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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A Stark Choice for Cambodia's Surrogates
Thu 29 Nov 2018
Locked up for renting out their wombs, mothers in Cambodia must make an agonising choice.
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Migrants Mean Business
Wed 28 Nov 2018
How migrants' food businesses have shaped communities in northern Britain
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The Surrogates Club
Tue 27 Nov 2018
Why do women in Canada women give birth to somebody else’s baby without getting paid?
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The Carnival: 50 Years in St Pauls
Sat 24 Nov 2018
Marking the 50th anniversary of Bristol’s cultural gem – the St Pauls Carnival
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Nigeria's Patient 'Prisoners'
Thu 22 Nov 2018
Nigerian patients held in hospital because they can’t pay their medical bills.
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The Number One Ladies’ Landmine Agency
Wed 21 Nov 2018
The Sahrawi women clearing up unexploded bombs left in the world's longest minefield
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Argentina’s Feminist Tango
Tue 20 Nov 2018
The feminist revolution taking place in the home of machismo and the Tango
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The Eternal Life of the Instant Noodle
Sun 18 Nov 2018
How instant noodles went global with the help of students, travellers and prisoners
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Everyday Americans 1: The Opioid ‘Demon’
Fri 16 Nov 2018
Exploring the real-time impact of the US opioid epidemic in Louisville, Kentucky
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Everyday Americans 2: Law and Order and Opioids
Fri 16 Nov 2018
How the police and courts deal with the opioid epidemic in one city—Louisville, Kentucky.
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Everyday Americans 3: Opioids and the Next Generation
Fri 16 Nov 2018
Babies addicted to opioids and the school kids caught up in the US addiction crisis
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The Last Long Journey of the Herero
Wed 14 Nov 2018
The African genocide that fed a gruesome trade in human body parts
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From Truman to Trump
Tue 13 Nov 2018
US politician Joe Tydings shares vivid memories of the Kennedys in his final interview.
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Saudi's Crown Prince in the spotlight
Thu 8 Nov 2018
Mohammed bin Salman is under intense scrutiny following the killing of Jamal Khashoggi
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George Ellery Hale: Prince of the Sun
Wed 7 Nov 2018
The amazing work of the little known astronomer George Ellery Hale
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The Greyhound Diaries
Sat 3 Nov 2018
Stories from the travelling underbelly of America, collected on Greyhound buses
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West Africa’s Fish Famine
Fri 2 Nov 2018
An important fish that millions depend on is being turned into animal feed for export.
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The Dark Sides of American Democracy
Tue 30 Oct 2018
Could voting laws and partisan district maps swing November’s US midterm elections?
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Young, Cool and Kazakhstani
Sat 27 Oct 2018
How young, cool Kazakhstanis are forging a new identity for their country
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Serbia’s Femicide Crisis
Thu 25 Oct 2018
Violence against women is a persistent problem in Serbia. Nicola Kelly reports.
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What Happened Last Night in Sweden?
Wed 24 Oct 2018
Ruth Alexander looks at the rise in violent crime in Sweden
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Africa's Big Philanthropy: Home-Grown
Tue 23 Oct 2018
The impact of Africa's new wealth and social media on home-grown philanthropic causes
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Singing for Survival in Cucuta
Thu 18 Oct 2018
Down but not out in a Colombian border town, four Venezuelans pin their hopes on music.
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Africa's Big Philanthropy: Agriculture and Food Security
Tue 16 Oct 2018
Is money from foreign investors helping or hindering African farmers?
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Paralympics – Gaming the System?
Thu 11 Oct 2018
Do some athletes exaggerate or even fake a disability in order to win Paralympic medals?
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Africa's Big Philanthropy: Health
Tue 9 Oct 2018
The impact of philanthropy on healthcare and disease reduction in Africa
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After suicide
Sat 6 Oct 2018
When someone takes their own life, how does it affect those left behind?
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Don't Shoot, I'm Disabled
Thu 4 Oct 2018
Over a hundred people with disabilities have been killed by the police in the US in 2018
