# The greatest documentaries of all time according to Channel 4 (2005)

In 2005 Channel 4 broadcast its "50 Greatest Documentaries" countdown: the winner was Seven Up! (1964), the first chapter of the series that follows the same children every seven years. Here is the top 10.

- 193 votes · 10 items
- Jul 11, 2021 · gamer_curioso
- https://even.best/en/l/5193/the-greatest-documentaries-of-all-time-according-to-channel-4-2005

## Top 10

1. **Seven Up!** (20 · ▲22 ▼2) — Granada, 1964: the first instalment of Michael Apted's Up series.
2. **Touching the Void** (20 · ▲21 ▼1) — Kevin Macdonald, 2003: Joe Simpson's ordeal on Siula Grande.
3. **The World at War** (14 · ▲17 ▼3) — Thames series on the Second World War, 1973.
4. **Bowling for Columbine** (14 · ▲16 ▼2) — Michael Moore, 2002. Academy Award for Best Documentary.
5. **When We Were Kings** (14 · ▲15 ▼1) — Leon Gast, 1996: Ali v Foreman in Kinshasa.
6. **The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off** (13 · ▲17 ▼4) — Channel 4, 2004: the last months of Jonny Kennedy, who had epidermolysis bullosa.
7. **Capturing the Friedmans** (13 · ▲16 ▼3) — Andrew Jarecki, 2003.
8. **Life on Earth** (11 · ▲16 ▼5) — David Attenborough for the BBC, 1979.
9. **Fahrenheit 9/11** (11 · ▲15 ▼4) — Michael Moore, 2004. Palme d'Or at Cannes.
10. **Faking It** (9 · ▲11 ▼2) — Channel 4, from 2000: amateurs learning a trade in a month.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.