We Are England
We Are England was a regional current affairs documentary programme shown on BBC One. The programme was made by six teams around England, based in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle and Norwich. It explored the issues people cared about, as told by them from across the country. It replaced the long running BBC programme "Inside Out".
Seasons
1. Becoming Dad
Air Date: 2022-01-26
Mental Health: One in ten dads in the UK struggles with post-natal depression, yet it often goes unacknowledged. This film follows Elliott Rae's campaign to get more mental health support for Dads.
2. Cold Swim - Tynemouth
Air Date: 2022-01-26
Mental Health: Cold water swimmer Jacqui inspires two new recruits with personal life challenges to join her tribe and feel the benefits. Can the sea turn the tide and improve their mental health?
3. Fighting My Phobia - Coventry
Air Date: 2022-01-26
Mental Health: Young dad Rob has grappled with social phobia his entire life, now he’s going into the boxing ring to fight in front of hundreds of people. Follow his inspirational journey.
4. Nature on My Mind – Somerset
Air Date: 2022-01-26
Mental Health: A group of key workers and veterans with mental health problems sleep under the stars and learn bushcraft skills as they explore the healing power of the great outdoors.
5. Unfiltered - Cambridge
Air Date: 2022-01-26
Mental Health: Caroline Flack’s former performing arts school puts mental health in the spotlight as dancer Mia, and TV star Vicky Pattison reveal the struggles thousands of young women face.
6. Veterans Road to Recovery
Air Date: 2022-01-26
Mental Health: Ex-soldier Darren supports other veterans struggling with life on civvy street. He retrains them as HGV drivers, helping them overcome challenges both on and off the road.
7. Down at the Docks
Air Date: 2022-02-02
The Night Shift: Bristol Port Company brings in huge cargo ships from around the world 24 hours a day. We meet the team working through the night making sure they're unloaded safely and on time.
8. Life Blood
Air Date: 2022-02-02
The Night Shift: Blood donation fell with Covid-19, now the NHS is on its biggest blood drive ever. And one NHS staffer is inspired to give even more than blood to a stranger - her kidney.
9. Night Nurses - Birmingham
Air Date: 2022-02-02
The Night Shift: When the rest of the world is sound asleep, the nurses battle to keep their patients alive. We follow them on a night shift at one of Birmingham's busiest intensive care units.
10. One Night at the Fish Market - Grimsby
Air Date: 2022-02-02
The Night Shift: A night shift at Grimsby Fish Market where the race is on to get the catch ready to sell. The team are part of the two-million-strong workforce in England who regularly work nights.
11. One Night in Newcastle
Air Date: 2022-02-02
The Night Shift: The street pastors are a group of Christian volunteers who give up their free time to help the poor, the sick and the intoxicated during Friday and Saturday nights in Newcastle
12. Our Bin Lorry Life
Air Date: 2022-02-02
The Night Shift: What actually happens to our waste once it's gone in the bin? This film goes behind the scenes with the men and women who collect, sort and sell our rubbish.
13. Fighting for Fashion
Air Date: 2022-02-09
Bossing It: Like most black entrepreneurs, Kalkidan was refused a loan to start her business. Today her brand is a big success and she now has a new idea to 'revolutionise' retail.
14. Photo Me Famous
Air Date: 2022-02-09
Bossing It: Conor has photographed everyone from Calvin Harris to David Attenborough. As he prepares to work again after the pandemic, he revisits the people who gave him his big break.
15. Steffi and the Chocolate Factory
Air Date: 2022-02-09
Bossing It: Steffi sells her handmade chocolate on social media. When Joe Wicks gave her a shout out, her business trebled. Can she keep up with demand and build her dream factory?
16. The Beauty Boss
Air Date: 2022-02-09
Bossing It: Ama went into the pandemic unemployed. A year later, her new wellness business had made its first million. Can she keep it growing amid mounting challenges?
17. The Container King
Air Date: 2022-02-09
Bossing It: Jake left school with two GCSEs but now runs a growing cargo business. He's going back to school to share his story of success against the odds.
