The most-watched CBC documentaries in 2022

CBC Gem is home to hundreds of documentaries, all available to stream anytime. 

Not sure where to start? Here are the most popular docs of 2022:

• My Life as a Rolling Stone
• Summit 72
• House of Maxwell
• Diana: The Ultimate Truth
• The Queen Unseen
• Deconstructing Karen
• The Pretendians
• Dead Man's Switch: A Crypto Mystery
• Curb Your Carbon
• The Real Mo Farah
• Chef's Secrets: The Science of Cooking
• The Last Guide

My Life as a Rolling Stone

This four-part series tells the story of one of the world's greatest rock bands by examining the band through the musical lens of each member, delving deep into their memories from the past 60 years. 

It's essential viewing for any fan of The Rolling Stones, and shows how Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts made the music that became the soundtrack to millions of people's lives. 

Summit '72

The 1972 Canada-USSR Summit Series of Hockey changed hockey forever, playing out dramas of national identity, pride, politics and ideology while the world watched, enraptured, during the Cold War. As the only documentary series sanctioned and supported by 1972 Team Canada players, Summit '72 has unrestricted access to the official game tapes and a trove of archival footage. 

The four-part series tells the definitive story of the legendary 1972 eight-game 'Super Summit' through a modern lens, and explores its legacy and lasting influence on Canadian national identity, framing it against the political and cultural climate of the times in both countries and around the world. 

House of Maxwell

A staggering tale of money, sex, privacy and power. 

Switching between the current criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell and the past, this series reveals the Maxwell family's staggering story for the first time.

Diana: The Ultimate Truth

Two and a half decades after her tragic death, the late Princess Diana continues to make international headlines. Many questions remain about her final years, what happened the night she died and who may be responsible for the accident. 

In Diana: The Ultimate Truth, former detective and award-winning investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas examines theories that have emerged since Diana's passing and sets out to answer the key questions that continue to swirl around the late princess of Wales.

The Queen Unseen

The Queen's coronation in 1953 made her the most famous woman in the world. From that day forward, she sacrificed self for duty, hiding her private feelings. 

Using rare private footage, informal archive and newly-digitized material from around the world, discover the Queen as a mother and wife. Learn about her passion for animals and the countryside, and about the unlikely friendships she has forged away from the public eye.

Deconstructing Karen

In Deconstructing Karen, white women attend the wildest dinner party of their lives.

The main course is a radically open and honest conversation on racism. While sipping wine and passing the bread basket, these women go on an eye-opening journey, discovering how they uphold white supremacy every single day.

For some guests, there are epiphanies. For others, there is resistance. But for all the women, something changes, and they can never unknow the painful truths revealed over dinner.

Meet Race2Dinner co-founders Regina Jackson and Saira Rao, the two entrepreneurial women behind these powerful experiences, and go deep on why they believe their work is worth risking their lives for.

The Pretendians

Esteemed novelist Joseph Boyden, acclaimed film director Michelle Latimer and former University of Saskatchewan professor Carrie Bourassa have all made front-page news in recent years for the same reason: each is alleged to have been a "pretendian."

The term "pretendian" has come to refer to someone who claims distant Indigenous heritage that doesn't stand up to deeper scrutiny. But why would someone fake an Indigenous identity?

That question is the premise of The Pretendians, a documentary from The Passionate Eye and the latest film featuring Anishinaabe author and playwright Drew Hayden Taylor. The documentary follows his cross-Canada journey, revealing what really lies behind this explosive issue.

Dead Man's Switch: A Crypto Mystery

Dead Man's Switch: A Crypto Mystery unpacks the mysterious and improbable story of Canadian CEO Gerald Cotten and his failed cryptocurrency exchange, QuadrigaCX. 

On November 30, 2018, 30-year-old Cotten travelled to India to open an orphanage and celebrate his honeymoon. Nine days later, he was allegedly dead due to Crohn's disease, and $215 million in cash and cryptocurrency were suddenly missing.

A month later, when his widow, Jennifer Robertson, announced his death to the world with a post on the Quadriga exchange website, creditors, journalists, regulators and cryptocurrency enthusiasts all jumped on the story. They were determined to get to the bottom of what happened to Cotten and who held the keys to the fortunes of 115,000 creditors. Every player has a different perspective on what happened, what didn't happen or what needed to happen. But with over $200 million worth of Canadian fiat and cryptocurrency lost, there is one question they all ask: "Where's the money, Gerry?"

Curb Your Carbon

Curb Your Carbon reveals the simple and effective ways we can all help fight climate change in an easy-to-understand way. Oh, and it's narrated by environmental activist and Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds.

Travel the world to uncover the things we all can do right now to cut tonnes of CO2 from our lives.

The Real Mo Farah

You may think you know Sir Mo Farah, the British long-distance runner who became a national hero during the London 2012 Olympics after winning two gold medals on home soil. The Somalia-born athlete is one of the most successful athletes in Great Britain's history.

But in this deeply personal and powerful documentary, Farah reveals the truth about his early life and explores the extraordinary story he has kept hidden until now: when he was nine years old, he was brought to the U.K. illegally and forced to work as a domestic servant.

Chef Secrets: The Science of Cooking

The world's best chefs know a secret. There's a hidden ingredient in their tastiest dishes: science! Featuring some of the world's top culinary experts, Chef Secrets: The Science of Cooking goes deep inside the kitchen to reveal why science is the key to becoming a better home cook.

Guest host Anthony Morgan is a molecular research scientist — and the first to admit that he's "not much of a cook." As he attempts to bake sourdough bread from scratch, swallow red hot chili peppers and make creamy mashed potatoes, he discovers how the chemistry, physics and microbiology of cooking can help him take command in the kitchen.

The Last Guide

Meet Frank Kuiack, the last traditional fishing guide in Algonquin Park. Kuiack carries a lifetime of stories and wisdom about the Algonquin. His magnetic personality, skills on the water and knowledge of the park's intricate lakes and trails has inspired two novels.

When Kuiack was eight years old, a group of American anglers offered him $5 to show them where to catch fish — and he's been making his living as a fishing guide ever since.