PickFlick
The Great Smog: Winter of '52

The Great Smog: Winter of '52

2022•45m•6.0/10
Documentary

Ratings

🎬TMDb
6.0/10(1)

Dr Xand Van Tulleken and Raksha Dave investigate the Great Smog of 1952 - the deadliest environmental disaster ever recorded and one of the world's worst peacetime catastrophes. Lasting just over four days, the Great Smog plunged London into a terrifyingly murky gloom - the acrid pollution seeping into homes, leaving Londoners gasping for breath, shutting down transport and emergency services, and overwhelming hospitals and undertakers alike.

Open in PickFlick

Production

DSP

Language

EN

Status

Ended

First Aired

September 7, 2022

Last Aired

September 13, 2022

Networks

5

Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
Episode 1
E1
Episode 1
Air date: 2022-09-07
Lasting just over four days, the Great Smog plunged London into a terrifyingly murky gloom - the acrid pollution seeping into homes, leaving Londoners gasping for breath, shutting down transport and emergency services, and overwhelming hospitals and undertakers alike.
Episode 2
E2
Episode 2
Air date: 2022-09-13
Exploring the fear that paralysed London as the disaster entered day three, focusing on the public not knowing or understanding what was happening, the government's lack of action, to the undertakers working 24 hours a day. As the story concludes, Dr Xand Van Tulleken and Raksha Dave reveal why and how the smog lifted, and London metaphorically and physically began to breathe again.

Cast

Xand van Tulleken

Xand van Tulleken

Self - Presenter

Raksha Dave

Raksha Dave

Self - Presenter

Recommended

1000 Ways to Die

1000 Ways to Die

7.7
2009
TV Show

The science of living and the randomness of death are combined with a dash of Darwinism. Forensic experts, pathologists, toxicologists, herpetologists, and other experts offer eloquent explanations of mortality.

1000 Ways to Die

2009
7.7
Seconds from Disaster

Seconds from Disaster

7.1
2005
TV Show

Seconds from Disaster is a US/UK-produced documentary television programme that investigates historically relevant man-made and natural disasters of the 20th century. Each episode aims to explain a single incidental by analyzing the causes and circumstances that ultimately effected the disaster. The program uses re-enactments, interviews, testimonies, and CGI to analyze the sequence of events second-by-second for the audience. Narrators for the show are Ashton Smith, Richard Vaughan and Peter Guinness.

Seconds from Disaster

2005
7.1
The Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl

7.9
2012
TV Show

Chronicles the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history, in which the frenzied wheat boom of the Great Plow-Up, followed by a decade-long drought during the 1930s nearly swept away the breadbasket of the nation.

The Dust Bowl

2012
7.9
History's Greatest Mysteries

History's Greatest Mysteries

7.8
2020
TV Show

Investigates a wide range of historically compelling topics and the mysteries surrounding each including the Titanic, D.B. Cooper, Roswell, John Wilkes Booth, and more. Fresh, new evidence and perspectives will be showcased, such as never-before-released documents, personal diaries and DNA evidence.

History's Greatest Mysteries

2020
7.8
Eli Roth's History of Horror

Eli Roth's History of Horror

6.4
2018
TV Show

An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.

Eli Roth's History of Horror

2018
6.4
Horizon

Horizon

7.4
1964
TV Show

Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.

Horizon

1964
7.4
How It's Made

How It's Made

7.6
2001
TV Show

Have you ever wondered how the products you use every day are made? How It's Made leads you through the process of how everyday products, such as apple juice, skateboards, engines, contact lenses, and many more objects are manufactured.

How It's Made

2001
7.6
Court of Gold

Court of Gold

8.3
2025
TV Show

Go behind the scenes with the top medal contenders in men's basketball as they battle for gold and glory at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Court of Gold

2025
8.3
Modern Marvels

Modern Marvels

8.0
1993
TV Show

HISTORY’s longest-running series moves to H2. Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition.

Modern Marvels

1993
8.0
The Story of Film: An Odyssey

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

7.7
2011
TV Show

A worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made and the story of international cinema through the history of cinematic innovation.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

2011
7.7
Urban Myths

Urban Myths

7.4
2017
TV Show

Our Urban Myths are stories that have been passed down over time and have now become part of urban folklore. But are they true? We take a slightly tongue in cheek, mischievous – and deliberately ambiguous – look at what might have happened...

