Here are some standout true story dramas currently available on Government & Institutions:

These dramatisations and documentaries offer an accessible entry point for those who find deeper reporting challenging or are just beginning to explore the deeper truths behind global events. They illuminate complex realities, spark critical reflection, and often portray the human cost of corruption, injustice, and the fight for accountability.

Post Office Scandal

Dramatisations

Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITV, 2024)

A four-part drama starring Toby Jones as Alan Bates, dramatising the fight for justice by sub-postmasters wrongly accused due to the Horizon IT system.
Themes: Miscarriage of justice, corporate failure, legal reform
Awards: BAFTA for Limited Drama, Peabody Award

Documentaries

Surviving The Post Office (BBC, 2024)
Actor Will Mellor, who portrayed Lee Castleton in the ITV drama, meets real-life victims across the UK. A deeply personal look at the emotional and financial toll.
Format: BBC One documentary + 5-part podcast on BBC Sounds²³
Panorama: Scandal at the Post Office (BBC Panorama, various episodes)
Investigative episodes spanning years, exposing the Horizon system flaws and institutional cover-ups that led to hundreds of wrongful prosecutions of sub-postmasters. A landmark case of corporate and legal injustice.
Themes: Corporate accountability, whistleblowing, public inquiry
Dispatches: The Real Post Office Scandal (Channel 4, 2024)
A hard-hitting documentary featuring interviews with sub-postmasters and legal experts, highlighting the scale of injustice.
Themes: Legal failure, media suppression, systemic abuse

GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun and the Blair-era Iraq War controversy

Dramatisations

Official Secrets (2019)

A gripping political thriller starring Keira Knightley as Katharine Gun, a GCHQ analyst who leaked a classified memo exposing UK-US efforts to blackmail UN diplomats into supporting the Iraq invasion.
Themes: Whistleblowing, government deception, media ethics
Awards: Nominated for British Independent Film Awards
Notable Cast: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith
Shock and Awe (2017)

Directed by Rob Reiner, this drama follows journalists from Knight Ridder who investigated and challenged the Bush administration’s claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Themes: Investigative journalism, media integrity, political propaganda Notable Cast: Woody Harrelson, James Marsden, Rob Reiner
Fair Game (2010)

Based on the true story of CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose identity was leaked after her husband publicly criticised the Iraq War intelligence. Themes: Government retaliation, press freedom, and intelligence leaks. Notable Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn

Documentaries

The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War (Channel 4, 2003)
Based on the book by Marcia and Thomas Mitchell, this documentary explores Katharine Gun’s leak and its implications for UK intelligence and foreign policy.
Format: Investigative documentary with interviews and archival footage
Themes: Intelligence ethics, political manipulation, UN diplomacy
Panorama: Blair’s War (BBC, various episodes)
A series of investigative reports examining Tony Blair’s role in the Iraq War, including the use of the ‘dodgy dossier’ and the fallout from the Chilcot Inquiry.
Themes: Political accountability, media complicity, public trust
The Chilcot Inquiry – What Went Wrong? (BBC Newsnight, 2016)
A deep dive into the findings of the Chilcot Report, which concluded that the UK went to war before peaceful options were exhausted.
Themes: Legal scrutiny, institutional failure, historical reckoning
The Spies Who Fooled the World (BBC Panorama 18 March 2013)
Investigates how flawed intelligence led to the Iraq War, including the infamous “dodgy dossier.”
Themes: Government deception, intelligence manipulation
Iraq: The Bloody Legacy (CH4)
A hard-hitting retrospective on the war’s impact, civilian casualties, and political fallout.
Exposure: The War You Don’t See (ITV by John Pilger)
Examines media complicity and political spin in the lead-up to the illegal invasion of Iraq.

