The Documentary Podcast cover art
Podcast · 508 episodes

The Documentary Podcast, page 19

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.

All episodes, page 19

Would you want to live until 150?Whether humans could live to 150, sparked by a reported private chat between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, plus what longevity science and very old people suggest.13 Sep 2025 · 25 min · 11 chapters
Selling misleading fertility hopeBBC Trending investigates how fertility supplements are marketed online with misleading “hope” claims, focusing on Pinkstalk (Pink Stork) and the weak evidence/regulation behind many products.12 Sep 2025 · 18 min · 10 chapters
Tequila with the bat manHow tequila and mezcal production in Mexico (especially Oaxaca and Jalisco) depends on bats, and how “bat-friendly” certification aims to protect agave biodiversity amid booming global demand and…11 Sep 2025 · 26 min · 17 chapters
My blessed boy: The millennial saintBBC World Service Heart and Soul documentary on St Carlo Acutis, the first “millennial saint,” exploring how a 15-year-old who died in 2006 became a Vatican-recognized saint and why he resonates with…10 Sep 2025 · 27 min · 18 chapters
Saving Gaza's pastDuring and after the Oct 7, 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Palestinians and others try to preserve Gaza’s cultural and archaeological heritage—while many sites and collections are destroyed or remain trapped…8 Sep 2025 · 32 min · 17 chapters
Kharkiv: Love in a warzoneLove and daily life in Kharkiv during Russia’s war, including border-crossing, constant bombardment, psychological strain, and how art and routine help people endure.7 Sep 2025 · 27 min · 12 chapters
MAST: Architecture on waterIn the Studio with MAST (Copenhagen) explores “architecture on water” as a response to sea-level rise, flooding, and lack of buildable land.7 Sep 2025 · 27 min · 11 chapters
Colombia's cocaine submarinesThe episode is a BBC World Service “The Fifth Floor” documentary segment focused mainly on Colombia’s cocaine supply chain, especially how narco-traffickers are using new technical methods to boost…6 Sep 2025 · 27 min · 5 chapters
Grey divorceGrey divorce—how separating or divorcing in later life affects the people involved, their adult children, and the challenges of dating and rebuilding intimacy afterward.6 Sep 2025 · 23 min · 6 chapters
Blessed with breadItaly’s Catholic faith and regional traditions explored through bread—how bread becomes sacred, communal, and morally meaningful, and how these practices are changing as younger people lose devotion.5 Sep 2025 · 27 min · 15 chapters
Germany's timber detectivesHow illegal deforestation and weak timber rules keep damaging forests, focusing on Papua New Guinea’s logging and the EU’s efforts to stop illegal wood entering markets, including Germany’s “timber…4 Sep 2025 · 26 min · 14 chapters
Floods hit Texas, then came the cloud talkThe episode investigates how deadly Texas flash floods (July 4) became the target of viral conspiracy theories about cloud seeding.3 Sep 2025 · 21 min · 15 chapters
Galicia’s wild horses in perilGalicia’s wild horses and the annual Rapa de Asbestas (shearing) festival, amid threats from habitat loss, eucalyptus expansion, wildfires, and wolf predation.2 Sep 2025 · 30 min · 9 chapters
The Delacorte TheaterThe Delacorte Theater’s 18-month renovation in Central Park and its reopening with Twelfth Night, focusing on preserving the landmarked footprint while modernizing accessibility, backstage…1 Sep 2025 · 26 min · 17 chapters
Paul McCartney: Beatles and beyondThis episode is a BBC World Service tribute to Paul McCartney, tracing how his Liverpool upbringing, timing, and personal losses fed into the Beatles’ rise and his later solo career.31 Aug 2025 · 46 min · 20 chapters
Scammed, robbed, traumatised – life after war for Russian soldiersThe episode examines what happens to Russian soldiers after returning from fighting in Ukraine, despite Putin’s promise of a “hero’s welcome.” Guests are Sergei Goryashko and Sofia Volianova, BBC…30 Aug 2025 · 26 min · 10 chapters
Surviving the floods in PakistanThe episode “Surviving the floods in Pakistan” is about people’s experiences during devastating monsoon flash floods in northern Pakistan’s Swat Valley (15 August, Haibapak Thungwa) and later…30 Aug 2025 · 24 min · 11 chapters
Digitally preserving Armenia’s Christian heritageDigitally preserving Armenia’s early Christian sites, especially the Basilica of Yere Ruyk and churches in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, using drone photogrammetry and laser scanning to create 3D…29 Aug 2025 · 27 min · 12 chapters
Student Predator: Surviving Zhenhao ZouThe BBC World Service documentary “Student Predator: Surviving Zhenghao Zou” examines the UK conviction of Chinese student Zheng Hao Zou for multiple rapes, focusing on how language barriers, fear,…27 Aug 2025 · 28 min · 10 chapters
The Facebook grifters making money off AI Holocaust victimsBBC Trending investigates “AI slop” Facebook posts that depict Holocaust victims (e.g., a supposed Miriam Gold in Auschwitz) using AI-generated images/text to drive engagement and revenue, sometimes…27 Aug 2025 · 22 min · 9 chapters
Suing 'Alligator Alcatraz': Immigration in the USBBC World Service “Assignment in Florida” investigates Alligator Alcatraz, a new Florida immigration detention center in the Everglades, focusing on access for lawyers, detainee treatment…26 Aug 2025 · 27 min · 12 chapters
Adeju Thompson: Taking fashion label Lagos Space Programme to the worldFashion designer Adeju Thompson and his Lagos Space Programme (LSP) label, blending Yoruba motifs and Adire indigo-dyeing with rock-and-roll-inspired silhouettes for global markets, plus the…25 Aug 2025 · 26 min · 11 chapters
Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary presents, Hold Fast!A BBC World Service bonus episode introducing Lives Less Ordinary presents Hold Fast, an eight-part story about 15 people spending 188 days at sea on the sailing cargo ship Avontour/“Avanteur,”…24 Aug 2025 · 25 min · 10 chapters
Mud wrestling and tent pegging: Africa’s unusual sportsThe episode is about unusual sports across Africa and what they reveal about identity, community, and inequality.23 Aug 2025 · 26 min · 16 chapters