18. Crisis on the Farm
Air Date: 2022-02-16
Farming England: Last winter the pig industry faced a crisis like no other. Labour shortages created a backlog of animals on farms - we follow farmers in Yorkshire as they try to avoid a cull.
19. Farming on the Spectrum - Oxfordshire
Air Date: 2022-02-16
Farming England: Thirty years ago, an Oxfordshire cattle farm invited a group of autistic children through its gates. Now it's a haven for people on the autism spectrum. But can it keep thriving?
20. First Time Farmers
Air Date: 2022-02-16
Farming England: Jenny and Lenny have put every penny of their life savings into a new Cumbrian farm at a time when agriculture is at a crossroads. With a young family to support, can they make it pay?
21. My Norfolk Farm
Air Date: 2022-02-16
Farming England: Young farmer Izzi comes up with new ways to make money and keep her family farm going in a post-Brexit world.
22. The Crisp Farmers - Hereford
Air Date: 2022-02-16
Farming England: Mark and Sean are farmers whose background is growing and selling potatoes. Together, they're making their own environmentally friendly crisps, but the investment is proving costly.
23. When the Boats Come In
Air Date: 2022-02-16
Farming England: The oystermen of the River Fal estuary have been knocked sideways by Brexit. With their future under threat they must battle to save their precarious way of life.
24. Cornwall's Last Raceway
Air Date: 2022-02-23
Belonging: It's race day at the United Downs stock car track. But beyond the rivalries on the circuit, a bigger battle is being fought by a passionate community trying to save their raceway.
25. Our Derby Dance School
Air Date: 2022-02-23
Belonging: Nadia opened a dance studio in Derby 20 years ago, not realising that it would become a refuge and safe haven for youths. The studio helps many students overcome social and mental health issues
26. Our Fight Club - Middlesbrough
Air Date: 2022-02-23
Belonging: Nathan runs a mixed martial arts academy in Middlesbrough. He believes the training he offers to people from disadvantaged backgrounds gives them confidence to face life head on
27. Our Skate Park Life
Air Date: 2022-02-23
Belonging: Riders in Hastings prepare for one of England's top BMX competitions. Will their captain, Stu, be able to take the heat and take his team to victory?
28. The Real Phoenix Nights
Air Date: 2022-02-23
Belonging: John has run the Clacton Railway Working Men's Club for decades. It's a local institution. Now, supported by his two daughters, he tries to modernise.
29. The Real Vicars of Dibley
Air Date: 2022-02-23
Belonging: Leah and Sarah are trainee vicars in the north of England. How will they settle into their new parishes as they prepare for their first services since being ordained?
30. Fighting for our Homes
Air Date: 2022-03-07
A Place Called Home: Neighbours on a Leeds housing estate fight to keep their community together. They are faced with eviction from their privately rented homes, that have stood since the 1950s.
31. Hanging on to Home
Air Date: 2022-03-07
A Place Called Home: Yacob owns his home on an estate, but the council wants to knock it down and build a new development. Now they're the last family left in the block, fighting to save their home.
32. Homes for the Homeless - Nottingham
Air Date: 2022-03-07
A Place Called Home: A Nottingham charity are putting homeless people into their own properties. But adjusting to living in a house is harder than it seems.
33. Staying Afloat
Air Date: 2022-03-07
A Place Called Home: Jess can't get on the property ladder, so she's bought a 30 foot boat. Will life on England's waterways work out for her?
34. Students in Suburbia - Newcastle
Air Date: 2022-03-07
A Place Called Home: Once a quiet residential suburb on the outskirts of Newcastle, Jesmond is being taken over by students and anti-social behaviour is on the rise. But residents are fighting back.
35. Van Life
Air Date: 2022-03-07
A Place Called Home: Van Life follows the people escaping soaring living costs by living in vehicles on the streets of Bristol as they navigate the difficulties that come with living kerbside.
36. Bouncing Back
Air Date: 2022-03-14
Sporting Heroes: Underdog wheelchair basketball team the Bath Romans take on one of the best squads in the country. But with many new and inexperienced players, do they stand a chance?
