BBC Panorama: Other high profile Panorama episodes including Princess Diana ahead of Abercrombie and Fitch

BBC One scheduled a special Panorama episode for tonight (Monday, October 2) only revealing the content of the programmed a few hours before it was broadcast leading to much speculation what the subject matter could be. At around 5pm on Monday (October 2), it was revealed American lifestyle retailer, Abercrombie and Fitch, was at the centre of the investigation.

The episode, titled ‘The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool’, will be broadcast on BBC One at 9pm. The synopsis reads: ”Panorama investigates allegations of exploitation and abuse at the top of one of the biggest fashion brands in the US.”

This is the first Panorama episode since ‘Downfall of the Crypto King’ where the documentary explored “the breakneck rise and sensational fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, the maths genius who set out to transform the world of crypto but ended up being its biggest loser”.

Certain Panorama investigations over the years have lasted long in the UK’s collective memory. Those involving crime, as well as ‘that’ inteview with Diana Princess of Wales, have seen some shocking allegations come to light.

High profile Panorama specials

Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed 

Recent developments have seen child serial killer Lucy Letby request a retrial over one of her attempted murder charges. In this episode of the hard-hitting documentary, Judith Moritz revealed evidence of a cover-up by hospital bosses.

The Drug Wars that Killed Olivia 

On August 22, 2022, a nine-year-old girl, Olivia Pratt-Korbel, was shot by a masked gunman in Liverpool. Bronagh Munro investigated how Liverpool came to dominate the UK drug market and how organised crime brought death to Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s door.

Sex for Work: The True Cost of Our Tea

This undercover investigation claimed women working on plantations producing tea for PG Tips and Lipton were pressured into having sex with their bosses in exchange for work.

An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales

Perhaps the most memorable Panorama is the Princess Diana episode. It aired on November 20, 1995. She was interviewed by Martin Bashir about her relationship with her husband and the reasons for their subsequent separation.

It was watched by a staggering 23 million people in the UK, and an estimated 200 million across 100 countries worldwide. At the time, the BBC hailed the interview as the scoop of a generation.

During the interview, she famously noted, in reference to her husband’s relationship with then-Camilla Parker Bowles, that "there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded".