The Documentary Podcast Podcast
Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can uncover hidden truths and make sense of the world. Documentary storytelling 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. The best of documentary storytelling from the BBC World Service.
From conflict in the Middle East to the advance of AI, to the front line of the climate emergency, we go beyond the headlines. Each week we dive into the minds of the world’s most creative people, take personal journeys into spirituality and connect people from across the globe to share how news stories are shaping their lives.
Episodes to download
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Argentina’s ‘white gold’ rush
Thu 17 Oct 2019
Are lithium-powered electric vehicles as ‘green’ as we think they are?
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The Gospel of Wealth
Wed 16 Oct 2019
Gordon Brown meets billionaires inspired by the great philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
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My personal history of sormeh
Tue 15 Oct 2019
Black eyeliner is more than just make-up. It's a symbol of the power of Persian women
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Super Sisters
Sun 13 Oct 2019
Meet the inspirational supersisters on whose shoulders today's female sport stars stand
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Cuba's digital revolution
Sun 13 Oct 2019
Cubans are getting online – so how is the internet transforming this communist country?
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Nigeria: sex for grades
Thu 10 Oct 2019
University professors sexually harassing and blackmailing female students in Nigeria
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Translating for mum and dad
Wed 9 Oct 2019
Meet the children who help their immigrant parents navigate life in the UK by translating
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Passport to paradise
Tue 8 Oct 2019
In Vanuatu, a tiny Pacific Island Nation, a controversial passport scheme is a concern
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Undercover with the clerics: Iraq’s secret sex trade
Thu 3 Oct 2019
The clerics facilitating so-called ‘pleasure marriages’ in return for payment
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How to buy your own country
Tue 1 Oct 2019
The winners and losers from the booming global citizenship trade
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America's child brides
Sun 29 Sep 2019
In America children can get married legally in most states. Jane O'Brien investigates
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Chile’s Stolen Babies
Thu 26 Sep 2019
A Chilean man - adopted at birth - searches for the mother forced to give him up
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The imam and the artist
Tue 24 Sep 2019
Searching for justice for South Africa’s Imam Abdullah Haron who spoke against apartheid
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World War Two: The economic battle
Sun 22 Sep 2019
How the countries involved in WW2 fought to feed their people and fund their armies
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The bitter song of the hazelnut
Thu 19 Sep 2019
Long hours, little pay, for the workers who pick Turkey's hazelnuts.
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Colombia’s kamikaze cyclists
Thu 12 Sep 2019
Precipitous mountain roads, specially-modified bikes, and deadly consequences.
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Hearing me
Tue 10 Sep 2019
What does life sound like for someone whose hearing has suddenly changed?
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Robert Mugabe: A life
Fri 6 Sep 2019
Audrey Brown looks back at the life of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe
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Marawi: The story of the Philippines’ Lost City
Thu 5 Sep 2019
The Philippine city that was besieged by Islamic State supporters
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Detours 5: The last cola in the desert
Wed 4 Sep 2019
A Costa Rican city is an unexpected home for people in search of a better life in the US
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Detours 4: Imran is stateless
Wed 4 Sep 2019
Imran fled violence in Myanmar – now he is in detention in Papua New Guinea
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Detours 3: Eighteen Greeks a week
Wed 4 Sep 2019
Dead bodies travel along mountain passes for cremation in another country
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Detours 2: Where the homeless elephants go
Wed 4 Sep 2019
Wild elephants surround a village in Assam, India. And they’re hungry
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Detours 1: Doctor Fake News
Wed 4 Sep 2019
Medical student Elena ran out of money, so she started writing fake stories for cash
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Michelle Bachelet: Chile's first female president
Tue 3 Sep 2019
How Michelle Bachelet rose to be the first woman to serve as president of Chile
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Museum of Lost Objects: The fire that scorched Brazil’s history
Sun 1 Sep 2019
Inside the ruin of Brazil’s National Museum – and the struggle to revive it
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Lethal Force in Rio’s Favelas
Thu 29 Aug 2019
Brazil’s party capital, Rio de Janeiro, is witnessing a killing spree.
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Why Woodstock still matters
Thu 29 Aug 2019
On its 50th anniversary, we explore the social impact of the legendary Woodstock Festival
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Afghan Star 2: Music, tradition and the Taliban
Wed 28 Aug 2019
Talent show finalist Zahra Elham and the musicians defying the Taliban
