Inside Story — Season 15

Aired 11 January 1996

Left brain damaged after an operation, two-year-old Ian Stewart is in pain day and night and not expected to reach his teens. His parents, who have sacrificed their careers to care for Ian, feel his quality of life is negligible. This film records both their tragic situation and the moral dilemma they face: is euthanasia the answer?

Aired 18 January 1996

This programme goes behind the scenes to show how pop industry bosses manufacture the latest teenage "boy band" sensation, Upside Down, from auditions for the band members through to their first performance.

Aired 30 January 1996 • 55 min

Update on the story of a London Civil Servant who was arrested in New York in 1994 carrying her dead baby. After eight months on remand, Caroline awaits her trial date.

Aired 1 February 1996

Julie Hill was paralysed following a car crash, but she is about to become a bionic woman. Julie has been chosen to have the world's first electronic implant which would allow her to stand up at the press of a button, but using her own muscles. Filmed over a year, this programme follows Julie and her family before and after surgery, telling a story of intense effort and personal triumph.

Aired 9 February 1996

In August 1995, climber Alison Hargreaves , the first woman to reach the summit of Everest alone and without oxygen, was blown to her death on her descent of the world's second highest peak K2. In this Inside Story special her husband Jim Ballard and their children journey to the "killer mountain" to visit Alison's last resting place.

Aired 12 June 1996

25 Million Pounds details the collapse of Barings Bank in the mid 1990s primarily by a broker called Nick Leeson, who lost £827 million ($1.3 billion) by speculating on futures contracts. The film contextualises the downfall as the history of Barings Bank was one of the oldest and most prestigious merchant banks in Britain, run by the same family for decades with extensive ties to Britain's elites. But in the late 19th century Barings almost went bankrupt after investing heavily in South American bonds, including backing the construction of a sewer system in Buenos Aires. The bank was saved by The Bank of England, but Edward Baring, the head of the bank, was financially ruined and never recovered. This film explores the culture of Barings and of the financial markets during the 1990s, and how Nick Leeson was able to cause another huge loss of money to the bank, this time bankrupting the company.

Aired 17 July 1996

Los Angeles is the only city in the world which has its own police team dedicated to fighting the crime of stalking. Tonight's first in a new six-part series of documentaries, follows the LAPD's Threat Management Unit - known as the "stalker squad" - as they investigate some bizarre and dangerous cases.

Aired 24 July 1996

In 1934, in Canada, Elzire Dionne gave birth to five identical girls. To ensure the babies' survival, the sisters were removed from their parents and looked after in a specially built hospital, only to become a major tourist attraction.

Aired 31 July 1996

A documentary about four intrepid lady shots who have taken on the men at their own game, in the exclusive world of the shooting party.

Aired 7 August 1996 • 50 min

The story of Christopher, a young boy who suffers from severe epilepsy. The film follows his development over five years, from child to teenager.

Aired 14 August 1996

Tonight's programme goes behind the scenes of the huge security operation, set up by eight of the country's regional police forces, during this year's Euro 96 football championship - Britain's biggest sporting event for 30 years.

Aired 21 August 1996

From a bride betrayed on her wedding night to a lottery winner who walked out on his partner, this documentary goes behind closed doors to hear the personal stories of people involved in just a few of the nation's marital break-ups.

Aired 15 October 1996

Karzan Krekar's family are trapped in a safe haven in northern Iraq. Karzan lives with his wife and child in Britain, watching helplessly as the situation in Iraq becomes evermore unstable and his family are exposed to increasing danger. In February this year, Karzan took his life in his hands and embarked on a perilous mission to bring his family to safety. But he was only able to bring a few of his brothers and had to employ "smugglers" to ensure safe passage. With hidden cameras, tonight's Inside Story charts Karzan's progress as he delves into eastern Europe's underworld to secure fake IDs and passports, and prepares to lead his brothers through a tangled web of secret Mafia routes, across unknown borders and cultures. Will they make it to Britain and will they be granted political asylum? Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein's troops take the safe haven of Arbil and all lines to the city are severed, provoking renewed attacks from the Americans.

Aired 29 October 1996

The inside story of the life of Robert Maxwell. Tom Bower reveals in forensic detail the financial web which underpinned the Maxwell empire and the people who supported him. This film details exactly what happened in the House of Maxwell in the years, months and days leading to his death on a yacht in the Canaries. Expertly woven together with incredible, previously unseen, private archive of Maxwell from his humble beginnings to his flamboyant, international, jet set lifestyle.