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© 2026 The Couch Critic
Browse 182 movies from Channel 5
The true story of Stephanie Slater, a British estate agent who was kidnapped, raped, and held for ransom by Michael Sams, who imprisoned her in a coffin-like box for eight days.
Mar 1997
Comedy about a brilliant young brain surgeon set in an unorthodox hospital. A "Naked Gun" type comedy from Britain, this one-off special was made specifically for the launch of Channel 5 in 1997.
A biopic drama-documentary about the 'King of Pop', that mixes real footage and new interviews with people around him (most notably his mother Katherine Jackson) with re-enactments of times of Michael's life until his untimely death on the 25th of June in 2009.
Mar 2017
British writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) published her first novel in 1920, in which the eccentric Belgian private sleuth Hercule Poirot made his debut. Later, in 1927, the first short story starring the gentle spinster Miss Jane Marple appeared. A fascinating journey through popular culture in search of the footprints of two of the most charismatic characters in crime and mystery literature.
Oct 2020
Cleopatra, the last Egyptian queen and one of the most legendary women in history. A beautiful seductress who used her sex appeal in order to manipulate the most powerful men in the Roman Empire. This film reveals the truth behind the legend.
Apr 2016
The history of arguably the most famous shop in the world, which has been based on Brompton Road in London for more than 175 years, employs more than 6,000 people and still welcomes 15 million customers every year. This documentary tells the story of the people behind the department store, including Robin Harrod, the great-great-grandson of the store's founder, and culminates with the recent allegations against former chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed
Feb 2025
Drama following the tensions and romantic crises among a group of friends over the course of a single wedding day.
Dec 2005
During a bizarre chapter of WWII, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels decided to make a movie based on the sinking of the Titanic. This epic film was so large in scale that the Nazis were forced to divert men, material and ships from the war effort in order to complete it. Titanic was filmed aboard cruise ship SS Cap Arcona in the Baltic Sea. The movie’s director Herbert Selpin was arrested by the Gestapo over comments he made about the ship’s crew and he was questioned by Goebbels. Selpin was found dead the next day in his cell. The Gestapo’s verdict was suicide. Titanic never received the impressive premiere that Goebbels intended, being first shown in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943. We reveal this little known but fascinating story by looking at the making of the film, as well as the fate of the German ship Cap Arcona.
Apr 2012
A profile of the actress from a strict Quaker upbringing in Yorkshire, through her staunch determination to make it as a thespian. There's also a look at her work in TV favourites such as A Fine Romance and As Time Goes By, where Judi's performances won her four BAFTA awards, and her tenure in the James Bond franchise.
Jul 2022
This new special reveals the secrets of the long-running sitcom's extraordinary success. Helped by former cast and crew members, families of the stars no longer with us, and celebrity fans, we learn the secrets of this comedy classic and get to see previously unseen interviews and rare behind-the-scenes archive footage.
Mar 2022
University lecturer Neil Tannahill is drawn into a sinister conspiracy involving secretly-stored Soviet nuclear waste at a remote British nuclear facility after receiving an enigmatic note from legendary atomic scientist and one-time former head of "Doomwatch" (the infamous Scientific watchdog group of the seventies), Dr Spencer Quist.
Dec 1999
25 years after the verdict in the Jamie Bulger murder trial, we reveal what the jury, public and press never heard, and what his two killers, Thompson and Venables, said during their time in custody from arrest to release.
Nov 2018
A celebration of a comic who made generations laugh and taught us to look at the world differently. Dave Allen was one of the most influential comedians to appear on British TV, but his humour often came under fire from all directions.
Jan 2026
Behind-the-scenes stories from the long-running sci-fi drama. There are tales of stunts that went dangerously wrong and secrets of how the crew brought monsters to life, as well as revelations about how some storylines proved to be so scary the BBC were forced to re-edit episodes.
Nov 2023
Following the soap's final episodes, a tribute to the residents of Ramsay Street and the stars that Neighbours shot to fame. Aside from a look at Kylie Minogue (Charlene Mitchell/Robinson) and Jason Donovan (Scott Robinson), who returned for the finale, there are also profiles of Guy Pearce (Mike Young) and Margot Robbie (Donna Freedman). Plus, interviews with the cast and crew, including Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), Annie Jones (Jane Harris), Ryan Moloney (Toadie), Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy), and Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy)
An exploration of immigration in Britain over the half century since Conservative MP Enoch Powell made his controversial speech. Issues surrounding race, religion, integration and multiculturalism are examined.
Apr 2018
Biographical documentary about the life and career of the film star. What lies behind the extraordinary success of a man sometimes described as a nice guy who came first.
Jan 2022
A look at Britain's beloved canal network via a fact-filled cruise along the first superhighways of the Industrial Revolution. In the age before mechanisation, a frenzy of canal-building saw a new army of workers carve out the British landscape, digging out hundreds of miles of waterways using picks, shovels and muscle.
Mar 2024
After the World War I, Mussolini's perspective on life is severely altered; once a willful socialist reformer, now obsessed with the idea of power, he founds the National Fascist Party in 1921 and assumes political power in 1922, becoming the Duce, dictator of Italy. His success encourages Hitler to take power in Germany in 1933, opening the dark road to World War II. (Originally released as a two-part miniseries. Includes colorized archival footage.)
Jan 2006
Fawlty Towers is a sitcom that needs no introduction for those familiar with British comedy, and yet it only lasted for two short series with a total of 12 episodes. Created by comedy legends John Cleese and Connie Booth, the show quickly became iconic after its first series in 1975. Basil Fawlty, the hotel owner with a short fuse, and his chaotic attempts to run a Torquay hotel, captivated millions. The series reached heights of popularity few shows at the time could rival. So, why does the show only exist in a re-cut, sanitised, edited form, with some of the original scenes deleted? In this programme, we explore these controversies, peeling back the layers of Fawlty Towers and examining its sometimes uncomfortable place in today's world. Through unearthed deleted scenes and archival interviews, we piece together the story of how a sitcom that seemed untouchable in the 1970s came to be viewed through a more critical lens.
May 2025