Channel 4 Dispatches mystery as documentary canned hours before airing

Channel 4 viewers have been left scratching their heads after the latest Dispatches documentary was pulled at the last minute. The episode was supposed to air earlier tonight (October 26) but has now been pushed back to a date in November.

The award-winning current affairs programme, which has previously been praised for its 'brave' and 'important' pieces of journalism, has uncovered corruption, exploitation and dark behaviours. Last year, it highlighted the alleged sexual assault of a number of women by actor Russel Brand - accusations which he has vehemently denied.

The series was set to return to Channel 4 for another special episode at 8.10pm tonight. However, just hours before, it was canned from the schedule, as the Mirror reports.

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The special has been replaced with an episode of documentary series Little Trains & Big Names with Pete Waterman instead - with the new episode of Dispatches now pushed back to air on November 2. The change in scheduling has driven fans wild with curiosity - with many taking to social media to share their confusion.

One fan wrote online: "@C4Dispatches it is so suspect that you’ve pulled the program tonight & that it wasn’t indicated what the content was." Another asked: "Does anyone know what the mysterious Channel 4 'Dispatches Special' on the tv guide tonight is about?" A further TV fan noted: "The second time it's been rescheduled. Something is brewing!"

A further fan has speculated that "A last minute legal hurdle" is the reason for the delay in the episode being aired. And another speculated that