This documentary aired in the UK in November. Turns out it was actually made back in 2005. It's held up very well, however. It may be one of the best peak oil documentaries I've ever seen. It's only 50 minutes, but it's jam-packed with information. It explains the basics of peak oil, and covers, briefly, just about every aspect of the oil industry. It takes you out the rigs, underwater repairing said rigs, into the labs where the "libraries" of petroleum samples are analyzed and stored, into the office of the then-CEO of Shell, to Saudi Arabia, to a refinery via tanker, onto the NYMEX trading floor, and more.

Most peak oilers have probably heard most of it before, but it's a great introduction for newbies. The tone is urgent, but not too doom-laden.

And you can download it. (RealMedia, 30 Mb) That means even those without broadband can watch it. And if you have a reasonably up-to-date DVD burning program, you can put it on DVD. Just the thing to liven up holiday get-togethers. (Well, maybe not. But it's worth an hour of your time.)

Features interviews with Matthew Simmons, Colin Campbell, Chris Skrebowski and many others.