Season 20 2018

Helen Skelton presents the first of a two-part Tonight special, looking at how much lack of exercise is costing the NHS due to ill health and some of the quick fixes overweight Brits are forking out for. But are they worth the cash being spent on them?

Helen Skelton presents the second of a two-part Tonight special, looking at the various products overweight Brits are forking out for in a bid to lose weight quickly after the festive season. But are they worth the money being spent on them?

Check in to the Divorce Hotel as a married couple, and check-out to a new single life in just one weekend. What might sound like wishful thinking to some, in Britain's peak month for relationship breakdowns, is in fact part of a growing trend around the world. But can it work here in the UK? Julie Etchingham asks why many in the legal profession now believe our divorce laws are in need of urgent reform to get rid of outdated notions of blame.

With winter continuing to bite, it's not a great time to be hit by illness, particularly with A&E departments being busy or if you have difficulties getting an appointment with your GP. More and more people are turning to DIY diagnoses online, but could that be doing us more harm than good? Dr Oscar Duke investigates.

Can you get a summer holiday on the cheap? Reporter Adam Shaw investigates the potential perils and pitfalls of buying your summer holiday in the sun and looks for some of the best deals on the market at the moment.

Cancelled operations, flu epidemics, A&Es in chaos; those are the headlines, but what's the truth behind the NHS winter crisis? Fiona Foster talks to staff, experts and patients about what's happening in the health service, the solutions being found, and what we all need to do to relieve the pressure on the NHS.

Traffic on our roads is on the rise and the number of people using our packed railways is set to double in the next 25 years. The Government say they are investing in the transport infrastructure, but with no end in sight for millions facing miserable commutes, what's the true cost for us all? Jonathan Maitland investigates.

Plastic waste is polluting the oceans, and there are concerns that it has now reached our food chain. The UK government has announced a plan to crack down on it and improve the environment, but this will take 25 years. Could and should something be done much quicker, and what can we all do to rethink our reliance on plastic? Helen Skelton investigates.

'Tonight' investigates the growing debate about transgender people - particularly among the young - and the pace of change around gender diversity in Britain. Dubbed the 'transgender revolution' by some, vulnerable young people can get help and support as never before, but others have expressed concern about the rapid increase in childhood referrals to gender identity clinics and about how schools and other bodies are responding to the issue. Julie Etchingham reports on a much-discussed subject.

The predicted blast of Siberian weather has gripped Britain, and forecasters say we’re potentially facing the lowest temperatures for 25 years.

Freezing temperatures and heavy snow have been taking their toll, with chaos on the roads, thousands of school closures, disrupted trains and flights, and even troops called out to help.

In Snowstorm: Britain's Big Chill on ITV at 7.30pm, Helen Skelton investigates how the ‘Beast from the East’ is affecting Britain, and why the weather is still catching us out.

The number of potholes is feared to be at record levels across the country, putting lives at risk on the roads and hitting motorists in the pocket. With more vehicles on our highways - and more councils saying that they haven't the cash to repair them - many roads seem to buckling under the strain. Adam Shaw investigates the truth behind Britain's pothole crisis.

In a special edition of 'Tonight', Adam Holloway goes undercover to investigate the rise of street homelessness in Britain, which is now in its seventh consecutive year of increase. Nearly 30 years after he filmed life with rough sleepers for a groundbreaking ITV documentary, Adam, who is now an MP, returns to where the problem is still most acute - on the streets and in the homeless shelters of the capital - and sets out to discover why rough sleeping persists three decades on.

Relations with Russia are at their worst for decades after the Putin regime was blamed for a chemical attack in Salisbury that poisoned a former Russian double agent, his daughter, and a policeman who tried to help them. It was a shocking event that has led to tit for tat diplomatic expulsions and threats of further action, but how bad could things get, and what can Britain really do? Adam Shaw investigates.

With one year to go until Britain exits the EU, Tonight asks the North East of England if Brexit will deliver the dreams of those who voted to leave.

There are more than 16 million dogs and cats in the UK; they're our most popular pets, but they come at an eye-watering cost. It's estimated that owners will spend up to £33,000 on a dog during its life and around £24,000 on a cat, but what happens if they get sick and - like millions of us - you don't have pet insurance? Jonathan Maitland investigates what price we're willing to pay for our love affair with pets.

Two fifths of the NHS budget is spent on the over 65s, with loneliness, lack of exercise, and bad diet being the big causes of poor health in pensioners. Could changing all that make a difference? Tonight is about to find out: welcome to the OAP Bootcamp.

We rely heavily on processed food as a nation - from breakfast to dinner, it is available to us 24/7. How much do we really know about what we are eating? Fiona Foster investigates.

Online shopping is a multi-billion pound business in the UK, but who is to blame and what are your rights when your goods disappear or turn up badly damaged? With exclusive footage filmed inside a major delivery depot, Tonight reveals the extent to which parcels can be mishandled and badly treated.

