The Documentary Podcast Podcast
The best documentaries from the BBC World Service. Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can uncover hidden truths and make sense of the world.
The best documentaries from the BBC World Service. Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can uncover hidden truths and make sense of the world.
From Australia's relationship with China, to Turkey's sinkhole problem, to understanding the behaviour of dictators, we go beyond the headlines.
Each week, all year round, we bring you the stories shaping our world. From the personal voices behind the headlines to perspectives on faith and spirituality and how work and money impact our lives. Discover how people find solutions to global problems and look at the world through the lens of its media.
Powered by the BBC World Service’s global network, The Documentary Podcast is about the people living the story – helping you see the world with greater clarity.
Episodes to download
-
Bonus: The Global Jigsaw - Does Russia’s election matter?
Sat 17 Feb 2024
Putin’s re-election is certain, but there is still a lot at stake for the Kremlin
-
BBC OS Conversations: The earthquake in Turkey and Syria – one year on
Sat 17 Feb 2024
Reuniting with a family trying to rebuild their lives.
-
Bonus: HARDtalk - Alexey Navalny: The interview
Fri 16 Feb 2024
Stephen Sackur interviewed Alexey Navalny in 2017.His death has been reported by Russia.
-
Heart and Soul: The killer's counsel
Fri 16 Feb 2024
Psychiatrist Gwen Adshead reflects on her faith and working with violent offenders
-
Assignment: Tempting fate - Istanbul's earthquake dilemma
Thu 15 Feb 2024
Emily Wither reports from Istanbul on the threat of an earthquake striking the city
-
Trending: The Mexican mayor and a deepfake scandal
Wed 14 Feb 2024
How a mayor in Mexico became embroiled in a deepfake audio scandal
-
Reporting Greece
Tue 13 Feb 2024
We investigate the increasing threats to journalists’ ability to report freely in Europe.
-
In the Studio: Jon Foreman
Mon 12 Feb 2024
Land artist Jon Foreman takes us through the creation of a new work in Pembrokeshire
-
Bonus: The Global Story
Sun 11 Feb 2024
Could Taylor Swift swing the US election? – The Global Story
-
Bonus: Sportshour at the Super Bowl Las Vegas edition
Sat 10 Feb 2024
The inspirational and personal stories behind the Las Vegas Super Bowl
-
BBC OS Conversations: Deepfake attacks
Sat 10 Feb 2024
How an AI scam phone call has had a lasting effect on a family.
-
Heart and Soul: Religion in the 21st century - Buddhism (episode 3)
Fri 9 Feb 2024
What does it mean to be a Buddhist today?
-
Assignment: Is Ireland’s reputation for tolerance under threat?
Thu 8 Feb 2024
Tensions are rising in Ireland over the increasing number of refugees
-
Bonus: Killer drug: Fentanyl in Mexico and the US
Wed 7 Feb 2024
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid made in Mexico is destroying lives in Mexico and the U.S.A.
-
Trending: Serbia’s real life ‘bots’
Wed 7 Feb 2024
Does Serbia’s ruling SNS party command the online activity of a small army of citizens?
-
-
In the Studio: Awais Khan - Overcoming writer’s block
Mon 5 Feb 2024
Discovering Awais’s radical solution to find the right words.
-
Bonus: The Global Story
Sun 4 Feb 2024
Elon Musk says Chinese electric vehicles could destroy competition - The Global Story
-
BBC OS Conversations: Leaving Gaza
Sat 3 Feb 2024
Life in a Gaza hospital and the guilt of leaving loved-ones behind.
-
Heart and Soul: Religion in the 21st Century - Hindus (episode 2 of 3)
Fri 2 Feb 2024
What does it mean to be a young Hindu in 2024?
-
Assignment: Spain, the kiss and the culture war
Thu 1 Feb 2024
Has feminism gone too far? A world cup kiss that set a match to Spanish gender relations
-
Trending: Power
Wed 31 Jan 2024
Trending investigates a sprawling network of fake social media accounts in Uganda.
-
The Israeli hostages
Tue 30 Jan 2024
People who survived the 7 October attacks in Israel by Hamas describe how events unfolded
-
In the Studio: Shoeshine Caddie
Mon 29 Jan 2024
A new documentary about homelessness by filmmaker, Leonard Manzella.
-
Understand: The US election
Sun 28 Jan 2024
Justin Webb unpicks some of the terminology associated with the US election
-
BBC OS Conversations: Life in Yemen
Sat 27 Jan 2024
A picture of Yemen through the words of its people.
-
Heart and Soul: Religion in the 21st Century: Islam
Fri 26 Jan 2024
What does it mean to be a young Muslim in the world today?
-
Assignment: American mercenaries - killing in Yemen
Thu 25 Jan 2024
Why former soldiers were hired to carry out assassinations in Yemen in 2015
-
Solutions Journalism: Reducing risks in a risky world
Wed 24 Jan 2024
In Japan, drones are being developed to mitigate the risks from tsunamis and earthquakes
-
Solutions Journalism: Ending homelessness the Finnish way
Tue 23 Jan 2024
What happens if you give a homeless person a house, with no strings attached?