a lack of CCTV evidence is preventing justice for victims in some cases. Claire Jones examines how broken cameras and train companies not retaining CCTV footage for long enough has been hampering police investigations. She goes on patrol with British Transport Police on the London Underground, speaks to police and victims about how frustrating it can be when key evidence cannot be accessed and sees some of the newest surveillance technology, currently not available on trains, in action. Details of organisations offering help and support for anyone affected by sexual violence are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline Reporter: Claire Jones Producer: Nicola Dowling Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Production co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermott
Transcribe →Can boxing look after its own?
Feb 1700:36:46Tap to summarizeBoxing is on the rise with streaming giants now broadcasting major fights and heavy investment from Saudi Arabia reshaping the sport. But for boxers facing money or health problems out of the ring, help is not always easy to come by. As File on 4 Investigates discovers, some in boxing are now working towards a unified approach across the sport, which would help fighters throughout their careers, but can they make it work?Reporter: Kal Sajad Producer: Ashley Kennedy Additional research: Clive Hammond Technical Producer: Cameron Ward Production Co-ordinators: Ellis Goodwin & Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermottDetails of organisations offering help and support for the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
Transcribe →Is the answer to the NHS bed crisis virtual?
Feb 1000:37:59Tap to summarizeVirtual Wards, where patients receive hospital care at home, were heralded as one solution to help deal with the bed crisis in NHS hospitals. The system is popular with patients and has had successes, but some health boards in England have put the brakes on and the number of virtual beds has stalled in the last 12 months. Jane Deith meets the doctors on the front line of providing care to patients with acute conditions in their own homes and the people who benefit from being able to stay out of hospital.Supporters of virtual wards or hospital at home say it's better for patients, saves money and prevents a significant number of hospital admissions. But some doctors question whether the system can make much difference unless it is introduced at scale.District nurses are the original method of keeping people well and out of hospital. But in the last fifteen years, their number in England has almost halved - down 43 percent. Jane goes out with one nurse on a shift to see the work they do and hears from nurse leaders about concerns that district nurses are overstretched, leading to concerns about patient care.Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Paul Grant Technical Producer: Cameron Ward Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermott
Transcribe →Missing Billions
Feb 500:36:30Tap to summarizeFile on 4 Investigates: Missing Billions examines the changes to the financial system over the past ten years, including bank branch closures and the digitisation of the finance industry which has led to many financial assets being lost, mislaid or forgotten. It examines the scandal of £100 billion belonging to you and me, but kept by Britain's trusted financial institutions. The documentary solves the mystery of some missing church silver, helps a frustrated ambulance worker hunt an elusive pension and hears from the valiant individuals leading the charge to make changes to the finance industry. Featuring contributions from: Steve Webb (Former Pensions Minister), Helen Boyd (Reclaim Fund Ltd), Derek French (Campaign for Community Banking Services), Duncan Stevens (Asset Tracing Service Gretel), Tom Storey (Vaults Group), Les Clarke (Assets Recovered Ltd) plus responses from the NHS, South East Coast Ambulance Service, Santander UK and Lloyds bank.Presenter, Simon Barnes Readings, Russell Bentley, Olivia Mace Research, Bethanie Depreaux Editor, Ross Burman Producer, Ashley Golder Executive Producer, Kris DyerA Rakkit production for BBC Radio 4
Transcribe →I accused a policeman of rape but I ended up on trial
Jan 2700:37:53Tap to summarizeWhen a woman reported an allegation of rape against a serving police officer, she found herself in the dock, charged with perverting the course of justice. File on 4 Investigates hears how she went from being a potential victim to a suspect accused of lying. Over the past decade, hundreds of rape complainants in England and Wales have been investigated for making false allegations. The programme examines when and why the justice system turns on those who come forward, and asks whether the safeguards meant to protect potential victims are being properly applied.Producer: Hayley Mortimer Presenter: Rebecca Woods Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermottDetails of organisations offering help and support for the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
Transcribe →Thin on Information? Hair loss drug Finasteride
Jan 2000:37:46Tap to summarizeFile on 4 Investigates whether the risks associated with the popular hair loss drug Finasteride are understood, after a 2024 review by UK drug safety regulator the MHRA prompted by a lack of awareness of the drug’s side-effects. Finasteride’s most common side effects are reduced libido and erectile dysfunction, affecting more than one in a hundred patients. Some people also report low mood and suicidal thoughts. As Johnny I'Anson discovers some hair loss clinics are failing to adequately warn customers at the consultation stage of the sexual side effects assocated with Finasteride.The drug, which is highly effective at halting hair loss, is only available by private prescription for hair loss purposes. But File on 4 Investigates discovers influencer accounts on the social media site TikTok promoting finasteride, also offering discounts for Finasteride with Manual, a popular UK men's health company. A lawyer expert told us that the videos we found constituted advertising. As a prescription-only medicine, it’s illegal to advertise finasteride to the public like this. This programme flagged the videos to TikTok, and they have since been removed. The company has also banned three of the accounts promoting the drug, saying they breached its rules. Manual said it was not involved in the making of the influencers’ videos.Presenter: Johnny I'Anson Producer: Rob Byrne Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermottDetails of organisations offering help and support with mental health are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
Transcribe →No Win No Fee... No thanks?
