The Documentary Podcast Podcast
Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can make sense of the world. Home of 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. Home of the best documentaries from the BBC World Service.
From the impact of drought on crops, tourism and trade, to Africa's first film city, to the Romanian teenagers who built a DIY internet...we go beyond the headlines.
Each week we look at the stories shaping our world and hear voices connecting people from across the globe, asking how news stories are shaping their lives. We also follow spiritual journeys, examine the world through the lens of its media and focus on solutions to global problems.
Episodes to download
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Europe’s most dangerous capital
Thu 4 Feb 2021
Bucharest’s crumbling buildings are full of life despite the frequent earth tremors
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Coronavirus Front Line: The search for a vaccine
Tue 2 Feb 2021
Winifred Robinson reports on the global race to create a vaccine for Covid-19
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Compassion fatigue
Sun 31 Jan 2021
Are people in the medical and humanitarian professions suffering from emotional burnout?
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Coronavirus: Vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minorities
Sat 30 Jan 2021
We hear why some people from ethnic minorities are worried about the vaccine
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The exiles: Hong Kong at a crossroads
Thu 28 Jan 2021
Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters facing a tough decision. Do they stay or do they flee?
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Donald Trump and me
Tue 26 Jan 2021
Republican voters in Idaho reflect on President Trump’s legacy and their country’s future
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Voices from the Ghetto
Sun 24 Jan 2021
The contemporaneous attempt to preserve the memory of life in the Warsaw Ghetto
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President Biden: Call for unity
Sat 23 Jan 2021
Nuala McGovern hosts conversations on the challenges ahead for the Biden presidency
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Lisa Montgomery: The road to execution
Thu 21 Jan 2021
The story behind one of America’s most shocking murders – and the woman who did it
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President-elect Joe Biden
Tue 19 Jan 2021
James Naughtie charts the life of the soon-to-be 46th president of the USA, Joe Biden
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My viral video and me
Sun 17 Jan 2021
Colm Flynn tracks down the internet’s original viral video superstars
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Coronavirus: Young widows
Sat 16 Jan 2021
Women who have founded a support group after losing their husbands to Covid-19
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Social influencers and the perfect body
Thu 14 Jan 2021
How online influencers get paid to promote cosmetic surgery
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The digital human: Sacred
Wed 13 Jan 2021
Aleks Krotoski explores how the digital world influences the way we live
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Vice President-elect Kamala Harris
Tue 12 Jan 2021
Mark Coles presents a profile of Kamala Harris, vice president-elect
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Coronavirus: Intensive care
Sat 9 Jan 2021
We hear from ICU doctors in the US, Brazil and South Africa
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Libya's Brothers from Hell
Thu 7 Jan 2021
How seven ruthless brothers held a small Libyan town in their murderous grip.
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The Digital Human: Ghoul
Wed 6 Jan 2021
Aleks Krotoski explores how violent content is viewed and why
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Donald Trump: The political record
Tue 5 Jan 2021
The impact of the Trump presidency on US policy convention and political discourse
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Donald Trump: The man
Tue 5 Jan 2021
The businessman and TV show host who became the 45th President of the United States
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Coronavirus: Forgotten voices
Sat 2 Jan 2021
Nuala McGovern catches up with people she spoke to earlier in the year
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Breakthrough: The race for the Covid vaccine
New Year's Day 2021
Dr Kevin Fong talks to the people who have created a coronavirus vaccine in record time
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Searching for Wisdom in Lagos
Thu 31 Dec 2020
How one young man went missing after Nigerian troops opened fire at a protest
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The Digital Human: Subservience
Wed 30 Dec 2020
Does how we treat our subservient robots affect how we treat one another?
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The Hindu bard
Tue 29 Dec 2020
In 1914 an Indian student caused a sensation when she won a top Welsh cultural prize
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Revolution of the senses
Sun 27 Dec 2020
Has Covid-19 changed the way we hear, see, smell, taste and touch?
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Coronavirus: Surviving the pandemic
Boxing Day 2020
We return to some of the people we've featured to hear how their lives have changed
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Shipwreck
Christmas Eve 2020
Searching for the identities of those who died in a Mediterranean shipwreck
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The Digital Human: Messiah
Wed 23 Dec 2020
Why do so many of us treat Silicon Valley billionaires like our new messiahs?
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Warrior elephant guardians
Tue 22 Dec 2020
Former Samburu warriors turn their skills to caring for baby elephants in Kenya
