Network First()
Documentary
First Air Date: N/A
Average Runtime: N/A
Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 107
Network First is a wide-ranging documentary strand broadcast on ITV in the U.K. from January 1994 to December 1997, and was a part replacement for First Tuesday. Unlike other documentary series on ITV such as World in Action, Network First, was not centred on current affairs or politics, but broadcast a range of one-off programmes covering various subjects such as biography, history, and science. Programmes were usually transmitted in the 22:40 slot after News at Ten, each usually running for an hour. The strand was not "owned" by any one ITV franchise, and individual programmes were contributed by the various ITV companies. As a strand, Network First never became a household "name" - unlike the likes of World in Action or This Week - possibly because of its diverse subject matter. The series appears to have been dropped quietly by ITV in the lead up to the high-profile axing of both World in Action on 7 December 1998 and News at Ten on 5 March 1999.
Seasons & Episodes
Season 1
Episodes: 107E01
Florence and Robin
Air Date: 1994-01-04
Documentary set in San Francisco about a lesbian couple who have a long-term relationship and want a child of their own.
E02
Women Who Kill
Air Date: 1994-01-11
Five women explain why after years of mental and physical abuse they finally killed their partners.
E03
An Everest to Climb
Air Date: 1994-01-18
In October 1993 a party of climbers left for the Himalayas, including seven British mountaineers who had mental or ph...
E04
Supermodels
Air Date: 1994-01-25
A revealing look at the fashion industry with supermodels Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. The programme goes b...
E05
Bhopal: The Second Tragedy
Air Date: 1994-02-01
Mark Tully returns to Bhopal, 10 years after the gas leak, to find that the American chemical giant has wriggled out ...
E06
Nightfighters
Air Date: 1994-02-08
Follows the formation of the 332nd fighter group in Italy during World War II, the first all black air squadron in th...
E07
Children of the Holocaust
Air Date: 1994-02-15
History of four Jewish children who survived Auschwitz.
E08
Top Chef
Air Date: 1994-03-01
Young chefs compete with other chefs at the Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise, cooking classic dishes against the...
E09
Ballet School
Air Date: 1994-03-08
A behind-the-scenes look at a term in London's Central School of Ballet.
E10
Last Voyage of the Lusitania
Air Date: 1994-03-22
Documentary on the sinking by a U-boat of the 'Lusitania' in 1915 in which nearly 1200 men, women and children were d...
E11
Stigmata: A Modern Miracle?
Air Date: 1994-03-29
A documentary examining evidence from people claiming to receive the open wounds of the stigmata. The programme featu...
E12
The War Against the Mafia Part 1: The Founding Father
Air Date: 1994-04-05
How America's law enforcement agencies tackled the Mafia. Concentrates on the Gambino family from 1980 to 1993. Inclu...
E13
The War Against the Mafia Part 2: Death in the Family
Air Date: 1994-04-12
The programme begins with the funeral of Carlo Gambino, the model for The GODFATHER. His successor, Paul Castellano, ...
E14
The War Against the Mafia Part 3: The King of Little Italy
Air Date: 1994-04-19
The programme looks at the rise and fall of gangster, John Gotti, who took charge after arranging the murder of Paul ...
E15
Mandela: From Prison to President
Air Date: 1994-04-26
An intimate portrait of South Africa's President-in-waiting, looking at the sacrifices Mandela made in his quest for ...
E16
Inside the Channel Tunnel
Air Date: 1994-05-03
The story of the bi-lingual company Eurotunnel which has taken possession of the Channel Tunnel, opening on Friday, 6...
E17
The Professional Beggar
Air Date: 1994-05-10
Documentary about the Orbis International Flying Eye Hospital, a charity-funded medical service that works at restori...
E18
Apollo: When the World Held Its Breath
Air Date: 1994-07-26
Documentary telling the stories of Apollos 11 and 13, two of the most important missions in space exploration, reveal...
E19
Murder in the Family
Air Date: 1994-08-08
Documentary about Roderick and Newall, the brothers accused of murdering their wealthy parents in New Jersey, USA.
E20
Date Rape: The Investigation
Air Date: 1994-09-06
Documentary drama of a typical "date-rape" case, using actors to represent the victim, the accused and their friends;...
E21
Date Rape: The Trial Day 1
Air Date: 1994-09-07
The alleged victim gives her evidence and is cross-examined.
E22
Date Rape: The Trial Day 2
Air Date: 1994-09-08
The prosecution witnesses are now taking the stand.
E23
Date Rape: The Trial Day 3
Air Date: 1994-09-09
The alleged rapist is cross-examined and the summing-up begins.