Jan 1300:37:47Tap to summarizeFile on 4 Investigates reveals new data showing a significant rise in housing disrepair claims, now a growing market for unscrupulous No Win No Fee lawyers. Adrian Goldberg asks, has the Solicitors Regulation Authority learned its lessons from the collapse of the law firm SSB which left hundreds of householders with huge legal bills, and are they able to protect vulnerable social housing tenants from potentially risky NWNF claims? File on 4 Investigates have been told by 5 major housing providers across England and Wales that housing disrepair claims have been growing significantly. One social housing provider in the South of England with an estate of 85,000 homes has told us its seen a 375% rise in the number of legal claims launched by tenants in the last 5 years. We speak to John Golding, a 74 year old pensioner living in a housing association flat in Staffordshire about how a canvasser knocking on his door tried to pressurise him into pursuing a housing disrepair claim with a Manchester based No Win No Fee solicitors' firm.Reporter: Adrian Goldberg Producer: Jim Booth Additional research: Laura Longworth Technical Producers: Richard Hannaford & Cameron Ward Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermott
Transcribe →Can cash grants help end homelessness?
Dec 3000:37:33Tap to summarizeDo you give homeless people cash? Many people fear any donation will be misspent but a ground-breaking study in the UK is currently recruiting 125 homeless people to receive a large one-off cash payment, paid directly to them. There's no restrictions on what they can buy with the money. It can be used for anything, it’s entirely up to the individual how they choose to spend it. The aim of the project is to see if it will help people move on from homelessness for good. With exclusive access to the ongoing study, Michael Buchanan follows some of those who’ve been given the cash to see how the money is being spent and what impact it‘s having on their lives.Reporter: Michael Buchanan Producers: Emma Forde and Rob Byrne Editor: Tara McDermott Production Coordinator: Tim Fernley
Transcribe →Youth Justice: The project keeping young offenders out of custody
Oct 700:37:37Tap to summarizeA van selling coffee and sandwiches from an office car park doesn’t sound like anything special, but there’s one in Swindon helping to keep young offenders out of custody. It’s part of an approach being deployed across the country trying to prevent young people from reoffending by encouraging a shift in their identity. The idea is to get to know the young offender, figure out what makes them tick. And then, instead of locking them up, find ways of getting them involved in whatever interests them. Selling tea and coffee from the burger van is where those with a culinary eye can learn new skills and start to feel valued for being part of legitimate endeavours. Similar interventions include social enterprises working in bicycle maintenance, hair and beauty and podcasting. As the adult prison population has soared in England and Wales, the number of under-18s behind bars has dropped markedly in the past 20 years, from around 3000 to 400. File on 4 Investigates spends time with the Youth Justice Service in Swindon to find out how it rehabilitates young offenders in the local community, and asks if the success of the youth system could hold lessons to address chronic overcrowding problems in adult prisons. Chris Marston, who presents shows on National Prison Radio and spent 10 months in prison discovers that what’s going on in Swindon is very different from his own experiences of the adult criminal justice system.Reporter: Chris Marston Producer: Beth McLeod Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Nick HollandMain Image: Presenter Chris Marston in front of the Solid Ground coffee van in Swindon.
Transcribe →Swiped. Inside London's phone theft epidemic
Sep 3000:37:22Tap to summarizeUp to 80,000 phones were stolen in London’s streets and transport network in 2024, according to the Metropolitan Police. As File on 4 Investigates discovers, gangs are targeting unlocked phones. We discover that if a phone is unlocked, criminals may be able to access online banking and cryptocurrency accounts within minutes. We hear from one victim who lost £15,000 from a phone stolen from his pocket, another who lost £40,000 in cryptocurrency and about the financial and emotional cost of trying to recover lost assets.Adrian Goldberg joins City of London Police as they carry out a series of raids as part of Operation Swipe. They have recovered more than three thousand handsets in the last three months alone.Reporter: Adrian Goldberg Producer: Paul Grant Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Tim Fernley Editor: Tara McDermottHave you had your phone snatched? Tell us your story via Your Voice, Your BBC News. Email: bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: 07756 165 803 Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist and have your comments included online or appear on TV/radio.Image credit: PA\City of London Police
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