37. Fighting for Me
Air Date: 2022-03-14
Sporting Heroes: Portsmouth boxer Ebonie gets back in the ring after a relationship that knocked her confidence, and starts living her sporting dreams again.
38. Football Fat Fighters
Air Date: 2022-03-14
Sporting Heroes: Three overweight Carlisle men take to the football pitch. Their goal is to shed the lockdown pounds and feel better about their bodies. Can they put it in the back of the net?
39. Make Me a Jockey
Air Date: 2022-03-14
Sporting Heroes: Young horse riders from under-represented communities take the reins to pursue their dreams of being top jockeys at a new academy inspired by Magnolia Cup winner, Khadijah Mellah.
40. Mick Walks For England
Air Date: 2022-03-14
Sporting Heroes: A man from Liverpool walks 2,500 miles around Britain in a pair of swimming trunks to give back to the charities who helped him through his battle with addiction and homelessness.
41. Swim School
Air Date: 2022-03-14
Sporting Heroes: Swim tutor Annalize is determined to get more people from the black community to enjoy swimming and be safer in the water.
42. A Very British Bike Factory
Air Date: 2022-03-21
Made in England: Can apprentices learning the traditional welding technique of brazing stand the heat as they join an iconic folding bike company during a period of unprecedented demand?
43. Inside the Jet Engine Factory - Derby
Air Date: 2022-03-21
Made in England: After a year when the pandemic brought the aviation industry to a standstill, Derby's famous Rolls-Royce factory is investing in technology and people for the future.
44. Make Mine a 99 - Crewe
Air Date: 2022-03-21
Made in England: We meet the people behind a family-run ice cream van factory, seeing how they hand-build the vans and how they're innovating to deal with tough economic conditions in the industry.
45. Our Northern Jacket Empire
Air Date: 2022-03-21
Made in England: Waxed jackets have been handmade in a north east factory for over 100 years. We meet the workers keeping these traditional skills alive and bringing old jackets back to life.
46. The 007 Shoe Factory
Air Date: 2022-03-21
Made in England: It's one of England's last family-run traditional shoemakers and it has just dressed James Bond. But can it survive the trainer trend?
47. The Biggest Smallest Car Company
Air Date: 2022-03-21
Made in England: We meet the workers behind the two Mini factories that run 24/7, producing nearly 1,000 cars a day
48. Finding Michelle Bettles
Air Date: 2022-03-28
True Crime: Michelle disappeared from Norwich's red light district. Her body was discovered two days later. Twenty years on, her killer hasn't been found. Now, her father retraces her steps.
49. Knife Angels
Air Date: 2022-03-28
True Crime: With stabbings on the rise, Barney Green, a vascular surgeon in Middlesbrough, and the Madgin family from Wallsend, who lost their daughter Samantha to knife crime, band together.
50. Our Adam
Air Date: 2022-03-28
True Crime: Four years ago, Adam Ellison was killed on a night out. We follow his family as they continue to raise awareness about his case in the hope that they can finally get justice.
51. Who Killed Barry Rubery
Air Date: 2022-03-28
True Crime: On 28 April 2010, 68-year-old grandfather Barry Rubery returned home from an evening out at a Masonic dinner, where he was subjected to a violent and sustained attack.
52. Who Killed Dad
Air Date: 2022-03-28
True Crime: On April 22, 1986, Peter Thurgood and Lindy Benstead were found dead near their car just off the A3 in Rake, Hampshire, near the Sussex border.
53. Why Did My Brother End Up Dead?
Air Date: 2022-03-28
True Crime: In 2001, Damean Vernon was found dead by his mother near a Birmingham canal. He was frozen, half naked, with multiple superficial cuts and abrasions around his body.
54. Bimini Bon Boulash: Homecoming Queen
Air Date: 2022-04-04
My Home Town: Celebrity drag queen Bimini Bon Boulash returns to their childhood hometown of Great Yarmouth on a nostalgic journey, exploring a story of success and self-discovery.