E24
Date Rape: The Verdict
Air Date: 1994-09-13
Follows the alleged victim's case through the Crown Court, giving her evidence to the Court and the defence demanding...
E25
Waking from Coma
Air Date: 1994-09-20
Report from the Royal Hospital in Putney, London, where pioneering work is carried out on severely brain-damaged pati...
E26
Inside Castro's Cuba
Air Date: 1994-09-27
Documentary on Cuba after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Features an interview with President Fidel Castro who spe...
E27
Miami Front Line
Air Date: 1994-10-04
Documentary about the tragedy taking place on the coastal waters off Florida, where thousands of Cuban and Haitian re...
E28
The Secrets of Porton Down
Air Date: 1994-10-11
Documentary about human guinea pigs being used at the secret Porton Down research facility to help with the developme...
E29
Nicholas and Alexandra Part 1: Anointed by God
Air Date: 1994-10-18
First of a two part programme about the assassination of the last Tsar, Nicholas, and his wife Alexandra amid the blo...
E30
Nicholas and Alexandra Part 2: The Slaying of the Tsars
Air Date: 1994-10-25
Prince Michael of Kent reveals details of the tragic deaths of the last Tsar and his family, and the consequent disco...
E31
Stalker Investigates
Air Date: 1994-11-01
Former deputy Chief Constable John Stalker investigates the murder of Hilda Murrell in 1984, including her involvemen...
E32
The Russian Love Connection
Air Date: 1994-11-08
Documentary offers an insight into the burgeoning industry in Post-Communist Russia of supplying Russian women as bri...
E33
Flying the Flag - Arming the World
Air Date: 1994-11-15
The British arms business and its implications in World politics.
E34
The Visit: Coma - Connie's Story
Air Date: 1994-11-22
A return visit to Connie Taylor, who was knocked down by a car outside her house eight years ago and nearly died. Fea...
E35
The Visit: Chariots of Wire
Air Date: 1994-11-29
Documentary about three young British businessmen who design and manufacture a revolutionary cheap wheelchair which t...
E36
The Visit: A Life for Polly
Air Date: 1994-12-06
Documentary on Polly East, a five-year-old who has been diagnosed with leukaemia. Follows her family as she undergoes...
E37
Between Life and Death
Air Date: 1994-12-13
Documentary about the Near Death Experience, and scientific research which has tried to explain how people who have t...
E38
Talking to the Enemy
Air Date: 1994-12-20
Documentary about IRA's foot-soldier Dermot Finucane. The programme also records the moving testimony of Robert Ewart...
E39
The Plague Monkeys
Air Date: 1995-01-03
Documentary about a group of viruses, known as filoviruses, which can kill within two weeks and which are transmitted...
E40
UFO
Air Date: 1995-01-10
Documentary about the phenomena of UFO sightings, and the history of authorities ignoring or debunking theories assoc...
E41
Love, Lies and Bigamy
Air Date: 1995-01-17
Documentary about the experiences of four modern bigamists - three men and a woman - who were prosecuted.
E42
The Man Who Saved Animals
Air Date: 1995-01-24
Profile of conservationist Richard Leakey, the Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, who for many years has been a ...
E43
Commando
Air Date: 1995-02-07
Documentary from behind the scenes with a Royal Marines commando unit as it takes part in a dramatic training exercis...
E44
Desperately Seeking Asylum
Air Date: 1995-02-14
Report on the treatment of people arriving in Britain seeking asylum. Follows the stories of some of the refugees thr...
E45
The Yardies
Air Date: 1995-02-21
Profile of the Yardies, a crime syndicate that's more powerful than the Mafia, originating from Kingston, Jamaica, no...
E46
Confronting Crime
Air Date: 1995-02-28
Report on the pioneering work of Leeds Mediation and Reparation Service, as it brings victims and offenders face to f...
E47
Hollywood Vice
Air Date: 1995-03-07
Profile of the career of detective Fred Clapp, who has been with the Los Angeles Vice Squad for 25 years, involved in...
E48
The Troubleshooters
Air Date: 1995-03-14
For the last 25 years Belfast's leading press agency, Pacemaker, has built up a stunning visual record of The Trouble...
E49
Paul McKenna's Secrets of Hypnosis
Air Date: 1995-03-21
Documentary about hypnosis, exploring the uses for its technique, such as learning, pain control, and eyesight enhanc...
E50
Escape from Tibet
Air Date: 1995-03-28
The fortunes of a group of Tibetans as they try to escape from the Chinese over the Himalayas.
E51
Small Miracles
Air Date: 1995-04-04
Documentary about the work of a London surgeon who operates on babies still in the womb, following a mother whose ser...
