Give them massive numbers, that’ll impress them. The Secret Life of the Long Haul Flight (Channel 5) is one of those documentaries that does that, right from the off: each year, 300 million passengers fly more than 6bn miles on long-haul flights. Some of them on an Airbus A380, which costs £280m, carries 484 passengers, is 73 metres long, 25 metres high …

Anthony Wonke directs this documentary marking the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster. Re-examining the events that led to the drilling platform, at the time the largest and oldest in the North Sea oilfield, exploding on the night of the 6th July 1988, killing 167 men, the film includes testimonies from rescuers and some of the 61 survivors, many of whom were forced to jump hundreds of feet into a flaming, oil-covered sea, and discovers what the physical and psychological legacy of the disaster has meant for those involved.

Based on real near-death experiences, the afterlife is explored with the guidance of New York Times bestselling authors, medical experts, scientists and survivors who shed a light on what awaits us.

Ireland, June 1944. The crucial decision about the right time to start Operation Overlord on D-Day comes to depend on the readings taken by Maureen Flavin, a young girl who works at a post office, used as a weather station, in Blacksod, in County Mayo, the westernmost promontory of Europe, far from the many lands devastated by the iron storms of World War II.

A documentary on the life of the people of the Aran Islands, who were believed to contain the essence of the ancient Irish life, represented by a pure uncorrupted peasant existence centred around the struggle between man and his hostile but magnificent surroundings. A blend of documentary and fictional narrative, the film captures the everyday trials of life on Ireland’s unforgiving Aran Islands.

Bill Drummond, once the most notorious man in pop music, now travels around the world baking cakes, building beds and shining shoes as part of a twelve year World Tour which is his final art project. This film follows him as he does his work in India and the United States.

15 Ph.D. scientists expose devastating weaknesses in modern evolutionary theory. Subject areas covered include the fields of genetics, radiometric dating, natural selection, the geologic column, the fossil record, the origin of life, cosmology, and ethics. 3D animations and dramatic footage help to show how the theory’s supposed strengths are, in fact, its fatal flaws-Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels. – Written by Carter, Robert (XXII)

An examination of the life of acclaimed ‘horse whisperer’ Buck Brannaman, who recovered from years of child abuse to become a well-known expert in the interactions between horses and people.

Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker take a powerfully personal journey through the former East Germany, as Epperlein investigates her father’s 1999 suicide and the possibility that he may have worked as a spy for the dreaded Stasi security service.

Tom Brady will take the hits when sports and comedy stars team up to roast the greatest NFL quarterback of all time.

Raphael: The Young Prodigy tells the story of the artist from Urbino, beginning with his extraordinary early portraits of women – the Mother, the Friend, the Secret Lover and the Client. Delve into Raphael’s uncanny ability to capture celestial beauty, and to focus his gaze beyond the physicality and into the psychology of his subjects (some real, some imaginary) so that their personalities explosively emerge from his canvas. With fascinating contributions from internationally renowned experts, this documentary will uncover the most significant people and places and inspirations in the life and times of Raphael – a Renaissance leader and one of the most spectacular painters in history.

One artist’s freedom of expression becomes part of the larger struggle for women’s rights, civil rights and morality.