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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The Swedish Ambassador’s Guide to Eurovision
Wed 11 May 2016
Ahead of the world’s biggest song contest, a diplomat explains why pop is a secret weapon
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‘Islamic State’s’ Most Wanted
Thu 21 Apr 2016
The astonishing story of a group of young men who chose to resist ‘Islamic State’.
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The Great Tennis Fix
Thu 21 Jan 2016
Have the tennis authorities done enough to investigate allegations of match fixing?
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David Bowie: The Music and the Legacy
Sat 16 Jan 2016
David Bowie's lasting impact on music, fashion, teenage culture and attitudes to gender.
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The Philippines: Workers Without Borders
Wed 27 May 2015
Claudia Taranto travels to the Philippines where 10% of the population work overseas.
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Australia: Workers Without Borders
Tue 26 May 2015
Claudia Taranto travels to Australia where she hears how temporary workers are the of...
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The World’s Richest Terror Army
Sat 23 May 2015
The story of how Islamic State, a small band of fanatical jihadi fighters, became the...
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Somalia: Back from the brink
Thu 21 May 2015
With defectors inside the militant group al-Shabab is Somalia turning against extremism?
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Singapore: Workers Without Borders
Wed 20 May 2015
Claudia Taranto visits Singapore, which is increasingly reliant on labour from abroad...
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Nepal: Workers Without Borders
Tue 19 May 2015
Claudia Taranto travels to Nepal where - until the recent disasters - 1600 people were...
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Peru's Wildlife for Sale
Thu 14 May 2015
Peru is one of the most biodiverse nations in the world. But its precious wildlife is...
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African Students Abroad
Wed 13 May 2015
Over 35,000 African students studied at British universities last year - part of a of...
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Jordan Takes On the Islamic State's Digital Machine
Tue 12 May 2015
The Jordanian social media campaign run in response to the burning of pilot Moaz...
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The Alistair Cooke Memorial Lecture
Sat 9 May 2015
American historian David Blight explores the legacy of the American Civil War - the of...
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Georgia: Orthodoxy in the Classroom
Thu 7 May 2015
Natalia Antelava asks if the creeping influence of the Orthodox Church in Georgia’s...
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Lost Children of the Holocaust
Wed 6 May 2015
Following the end of World War Two, the BBC began a series of special radio appeals on...
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The Saudi Arabian Spring
Wed 6 May 2015
Tarek Osman considers how the impact of the Arab Uprisings of 2011 was felt in Saudi...
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The Islamic State's Social Media Machine
Tue 5 May 2015
Dominic Casciani explores the way the so called Islamic State use social media to to...
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The Rape of Berlin
Sat 2 May 2015
Lucy Ash investigates the mass rapes committed by Soviet troops in Germany at the end...
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Wrestling out of Poverty
Thu 30 Apr 2015
In India, a wrestler in the family can mean a ticket out of poverty. Rupa Jha meets to...
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Saudi Arabia: Sands of Time
Wed 29 Apr 2015
Tarek Osman investigates the rise of the Kindgom of Saudi Arabia. In this second he at...
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PJ O'Rourke on the UK Campaign Trail
Tue 28 Apr 2015
American satirist PJ O’Rourke travels across Britain trying to work out why party in...
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The Abandoned
Sat 25 Apr 2015
Will Coley listens to the stories of Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants who have made the...
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‘Police State' Portugal
Thu 23 Apr 2015
Does Portugal have a problem with police brutality and racism? The residents of Cova a...
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PJ O'Rourke on the UK Election Trail
Wed 22 Apr 2015
American writer and satirist PJ O’Rourke hits the campaign trail to give his own on...
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The Rise of the Kingdom
Wed 22 Apr 2015
Egyptian writer Tarek Osman follows the dramatic events that led to the establishment...
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Who Will Govern Britain
Sat 18 Apr 2015
As the UK heads towards a highly competitive general election with an uncertain Mary a...
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Who's Afraid of Teatr Doc?
Thu 16 Apr 2015
Teatr Doc is widely praised for its hard-hitting plays about contemporary Russia.
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Stand Up for China
Tue 14 Apr 2015
Comedian Des Bishop finds out what makes the chinese laugh. He has learnt Mandarin to...
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The Meaning of Mongol
Wed 8 Apr 2015
Imagine your nationality was used by people all around the world to describe someone a...