E52
What Makes Linford Run?
Air Date: 1995-04-11
Profile of the world class athlete Linford Christie and his relationship to his coach of 16 years, Ron Roddan.
E53
Confession
Air Date: 1995-04-18
The subject matter of the television broadcast was a purported account by Mr Eamon Collins of his activities and expe...
E54
Vietnam: The Last Battle
Air Date: 1995-04-25
Documentary examining how Vietnam has fared since the end of the conflict with America twenty years ago. There is als...
E55
Confronting the Hit Men
Air Date: 1995-05-02
Documentary about the South African "Truth Commission", a reconciliation program, where former leaders of both black ...
E56
Last Letters Home
Air Date: 1995-05-09
Re-creates nine Second World War stories through the letters that passed between forces abroad and their friends, fam...
E57
Igor, Child of Chernobyl
Air Date: 1995-06-06
Documentary about Igor Pavlovets, who was conceived shortly after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and was born with defo...
E58
Eilish: Life Without Katie
Air Date: 1995-08-29
Documentary about six-year-old Eilish Holton from Ireland, three years after she was surgically separated from her co...
E59
When a Woman Kills Her Man: The Investigation
Air Date: 1995-09-05
Documentary about domestic violence, portraying a hypothetical case of Rachel and Peter Palmer. Peter is found fatall...
E60
When a Woman Kills Her Man: The Trial
Air Date: 1995-09-12
Concludes the dramatised examination of domestic violence, following the fictional trial of Rachel Palmer through to ...
E61
A Very Special Baby
Air Date: 1995-09-19
Documentary about the lives of four people involved in a surrogate birth. Christine had a hysterectomy at age 31, wit...
E62
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Air Date: 1995-10-17
Documentary from behind the scenes of British racing, revealing the way racehorses are treated, and what happens to t...
E63
Fear and Counting in Las Vegas
Air Date: 1995-10-24
Documentary following the fortunes of Dominic O'Brien, World Memory champion, as he tries his luck at the card tables...
E64
Defender of the Children
Air Date: 1995-10-31
Documentary about the efforts of Irish priest Shay Cullen to rid the Philippines of the child sex industry. Includes ...
E65
Gettys - A Tragedy of Riches: Part 1
Air Date: 1995-11-07
Examines the life of the wealthy American Getty dynasty, focusing on John Paul Getty.
E66
Gettys - A Tragedy of Riches: Part 2
Air Date: 1995-11-14
History of the Getty family focusing on J Paul Getty's grandchildren - Mark, who is a businessman; Balthazar, an acto...
E67
Man and Animal
Air Date: 1995-11-21
New York dogs model Larry Roth canine fashions while Chinese cats marinate in the kitchens of Guan's Cantonese restau...
E68
Midnight Callers
Air Date: 1995-11-28
Documentary about those who phone a late night radio show in Bradford, discussing their personal problems: one seduci...
E69
Peace for the Wicked: Tales of Ethnic Cleansing
Air Date: 1995-12-05
Documentary about a period after the Second World War in Germany, when many Germans were expelled from parts of their...
E70
Guys as Dolls
Air Date: 1995-12-12
Documentary about transvestism and the effect it has on marriages and social relations.
E71
Entertaining Angels Unawares
Air Date: 1995-12-19
Documentary examining the history of angels, looking at orthodox and unorthodox views of scientists and churchmen on ...
E72
Frontline Britain: Part 1
Air Date: 1996-02-27
First part of a two-part documentary reporting on rising crime in Great Britain and the connection between crime and ...
E73
Frontline Britain: Part 2
Air Date: 1996-03-05
Final part of a documentary examining the divisions in British society, and its fight against drugs. In London, viole...
E74
The Killing of Kathleen Waugh
Air Date: 1996-03-12
Investigation into the death of Kathleen Waugh, a woman with learning difficulties, who went missing four years ago. ...
E75
Inside Burma: Land of Fear
Air Date: 1996-05-14
Documentary about the military ruling regime in Burma, its use of forced and child labour to build road and rail link...
E76
Miss Popular's Crack City
Air Date: 1996-05-21
Documentary about two women whose crack-cocaine habits lead them to prostitution. Wendy was 13 when she started to sl...
E77
High Stakes at Highclere
Air Date: 1996-05-28
Documentary about life behind the scenes at Highclere, the Earl of Carnarvon's estate in Hampshire. A new castle mana...
E78
HMP Dartmoor
Air Date: 1996-06-04
Documentary about life inside Dartmoor Prison in Devon.
E79
A View to a Kill
Air Date: 1996-09-10
Documentary about a Texan family who exercised a new state right to watch the execution of the man who brutally kille...
