Series synopsis
Days That Shocked the World is a British documentary television series that premiered on Channel 4 on January 3, 2026.
Days that Shocked the World explores the most iconic disasters of the last 50 years, combining eye-witness testimony with powerful archive footage, to learn how each tragedy changed both the lives of individuals and the world.
The anthology series features one- and two-part episodes that coincide with key anniversaries of these defining global events: including the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion in 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of the same year, the 2000 Air France Concorde crash, th ...
Premise
Days that Shocked the World explores the most iconic disasters of the last 50 years, combining eye-witness testimony with powerful archive footage, to learn how each tragedy changed both the lives of individuals and the world.
The anthology series features one- and two-part episodes that coincide with key anniversaries of these defining global events: including the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion in 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of the same year, the 2000 Air France Concorde crash, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami.
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 8 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | January 3, 2026 | April 20, 2026 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Space Shuttle Challenger The truth behind the NASA rocket disaster of 1986 that killed seven US astronauts. Why did the launch go ahead after NASA engineers called for it to be cancelled? |
January 3, 2026 |
| 2 |
Fukushima earthquake and tsunami (Pt.1) In March 2011, Japan was hit by a devastating tsunami killing 20,000 and triggering a nuclear meltdown. Survivors and witnesses tell their extraordinary stories. |
February 17, 2026 |
| 3 |
Fukushima earthquake and tsunami (Pt.2) The tsunami provokes a major meltdown at the local nuclear facility. What happened to the safeguards? What went wrong at Fukushima? |
February 18, 2026 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Channel 4 |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 3, 2026 |
| Last aired | February 18, 2026 |
| Status | continue |