10 Film Documentaries That Accidentally Uncovered Major Scoops

Jumping ahead to a more recent event, the 2017 Netflix documentary Icarus centres on sports doping - the practice of athletes using illegal, performance-enhancing drugs, in order to boost their chances of winning.

Before filming began, the premise was for director Bryan Fogel to investigate this shady business with the aid of Russian scientist Grigory Rodchenkov, who would show Fogel a way of taking these illegal drugs that makes them difficult to detect.

However, the production then took a seriously crazy turn.

Throughout the course of shooting, Rodchenkov ended up revealing the existence of a government-backed doping program, one that was built to allow the Russian team to cheat at the 2014 Winter Olympics. This confession (which was eventually verified by the World Anti-Doping Agency) placed Rodchenkov's life in danger, forcing him to be hidden from the Russian government via protective custody.

It's a wild ride from start to end, with Fogel accidentally stumbling across the scoop of a lifetime while producing his relatively simple documentary.