Here Are 13 Genuinely Interesting Facts From The Array Of Fascinating Documentaries We Got This Year

    Who knew people hated Barney the Dinosaur so much!

    Sam Cleal
    by Sam Cleal

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed community to share an interesting fact they learned from a documentary or docuseries this year (be it dramatised or true-to-life). Here are some of the best responses...

    CW: this post discusses sexual assault, mental health, and racially motivated violence.

    1. FIFA Uncovered

    Sepp Blatter in FIFA Uncovered reveals qatar will hold the 2022 world cup
    FIFA/Netflix

    What it's about: From power struggles to global politics, an exploration of FIFA reveals the organisation's checkered history and what it takes to host a World Cup.

    Where to watch: Netflix

    What we learned...

    Protesters rallying again fifa holding the world cup in qatar after their alledged human rights abuses
    ScreenOcean / Reuters/Netflix

    "How absolutely horrendously corrupt FIFA is. Like, I knew it was corrupt, but not to that extent and for as long as it has been. It has basically been corrupt since at least the 1970s."

    — tomjoad56

    "It opened my eyes to see that no matter how much a sport can give you joy, corruption will always be front and centre. If you want to understand how a country like Qatar won hosting the World Cup, all the answers are in this documentary."

    – adaenechi

    2. Moonage Daydream

    psychedelic picture of bowie
    Universal Pictures

    What it's about: Exploring the creative genius of the late David Bowie, this movie uses psychedelic effects, archive footage, and actual testimony from David himself to paint a picture of one of music's most enduring icons.

    Where to watch: Prime Video

    What we learned...

    psychedelic picture of bowie
    Universal Pictures

    "David Bowie talked about how he first got interested in 'culture', which happened to be through his older half-brother, Terry. Terry had a HUGE influence on a young Bowie, introducing him to everything from jazz, to the Beats, and even the occult.

    Unfortunately, after briefly joining the RAF, Terry came back showing pretty evident signs of schizophrenia. He would soon be admitted to a mental hospital where he would spend the rest of his days. It was very sad to learn all of this, but fascinating to know that without that early education, we might never have had David Bowie as we know him."

    — sam_cleal

    3. Harry & Meghan

    Harry and Meghan taking photos in a photobooth
    Netflix/Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

    What it's about: In an unprecedented and in-depth documentary series, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex share the other side of their high-profile love story.

    Where to watch: Netflix

    What we learned...

    Harry and Meghan out for a walk with their dog in the countryside
    Netflix/Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

    "I kind of loved finding out that both of them were late for their first dates... And that they even went on dates at all! Prince Harry was half an hour late to their first rendezvous because of traffic issues, and then Meghan was late (only 5 minutes) to their second meet-up. Harry then said that he didn't mind waiting and was willing to 'wait forever', which was cute!"

    – tori_honore

    4. I Love You, You Hate Me

    a man standing next to barney the dinosaur
    Peacock

    What it's about: An exploration of the spectacular rise and violent response to children's show character, Barney the Dinosaur. This thought-provoking documentary traces Barney's grassroots beginnings, from the explosion of international Barneymania to the eventual backlash the purple dinosaur received.

    Where to watch: Peacock

    What we learned...

    a man being interviewed for the documentary
    Peacock

    "There was an entire secret society newsletter dedicated to hating on Barney. The guy behind it was a father suffering alcoholism at the time, and he was in a very cynical place. He made it to express his grievances with the show, and he received over 7,000 letters agreeing with him! He laughs about it now, and is fully recovered from his alcohol addiction, which is great!"

    — softbisexual

    5. The Great Fire: In Real Time

    title says the great fire against a fiery background
    Channel 5

    What it's about: Historians Rob Bell, Dan Jones, and Suzannah Lipscomb take a fresh look at the Great Fire of London in 1666 by walking the route the fire took across the city, street-by-street.

    Where to watch: Apple TV+

    What we learned...

    the three presenters hold up lanterns and look down the camera
    Channel 5

    "Basically it could've been stopped in its tracks if the Mayor at the time had torn down a street of houses beforehand and created a 'fire break' to stop the fire spreading. He didn't because those houses belonged to people who supported him politically and financially. Some things never change..."

    — frankreynolds

    6. Fantastic Fungi

    two mushrooms growing out of the ground
    Moving Art/Netflix

    What it's about: They're not like vegetables and they're not like animals – they're somewhere in between! Delve into the magical world of fungi, from mushrooms that clear oil spills to underground fungal networks that help trees communicate.

    Where to watch: Netflix

    What we learned...

    A cool mushroom with holes in the top
    Moving Art/Netflix

    "There's always fungus underneath the ground you're standing on. It's very powerful, and can even clean up oil spills… Truly fascinating stuff, honestly!"

    — vickif439da09e9

    7. Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

    Netflix

    What it's about: This series exposes Jeffrey Dahmer's unconscionable crimes, and the institutional failures of the police that allowed one of America's most notorious serial killers to continue his spree in plain sight for over a decade.

