Addicted to Money

David McWilliams sifts through forensic evidence of the last decade and follows the money trail to uncover who killed the economy.

Episodes

Programme 1

In Episode 1 `Who Killed the Economy?' we go on a forensic investigation to work out the root cause of the Global Financial Crisis. Using the analogy of 'easy credit' as a form of drug that we all became addicted to, David guides us through a tangled web of this economic underworld - the seduction we all went through, our increasing need for more and more credit, shady back door banking deals, blatant corruption, greed and blind witnesses. We climb the various levels of the economic drug pyramid from the streets where the quality of the drug was diluted by the many dealers taking their cut, back up to the top where the drug was at its purest. We explore the workings of the cartel - who was making it, who was pushing it, who was using it, who was turning a blind eye and who was making a massive profit.

Programme 2

In Episode 2, "Nowhere to Hide", David takes a road trip through the economic badlands, revealing the inescapable global reach of crisis, from bankrupt Iceland to struggling Honduras. Now that the credit meltdown has peaked, it's left debris spread throughout the real economy. What we are witnessing is the ebbing tide of a failed ideology, supercharged capitalism, says David. And in its place are the skeletons of industries that can't adapt to the downside of globalisation.

Programme 3

The party is over. Having barely survived a complete collapse of the financial system, the global economy is tottering on the brink. we've reached the limits of what our desires demand of the planet and what it can deliver. We're reaching Peak Everything and the question is whether we can manage the change or will we let the changes manage us. Economist and author David McWilliams consults some of the most innovative and exciting developments around the globe as we embark on a quest for re-building a sustainable economy and a sustainable planet.