Culture

Michelle McNamara reflects on the 1984 murder of her childhood neighbour Kathy Lombardo, which she credits with planting the seed for her lifelong fascination with unsolved crimes. Michelle really wanted this child and wished to get her murderer caught. The story of the victims has to be told.

Andrew Callaghan embarks on a gripping RV journey through a tumultuous America, capturing the very essence of a nation on edge. Employing his distinctive gonzo style of reporting, Callaghan dives deep into the undercurrents leading up to the January 6 Capitol Riot.
As 2020 sees COVID gripping the globe, nationwide protests, and a monumental election on the horizon, he navigates the chaos with nothing but a camera and a microphone, offering an unfiltered glimpse into the events, characters, and sentiments in the days leading up to the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre began his US career cooking at Los Angeles restaurant Bastide, but after it closed for renovations he opted not to return and instead chose to do things his way. Borrowing a friend’s bakery space, which was closed in the evenings, Ludo created a unique dining experience in the form of small, reservations-only, “chef’s choice” dinners. These dinners became known as LudoBites, a pop-up deemed by Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold as "a transforming moment” for the LA dining scene.

The message of the group begins to change and losing identity and group mentality is pushed. With more lockdowns and rules, longtime members of the group begin to question or leave. With no sex permitted with members, Dick Joslyn’s membership in the cult poses problem for Do... leading to a new request for the group.
With dwindling numbers, the group needs a new boost of membership. The Exit begins to be discussed as the Hale-Bopp Comet approaches.

The Hale-Bopp Comet is passing Earth and rumours of a mysterious object following the comet could mean the sign that the Heaven’s Gate community could be looking for. With plans for the Exit, the group members begin saying goodbye to the world. In the aftermath of the suicides, the world and the surviving former followers react.

In the Taurus Mountains Simon stays with descendants of the original Turks, nomads known as Yoruks, whose lifestyle is under threat from the modern world and an increasingly religious government. They're not the only minority at odds with the authorities in Turkey; Simon sees first-hand the devastating effects of fighting in the country's Kurdish region. In an area where the government has detained foreign journalists, Simon gathers unique footage in the aftermath of a crackdown on Kurdish militants - the wholesale destruction of the historic centre of one of Turkey's oldest cities.
Away from the conflict in the south, Simon heads towards the Black Sea coast. He meets a wildlife conservationist protecting Turkey's population of brown bears, and villagers who still communicate over long distances using an ancient bird language. In the country's capital he meets a victim of President Erdogan's authoritarian purge of people accused of complicity in the failed coup against him.
Finally Simon's journey comes full circle when he returns to Istanbul - home to the new craze of 'Ottomania', a celebration of the vast empire that preceded modern Turkey. Simon visits the set of one of the world's most popular TV dramas - even getting a speaking role - based in the court of an Ottoman sultan