Season 1
59 episodes · Jan 4, 1994
Network First is a wide-ranging documentary strand broadcast on ITV in the U.K. from January 1994 to December 1997, and was a part replacement for First Tuesday.
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- S1994E1
Florence and Robin
Jan 4, 1994Documentary set in San Francisco about a lesbian couple who have a long-term relationship and want a child of their own.
S1994E2Women Who Kill
Jan 11, 1994Five women explain why after years of mental and physical abuse they finally killed their partners.
- S1994E3
An Everest to Climb
Jan 18, 1994In October 1993 a party of climbers left for the Himalayas, including seven British mountaineers who had mental or physical disabilities. The film follows their attempts to climb the Pokalde peak in the Everest range.
- S1994E4
Supermodels
Jan 25, 1994A revealing look at the fashion industry with supermodels Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. The programme goes behind the scenes at Paris Fashion Week and tells sad tales about British models trying to cope.
- S1994E5
Bhopal: The Second Tragedy
Feb 1, 1994Mark Tully returns to Bhopal, 10 years after the gas leak, to find that the American chemical giant has wriggled out of its responsibility towards the victims of the world's worst industrial disaster. He travels to the USA, Mexico and Brazil to find if the world has learned any lessons from Bhopal.
- S1994E6
Nightfighters
Feb 8, 1994Follows the formation of the 332nd fighter group in Italy during World War II, the first all black air squadron in the United States Air Force, from its beginnings in Tuskegee, Alabama in July 1941.
S1994E7Children of the Holocaust
Feb 15, 1994History of four Jewish children who survived Auschwitz.
- S1994E8
Top Chef
Mar 1, 1994Young chefs compete with other chefs at the Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise, cooking classic dishes against the clock. They have five hours to create two perfect dishes for a panel of chefs and cookery writers.
- S1994E9
Ballet School
Mar 8, 1994A behind-the-scenes look at a term in London's Central School of Ballet.
- S1994E10
Last Voyage of the Lusitania
Mar 22, 1994Documentary on the sinking by a U-boat of the 'Lusitania' in 1915 in which nearly 1200 men, women and children were drowned. Dr Robert Ballard investigates the wreckage to see if the ship was really carrying arms, according to the Germans.
- S1994E11
Stigmata: A Modern Miracle?
Mar 29, 1994A documentary examining evidence from people claiming to receive the open wounds of the stigmata. The programme features stigmatics from around the world, including the three from the UK, and throughout history from St Francis to Padre Pio. It covers the various theories that have been put forward to explain the phenomenon: multiple personality disorder, self-infliction of wounds, the psychosomatic reproduction of injuries of trauma years after the event.
- S1994E12
The War Against the Mafia Part 1: The Founding Father
Apr 5, 1994How America's law enforcement agencies tackled the Mafia. Concentrates on the Gambino family from 1980 to 1993. Includes secret FBI recordings, interviews and allegations that the family were responsible for the deaths of 200 people.
- S1994E13
The War Against the Mafia Part 2: Death in the Family
Apr 12, 1994The programme begins with the funeral of Carlo Gambino, the model for The GODFATHER. His successor, Paul Castellano, turned the Mafia into a billion dollar business by controlling New York's waste disposal and construction industries.
- S1994E14
The War Against the Mafia Part 3: The King of Little Italy
Apr 19, 1994The programme looks at the rise and fall of gangster, John Gotti, who took charge after arranging the murder of Paul Castellano. Bribing his way to freedom, justice finally caught up with him and he is now doing a life sentence.
- S1994E15
Mandela: From Prison to President
Apr 26, 1994An intimate portrait of South Africa's President-in-waiting, looking at the sacrifices Mandela made in his quest for peace and power and examines the problems he will face in the future.
- S1994E16
Inside the Channel Tunnel
May 3, 1994The story of the bi-lingual company Eurotunnel which has taken possession of the Channel Tunnel, opening on Friday, 6th May 1994.
- S1994E17
The Professional Beggar
May 10, 1994Documentary about the Orbis International Flying Eye Hospital, a charity-funded medical service that works at restoring sight to the blind in Third World countries.
S1994E18Apollo: When the World Held Its Breath
Jul 26, 1994Documentary telling the stories of Apollos 11 and 13, two of the most important missions in space exploration, revealing how close they came to fatal disasters.
- S1994E19
Murder in the Family
Aug 8, 1994Documentary about Roderick and Newall, the brothers accused of murdering their wealthy parents in New Jersey, USA.