55. Graft: Uncovering My Roots
Air Date: 2022-04-04
My Home Town: MOBO-winning rap artist Graft has seen a rapid rise to fame after winning the Rap Game. Now he's embarking on a new journey to trace his ancestral roots whilst developing as an artist.
56. Jassa Ahluwalia: Am I English?
Air Date: 2022-04-04
My Home Town: Jassa Ahluwalia has mixed Indian and English heritage, and he looks white. He goes on a journey to explore his identity to try and answer his question: am I English?
57. Jayde Adams: Coming Home
Air Date: 2022-04-04
My Home Town: Jayde Adams has made a name for herself in comedy, but what's the secret of her success? She goes back to her hometown of Bristol to find out.
58. Kema Kay: My Hometown
Air Date: 2022-04-04
My Home Town: Kema Kay takes a journey through his hometown of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, looking at the way in which immigration and race impacted his identity and his sense of home.
59. Livvy Haydock: My Hometown
Air Date: 2022-04-04
My Home Town: Investigative journalist Livvy Haydock reveals how her past led her to chase down violent criminals.
60. The Crypto-Millionaire
Air Date: 2022-02-09
Broadcast cancelled at last minute. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/feb/10/bbc-cryptocurrency-documentary-pulled-from-air-at-last-minute
61. Bodyworks Dance School - Cambridge
Air Date: 2022-02-16
Broadcast cancelled. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/feb/14/bbc-pulls-another-episode-of-we-are-england-current-affairs-show
1. Bullseye! Our School of Darts
Air Date: 2022-10-07
Mental Health: The Midlands darts academies improving teenagers' mental wellbeing and shaping stars of the future, such as Henry from Derbyshire who's battling it out to be world number one.
2. Coping in Construction
Air Date: 2022-10-07
Mental Health: Alfie and his scaffolding gang have seen first-hand the mental health struggles of colleagues in construction. Now they're joining forces with other workers to make a difference.
3. Free Falling
Air Date: 2022-10-07
Mental Health: Peter, a professional skydiver based in County Durham, has climbed back from suicidal depression and is now on a mission to help others reach new highs with their mental health.
4. Hip Hop Family
Air Date: 2022-10-07
Mental Health: Can hip-hop, rap and breakdancing help mental health? We look behind the scenes at a unique community project in Plymouth as they build up to one of their biggest shows to date.
5. The Barbershop
Air Date: 2022-10-07
Mental Health: After the suicide of a loved one, the owners of a Bedford barbershop take a mental health course to help tackle the issue of male suicide.
6. Bradford Church of Wrestling
Air Date: 2022-10-07
Mental Health: Go behind the scenes as we step into the ring at the Bradford Church of Wrestling.
7. Educating Blyth
Air Date: 2022-10-14
Education: We follow the reality of school life with staff and students of one forward-thinking secondary school in the industrial port town of Blyth.
8. From Conflict to Classroom
Air Date: 2022-10-14
Education: Far from home, young refugees from Ukraine and other countries get a second chance in England's schools.
9. Make Me a Paramedic
Air Date: 2022-10-14
Education: Hina and Sarah are student paramedics, going through a rigorous three-year undergraduate degree whilst learning on the job with the North West Ambulance Service.
10. Our Big Home Education Family
Air Date: 2022-10-14
Education: During the pandemic, schools closed leaving parents to home educate. With home education on the rise, we find out why two families chose to home educate their children pre-pandemic.
11. The Classroom Revolution
Air Date: 2022-10-14
Education: It's difficult to pay attention in class when successful people in textbooks don't look like you and unsuccessful ones do. Chaz and Lawrence are on a mission to change that.
12. Zoo School
Air Date: 2022-10-14
Education: Can working with animals improve behaviour and inspire learning? We follow six Luton teenagers at England's largest zoo.
13. Farming Fields of Gold
Air Date: 2022-10-21
Farming England: Shot over the summer of 2022, this fascinating film follows the working life of Cotswold farmer and culinary oil producer Charlie Beldam.