Urban Myths

2017
7.4
The Nineties

The Nineties

6.9
2017
TV Show

Hit rewind and explore the most iconic moments and influential people of The Nineties, the decade that gave us the Internet, DVDs, and other cultural and political milestones.

The Nineties

2017
6.9

Similar TV Shows

Seven Ages of Britain

Seven Ages of Britain

8.0
2010
TV Show

Seven Ages of Britain is a BBC television documentary series which is written and presented by David Dimbleby. The seven part series was first aired on Sunday nights at 9:00pm on BBC One starting on 31 January 2010. The series covers the history of Britain's greatest art and artefacts over the past 2000 years. Each episode covers a different period in British history. In Australia, all seven episodes aired on ABC1 each Tuesday at 8:30pm from 7 September 2010.

Seven Ages of Britain

2010
8.0
Final Moments

Final Moments

7.2
2022
TV Show

Delve into heart-wrenching crimes through the lens of real footage of victim’s last moments alive. Each hourlong episode tracks a different investigation in which law enforcement's efforts to solve a case hinge on dissecting the victim's final moments using their last interactions with family and friends, surveillance footage, text messages, and social media posts to build a timeline.

Final Moments

2022
7.2
The Ride London to Beijing

The Ride London to Beijing

6.0
2018
TV Show

Two times guinness world record holder and world-renowned endurance rider Kevin Sanders has a dream. Kevin an ex motorcycle courier, wants to gather up a team of ordinary people, train them and lead them on the very first motorcycle expedition ever to attempt a Trans-Asian crossing via Mount Everest from London to Beijing - a staggering 21,000 kilometers.

The Ride London to Beijing

2018
6.0
Miriam's Dead Good Adventure

Miriam's Dead Good Adventure

7.3
2019
TV Show

Inimitable actress Miriam Margolyes is on a mission to confront her fear of ageing and death and tackle our greatest taboo - our own mortality.

Miriam's Dead Good Adventure

2019
7.3
No Image

Les Croque-morts

2018
TV Show

No overview available.

Les Croque-morts

2018
No Image

London

2004
TV Show

London is a 2004 three-part BBC history documentary series about the history of London, presented by Peter Ackroyd.

London

2004
WWII: The Lost Color Archives

WWII: The Lost Color Archives

2000
TV Show

No overview available.

WWII: The Lost Color Archives

2000
Chasing the Moon

Chasing the Moon

8.3
2019
TV Show

An unprecedented look at the decade-long odyssey to land a man on the moon. This documentary pulls back the curtain on the familiar narrative of the moonshot, revealing a fascinating stew of scientific innovation, political calculation, media spectacle, visionary impulses and personal drama.

Chasing the Moon

2019
8.3
The 800 Million Pound Railway Station

The 800 Million Pound Railway Station

2007
TV Show

Series telling the story of the architects, engineers and spin doctors who entered a frantic two year race to make the Royal Opening of St Pancras on time.

The 800 Million Pound Railway Station

2007
Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War

Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War

7.0
2013
TV Show

The Hundred Years’ war between England and France gave us the victories of Crecy and Agincourt, and made the reputations of Edward III and Henry V. It gave France a national heroine in Joan of Arc. But, even now, the jury is out as to its causes and outcome. Was it the final swansong of a redundant knightly class whose only reason for being was to fight? Was it a battle over ever more important territory to the emerging economies of England and France? Or was it the painful birth of two distinct national identities, forged through their long and violent divorce? Dr Janina Ramirez guides us through the stories of kings, great knights, bloody battles and cultural triumphs of this momentous conflict.

Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War

2013
7.0
Inside Greggs: 24/7

Inside Greggs: 24/7

6.0
2023
TV Show

Food critic and food lover Grace Dent explores the phenomenon of Greggs.

Inside Greggs: 24/7

2023
6.0
Critical: Between Life and Death

Critical: Between Life and Death

6.9
2025
TV Show

From critical emergencies to the operating room, this documentary series follows London's trauma centres as they treat the most severely injured.

Critical: Between Life and Death

2025
6.9
PickFlick Assistant
Hi! I'm your PickFlick Assistant. Ask me about movies, TV shows, IPTV sources, or anything about PickFlick.

Powered by CopilotKit