- S1994E20
Date Rape: The Investigation
Sep 6, 1994Documentary drama of a typical "date-rape" case, using actors to represent the victim, the accused and their friends; but real professionals to represent the police, medics, judge and lawyers; followed by a dramatised trial.
- S1994E21
Date Rape: The Trial Day 1
Sep 7, 1994The alleged victim gives her evidence and is cross-examined.
- S1994E22
Date Rape: The Trial Day 2
Sep 8, 1994The prosecution witnesses are now taking the stand.
- S1994E23
Date Rape: The Trial Day 3
Sep 9, 1994The alleged rapist is cross-examined and the summing-up begins.
- S1994E24
Date Rape: The Verdict
Sep 13, 1994Follows the alleged victim's case through the Crown Court, giving her evidence to the Court and the defence demanding graphic details of the alleged rape. We hear the jury's deliberations before they reach a final verdict.
S1994E25Waking from Coma
Sep 20, 1994Report from the Royal Hospital in Putney, London, where pioneering work is carried out on severely brain-damaged patients who are in deep comas.
- S1994E26
Inside Castro's Cuba
Sep 27, 1994Documentary on Cuba after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Features an interview with President Fidel Castro who speaks about their economic crisis, the US economic blockade and Cuba's success in pharmaceuticals and tourism.
- S1994E27
Miami Front Line
Oct 4, 1994Documentary about the tragedy taking place on the coastal waters off Florida, where thousands of Cuban and Haitian refugees have perished - the victims of sharks, storms and the sun, as they flee persecution in their homeland.
- S1994E28
The Secrets of Porton Down
Oct 11, 1994Documentary about human guinea pigs being used at the secret Porton Down research facility to help with the development of chemical weapons. Former volunteers talk about their health problems, and about their struggle to win compensation.
- S1994E29
Nicholas and Alexandra Part 1: Anointed by God
Oct 18, 1994First of a two part programme about the assassination of the last Tsar, Nicholas, and his wife Alexandra amid the bloody Russian revolution. Includes testimonies, letters, diaries, photographs and tape-recorded descriptions of the murders.
- S1994E30
Nicholas and Alexandra Part 2: The Slaying of the Tsars
Oct 25, 1994Prince Michael of Kent reveals details of the tragic deaths of the last Tsar and his family, and the consequent discovery and identification of the family's remains in woods close to Ekaterinburg.
- S1994E31
Stalker Investigates
Nov 1, 1994Former deputy Chief Constable John Stalker investigates the murder of Hilda Murrell in 1984, including her involvement in anti-nuclear activities and the sinking of the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano during the Falklands War.
- S1994E32
The Russian Love Connection
Nov 8, 1994Documentary offers an insight into the burgeoning industry in Post-Communist Russia of supplying Russian women as brides for Western men. Also follows the women as they leave their family and friends for a new life in America.
S1994E33Flying the Flag - Arming the World
Nov 15, 1994The British arms business and its implications in World politics.
- S1994E34
The Visit: Coma - Connie's Story
Nov 22, 1994A return visit to Connie Taylor, who was knocked down by a car outside her house eight years ago and nearly died. Featured in THE VISIT in 1987,she was starting to recover from her coma. Now she is taking driving lessons.
- S1994E35
The Visit: Chariots of Wire
Nov 29, 1994Documentary about three young British businessmen who design and manufacture a revolutionary cheap wheelchair which they make available to people all over the world through a charity they set up named 'Motivation'.
- S1994E36
The Visit: A Life for Polly
Dec 6, 1994Documentary on Polly East, a five-year-old who has been diagnosed with leukaemia. Follows her family as she undergoes the painful and distressing course of treatment.
- S1994E37
Between Life and Death
Dec 13, 1994Documentary about the Near Death Experience, and scientific research which has tried to explain how people who have technically died can make astonishing recoveries and remember inexplicable encounters or religious experiences.
- S1994E38
Talking to the Enemy
Dec 20, 1994Documentary about IRA's foot-soldier Dermot Finucane. The programme also records the moving testimony of Robert Ewart-Briggs, whose father was blown up in 1976 by an IRA landmine, and who refuses to dismiss the IRA as criminals.
- S1994E39
The Plague Monkeys
Jan 3, 1995Documentary about a group of viruses, known as filoviruses, which can kill within two weeks and which are transmitted via monkeys.