14. Our Cheese Farm
Air Date: 2022-10-21
Farming England: A third-generation dairy farmer who branched out into cheesemaking on a whim finds himself facing growing global demand.
15. Our Family Cucumber Farm
Air Date: 2022-10-21
Farming England: Tony fears his third-generation family cucumber farm won't survive the season, thanks to rising energy costs. Will this be their last year in business?
16. Shaking Up Our Sheep Farm
Air Date: 2022-10-21
Farming England: James is a sheep farmer with a big vision: he’s taken over the family farm and is making exciting changes using modern breeding and farming techniques.
17. To the Manor Farm
Air Date: 2022-10-21
Farming England: The large country estate handing hundreds of acres back to nature.
18. Trouble at Sea
Air Date: 2022-10-21
Farming England: After thousands of crabs wash up dead on the North East coast, struggling local fishermen attempt to get to the bottom of the devastating environmental event.
19. A Night at the Market
Air Date: 2022-10-28
Serving England: Meet the night workers at the UK's largest wholesale market racing against time to get thousands of tonnes of fresh fruit and veg from pallets onto our plates.
20. A1 by Night: Against the Clock
Air Date: 2022-10-28
Serving England: Night workers adding an extra lane to the A1 battle machine breakdowns, tiredness and danger traffic as they race to get the road open by 6am.
21. Life in the Fast-Food Lane
Air Date: 2022-10-28
Serving England: Bassam, Henry and Viktória all rely on food courier work to financially support them, but just how hard is it to earn a living in this fast-growing industry?
22. Saving Lives by Air
Air Date: 2022-10-28
Serving England: Grappling with cardiac arrests, road traffic accidents and even a wasp attack, the medics and aviators of the East Anglian Air Ambulance stand ready to fly, 24/7.
23. The Women Building Nuclear
Air Date: 2022-10-28
Serving England: 24 hours inside Europe’s biggest construction site with some of the women building it, challenging long-established myths about the building industry and careers in STEM.
24. We Are Firefighters
Air Date: 2022-10-28
Serving England: A unique insight into the heart of the modern-day fire and rescue service. We meet the Midland firefighters who work around the clock to keep their communities safe.
25. A Home without Bills?
Air Date: 2022-11-04
Money and Me: Property developers Scott and Cameron find out ways to keep the cost of bills down for their tenants by learning about carbon-efficient methods of powering homes.
26. Bellies Not Bins
Air Date: 2022-11-04
Money and Me: A single mum of five from Sheffield and a café in Chester-le-Street are both finding ways of tackling the cost-of-living crisis by stopping food from going to waste.
27. Our Money-Saving Story
Air Date: 2022-11-04
Money and Me: Having grown up in poverty, money guru Emmanuel Asuquo is on a mission to solve people’s money issues during the cost of living crisis.
28. Greetings From Guernsey
Air Date: 2022-11-11
Made in England: Moonpig print and send tens of thousands of cards from their Guernsey factory every day. We go behind the scenes meeting the characters who keep the factory running, ensuring cards are ready in time for the last plane off the island, sometimes when the odds are stacked against them.
29. Making Waves: Building Boats
Air Date: 2022-11-11
Made in England: Building the superyachts of tomorrow. Rare access to a pioneering Ipswich boat yard whose yachts marry classical wooden design with cutting edge sustainability.
30. Northern Sole
Air Date: 2022-11-11
Made in England: This year, New Balance celebrated 40 years of Cumbrian manufacturing by producing a special set of trainers to commemorate its milestone. The tongue proudly says 'Made In England'.
31. Our Big Beauty Business
Air Date: 2022-11-11
Made in England: A rare look inside a major cosmetics factory. We join one of the UK’s last family-owned beauty brands in their 40th anniversary year, and see how they’re beating big-name rivals.
32. Pots About Pots
Air Date: 2022-11-11
Made in England: A day with the factory workers, engineering staff, management and design team to get a glimpse of the challenges inside Denby Pottery’s Derbyshire factory.
33. We Make Supercars
Air Date: 2022-11-11
Made in England: The people behind McLaren's latest model, and how over a hundred new jobs have been created with a brand-new state of the art factory in South Yorkshire.
