STORYVILLE UNVEILS AUTUMN SLATE OF PROGRAMMING

The BBC's award-winning international documentary strand, Storyville, returns to BBC Four and BBC iPlayer with six stand-out films from around the world – with five premiering this autumn and a further film in early winter 2027. The new season will also introduce Storyville Shorts, beginning with Allies in Exile this autumn, the first of this new strand.

Nevine Mabro, Head of BBC Storyville, says:  "I am proud to bring this new Storyville season to BBC Four and BBC iPlayer; it epitomises our commitment to bring bold, distinctive documentaries to our audience - films that offer fresh perspectives on extraordinary lives, as well as on the big cultural and political issues shaping our world. From acclaimed directors to new voices, this season will for the first time include cinematic short documentaries. I am also excited to give a sneak preview of a couple of stunning Storyville feature documentaries that will be airing in the new year.” 

ASK E. JEAN

Ask E. Jean tells the extraordinary story of journalist, author and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, whose irreverent wit, fearless spirit and determination have defined a career spanning more than five decades. Now known as the woman who took on President Donald Trump (who was out of office at the time), this film looks at her early days as Miss Cheerleader USA to how she became a pioneering voice in American magazine journalism. Carroll broke new ground as the first female editor at Esquire, Playboy and Outside, challenging conventions and helping redefine the role of women in the media.

A WANT IN HER

A Want in Her is the debut feature documentary from young filmmaker and artist Myrid Carten, whose film unfolds as a powerful exploration of family, addiction and unconditional love in rural Donegal. Carten turns her camera on her mother Nuala – who has both bipolar disorder and alcoholism – and her wider family, uncovering years of grief, conflict and resilience.  

BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL

Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story tells the remarkable story of Kwame Brathwaite, the Harlem photographer, activist and cultural pioneer whose work helped define the iconic “Black Is Beautiful” movement. Across a career spanning more than seven decades, Kwame captured over 500,000 images documenting African American life, creativity and identity, while championing Black pride through photography, fashion and grassroots activism. 

ALLIES IN EXILE

Building on its reputation for the world's best international documentaries, Storyville is showcasing bold, innovative filmmakers in its new Storyville Shorts strand, featuring 10–40-minute films that explore the issues shaping our world.

MANHOOD

Manhood follows Dallas businessman Bill Moore as he sets out to make penis enlargement as commonplace as Botox and bring these procedures into the mainstream, positioning male cosmetic surgery as a growing part of the aesthetics industry.

THE LAST SPY

The Last Spy by acclaimed filmmaker Katharina Otto-Bernstein, shines a light on the extraordinary life of legendary CIA officer Peter Sichel, who died in 2024 at the age of 102.

A Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany before becoming one of the most influential figures in American intelligence, Sichel rose to serve as the CIA's first Station Chief in post-war Berlin and played a pivotal role in some of the defining geopolitical events of the Cold War.