World in Action was, undoubtedly, ITV's
flagship current affairs show. Over four decades (from the '60s
to the '90s) this multiple BAFTA winner was fearless,
hard-hitting and trailblazing, choosing subjects that other
programmes would not dare touch, getting into trouble with ITV
regulators and - at times - the Government.
A cornerstone of the British viewing schedule, the WIA team investigated stories at no small personal risk to themselves and often courted controversy whilst reporting on organisations such as the National Front. This report is included here, along with editions that cover everything from euthanasia to Scientology, from the Miners' Strike to extended coverage of the underhanded practices of the CIA in the 1970s.
The Third World
A portrait of Stokeley Carmichael, the militant black leader, on his visit to Britain.
The Shrinking World of L. Ron Hubbard
An exclusive interview with L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, and an interview with an ex-Scientologist, in an attempt to gain a clear picture of the movement's purpose and aims.
State of Denmark
WIA takes professional moralist Mary Whitehouse to Denmark - at the time of the 'Sex Fair' - where she discusses the country's liberal laws and lack of censorship with members of the clergy and the Government.
In Search of Gusty Spence
An exclusive interview with Gusty Spence, an Irish Protestant convicted of murder in 1966 and kidnapped while on parole in 1972. WIA traces him to where he is being held by the UVF, and questions him about his links with this organisation and his murder conviction.
The Blood and Guts Shift
The NHS, once the envy of the world, is increasingly overstretched; and nowhere more so than in Liverpool on a Saturday night. WIA spends 24 hours in the casualty department of a city hospital as it deals with the victims of pub brawls and drug overdoses.
The Rise and Fall of the CIA Parts One, Two and Three
In 1975, the Central Intelligence Agency was the subject of an official investigation into its dubious role in national and global politics.
1: A report on the growth of the CIA in the ten years after the Second World War, its anti-Communist activities in Europe in this period, and the methods used to spread influence.
2: WIA examines some of the techniques used by the CIA to topple governments in Iran, Guyana and Cuba, including political intervention, trade union activity and invasion respectively.
3: This film examines how, after the Second World War, successive wars in Indo-China helped drag down two presidents and radically altered the political mood of America.
Death by Request
Mrs. Murray, a confirmed advocate of voluntary euthanasia, expresses her desire that the Suicide Act be amended so that aiding and abetting someone in the act of suicide is no longer illegal. Mrs. Murray herself is terminally ill.
The Nazi Party
WIA goes inside the National Front to reveal the violence and deception behind its patriotic public face. The film includes sworn statements from a police infiltrator and from defectors - some in hiding - and reveals the contents of confidential files and private documents.
Claimant, Scrounger, Snooper, Spy
WIA investigates the twilight world of bogus benefit claimants and the 'snoopers' who track them down, talking to a former DHSS investigator and Reg Prentice, Minister of State for Social Security, who has launched a new campaign against those he calls 'scroungers'.
The Hunt for the Ripper
As five new men are drafted in to lead the search for the Yorkshire Ripper, Britain's biggest ever manhunt, WIA follows the activities of the Task Force of the West Yorkshire Police in Leeds led by Assistant Chief Constable Jim H
A cornerstone of the British viewing schedule, the WIA team investigated stories at no small personal risk to themselves and often courted controversy whilst reporting on organisations such as the National Front. This report is included here, along with editions that cover everything from euthanasia to Scientology, from the Miners' Strike to extended coverage of the underhanded practices of the CIA in the 1970s.
The Third World
A portrait of Stokeley Carmichael, the militant black leader, on his visit to Britain.
The Shrinking World of L. Ron Hubbard
An exclusive interview with L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, and an interview with an ex-Scientologist, in an attempt to gain a clear picture of the movement's purpose and aims.
State of Denmark
WIA takes professional moralist Mary Whitehouse to Denmark - at the time of the 'Sex Fair' - where she discusses the country's liberal laws and lack of censorship with members of the clergy and the Government.
In Search of Gusty Spence
An exclusive interview with Gusty Spence, an Irish Protestant convicted of murder in 1966 and kidnapped while on parole in 1972. WIA traces him to where he is being held by the UVF, and questions him about his links with this organisation and his murder conviction.
The Blood and Guts Shift
The NHS, once the envy of the world, is increasingly overstretched; and nowhere more so than in Liverpool on a Saturday night. WIA spends 24 hours in the casualty department of a city hospital as it deals with the victims of pub brawls and drug overdoses.
The Rise and Fall of the CIA Parts One, Two and Three
In 1975, the Central Intelligence Agency was the subject of an official investigation into its dubious role in national and global politics.
1: A report on the growth of the CIA in the ten years after the Second World War, its anti-Communist activities in Europe in this period, and the methods used to spread influence.
2: WIA examines some of the techniques used by the CIA to topple governments in Iran, Guyana and Cuba, including political intervention, trade union activity and invasion respectively.
3: This film examines how, after the Second World War, successive wars in Indo-China helped drag down two presidents and radically altered the political mood of America.
Death by Request
Mrs. Murray, a confirmed advocate of voluntary euthanasia, expresses her desire that the Suicide Act be amended so that aiding and abetting someone in the act of suicide is no longer illegal. Mrs. Murray herself is terminally ill.
The Nazi Party
WIA goes inside the National Front to reveal the violence and deception behind its patriotic public face. The film includes sworn statements from a police infiltrator and from defectors - some in hiding - and reveals the contents of confidential files and private documents.
Claimant, Scrounger, Snooper, Spy
WIA investigates the twilight world of bogus benefit claimants and the 'snoopers' who track them down, talking to a former DHSS investigator and Reg Prentice, Minister of State for Social Security, who has launched a new campaign against those he calls 'scroungers'.
The Hunt for the Ripper
As five new men are drafted in to lead the search for the Yorkshire Ripper, Britain's biggest ever manhunt, WIA follows the activities of the Task Force of the West Yorkshire Police in Leeds led by Assistant Chief Constable Jim H