They are some of the richest companies in the world, but have they made their billions from the information that we give away on our smartphones and laptops, sometimes without us knowing? Adam Shaw investigates the personal information which has been gathered, held, and sometimes shared by some of the most popular apps we use.

With the World Cup on the horizon, Jonathan Maitland goes inside the world of Russian football to see what might face fans travelling there this summer.

With a month to go until the anniversary of the Grenfell fire tragedy, Tonight looks back at a night that devastated a community and shocked a nation. Hearing from the survivors, the bereaved and eye-witnesses - including some who have never spoken before - this special edition of Tonight talks us through what happened in June 2017 and how this community is fighting for a legacy that ensures it never happens again.

As the NHS turns 70, Tonight celebrates some of its 'miracles' through the eyes of patients who owe their lives to our national health service.

Tens of thousands of British children are now said to be overweight - with some 11-year-olds classified as seriously obese. As the government prepares to launch a new anti-obesity strategy, Tonight investigates what we could all be doing to beat the battle of the bulge.

As the rate of stabbings and shootings across the country surges, Tonight explores a key driver behind the rise in knife and gun crime - the criminal networks supplying drugs, often involving young and vulnerable children. Allegra Stratton investigates the phenomenon known as 'county lines' where children as young as 10 are sent to rural areas and small towns to sell Class A drugs and talks to the frontline police working to break up gangs and disrupt supply lines.

On the eve of Donald's Trump's first official visit to the UK as President, Tonight asks how the US leader will be received and explores the state of our so-called 'Special Relationship' with Washington. Hearing from figures as varied as Lord Sugar, Nigel Farage, Germaine Greer and Alex Salmond, Martin Geissler also investigates what the future holds for our dealings with this most controversial of Presidents.

Record temperatures, torrential rain and hailstorms in Britain; forest fires in the Arctic circle; devastation and death in Greece, Japan and North America. The weather across summer 2018 appears to be breaking records for all the wrong reasons. But could this be the new normal for us Brits - and the shape of things to come? Becky Mantin investigates.

The High Street is in trouble. In the last 10 years, nearly 220,000 jobs have been lost as 85,000 shops closed their doors for good. So is bricks and mortar retail in terminal decline? Are the tech giants of online retail to blame? And what's the likely impact on us, the shoppers? Retail expert Kate Hardcastle investigates.

An estimated eight million of us are struggling with debt problems. It can cause a whole range of issues from financial to mental health. Tonight investigates the mounting debt crisis - and how some people are fighting their way out of trouble.

It's the second biggest purchase many of us will make after a house. But with the car market now spanning electric, hybrids and traditional fuel - plus the trouble over diesel, it's harder than ever to know what vehicle to buy next. Reporter Ginny Buckley investigates.

One in four Britons are now classified as obese. From kids to pensioners, the nation's waistlines continue to expand. But why? In our attempts to lose weight, have the messages on healthy living been over complicated? Tonight investigates the simple steps we can take to fight fat.

Are we hooked on opioids? Millions in Britain are taking powerful prescription painkillers that many experts argue are ineffective when it comes to reducing long-term chronic pain. Tonight explores the scale of this silent epidemic in Britain, the comparisons being made with the crisis in America and the experiences of people in Britain who are struggling with addiction and dependency.

With one in five households now renting and home ownership becoming just a dream for many, Jonathan Maitland investigates Britain's housing crisis. From Peterborough, where over 70 residents were made homeless to make room for other homeless people, to Manchester, where 15,000 new homes are being built without a single one being affordable, and Cornwall, where a family has spent 10 years waiting for a council property while their four children are forced to share a room.

Jonathan Maitland finds out how food standards have changed since the horsemeat scandal five years ago, looking at tests carried out in abattoirs and by local authorities.

The work of a pioneering GP service tackling problems including mental health, homelessness and alcoholism within their community. Tonight's cameras follows these specialist doctors and nurses to ask whether such a focused method of care could help save the NHS.

In the US, it is estimated that half of the population believe at least one conspiracy theory. This number includes the president, who has weaponized conspiracy theories to great political effect, while his critics argue his perpetuation of myths is fuelling fear among the population. Robert Moore examines the role played by conspiracy theories in shaping the US's political future and asks who will win in America's battle for the truth.

Last year, the UK spent almost 80 billion pounds on Christmas gifts - but not everyone got the bargain they were hoping for. And as families prepare for the festive season once again, criminals are also getting ready with a whole range of cons and scams. Tonight investigates how to keep your cash safe this Christmas.

It's been six months since Hollywood actor Meghan Markle took on her most ambitious role yet. From that day in May when she joined the House of Windsor, through to her first overseas tour, we follow the Duchess of Sussex's first steps into Royal life. As the humanitarian and 'proud' feminist finds herself in a new world of protocol and etiquette, Julie Etchingham asks whether Meghan is changing the Royal Family, or are they changing her?