- S1994E40
UFO
Jan 10, 1995Documentary about the phenomena of UFO sightings, and the history of authorities ignoring or debunking theories associated with them.
- S1994E41
Love, Lies and Bigamy
Jan 17, 1995Documentary about the experiences of four modern bigamists - three men and a woman - who were prosecuted.
- S1994E42
The Man Who Saved Animals
Jan 24, 1995Profile of conservationist Richard Leakey, the Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, who for many years has been a prolific campaigner to save the world's wildlife.
- S1994E43
Commando
Feb 7, 1995Documentary from behind the scenes with a Royal Marines commando unit as it takes part in a dramatic training exercise in Norway.
S1994E44Desperately Seeking Asylum
Feb 14, 1995Report on the treatment of people arriving in Britain seeking asylum. Follows the stories of some of the refugees through each stage of the complicated process, and includes secretly recorded footage of a deportation taking place.
- S1994E45
The Yardies
Feb 21, 1995Profile of the Yardies, a crime syndicate that's more powerful than the Mafia, originating from Kingston, Jamaica, now moving into Britain and America. A special police unit has been set up to combat them.
- S1994E46
Confronting Crime
Feb 28, 1995Report on the pioneering work of Leeds Mediation and Reparation Service, as it brings victims and offenders face to face for the first time.
- S1994E47
Hollywood Vice
Mar 7, 1995Profile of the career of detective Fred Clapp, who has been with the Los Angeles Vice Squad for 25 years, involved in undercover operations into prostitution and drug dealing to the Hollywood elite.
- S1994E48
The Troubleshooters
Mar 14, 1995For the last 25 years Belfast's leading press agency, Pacemaker, has built up a stunning visual record of The Troubles. It's photographers have witnessed the grief and suffering of others, and have put themselves in danger to bring us those unforgettable images. In a momentous 12 months, Network First cameras have followed them as Ulster has moved from violence to uneasy peace.
- S1994E49
Paul McKenna's Secrets of Hypnosis
Mar 21, 1995Documentary about hypnosis, exploring the uses for its technique, such as learning, pain control, and eyesight enhancement. Also looks into the more sinister uses of hypnosis for mind control by cults, advertisers, and politicians.
- S1994E50
Escape from Tibet
Mar 28, 1995The fortunes of a group of Tibetans as they try to escape from the Chinese over the Himalayas.
- S1994E51
Small Miracles
Apr 4, 1995Documentary about the work of a London surgeon who operates on babies still in the womb, following a mother whose seriously ill unborn twins might be saved by womb surgery at the Harris Birthright Unit at King's College Hospital.
- S1994E52
What Makes Linford Run?
Apr 11, 1995Profile of the world class athlete Linford Christie and his relationship to his coach of 16 years, Ron Roddan.
- S1994E53
Confession
Apr 18, 1995The subject matter of the television broadcast was a purported account by Mr Eamon Collins of his activities and experiences as a member of the Provisional IRA.
- S1994E54
Vietnam: The Last Battle
Apr 25, 1995Documentary examining how Vietnam has fared since the end of the conflict with America twenty years ago. There is also a look at Hollywood distortion of the Vietnam War.
- S1994E55
Confronting the Hit Men
May 2, 1995Documentary about the South African "Truth Commission", a reconciliation program, where former leaders of both black and white terror campaigns meet with the victims they orchestrated to see if past horrors can be forgiven.
- S1994E56
Last Letters Home
May 9, 1995Re-creates nine Second World War stories through the letters that passed between forces abroad and their friends, families or lovers back home, including some servicemen who wrote "last letters" in the event of their deaths.
- S1994E57
Igor, Child of Chernobyl
Jun 6, 1995Documentary about Igor Pavlovets, who was conceived shortly after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and was born with deformities. The film follows Igor as he travels to England and documents the suffering of the children left behind in Minsk.
- S1994E58
Eilish: Life Without Katie
Aug 29, 1995Documentary about six-year-old Eilish Holton from Ireland, three years after she was surgically separated from her conjoined twin sister Katie, who sadly did not survive. This documentary shows Eilish starting school and her journey with learning to walk with a prosthesis. We also get to follow Eilish on a trip to the US to meet the still conjoined sisters Abigail and Brittany Hensel, who are about five years old here.
- S1994E59
When a Woman Kills Her Man: The Investigation
Sep 5, 1995Documentary about domestic violence, portraying a hypothetical case of Rachel and Peter Palmer. Peter is found fatally wounded; and Rachel was charged with the murder.