All Episodes
Working: What We Do All Day featuring Barack Obama
Millions of us work for a living. How many of us, though, ask ourselves ‘what does this work mean? In Working: What We Do All Day, former US President Barack Obama speaks to people from three different industries – technology, hospitality, and home care – to find out what they think. Obama also explores changing work patterns, driven, for example, by AI, and their consequences. Director Caroline Suh joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss the making of Working: What We Do All Day, how they have approached jobs in the past, how President Obama became involved in the series, and even the famous illustrator, Richard Scarry!
32 Sounds: Exploring the Most Mysterious and Profound of the Senses
32 Sounds is both an exploration and meditation. In it, inspired by a conversation with composer Annea Lockwood, Sam Green goes on a journey that takes him from nature to film studios, the purring of cats to silence. Sound, he tells Matthew Sherwood, is mysterious and even ephemeral, but listening to it can be both intensely pleasurable and even ground you as a person. All the senses are wonderful. Sound, though, is a wonder. Listen, and find out why.
Reimagine Wildfire: An Elemental Threat That We Can Control
The world is getting hotter and fires more destructive. In Elemental, Trip Jennings explores how a wildfire destroyed the Californian town of Paradise in just a matter of hours. With the help of experts, Native Americans, and more he goes on a journey to understand how fires happen, and what we can do to stop them. For, as he tells Matthew Sherwood, fire presents a problem that can, in some cases, be solved by each one of us in as little as a weekend. All we have to do is decide to take action.
Jason Isbell: Portrait of the Musician as a Young Man
It’s 2019, and Jason Isbell is recording his latest album: Reunions. As he does so, he discusses his life and music with director, Sam Jones. The result is Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed, a documentary that explores Jason’s childhood trauma, his addictions, music, and marriage to fellow musician Amanda Shires, as well as the challenges of living through the Covid pandemic. Sam joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss the film, its star, and the importance of embracing the unexpected.
The Rise and Fall of America's Most Corrupt Police Squad
The Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force was created to fight crime. Instead its officers became criminals. In I Got A Monster, director Kevin Abrams explores how their reign of terror was finally ended by the FBI and a defence attorney named Ivan Bates. In his discussion with Matthew Sherwood, Abrams explores what happened, his interviews with the officers’ victims, and what it was like filming with minimal resources. Kevin also pays tribute to Baltimore’s beauty and brings an unexpected guest onto the podcast!
Waco: The Tragedy that Still Haunts America
In early 1993, law enforcement officers attempted to storm a compound belonging to the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas. The officers were met by a hail of gunfire. They retreated and a 51-day siege began. It ended when a number of fires began at the compound killing 82 members of the cult, including 28 children. Using previously unseen footage, Waco: American Apocalypse examines what happened, and why. In conversation with Matthew Sherwood, director and producer Tiller Russell calls the siege an ‘iconic American tragedy’ with roots that go all the way back to the USA’s origins.
Charles Starkweather: The Murder Victim Who Lived
Winter 1957-58. America is gripped by news of a killing spree taking place in the Midwestern states of Nebraska and Wyoming. The killers are 19 year old Charlie Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate. After being captured, both are put on trial. Charlie is executed and Caril sent to prison. The 12th Victim, a new docu-series from Showtime, investigates Caril’s role in the murders. As director Nicola Marsh tells Matthew Sherwood, it finds that she had none. Not only was she not even Charlie’s girlfriend, but he forced her to accompany him as he killed the victims. Caril is therefore the 12th victim. Convicted unjustly in the past, and searching for justice in the present.
Where the Truth Lies – Investigating MH370: The Plane That Disappeared
March 8th 2014. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappears while on a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Nine years later, the plane has still not been found. MH370: The Plane That Disappeared explores the facts behind one of the greatest mysteries in modern aviation history. The filmmakers also talk to those left behind: the families of the disappeared who, nearly a decade later, continue to grieve and search for the truth.
