Louis Theroux travels out to Los Angeles to check out the world of plastic surgery, where breast enhancements, tummy tucks, muscle implants and the like are common procedures.

Spending time in the surgeries of several plastic surgeons, Louis meets the doctors who carry out the operations and the people who feel they need work – whether it is a man looking to make his muscles look larger or a woman preparing to undergo surgery as part of improving her life. On this occasion though, Louis also undergoes a procedure himself to experience it firsthand.

If anyone else decided to have surgery as part of a film about plastic surgery I would be very cynical and assume the worst but I think Louis Theroux is unlikely to be accused of cheap tricks or gimmicks. Mostly he does a good job of getting in with his subjects and bringing them out in front of the cameras; one could accuse him of manipulating them perhaps but I think that is too harsh a description.

Here he does enough away from the gimmick of having liposuction to justify it as quite a small part of the show. The rest is interesting if not fascinating. Naturally the patients make for the most interesting scenes and some of them are curious and quite sad. Some are easy targets but Theroux’s soft touch prevents it feeling like he is getting at them.

Ötzi the Iceman is the modern nickname of a well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about 3300 BC, found in 1991 in a glacier of the Otztal Alps, near the border between Austria and Italy.

The nickname comes from the valley of discovery. He rivals the Egyptian “Ginger” as the oldest known human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view on the habits of Chalcolithic (Copper Age) Europeans.

Ötzi was found by two German tourists, Helmut and Erika Simon, on September 19, 1991. The body was at first thought to be a modern corpse, like several others which had been recently found in the region. It was roughly recovered by the Austrian authorities and taken to Innsbruck, where its true age was finally discovered.

Subsequent surveys showed that the body had been located a few meters inside Italian territory. It is now on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bozen-Bolzano, Italy.

The scent of saffron, the sound of flamenco, the sights of Spanish culture and a spirited chef creating classic dishes can now be found together in one captivating program. Made in Spain is a series exploring the culinary and cultural riches of Spain and is hosted by Chef José Andrés, creator of multiple celebrated Washington, D.C.- based restaurants, including Jaleo and minibar by josé andrés.

Made in Spain highlights the extraordinary cooking traditions of a country whose food and wine is capturing the world’s imagination. In every episode, José brings the exciting flavors of his native Spain to the American audience with easy and informative recipes created in his Washington, DC kitchen using products found here in the U.S.

Each cooking segment is woven into a gastronomic and cultural tour of one of Spain’s 17 vibrant regions, where José introduces the viewer to many of Spain’s great cheese makers, wine makers and restaurateurs. Traveling throughout Spain, José takes the viewer to the source and inspiration of the dishes he prepares back in his kitchen, demonstrating that the flavors made in Spain can be created right here at home.

As one young couple settles down to start a family, learn how biological and evolutionary forces conspire to keep the human race running.

Our bodies work in specific, subtle ways for one reason only: making more humans. Travel inside the body to see what happens to both men and women when attraction occurs and when orgasm finally ensures the possibility of replicating ourselves.

Learn why humans are one of only 3% of all mammal species that require both a male and a female for care giving.

And discover the evolutionary significance behind the fact that humans mate front to front – when all other species prefer front to back.

Every year millions of people in Britain try to lose weight, and most fail. We are constantly bombarded with advice about dieting and the latest slimming fads. But what really works? In this programme, medical journalist Michael Mosley investigates the latest scientific breakthroughs in slimming, uncovering ten of the simplest ways you can shed those pounds. From the slimming secrets of soup to our brain’s response after skipping meals, what he discovers may completely change the way you think about diets, health and losing weight.

Michael does not look like he is at all overweight, but while making this film he discovered that he, like millions of others, has internal body fat around his kidneys and liver that he really needs to lose. So he tries out the scientific tips himself, and by the end of the film he succeeds in losing the weight he wants. Plus, musician Alex James, who is a passionate cheese maker, tries out an intriguing scientific discovery – that low-fat dairy products can help you excrete more fat from all your food.

Radio presenter Amy Lame learns how just a few small changes in her daily routine can help burn significantly more calories, which is handy for those who hate exercise and the gym. And actress Debbie Chazen, who eats healthy foods, has her metabolism checked and keeps a food diary – with some surprising results.

We discover the scientific reasons why soup keeps you feeling fuller for longer than solid food: it’s all to do with the particular way the stomach shrinks and expands, and we’ll prove it using ultrasound scans of Territorial Army recruits. Full of practical tips and scientific insights, we discover how anyone can lose weight more easily.

When Jesus was a boy, did he kill another child? Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute — or an apostle?

Did Cain commit incest? Will there be an apocalypse or is this God’s trick to scare us?

The answers to these questions aren’t found in the Bible as we know it, but they exist in scriptures banned when powerful leaders deemed them unacceptable for reasons both political and religious.

Banned From The Bible reveals some of these alternative tales and examines why they were “too hot for Christianity.”

This extraordinary interview reveals the ordeal of Nat­­ascha Kampusch, imprisoned in a cellar for eight years by Wolfgang Priklopil.

Although her story has since been pushed slightly down the league table of horror by the similar experiences of Elisabeth Fritzl and Jaycee Lee Dugard, Natascha – snatched on her way to school in Vienna in March 1998 – emerges as a startlingly self-possessed, intelligent and articulate young woman who is even able to feel compassion and insight for the sick individual who stole her childhood.

In recalling details of the dank, musty dungeon in which she was held, Natascha holds nothing back. Utterly calm, she relates how her captor violently and brutally exerted total control over her, humiliated her, kept her hungry, forbade her even to cry in case her tears damaged the tiles and how she bided her time until she was able to escape.

“Because the whole situation is so hideously unjust, you shouldn’t allow yourself to give up,” Natascha explains. “That would be an admission of defeat. There was a kind of fighting spirit that kept me alive.” Incredibly, in the eight years her daughter was missing, her mother, Brigitta – also interviewed here – never doubted her daughter’s fierce survival instinct for a minute.

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In this short 10 minute video, neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran outlines the fascinating functions of mirror neurons. Only recently discovered, these neurons allow us to learn complex social behaviors, some of which formed the foundations of human civilization as we know it.

Superstars Of Speed

Brilliant BBC documentary. Jeremy Clarkson finds out why it is that some people can go faster than others. He plays slaps with F1 champion Michael Schumacher, plays tennis against Greg Rusedski, and goes for a spin, literally! with one of Britain’s top test pilots

Former Conservative MP Michael Portillo pushes his body to the brink of death in an investigation into the science of execution.

As the American Supreme Court examines whether the lethal injection is causing prisoners to die in unnecessary pain, Michael sets out to find a solution which is fundamentally humane.

Armed with startling new evidence, Michael considers a completely new approach.

Will it be the answer? There is only one way to find out – to experience it himself.