Edward Joseph Snowden is a former National Security Agency intelligence contractor and whistleblower

Dramatisations

Snowden (2016)

Directed by Oliver Stone, this biopic stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden, chronicling his journey from NSA contractor to whistleblower.
Themes: Mass surveillance, personal conscience, government overreach
Awards: Nominated for Political Film of the Year (Political Film Society)
Notable Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo

📺 Documentaries

Citizenfour (2014)
Directed by Laura Poitras, this Oscar-winning documentary captures Snowden’s initial meetings with journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill in Hong Kong.
Format: Real-time vérité footage with behind-the-scenes access
Themes: Whistleblowing, press freedom, digital privacy
Awards: Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
The United States of Secrets (PBS Frontline, 2014)
A two-part investigative series detailing how the NSA’s surveillance programs were developed and exposed.
Themes: Government secrecy, constitutional rights, media investigation
Edward Snowden: Whistleblower or Spy? (BBC, 2020)
A balanced look at Snowden’s legacy, featuring interviews with intelligence officials, journalists, and privacy advocates.
Themes: Ethics of espionage, national security vs. civil liberties

How I Exposed Government Secrets & Went On The Run (2023)

Focus: MI5 whistleblower Annie Machon
Summary: This YouTube documentary tells the story of Annie Machon, a former MI5 officer who, alongside David Shayler, exposed illegal surveillance, failed operations, and an alleged assassination plot. It covers their exile and the fallout from challenging the British intelligence establishment.

🎬 More True Story Dramas on ITVX

ITVX offer a compelling collection of dramas based on real events, ranging from infamous crimes to political scandals and personal battles for justice. These shows are ideal for viewers interested in truth-based storytelling and investigative themes.

The Hack
A seven-part drama about the News of the World phone hacking scandal and the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan. It exposes the corrupt ties between media, police, and private investigators.
Stars: David Tennant, Robert Carlyle, Toby Jones
Police Undercover: Lies and Love Investigates (6 March 2025)
How undercover officers formed romantic relationships with targets under false identities, leading to emotional trauma and legal fallout. Themes: Deception, psychological harm, ethical boundaries in covert policing
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story
A gripping ITV drama about Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in Britain, convicted of murdering her abusive lover in 1955. Explores domestic violence, class bias, and the ethics of capital punishment.
Themes: Miscarriage of justice, gender inequality, legal reform
Anne
Follows Anne Williams’ fight for justice after her son died in the Hillsborough disaster. Highlights police cover-ups and the long battle for truth.
Stars: Maxine Peake
Stonehouse
Tells the story of disgraced Labour MP John Stonehouse, who faked his death in the 1970s. A gripping blend of scandal and absurdity.
Themes: Political scandal, fraud, and media manipulation.
Litvinenko
A dramatisation of the poisoning of Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko, starring David Tennant. It explores the political fallout and investigation.

Documentary on Channel 4

Partygate
A factual drama recreating the lockdown-breaching parties inside 10 Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic. It exposes hypocrisy at the heart of government while the public faced strict restrictions.
Stars: Charlotte Ritchie, Kimberley Nixon, Hugh Skinner, Alice Lowe
Dispatches: The Secrets of the Spy Cops
Investigates the long-term undercover operations targeting political activists.

BBC Panorama Documentaries on Corruption & Systemic Failure

Undercover: Inside the Police (1 October 2025)
A covert investigation into police conduct, exposing discriminatory behaviour, abuse of power, and failures in accountability through hidden camera footage and whistleblower testimony. Themes: Police misconduct, undercover journalism, institutional accountability
Sarah Everard: The Search For Justice (5 March 2024)
A powerful documentary detailing the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, the investigation, and systemic failures that allowed him to remain in the force¹²³.
Themes: Police vetting failures, misogyny, institutional accountability
The Met: Policing London
A multi-part series examining the Metropolitan Police, including episodes on racism, misogyny, and internal misconduct.
Themes: Law enforcement culture, systemic bias
Banking Secrets Exposed
Investigates how major banks facilitated money laundering and tax evasion, often ignoring red flags.
Themes: Financial corruption, regulatory loopholes