Podcast · 508 episodes
The Documentary Podcast, page 4
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 4
A battle that changed IrelandThe Battle of the Somme (1 July 1916) and how it still shapes Irish identities, families, and commemoration in Belfast and beyond, alongside the Easter Rising and later Irish partition.30 Jul 2026 · 32 min · 14 chapters
Sierra Leone: The cocaine trailBBC World Service documentary tracing cocaine trafficking linked to Dutch fugitive Jos Leideckers, reportedly based in Sierra Leone, and examining alleged government protection and “state capture.”29 Jul 2026 · 18 min · 10 chapters
The Kenyans taking on multinational chemical companiesA BBC Assignment investigation into a Nairobi court case brought by Kenyan lawyer Kelvin Kubai against the Kenyan government and multinational chemical companies over alleged health harms from…28 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 19 chapters
James Turrell: Master Of LightBBC “In the Studio” visits Aros art museum in Aarhus, Denmark, to experience James Turrell’s sky space “As Seen Below the Dome,” a monumental underground dome that frames the sky through a central…27 Jul 2026 · 26 min · 10 chapters
Driving across the dividePalestinian children and families travel through West Bank checkpoints to Israeli hospitals for life-saving care, while Israeli volunteers drive them; the episode also follows Gaza patients whose…26 Jul 2026 · 50 min · 25 chapters
The lifelong toll of surviving disasterThis BBC World Service documentary explores the lifelong toll of surviving disasters, and how both survivors and rescue workers cope years later.25 Jul 2026 · 23 min · 6 chapters
Searching for my samurai motherRimika (Rimi) Tanaka retraces her Japanese mother Akemi Tanaka’s “samurai” legacy and uses tea ceremony, sword practice (batodo), and ancestor worship to understand beliefs she never learned…24 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 18 chapters
The spirit of Tala: The rapid rise of Tonga's netball teamDocumentary about Tonga’s netball team “Tala” rising rapidly from near-nothing to world top 10, framed by resilience (including the Takahe bird symbol) and the 2022 Hunga Tonga volcano/tsunami…23 Jul 2026 · 32 min · 20 chapters
Bonus: Forgiving a killer - from Lives Less OrdinaryLives Less Ordinary “Bonus: Forgiving a killer” interviews Bjorn Isler, a Norwegian counter-extremism expert who survived Anders Breivik’s 22 July 2011 attacks on Utoya Island, about trauma recovery,…22 Jul 2026 · 43 min · 19 chapters
Italy’s child obesity time-bombItaly’s child obesity crisis in Naples and southern Italy, driven by ultra-processed foods, changing eating habits, and limited physical activity; explores whether it can be fixed through education,…21 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 13 chapters
Tom Bailey: Can a walk across the Arctic be art?Environmental theatre documentary following Tom Bailey’s deliberately slow, multi-country trek across the Arctic borderlands (Norway, Russia, Finland, Sweden) to explore how nature can be represented…20 Jul 2026 · 26 min · 12 chapters
Love on trial: India's age of consent controversyIndia’s Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the controversy over whether it criminalizes consensual teenage relationships, despite being designed to punish child sexual abuse.19 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 17 chapters
Belarus's university in exileBelarus’s European Humanities University (EHU) and how Belarusian authorities criminalize links to it; plus a separate segment on polygamy in South Africa via a TV series.18 Jul 2026 · 26 min · 14 chapters
Older women and the challenge of IVFThe episode discusses older women’s physical and emotional challenges with IVF, including heartbreak, guilt, loneliness, and the lack of support after failed treatment.18 Jul 2026 · 23 min · 11 chapters
Harry Haft's unspeakable fightHolocaust survivor Harry Haft’s life story, focusing on how he survived five camps, became a bare-knuckle fighter forced to kill for survival, later faced anti-Semitism in the US, and how his trauma…17 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 10 chapters
Follow the money: The beef with US beefThe episode explains why US beef prices have surged, “following the money” from rancher to feedlot, meatpacker, and restaurant.16 Jul 2026 · 20 min · 15 chapters
Moscow’s enemy number oneHow Russian state media shifted from targeting the “collective West” and the US to portraying the UK as “enemy number one,” especially after Donald Trump’s re-election, and what this implies about…15 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 9 chapters
Euthanasia in Spain: Whose life is it anyway?The episode examines euthanasia in Spain through three linked stories: Noelia Castillo-Ramos in Catalonia, Francesc Auche, and Ana (spina bifida) in Alcobendas, then broadens to how Spain’s organ…14 Jul 2026 · 29 min · 13 chapters
The Chinese fentanyl kingBBC documentary on Zhang Zhidong, a Chinese fentanyl trafficker known as “Brother Wang,” accused of running a fentanyl precursor chemical and money-laundering network linking China, Mexico, and the…12 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 10 chapters
Jordanian director Zain DuraieJordanian writer-director Zain Durayi discusses making her debut feature Sink, a tender but unsettling Amman-set drama about a young mother coping with her son’s mental health crisis, aiming to avoid…12 Jul 2026 · 26 min · 18 chapters
Fruit Wars!The episode is about how Taiwan and Malaysia’s premium fruit growers are pulled into China-linked demand, creating both profit opportunities and political risk.11 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 8 chapters
Chasing the Wimbledon dreamThe emotional and financial realities of chasing Grand Slam tennis dreams, especially for players outside the top rankings, and how coaches support them.11 Jul 2026 · 23 min · 13 chapters
Diving for YukoIn Japan’s Tohoku region, fisherman-diver Yasuo Takamatsu has made 763–764 dives since the 2011 tsunami to search for his wife Yuko’s remains, framing the dives as ongoing spiritual connection rather…10 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 11 chapters
Secrets of the ant tradeThe global trade in living harvester ant queens, driven by online hobbyists and influencers, and the wildlife-crime networks smuggling them from Kenya to Europe and Asia.9 Jul 2026 · 26 min · 13 chapters