- Doreen Percival has mesothelioma, an asbestos-related, incurable cancer of the chest. It was once rare and yet it is estimated that 50,000 people will fall victim to it over the next 25 years. Among those who have already died are three brothers, who - like Doreen - all worked for the same blue-chip British multinational company.
Taking Liberties starts its new series with an investigation into allegations that this company used legal chicanery deliberately to cheat its employees and their widows out of compensation for this industrial disease.
For some the expose comes too late. But as Doreen says: "It is some sort of revenge for what they have done to us."
Producer NickO'Dwyer; Series producer
Elizabeth Clough

Wren Karen Greig's admission that she was gay during an investigation into her rape by a serviceman resulted in her being interrogated for three days and then dismissed. Max Darnell's gay relationship with another sailor resulted in his having a criminal record although he had not broken any civilian law.
Every week at least one man or woman is thrown out of the British armed forces because they are homosexual. This examination of the effects of this institutionalised homophobia gives some of them the opportunity to tell their stories.
One air vice marshal was encouraged to take early retirement when he was inadvertently involved in a police swoop on some public toilets. His protests that he was not a homosexual were ignored by the RAF. As his wife says: "I think he would have got more support if he'd robbed a bank."
Producer Dev Varma Series producer Elizabeth Clough

All the Queen's Men. When
Su Carnohan-Jones 's young son died in a house fire, she desperately wanted to be at the inquest to find out how he had died and whether enough had been done to save him. But the first she knew about it was when she saw a billboard outside a local newsagent's giving the verdict.
Families mourning the sudden and unexplained death of a relative often need a full and public inquiry. In this programme John Ware looks at this 800-year-old system, and five families talk about their experiences. Producer Kate Barker
Series producer Elizabeth Clough

Last year residents from a housing estate in Macclesfield stripped a teenage troublemaker, tied him to a lamppost and doused him with antifreeze. No charges were brought against the men.
Crossing the Line reports on how society increasingly believes DIY justice is acceptable - even though in a few cases an innocent person has died as a result. The programme examines whether jurors and judges, caught up in the wave of sympathy for avenging citizens, are guilty of condoning these acts of revenge. Producer Seetha Kumar
Series producer Elizabeth Clough
POLLY TOYNBEE page 20

Not for 222. When Mabel Styche was admitted to hospital, doctors decided she would not be resuscitated if her heart stopped. In hospital language she was "not for 222", a private code which left Mabel to die.
Taking Liberties investigates the hidden practices which deny patients a say on life-or-death treatments.
Producer Nick O'Dwyer ; Series producer
Elizabeth Clough

A Little Xtra Help. For Richard and Sharon Blackman , 12 years of home-ownership have just come to the bitterest of endings - repossession. "The building society just wouldn't help at all. I mean basically nil". Every week, 1,000 families lose the houses they thought they owned. Taking Liberties reveals a huge new wave of repossessions and why building societies are refusing to honour multi-million pound promises of a mortgage rescue scheme. Producer Seetha Kumar
Series producer Elizabeth Clough

The Enemy Within
Duringthe Falklands conflict 25,000 British servicemen went to war but many of the casualties were little known - those soldiers who suffered psychiatric illnesses, some of whom have committed suicide. This investigation by John Ware looks at the way the Army has ignored their plight. Director Dominic Savage ; Executive producer
Elizabeth Clough ...................................

John Ware looks at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among British servicemen who served in the Falklands, and how the Army has ignored their plight.

Return of the documentary series.

For many young artists, seeing what they believe is their work copied is almost a routine occurrence. It shouldn't happen - but it does and often the thieves are household names. Yet the victims of this theft usually keep silent because if they do speak out, they will often lose any chance of future work.

John Ware investigates claims about the stealing, passing off or copying of artists' work - and speaks to young artists in fashion, photography, journalism and music who are prepared to talk openly on camera. And he discovers that the copyright laws are often of little practical help.

Joanne was convicted of burglary and sentenced to two years - in a men's prison. A transsexual who had not yet had surgery, she had lived as a woman for ten years and was undergoing hormone treatment. But early into her sentence Joanne was dropped from the list for a sex-change operation and offered no alternative treatment.
Joanne and those who champion her cause talk about her fight to complete her transformation into a woman.
(Colour and B/W) (Stereo)

When a law lecturer was accused of a serious sexual assault the case, in the absence of criminal charges, was handled by the internal disciplinary procedures of the college where he worked. For reasons of confidentiality he was not initially told the identity of his alleged victim, and was not allowed to cross-examine her. Suspended from his job for 18 months, he was subsequently reinstated - but has he been the victim of an injustice?
John Ware investigates the secretive way in which disciplinary hearings are conducted in Britain's academic institutions.

(Stereo) (Subtitled)

The Cancer War
Story Lynda McGilvray is one of thousands of women with breast cancer who felt that they had received a death sentence. Five years ago, a report by a group of senior scientists claimed that women like Lynda had doubled their risk of dying by following alternative treatments pioneered at the Bristol
Cancer Help Centre. But the report was wrong. John Ware reveals the full story of the controversy surroundingthe report on the Bristol Centre and how its patients were caught in the middle.
Producer John Farren

Last in the series.

The charge of racism destroys lives. It happened to Bernard Crofton, the director of housing at Hackney Council in London. It also happened to Dennis Bartholomew, head of the council's race unit. Crofton is white. Bartholomew is black. Both were fighting corruption when charges of racism were levelled against them. Both lost their jobs and their reputations. John Ware investigates the morality of town hall politics and exposes the cynical cries of racism.

Gina makes a huge decision, requiring Connie's help. Matt discovers the truth behind the drugs conundrum and has to race against time to save Ric's patient.