    Where to watch: Netflix

    What we learned...

    Netflix

    "The Jeffrey Dahmer series had a LOT of things wrong with it, but I think learning how the Milwaukee Police Department failed to handle things is an important part of the story. They essentially enabled Dahmer to murder 17 predominantly Black, gay men over a period of 10 years or so. I didn't know the full extent of his crimes before watching, and now I know how truly terrible his actions were."

    – bendzialdowski

    8. Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage

    poster for Woodstock 99 showing a woman walking towards a stage
    HBO

    What it's about: Explore Woodstock '99, a three-day music festival that intended to echo the unity and counterculture idealism of the original 1969 concert, but instead devolved into riots, looting, and sexual assaults.

    Where to watch: HBO Max

    What we learned...

    photo of crowds at Woodstock 99
    HBO

    "Despite living through it, remembering it, and even having a stupid high school desire to be there, I never realised the sheer lack of representation for anyone other than white college-aged men on stage. It's horrifying!"

    — andip4

    "Oh, the misogyny was abhorrent! When you think of the original, there was real diversity back then. Several female and POC performers – I think Jimi Hendrix was the highest paid performer in the first year, as well he should have been."

    — boxingcleverlancaster

    9. Sidney

    poster for sidney showing a close up of the actor at a young age on a grey background
    Apple TV+

    What it's about: From producer Oprah Winfrey and director Reginald Hudlin, this revealing documentary honours the legendary Sidney Poitier and his legacy as an iconic actor, filmmaker, and activist at the centre of Hollywood and the Civil Rights Movement.

    Where to watch: Apple TV+

    What we learned...

    sidney and his daughters at home having a photo taken
    Apple TV+

    "He usually described himself as a Bahamian, but I didn't know until this doc that he was actually born in Miami during his parents' work trip when he wasn't due for another three months."

    — superkay

    10. The Vow

    graphic title for the show shows a womans silhouette
    HBO

    What it's about: A look at the experiences of the members of the NXIVM, an organisation and sex cult that made headlines for being charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy.

    Where to watch: HBO Max

    What we learned...

    A woman standing in the street looking nervous
    HBO

    "In season two it's revealed that Keith Raniere kept a woman in a room for over two years in order to right her wrongs against NXIVM and himself. However, the door was not locked on her. Instead, they had taken her ID and all her money and brainwashed her to the point that she felt she needed to stay. I shudder to think…"

    — morgan_le_slay

    11. Our Father

    a man dressed as a doctor looks up sinisterly
    Netflix

    What it's about: After a woman's at-home DNA test leads to the discovery of not one but seven half-siblings, she sets out to learn more about their curious family tree. Soon she discovers the sickening truth – their parents' fertility doctor had been inseminating his patients with his own sperm.

    Where to watch: Netflix

    What we learned...

    photos of people stuck together on a wall in a montage
    Netflix

    "I think what was shocking about this film – and there was A LOT – was that he basically got off scot-free as there wasn't a law in Indiana to prosecute him with. According to the attorney who appeared in the film, what Dr. Cline did wasn't technically rape or battery, so there was nothing he could do to take him down EVEN THOUGH the evidence was there to show what he did. It's devastating that the legal system wasn't able or prepared to help these people more."

    — yeahsurejan

    Editor's note: illicit donor inseminations are now illegal in Indiana, but there is no federal law against this kind of activity by medical professionals.

    12. White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch

    Mike Jeffries in White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch
    Netflix

    What it's about: Abercrombie & Fitch conquered malls in the late '90s and early '00s with gorgeous models, pulsing dance beats, and a fierce scent. But while the brand was running white hot, its popular “all-American” image began burning out as controversy came to light surrounding its exclusionary marketing and discriminatory hiring.

    Where to watch: Netflix

    What we learned...

    Carla Barrientos in White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch
    Netflix

    "It's not really a surprise, but there was a shocking amount of racism, body-shaming, and other horrible things that went on in stores. One former Black employee shared that when she would enquire about day shifts, she would be told that there weren't any and she should stick to night shifts because she was more 'suited' to them.

    When she suggested swapping a night shift with a day shift her white colleague was due to take, she was lowkey fired i.e. they stopped giving her shifts entirely and she just had to look for another job. I couldn't believe that when I saw it."

    — sam_cleal

    13. The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari

    the Whakaari explosion as it happened
    Netflix

    What it's about: A minute-by-minute account of tourists caught in a tragic volcanic eruption while sightseeing on an island off New Zealand in 2019. The series celebrates the survivors, as well as the everyday people who came to their rescue.

    Where to watch: Netflix

    What we learned...

    Netflix

    "I found it interesting that paramedics and ambulance staff refused to come and help the people stranded on the island, and that the people who actually rescued the survivors were commercial pilots! Also, they managed to get like 12 more people off the island who had only been 200 feet from the volcano crater, which is amazing."

    – sophiebale

    Did any of these surprise you? What did YOU learn from a documentary, docuseries, or docudrama this year? Let us know in the comments!