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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The imam and the artist
Tue 24 Sep 2019
Searching for justice for South Africa’s Imam Abdullah Haron who spoke against apartheid
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World War Two: The economic battle
Sun 22 Sep 2019
How the countries involved in WW2 fought to feed their people and fund their armies
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The bitter song of the hazelnut
Thu 19 Sep 2019
Long hours, little pay, for the workers who pick Turkey's hazelnuts.
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Colombia’s kamikaze cyclists
Thu 12 Sep 2019
Precipitous mountain roads, specially-modified bikes, and deadly consequences.
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Hearing me
Tue 10 Sep 2019
What does life sound like for someone whose hearing has suddenly changed?
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Robert Mugabe: A life
Fri 6 Sep 2019
Audrey Brown looks back at the life of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe
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Marawi: The story of the Philippines’ Lost City
Thu 5 Sep 2019
The Philippine city that was besieged by Islamic State supporters
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Detours 5: The last cola in the desert
Wed 4 Sep 2019
A Costa Rican city is an unexpected home for people in search of a better life in the US
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Detours 4: Imran is stateless
Wed 4 Sep 2019
Imran fled violence in Myanmar – now he is in detention in Papua New Guinea
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Detours 3: Eighteen Greeks a week
Wed 4 Sep 2019
Dead bodies travel along mountain passes for cremation in another country
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Detours 2: Where the homeless elephants go
Wed 4 Sep 2019
Wild elephants surround a village in Assam, India. And they’re hungry
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Detours 1: Doctor Fake News
Wed 4 Sep 2019
Medical student Elena ran out of money, so she started writing fake stories for cash
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Michelle Bachelet: Chile's first female president
Tue 3 Sep 2019
How Michelle Bachelet rose to be the first woman to serve as president of Chile
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Museum of Lost Objects: The fire that scorched Brazil’s history
Sun 1 Sep 2019
Inside the ruin of Brazil’s National Museum – and the struggle to revive it
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Lethal Force in Rio’s Favelas
Thu 29 Aug 2019
Brazil’s party capital, Rio de Janeiro, is witnessing a killing spree.
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Why Woodstock still matters
Thu 29 Aug 2019
On its 50th anniversary, we explore the social impact of the legendary Woodstock Festival
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Afghan Star 2: Music, tradition and the Taliban
Wed 28 Aug 2019
Talent show finalist Zahra Elham and the musicians defying the Taliban
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Maria Ressa: The Filipino-American journalist combating fake news
Tue 27 Aug 2019
As a critic of President Duterte, her arrest this year was seen as politically motivated.
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My very extended family
Sat 24 Aug 2019
When Julia discovers she has more than twenty siblings, she must redefine her family
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Romania's killer roads
Thu 22 Aug 2019
Can one man's campaign for motorways in Romania make a difference and save lives?
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Afghan Star 1: A TV talent show
Wed 21 Aug 2019
The TV talent show at the forefront of the continuing struggle in Afghanistan
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Her Story 2: Betty Bigombe, Ugandan peace negotiator
Tue 20 Aug 2019
Betty Bigombe spent much of her career trying to negotiate peace with warlord Joseph Kony
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Barbuda: Storms, recovery and ‘land grabs’
Thu 15 Aug 2019
Who will shape the future of the hurricane-hit, tropical isle of Barbuda?
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Peterloo: The massacre that changed Britain
Wed 14 Aug 2019
On 16 August 1819, troops charged the crowds in St Peter's Field in Manchester
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Her Story 1: Vaira Viķe-Freiberga, the first female president of Latvia
Tue 13 Aug 2019
Vaira Viķe-Freiberga became president of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected in 2003
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Genoa's Broken Bridge
Thu 8 Aug 2019
An icon of Italian design; a centrepiece of a community; a tragedy waiting to happen?
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Black girls don't swim
Tue 6 Aug 2019
Does maintaining good hair stop black girls from getting into the water?
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America's Hospital Emergency
Thu 1 Aug 2019
A small town goes on life-support after its lone hospital closes
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The spy of Raspberry Falls
Tue 30 Jul 2019
A former CIA officer begins 20 years in prison for selling secrets to the Chinese