34. Athletes of the Sky
Air Date: 2022-11-25
Family: Nine-year-old Harry isn't like his friends at school. While they are playing computer games at home, he is down the allotment looking after his pigeons.
35. Dementia, Music and Us
Air Date: 2022-11-25
Family: Innovative music therapy is helping families to live with dementia and create new memories. We follow Keith and Joan as they prepare for a group holiday to Llandudno.
36. England's Greatest Showman
Air Date: 2022-11-25
Family: Eighty-year-old Nipper is fairground aristocracy, the head of East Anglia’s largest family of showmen. We join them on the road, seeing the challenges they face.
37. My Walking Family
Air Date: 2022-11-25
Family: Founder of the largest online community of Muslim hikers, family man Haroon is on a quest to make the outdoors more inclusive to all as he leads them on a trek to Scafell Pike.
38. Weston-super-Mums
Air Date: 2022-11-25
Family: The mums on a mission to get back into work. We follow the unique 12-week course helping mums on benefits get back into employment. But can they secure a job?
39. Born to Race, Part 1
Air Date: 2022-11-25
Belonging - Mental Health: Ruben and Lewis have been racing since the age of four and dream of making it in Formula 1. Now, they’re facing a race that could make or break their careers.
40. Born to Race, Part 2
Air Date: 2023-01-09
Belonging - Mental Health: Ruben and Lewis have been racing since the age of four, with hundreds of trophies between them. Now, with advice from their idol, they face the most important race of their careers.
41. England's Next Lionesses
Air Date: 2023-01-09
Belonging - Mental Health: England football legend Jill Scott inspires the next generation of Lionesses to success at her childhood club in the north east.
42. Let Us Entertain You
Air Date: 2023-01-09
Belonging - Mental Health: With staycations on the rise, we follow two touring tribute acts over the summer, ‘Elvis’ and ‘Jessie J’, as they navigate the ultra-competitive world of holiday park entertainment.
43. My Body: No Limits
Air Date: 2023-01-09
Belonging - Mental Health: Disabled model Sian Green explores the barriers to amputees getting active. She’ll face a new challenge – going to the gym on her own for the first time as an amputee.
44. Our Toxteth Cycle Club
Air Date: 2023-01-09
Belonging - Mental Health: With 74% of people from ethnic minority groups having never cycled, one Liverpool-based organisation aims to get more diverse groups interested and active in cycling.
45. Riding the Waves
Air Date: 2023-01-09
Belonging - Mental Health: A paramedic, a firefighter and a police officer head to north Devon for a day of ‘surf therapy’ in the hope it can help process trauma from their demanding jobs.
46. Fighting For Our Homes: What Happened Next
Air Date: 2023-01-16
Neighbours on a Leeds housing estate fight to keep their community together when faced with eviction from their privately rented homes. We join the residents of the estate one year later as they adapt to new living situations.
47. Hanging onto Home: What Happened Next
Air Date: 2023-01-16
Almost a year on since the original programme aired on BBC1, We Are England returns to this south Acton estate to find out how Yacob and his family have fared.
48. Knife Angels: What Happened Next
Air Date: 2023-01-16
Teesside is one of the worst places for knife crime, so how should £3.5 million of new government cash be spent tackling the problem?
49. Our Derby Dance School: What Happened Next
Air Date: 2023-01-16
20 years ago, Nadia opened a dance studio that became a safe haven where some youths were able to overcome social and mental health issues. Six months on, how have things been?
50. The Real Phoenix Nights: What Happened Next
Air Date: 2023-01-16
A year on since the original programme aired on BBC1, We Are England returns to the club to find out how they are getting on.
51. When the Boat Comes In: What Happened Next
Air Date: 2023-01-16
Almost a year on since the original programme aired on BBC1, We Are England returns to see if Martin’s shellfish business is surviving with the continued implications of Brexit.
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Rating
0.0/10
Release Date
2022-01-26
Episodes
112 (2 seasons)
Status
Returning Series
Cast
Production Companies
BBC