A Bunch Of Controversial BBC Documentaries Have Just Hit Netflix

I think we can all safely say that Netflix’s heightened focus on originals has been a good thing. Over the past couple of years, the streaming service has brought us some of the most innovative and entertaining titles, from mass hits like Stranger Things to weird cult gems like Lady Dynamite. It’s a good time to be a Netflix member, but there’s a certain nostalgic appeal to the Netflix of old, a Netflix filled with B-movies you’ve never heard of and shows that looked fake. Weird Netflix has become its own special form of entertainment, and though they’re now covered by Netflix’s original of the week, streaming oddities are around if you know where to look.

And right now the weirdest place on streaming may be Netflix’s collection of BBC documentaries. Recently, over a dozen of these documentaries have landed on the streaming service. However, what makes them notable isn’t their BBC affiliation or their star power. It’s their subject matter. From several documentaries about Nazis to a calm look into the rise of the KKK and white supremacy, there are currently a lot of weird documentaries on Netflix.

This isn’t to say that the streaming service is filled with propaganda material from hate groups. It’s definitely not. From what I’ve seen, most of these documentaries have the same mildly interested but informative tone as almost all BBC documentaries. But that doesn’t mean they won’t raise a few eyebrows.

Some of the documentaries aren’t necessarily controversial. They’re just a bit strange, ranging from a deep dive into the world of fraternities to a biography on the Trump family. But if you keep digging through Netflix’s library of BBC content, you start to find some films about more questionable subjects:

• Gypsy Child Traffickers: Explores the lives and rise of Britain’s child beggars
• The Real Godfather: Follows the decades-long manhunt for Sicilian Mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano
• 1945: The Savage Peace: Explores the scale of reprisals against ethnic Germans in Eastern Europe after World War II
• Hiroshima: The Real Hitory: Covers the the prelude and aftermath of the bombing
• D-Day: A recreation of D-Day told through archival footage and reenactments
• The 12-Year-Old Cocaine Smuggler: Explores the questionable drug laws and environment of Bolivia

Then things kind of just go off the rails. How many separate BBC documentaries do you think Netflix has about Nazis? If you guessed more than five, you’re right:

• KKK: The Fight for White Supremacy: Explores the recent rise of white supremacy in the wake of the Charleston shooting
• The Last Nazis: A docu-series dedicated to catching the last remaining Nazi war criminals
• Edward VIII: The Nazi King: A doc that questions how much Edward VIII sympathized with the Nazis
• Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution: A deep dive into the horrors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp
• The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler: Explores the dark charm of one of the most evil dictators in history
• Touched by Auschwitz: Tells the stories of six Auschwitz survivors
• Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial: A series that, through archival footage, explores the trails of three Nazis

This isn’t to criticize Netflix or the BBC. Documentaries are a way for us to look at our world and examine ourselves, and oftentimes this particular focus is reserved for dark moments in history. It’s painful and dark, but by examining something as horrifying as Auschwitz or the KKK, we can learn more about our evils and hopefully try to stop horrifying things from happening again. However, it’s odd that I can confidently say there’s a KKK documentary on Netflix that, according to Instantwatcher, people are watching. It’s even odder that Netflix thinks this documentary is a 93 percent match for me.

Anyway, if you’re wondering what weird things people are watching on Netflix right now, this is probably it.