CBC's flagship documentary series explores and expands on the major issues of our time. Around the corner, around the world, our cameras bring viewers to the center of the stories everyone is talking about. Informed, exciting and eventful, DOC ZONE presents a sweeping panoramic view of what matters most to Canadians.
DOC ZONE airs Thursday nights at 9, on CBC-TV.
LIFE BELOW ZERO:
Just how important is winter in making us Canadians "Canadian"? How does life below zero shape our lives, our psyches, our national values? We explore how those values are changing as we live more indoor lives, and more of us flee south for winter. What will happen to once-wintry Canadians as global warming accelerates? Will climate change … change us?
SUPER VOLCANO
Geologists say that the Yellowstone Super-Volcano is 20,000 years past due for a major eruption. But no one knows whether it will happen tomorrow or thousands of years from now. This hidden volcano has the power to kill millions of people, plunge the world’s climate into volcanic winter and render large portions of the U.S. and Canada uninhabitable We follow the scientists as they track seismic changes and plan for the unthinkable.
COUNTERFEIT CULTURE
Many of us have knowingly bought a fake designer bag, a pirated DVD or a knock-off watch. But what about consumer goods we don’t realize are counterfeit that can harm, even kill? Consider brake pads made of kitty litter, batteries that explode, bogus heart medication. Doc Zone investigates the murky world of counterfeiting – a $500 billion industry that rivals the drug trade as the crime of the 21st. century.
SERVING THE ROYALS:
This documentary turns the spotlight on the servants who toil for England's royal family: from valets and chamber maids to more 'privileged' chefs, security officers and private secretaries. “Mums the word” … but these people see and hear almost everything. Serving the Royals reveals what goes on behind closed palace doors --- upstairs and downstairs.
SHATTERED GROUND
Fracking is the hottest frontier in energy today, opening up vast reserves of natural gas. Trillions of liters of gas will bring unprecedented jobs and profits. But fracking has been associated with a litany of problems –toxic pollution, carcinogenic chemicals, even earthquakes. A battle is brewing over what will happen to the most important natural resource of them all – water.
THE JOBLESS GENERATION
Canada’s youth are mired in joblessness raising fears they are becoming a lost generation. A flood of university graduates, burdened by student debt, are either unemployed or underemployed. And more young men are dropping out of high school facing even bleaker prospects. Where have the jobs gone and what are the solutions?
GOLD FEVER
Throughout history, the story of gold has always been the stuff of dreams and drama, of wealth and war, of treasure and unimagined trouble. Now that gold fever is raging once more, we trace the saga of the world’s most precious metal.
VENUS AND MARS TODAY:
When Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus was first published in 1992, John Gray’s self-help book landed on earth with a massive impact which still resonates today. But 20 years later, do Gray’s conclusions about how men and women relate stand up to scrutiny? We look at how gender roles have been transformed and reveal what neuroscience shows about male/female differences. Featuring comic sequences and lively interviews with affectionate but testy couples, this documentary explores how Mars and Venus are aligned today.
THE BOOMER REVOLUTION:
They turned on, tuned in and dropped out. Now, Canada’s Baby Boomers are 10 million strong – a powerful demographic and the wealthiest generation in our history. And so, just as they reshaped our understanding of every stage of life they’ve been through so far, they are about to completely transform aging and retirement. And the business world is scrambling to catch up.
DOG DAZED
In the past decade, dog ownership in Canada has doubled while the human population continues to urbanize. The result? Too many dogs in too little space. But how do we integrate these descendants of wolves into our citified lifestyle without driving them - and us – barking mad?
ICE, SWEAT AND TEARS
Death-defying stunts, spectacular athleticism, and intense rivalry – that’s competitive figure skating. We probe the intense human drama as skaters push physical and mental limits to vie for the world championships. From Patrick Chan to ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, we draw compelling stories from the biggest names in the sport.
WHY MEN CHEAT
The world is awash in outrageous tales of powerful men risking everything in pursuit of that most lowly of goals: sexual gratification. What were they thinking? As it turns out, thinking might not have all that much to do with it. We explore the latest research on risk taking and alpha males and the culture of complicity that surrounds it.
