The Documentary Podcast cover art
Podcast · 508 episodes

The Documentary Podcast, page 6

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 6

The Russian DreamThe episode “The Russian Dream” follows Westerners who moved to Russia after Vladimir Putin introduced the “Russian Shared Values Visa” (Sept 2024), nicknamed the “Anti-Woke Visa.” It explains how…18 Jun 2026 · 27 min · 15 chapters
Sheba: Just Like Us?The BBC documentary-style episode “Sheba: Just Like Us?” examines humans’ conflicted relationship with primates used in research, using chimpanzee Sheba’s life as the throughline.17 Jun 2026 · 49 min · 24 chapters
Lebanon's Abandoned LivesLife in Lebanon during renewed Israel–Hezbollah war, focusing on displacement, school shelters, and the emotional/financial toll of repeated evacuations.16 Jun 2026 · 29 min · 10 chapters
World Cup poetry: Lines for the beautiful gameThe BBC World Service documentary explores how language—poetry, chants, and football commentary—captures the World Cup’s “grandeur,” and how writers and commentators translate match action into…15 Jun 2026 · 27 min · 17 chapters
Introducing: Business Daily: Who’s behind Sierra Leone’s illegal fishing problem?Illegal industrial fishing off Sierra Leone (Sherbro/Tombow Beach, near Freetown) is cutting artisanal nets, stealing catches, and sometimes involving violence, harming food security and livelihoods.14 Jun 2026 · 19 min · 10 chapters
Ground zero: reporting an epidemicHow BBC journalists report from the center of an epidemic, using the DRC’s current Ebola outbreak as the main case, and comparing it with past outbreaks (Sierra Leone Ebola, Brazil Zika, Argentina…13 Jun 2026 · 27 min · 13 chapters
World Cup superfansBBC World Service documentary on World Cup superfans and the excitement of countries debuting at the tournament, plus three long-time fans’ travel rituals and frustrations about costs.13 Jun 2026 · 24 min · 8 chapters
Following the path of the roseA BBC World Service Heart and Soul documentary following a women’s pilgrimage tracing Mary Magdalene’s “path of the rose” from London to Spain and through the Pyrenees to France, ending at the cave…12 Jun 2026 · 27 min · 8 chapters
Introducing: What in the WorldA BBC “What in the World” double episode. Part 1 explains “job hugging” (staying in an emotionally disengaged job due to fear of layoffs and fewer opportunities) versus “job hopping,” and asks…11 Jun 2026 · 22 min · 12 chapters
Introducing: The Interface - What goes on in TikTok's Farlands?The Interface episode “Introducing: The Interface - What goes on in TikTok's Farlands?” explores TikTok’s “Farlands,” a hidden edge of the algorithm where users can reach niche, uncanny horror/“brain…10 Jun 2026 · 42 min · 16 chapters
Khartoum: Lessons in warThe hidden, long-term cost of Sudan’s 2023- war on children and youth in Khartoum—especially disrupted schooling, trauma, and rebuilding education after the army retook the city in 2025.9 Jun 2026 · 28 min · 12 chapters
Trine Hahnemann: mixing cookery and hyggeDanish chef Trine Hahnemann explores hygge through seasonal Scandinavian cooking—how warmth, presence, and togetherness are created via home rituals, candlelit tables, and layered vegetable meals.8 Jun 2026 · 26 min · 12 chapters
Introducing: The Food Chain - Rethinking the potatoThe BBC World Service podcast The Food Chain traces potato origins, global spread, shifting reputations, and current health and farming debates, using examples from a London restaurant, museums, and…7 Jun 2026 · 27 min · 14 chapters
Finding soldier TomThe BBC World Service documentary “Finding soldier Tom” follows the search for a Soviet POW known only as “Tom” (Bokudron/Boki John Akram), who escaped Nazi captivity on Jersey in 1945 and hid with…6 Jun 2026 · 26 min · 11 chapters
Injured during childbirthChildbirth injuries—physical tearing, long-term incontinence/pain, psychological impact, stigma, and prevention/treatment worldwide.6 Jun 2026 · 24 min · 11 chapters
The missionary soldierDavid Eubank, founder of Free Burma Rangers, a U.S. Special Forces veteran turned Christian humanitarian, discusses being a “missionary soldier” in war zones—Mosul fighting ISIS and Burma/Myanmar’s…5 Jun 2026 · 27 min · 12 chapters
The Black Power Station: I rap what I likeA BBC World Service documentary about Makanda, South Africa’s Black Power Station—how a disused power plant turned venue (“Euphoria”) gives hip-hop and Afropop artists a place to perform, speak…4 Jun 2026 · 29 min · 14 chapters
Good Bad Billionaire: BeyonceThe BBC World Service podcast Good Bad Billionaire episode “Beyonce” traces how Beyoncé Knowles became a $1B “Queen Bee” by combining music earnings with ownership, endorsements, and business…3 Jun 2026 · 45 min · 23 chapters
Italy’s migrant fruit pickersBBC World Service documentary in Calabria, Italy, about illegal migrant fruit pickers working in citrus harvests, living in informal “Tent City” encampments, and facing precarious legal status,…2 Jun 2026 · 29 min · 11 chapters
Africa's football dreamersA BBC World Service documentary following Ghanaian football dreamers and the Right to Dream Academy’s pipeline from street football and rural trials to education-backed scholarships and international…31 May 2026 · 49 min · 29 chapters
Embargo and the Cuban spiritThe episode discusses U.S. pressure and the long-running Cuban embargo, using Jose Carlos Cueto Lopez’s account of everyday life under sanctions and how recent conditions have worsened; it also…30 May 2026 · 26 min · 7 chapters
Responding to EbolaBBC World Service documentary on responding to Ebola during the 2018 outbreak in eastern DRC, focusing on why case numbers may be underestimated and how fear, misinformation, and lack of a vaccine…30 May 2026 · 23 min · 11 chapters
Jamaica’s sacred heartbeatA BBC World Service documentary exploring Jamaican revivalism as a “liberty” folk religion blending Christianity with African ancestral spirituality, centered on healing, community, and spirit-guided…29 May 2026 · 26 min · 8 chapters
Manosphere messiahs: KenyaBBC World Service investigates Kenya’s “manosphere” and masculinity influencer Andrew Kibbe’s influence on young men, including misogynistic claims, online rage-bait, and real-world consequences.29 May 2026 · 30 min · 20 chapters