The Day Fatboy Slim Narrowly Avoided Disaster
In the summer of 2002, Superstar DJ Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) decided to hold a free concert on the beach in Brighton, on the south coast of England. 50,000 people were expected to attend. By the time the iconic DJ took to the stage, however, 250,000 fans were waiting for him to begin. Using footage and photography from Cook’s own archive, and fans who were there, Right Here, Right Now tells the story of what happened on an unforgettable and never-to-be-repeated day in music and British history.
Oscar Nominations 2023: Three Tales from the Past and the Heart
In this special edition of Factual America, Matthew Sherwood meets the people behind three of the five nominations for Best Documentary Short Film at the 2023 Oscars: The Martha Mitchell Effect, How Do You Measure a Year? and Stranger at the Gate. The films bring the past into the present, stripping away lies, showing the evolution of a relationship, and startling acts of love. They show humanity at its worst, and best.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Don’t be fooled. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck is not about not caring at all. The film takes the form of an extended interview with Mark Manson, author of the book on which The Subtle Art is based. Using the example of his own life, he talks candidly about the many mistakes he has made, and what he had to do to solve his problems; namely, give a f*ck, just about the right things, and the right people.
Moonage Daydream: David Bowie’s Impressionistic Life
Moonage Daydream is not just a film but a whole cinematic experience. It is a montage of memories conveyed through archival images and sounds that tell the story of David Bowie’s richly lived life. Working with the approval of Bowie’s estate, director Brett Morgen spent nearly seven years crafting, honing, and finally perfecting the film, which has been lauded across the world. It is a fitting tribute to one of music’s brightest stars.
Dog Days: The Truth Behind Gunther’s Millions
Gunther is a multi-millionaire. He owns mansions and yachts. Beautiful women surround him. He has everything – everything a dog could want. That’s right, Gunther is a German Shepherd, and Gunther’s Millions tells the true story of his stranger-than-fiction life. It is a four part docu-series that is both bizarre and, dare we say it, barking.
Pelosi in the House – a life of service in troubling times
Pelosi in the House (HBO) tells the political and personal story of Nancy Pelosi, one of America’s most influential female politicians, from her election to Congress in 1987 to Joseph Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. The director of the film is no less than Nancy’s daughter, Alexandra, ensuring a level of access and knowledge that few other filmmakers could match.
Phil Spector – Music Legend and Murderer
In the four-part docu-series, Spector, Sheena M. Joyce and Don Argott examine what happened on the night in 2003 when musical icon Phil Spector murdered Lana Clarkson. They explore both Spector’s and Clarkson’s lives, bringing to life two people many would be tempted to dismiss as merely a monster and victim.
How Bernie Madoff Became the Monster of Wall Street
Bernie Madoff was ‘a financial serial killer’. For years he ploughed investors’ money into a huge Ponzi scheme for the benefit only of himself and his allies. When it collapsed in 2008, Madoff lost billions and lives were ruined. In the new Netflix docu-series, Bernie Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street, director Joe Berlinger shows how it all happened. The series is a drama, an indictment, and a warning to investors: Don’t ignore red flags. Protect your money.
I am Vanessa Guillen
In 2020, Private First Class Vanessa Guillen was murdered at Fort Hood army base in Texas. Prior to her death, Vanessa had also been the victim of sexual harassment at the base. I Am Vanessa Guillen follows her grieving family as they fight a campaign to win justice for their sister and daughter.
FIFA Uncovered
Since the 1970s, FIFA has achieved unparalled financial and political success as football’s governing body. But with that success has come corruption at the highest levels of the organisation. FIFA Uncovered lifts the veil on what went right and horribly wrong through interviews with many of the men at the heart of the organisation.
Santa Camp
The documentary filmmakers behind Santa Camp, Nick Sweeney and Stacey Reiss, discuss the tricks of the trade involved in being a Santa, what it’s like hanging out with hundreds of Santas, and the threats they received while making the surprisingly controversial film.
Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich
Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich tells the shocking story of how a privileged British woman became the accomplice of the notorious sexual predator, Jeffrey Epstein.