40 Minutes was a BBC TV documentary strand broadcast on BBC Two between 1981 and 1994. The documentaries could be on any possible subject, the only connection being that they last forty minutes. Some documentaries in the original series were revisited and updated in a 2006 version, Forty Minutes On.
Showing Season 11 of 14
Season 11
1991
No overview available.
01. Alec the Pole
1991-10-17
For 47 years Alec Krawczynski has lived in Scotland. He is known as Alec the Pole. But his real name is not Krawczynski and he has never been to Poland. He came from the Ukraine and for nearly 50 years has kept a deadly secret. Now, as the Ukraine reaches out for independence, he discovers members of his family are still alive. He returns to the Ukraine to discover if his country and family are ready to forgive him for being, in his own words, a traitor.
02. Short, Sharp and Shocking
1991-10-24
No overview available.
03. Autogeddon
1991-10-31
No overview available.
04. Anyone for Tennis?
1991-11-07
No overview available.
05. Berlin Lights
1991-11-14
No overview available.
06. Torn Apart
1991-11-21
A rape in the Irish village of Bray divides the community. Local man Gerry is sent to prison, separated from his wife Saundra and his children. But the rape victim is also isolated by her neighbours. "Nobody believed her. In Irish society it's all black and white, virgin or whore." Fifteen months later, Gerry's appeal draws near, raising new hopes in Saundra and old conflicts in the small world torn apart by the crime.
07. Windermere's Burning
1991-11-28
No overview available.
08. Heads on Beds
1991-12-12
During the property boom, big profits could be made buying and selling London hotels used by councils to house the homeless. Now property prices have dropped and councils are cutting back on bed and breakfast bills. 40 Minutes takes a closer look at this notoriously secretive world.
09. Boobs in Toyland
1991-12-19
No overview available.
10. When the Canaries Stop Singing
1992-01-14
No overview available.
11. Wild Men
1992-01-21
No overview available.
12. Charlotte and Abi
1992-01-28
No overview available.
13. Cowboys in the South Pacific
1992-02-11
An adventure story by international Emmy award-winning film-maker Nigel Evans. Into the jungles of a small Pacific island, Dr Danforth Artie Bookout leads his team of intrepid Texans to search for an aircraft and the body of Weyland Bennett, a "home-town boy" missing in action 50 years ago. Deep in the bush sits Chief Jean Marc waiting for his Texan pay packet to lumber into view. And two days' walk behind the Texan strides a local explorer who knows the secrets of Dr Dan's past.
14. She Married a Lifer
1992-02-18
No overview available.
15. Miami Wild
1992-02-25
Capturing escaped pythons, confiscating pet cougars or wrestling with exotic crocodiles - it's all in a day's work for Miami specialist police officer Lieutenant Kat Kelley. The locals are crazy about owning flamboyant pets and many of these exotic animals have escaped and multiplied over the years, threatening both people and native wildlife. Kelley is on call 24 hours a day and never knows what she will have to face. "We're fighting a losing battle here. Basically, nature is out of control."
16. Elvis in Jarrow
1992-03-03
No overview available.
17. So Much to Lose
1992-03-17
At 34, 5ft 2ins tall and weighing 16 stone, Annette is desperate to lose weight. She has been told the only permanent solution is a stomach stapling operation. The surgeon says that with a specially adapted staple gun he can reduce the size of Annette's stomach to the length of a teaspoon. And that would mean she would only ever be able to eat tiny portions of food. Unable to bear her fat any longer, and with a family history of diabetes and heart disease, Annette feels she has nothing to lose. Meanwhile her friend Kath, who reduced from 19 to seven stone after her operation, is now back to a size 22 and about to enter hospital for a fourth operation.
18. Farewell, Fab 208
1992-03-24
The story of Radio Luxembourg, from its inception until 30 December 1991; the last day of broadcasting on 208 metres. Features interviews and appearances by many of its DJs
19. Soldier's Diary
1992-03-31
No overview available.
20. Get Out!
1992-04-07
No overview available.
21. Not at Their Age
1992-04-14
No overview available.
22. A Child for Hitler
1992-04-21
No overview available.
23. Dear Mr. Pink
1992-04-28
No overview available.
24. Weather
1992-05-09
No overview available.