E80
Three Men and a Balloon
Air Date: 1996-09-17
Documentary following Richard Branson and his fellow balloonists as they made plans to fly a balloon non-stop around ...
E81
Riddle of the Gaul
Air Date: 1996-10-08
Documentary about the 1974 sinking of the Hull trawler Gaul, in which all 36 crew members were lost. Inquiry conclude...
E82
The Connection
Air Date: 1996-10-15
Documentary following the heroin drugs trail from the poppy fields in Columbia to the streets of Britain. Carlton wer...
E83
Cut-price Package
Air Date: 1996-10-22
Documentary about nine British women who travel to Wroclaw in Poland for cut-price plastic surgery.
E84
Going to Chelsea
Air Date: 1996-11-12
Follows Stephen Woodhams, society florist and garden designer, as he prepares and creates a garden for the world famo...
E85
Psychosurgery
Air Date: 1996-11-19
Documentary following three people who have suffered from depression and have decided to try psychosurgery, where par...
E86
Breaking the Cycle
Air Date: 1996-11-26
Documentary about disruptive children and the help available to families to deal with them. Visits the Marlborough Ho...
E87
The Widow, the Terrorist and the SAS
Air Date: 1996-12-03
Documentary about the aftermath of the October 1977 hijacking of a plane by Palestinian terrorists. The four terroris...
E88
Silent Victim: The Untold Story of the Yorkshire Ripper
Air Date: 1996-12-10
Documentary re-examining the case of Peter Sutcliffe, asserting that he may have been responsible for many more crime...
E89
Conspicuous Consumption
Air Date: 1996-12-17
Documentary about the fashionable and exclusive department store Harvey Nichols, visiting the London and Leeds branch...
E90
Forgotten Mothers
Air Date: 1997-01-14
Documentary in which five women talk about how they gave their babies up for adoption in the 1950s and 60s, and the p...
E91
Return to the Place of the Dead
Air Date: 1997-01-21
Documentary following two British soldiers - Bob Mann and Richie Mayfield - as they return to Borneo, where in 1994 t...
E92
Born to Be Small
Air Date: 1997-01-28
Stories of four families affected by dwarfism: a couple's baby with achondroplasia; a couple expecting their first ba...
E93
Igor, the Boy Who Dared to Dream
Air Date: 1997-02-11
Sequel documentary about a year in the life of Igor Pavlovets, who was deformed by the Chernobyl blast. Igor is on ho...
E94
Breaking the Mirror: The Murdoch Effect
Air Date: 1997-02-18
Programme in which journalist John Pilger makes a tribute to the Daily Mirror newspaper. He traces the history of the...
E95
All in the Genes
Air Date: 1997-03-11
Documentary examining genetic engineering and cloning, and how it is transforming medical science, showing scientists...
E96
Stolen Brides
Air Date: 1997-03-18
Documentary about two girls who left Britain to join their Yemeni father in 1982 for a holiday, but were married and ...
E97
The Blind School
Air Date: 1997-03-25
Behind the scenes at the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh to record the inspiring story of how its pupils learn to ove...
E98
The Boy Business
Air Date: 1997-03-26
Documentary about British paedophiles who prey on homeless and vulnerable children. The programme confronts the men w...
E99
Between the Lines
Air Date: 1997-05-06
Documentary about Paul Malone, who spent nearly ten years in jail after being found guilty of four armed robberies. T...
E100
Victoria & Albert Part 1: He Influenced Me in Everything
Air Date: 1997-05-13
His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent presents his great great grandparents - Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of...
E101
Victoria & Albert Part 2: A Queen Alone
Air Date: 1997-05-20
The programme follows the life of Queen Victoria following the death of her husband, her self-imposed isolation durin...
E102
For the Love of Roy
Air Date: 1997-09-23
Documentary about the legacy of Roy Castle's battle against lung cancer. and the world's first lung cancer research c...
E103
Out of the Shadows
Air Date: 1997-09-30
First part in a two-part documentary following the then shadow Chancellor Gordon Brown during the run-in to Labour's ...
E104
We Are the Treasury
Air Date: 1997-10-07
Second part of a two-part documentary following Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's transition into government...
E105
Life with Grace
Air Date: 1997-10-14
First part in a two-part documentary about Monaco's Princess Grace, from her Hollywood career and fairy-tale marriage...
E106
Life After Grace
Air Date: 1997-10-21
Concluding part of a two-part documentary about Monaco's Grimaldi dynasty. After the early death of Princess Grace, t...
E107
Windsor Restored
Air Date: 1997-11-20
Documentary in which The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York give their personal accounts of ...
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