The Documentary Podcast cover art
Podcast · 508 episodes

The Documentary Podcast, page 2

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 2

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
Ukraine: Fighting Russia, fighting RussianIn wartime Odessa, Ukraine, the episode explores how language and identity are being reshaped under Russian invasion—especially whether Ukraine should “fight Russia” only, or also “fight Russian” via…8 Sep 2026 · 29 min · 18 chapters
Who's afraid of the AI job-snatchers?Whether AI will “snatch” jobs or mainly change them, using history, labor-market data, and workplace examples; includes discussion of inequality and the “human touch.”7 Sep 2026 · 18 min · 9 chapters
Getting the homeless homedThe episode “Getting the homeless homed” (BBC World Service’s People Fixing the World) explores two innovations tackling homelessness.6 Sep 2026 · 24 min · 11 chapters
Ukraine's 'hell jumpers'BBC Monitoring documentary on civilian evacuations from Ukraine’s front line, where the “grey zone/kill zone” has expanded and evacuators are targeted by drones and artillery.5 Sep 2026 · 29 min · 14 chapters
Nepal floods: 'It was like a tsunami'BBC Conversations episode on the Nepal floods, described by survivors as a sudden “tsunami” caused by a collapsing glacier, sweeping about 100 km down Himalayan valleys in Nepal and Tibet; it…5 Sep 2026 · 24 min · 9 chapters
Fred HammondA BBC World Service interview with gospel artist Fred Hammond about his life and faith, how gospel music works (corporate worship and “anointing”), and how personal trials shaped his songwriting; it…4 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 11 chapters
A23a: Biography of an icebergThe BBC documentary “A23A: Biography of an Iceberg” follows megaberg A-23A from its birth in 1986 (calving from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf) through decades of grounding in the Weddell Sea, its 2020…3 Sep 2026 · 28 min · 15 chapters
Fighting the silent killerSepsis—how the body’s immune response to infection can cause organ failure and death—why it’s often missed or misdiagnosed, and what global efforts and hospital protocols are doing to prevent deaths.2 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 16 chapters
Big surveillance, Flock and ICEThe episode investigates “big surveillance” in Houston, Texas, focusing on Flock Safety’s automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) and how their data-sharing network expands policing and immigration…1 Sep 2026 · 27 min · 15 chapters
Is Turkey's clothing industry unravelling at the seams?Turkey’s textile and clothing industry is collapsing, with hundreds of factories shutting and major job losses, driven by inflation, high borrowing costs, wage pressure, currency policy, and global…31 Aug 2026 · 18 min · 9 chapters
The price of peaceColombia’s “false positives” scandal—government soldiers murdered civilians and staged them as FARC combat deaths—and how the transitional restorative-justice system “Jurisdicción Especial para la…30 Aug 2026 · 49 min · 24 chapters
Hong Kong's bookstore raidsHong Kong’s 2024-2025 crackdown on independent bookstores under the 2020 National Security Law, and how it affects Taiwan’s publishing industry; the episode also includes unrelated segments on…29 Aug 2026 · 26 min · 8 chapters
We will always love you, DollyBBC Conversations documentary celebrating Dolly Parton’s life and legacy, featuring how her authenticity, songwriting, and philanthropy influenced artists and communities.29 Aug 2026 · 23 min · 10 chapters
Kirk Franklin: Gospel music and my own faith journeyKirk Franklin discusses his gospel music career and personal faith journey, including how adoption, childhood loneliness, rebellion, and a turning point in 1985 shaped his songwriting and…28 Aug 2026 · 26 min · 14 chapters
Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary- Love StoriesA bonus Lives Less Ordinary love story about Penny Umbers and Mark Bethel, whose teenage romance in 1970s England is abruptly ended by a hidden secret, followed by decades of separation, attempted…27 Aug 2026 · 42 min · 17 chapters
Peanuts for the peopleThe BBC World Service documentary “Peanuts for the People” examines the invention and impact of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), especially Plumpy’Nut, in treating severe acute…26 Aug 2026 · 23 min · 11 chapters
Brazil’s gambling addictionAssignment (BBC World Service) investigates gambling addiction in Brazil after legalization and weak regulation, focusing on financial, emotional, and relationship harm, plus treatment and prevention.25 Aug 2026 · 27 min · 15 chapters
Lucy Sparrow: Nostalgic supermarket made of feltBBC World Service “In the Studio” with felt artist Lucy Sparrow building and installing a life-size 1980s Walmart-style felt supermarket in Bentonville, Arkansas, including a “TV dinner” freezer…24 Aug 2026 · 26 min · 9 chapters
China: The rise of a science superpowerBBC documentary episode arguing China has become a “science superpower,” driven by decades of state and public investment, competitive research incentives, and long-term engineering projects (space…23 Aug 2026 · 49 min · 19 chapters
Secret phone calls from a Saudi jailTwo-part BBC World Service “The Fifth Floor” episode. First: secret mobile-phone calls from Ethiopian men on death row in a Saudi prison in Kamis Mushait, Asir province, describing overcrowding,…22 Aug 2026 · 26 min · 14 chapters
Flying with kids: Cabin chaosDisruptive children on flights and how airlines, parents, and cabin crew handle safety and cabin chaos, sparked by a real incident on Porter Airlines flight PD444 (Victoria to Toronto) where a child…22 Aug 2026 · 24 min · 10 chapters
What in the World: Will AI make your degree pointless?A BBC World Service bonus episode at UCL where three students discuss whether AI will devalue university degrees and how to “AI-proof” their career paths.21 Aug 2026 · 16 min · 6 chapters
The Vatican's AI battleThe Vatican’s response to AI power from Silicon Valley, focusing on ethics, labor, human dignity, transhumanism, and how the Church should shape AI’s purpose.21 Aug 2026 · 27 min · 23 chapters