Podcast · 507 episodes
The Documentary Podcast
by BBC World Service · English
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.
Latest episodes
The joy of walkingHow walking improves health and community, and how it can be made easier through doctor-led programs and a mapped UK walking network.30 Sep 2026 · 23 min
Nepal: In the shadow of a glacierLife in Nepal’s Limi Valley (Halji) under accelerating climate-driven hazards, especially glacier melt and glacial lake outburst floods, plus how the Rinchenling monastery and the Limi K language…29 Sep 2026 · 28 min
Can Route 66 towns survive on nostalgia?Whether Route 66 towns can survive on nostalgia as the Mother Road turns 100; how centennial-driven tourism affects local businesses, and what happens when sections are erased or bypassed by…28 Sep 2026 · 19 min
All episodes
The joy of walkingHow walking improves health and community, and how it can be made easier through doctor-led programs and a mapped UK walking network.30 Sep 2026 · 23 min · 11 chapters
Nepal: In the shadow of a glacierLife in Nepal’s Limi Valley (Halji) under accelerating climate-driven hazards, especially glacier melt and glacial lake outburst floods, plus how the Rinchenling monastery and the Limi K language…29 Sep 2026 · 28 min · 11 chapters
Can Route 66 towns survive on nostalgia?Whether Route 66 towns can survive on nostalgia as the Mother Road turns 100; how centennial-driven tourism affects local businesses, and what happens when sections are erased or bypassed by…28 Sep 2026 · 19 min · 8 chapters
Mapping India: The world's largest countIndia’s 2025 census (“the world’s largest count”), the first fully digital decennial in nearly 100 years, and how it will reshape policy by updating counts of population, religion, languages,…27 Sep 2026 · 49 min · 23 chapters
Women in South Africa: 'We just want to be safe'Women in South Africa describe how femicide and domestic abuse make everyday life feel unsafe, including while jogging, and discuss what safety measures and community organizations are doing to…26 Sep 2026 · 24 min · 7 chapters
Mountain spirits of SpitiSpiti Valley’s oral traditions and local beliefs (especially “Lha” spirits), and how modernization (phones, internet, tourism, bridges) is changing or eroding them.25 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 13 chapters
A women's revolt in GermanyThe BBC documentary examines Germany’s backlash after TV presenter Colleen Fernandes accused her ex-husband Christian Ullmann of creating fake profiles in her name, sending altered images and…24 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 8 chapters
Bringing Kashmir’s lakes back to lifeRestoring Kashmir’s lakes by reversing ecological damage and turning waste into resources.23 Sep 2026 · 23 min · 10 chapters
Has Poland fallen out of love with Ukraine?Whether Polish public support for Ukrainian refugees has shifted from “love” to mistrust or hostility, and why—covering refugee experiences, policy changes, historical memory (Volhynia), and…22 Sep 2026 · 32 min · 10 chapters
Where is Austin Tice? 1. 'We believe he’s alive'Investigation into the 12-year disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice, last seen in Syria in 2012, amid claims he may still be alive and possibly held in a specific Syrian intelligence…21 Sep 2026 · 33 min · 10 chapters
From Mao and Nixon to Xi and Trump: A history of China-US tradeA BBC Business Daily episode tracing US-China trade history from early opium-era disputes and 19th-century tariffs, to Nixon’s 1972 opening, WTO accession in 2001, and the modern Trump-Xi tariff era…21 Sep 2026 · 19 min · 10 chapters
The dictators' survival guideThe BBC World Service documentary “The Dictator’s Survival Guide” examines China’s pattern of elite purges, focusing on Xi Jinping’s January purge of top military chief Zhang Yuxia, and what it…20 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 19 chapters
Can we live without our phones?BBC Conversations documentary on tech addiction and whether people can live without smartphones, featuring recovery stories and then a debate with adults who refuse smartphones.19 Sep 2026 · 24 min · 13 chapters
How to leave this EarthHeart and Soul documentary in London about Muslim speaker/author Dalia Mogahed reframing life after an eight-month cancer diagnosis, exploring grief, faith, mortality, prayer, and “how to leave this…18 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 9 chapters
Clever ways to cut waste from nappies to games and desksThe episode covers “Reduce, reuse and recycle” with three waste-cutting stories: disposable nappies, energy use, and plastic recycling into school desks.16 Sep 2026 · 23 min · 12 chapters
Stories from the New Silk Road: The ‘frenemy’Australia’s “frenemy” relationship with China—economic interdependence alongside rising military rivalry—set against Belt and Road fallout, US-backed defense integration, and public/elite perceptions.16 Sep 2026 · 26 min · 13 chapters
Turkey on trial: Can courts control a nation?Turkey’s justice system and how courts are used to control dissent, with three courtrooms across one summer—focusing on comedian Deniz Guktas, opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, and jailed district…15 Sep 2026 · 29 min · 18 chapters
The cost of war: Inside Russia's economic uneaseRussia’s economic unease amid Ukraine war impacts, sanctions, high inflation/interest rates, labor shortages, and rising hardship for small businesses and consumers.14 Sep 2026 · 18 min · 13 chapters
The Briefing Room: Are Gen Z movements reshaping politics?Whether Gen Z youth movements are reshaping politics, and what their protests in India, Nepal, Serbia, and China suggest about winning, organizing, and translating momentum into lasting change.13 Sep 2026 · 28 min · 16 chapters
The business of modern datingThe episode “The business of modern dating” (BBC Conversations) explores how dating is changing: app redesigns, “dating app fatigue,” and the rise of in-person alternatives.12 Sep 2026 · 24 min · 12 chapters
The Reunion: The 9/11 AttacksA BBC World Service “The Documentary” episode marking 25 years since 9/11, told through firsthand accounts from people who were at the World Trade Center during the attacks and the immediate…11 Sep 2026 · 57 min · 25 chapters
The Woman Who Saved Me on 9/11Survivor Paul Karras recounts the September 11, 2001 attacks from inside the World Trade Center and how helping a stranger, Judith Toppin, shaped his faith and later ministry as a Catholic deacon.11 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 13 chapters
Turkey's growing sinkhole problemA BBC World Service documentary on Turkey’s rapidly growing sinkhole problem in Konya’s agricultural Konya Closed Basin, where fields collapse as groundwater is depleted.10 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 15 chapters
The pictures that help and healTwo “no-words” solutions for disabled people: Books Beyond Words book clubs (picture-only books) and Tap SOS, a smartphone app to contact UK emergency services non-verbally.9 Sep 2026 · 23 min · 11 chapters