Documentaries

Fela Kuti Comes Home
The story of Nigerian musician and political revolutionary, Fela Kuti.
31 May 2011,30 mins
The Unmaking of the English Working Class
Historian Jon Lawrence of Cambridge University asks what has happened to the working class
09 Jun 2014,28 mins
Going on the Gallopers
A portrait of the life, popular art and remarkable engineering of Carters Steam Fair.
25 May 2011,28 mins
The Corbyn Story
Episode 3
Steve Richards examines the events of Jeremy Corbyn's year as Labour leader.
25 Jul 2016,28 mins
More episodes
The Placebo Problem
Geoff Watts explores the phenomenon of the nocebo effect and its implications for medicine
17 Feb 2015,28 mins
The Misinformation Virus
Why fake science spreads faster online than the truth
17 Dec 2019,37 mins
Still Loving Thy Neighbour?
Mark Hodkinson revisits the sitcom Love Thy Neighbour, forty years after it was last shown
19 Sep 2016,28 mins
How to Hire a Master
Jolyon Jenkins explores the mysterious world of the headhunter.
10 Dec 2014,30 mins
Inside the Academie Francaise
Agnes Poirier explores the role of the body which protects the French language.
23 Dec 2011,30 mins
Walter Kershaw: The UK's First Street Artist?
Uncovering the life and work of a pioneering and under-appreciated British painter
13 Sep 2012,30 mins
The Speaker, Behind the Scenes
Mark D'Arcy examines the controversial approach of the Commons Speaker John Bercow.
10 Jun 2012,28 mins
30 Years of the Bradshaws
John Henshaw explores the unrelenting success of one of the longest running comedy series.
25 Feb 2013,28 mins
From the Cockpit to the Operating Theatre
Why lessons learned from aviation psychology are starting to save lives in hospitals.
19 Jun 2015,28 mins
The International Trade in Drugs
How do authorities tackle drug trade? With reports from South Africa and Trinidad
28 Jun 2000,27 mins
Putin, the Patriarch and Pussy Riot
After Pussy Riot, Lucy Ash explores the power of the Orthodox Church in Putin's Russia.
01 Oct 2012,28 mins
Ghost Music
Archaeologist Christine Finn taps her foot to ancient sounds not heard for millennia.
19 Apr 2011,30 mins
Entitlement to Care
Bradford GP Dr Alastair Bavington explores how we deal with the health needs of immigrants
13 Feb 2015,28 mins
Beautiful Britain
Toyah Willcox takes an audio journey into the private world of hair and beauty salons.
11 May 2018,28 mins
The United States - Part One
Why the world's biggest economy is experiencing a pensions crisis
06 Apr 2003,22 mins
The Muslim Sex Doctor
The work of Imam Alyas Karmani, counselling those Muslims who have troubled sex lives.
09 Nov 2015,28 mins
JD Salinger: Made in England
How 3 months in rural Devon influenced one of the greatest chroniclers of urban New York
18 Feb 2016,28 mins
Reaction Time
Stories about love straight from the smartphones of Radio 4 listeners.
11 Feb 2016,28 mins
Greece: Warehouse of Souls
Maria Margaronis explores worlds of hope and chaos for refugees and islanders in Greece.
27 Jun 2016,28 mins
My Head
A true story of brain injury, recovery and discovery.
27 May 2015,28 mins
From Dunkirk to D-Day
Charles Wheeler recalls the epic of strategic success that made victory possible.
05 Jun 2004,45 mins
Sister Aimee
The story of the glamorous woman who invented broadcast evangelism.
29 Dec 2014,28 mins
Goliath: How Monopolies Came to Be
Will Hutton considers the ironies and tensions central to modern monopolies.
09 Apr 2019,37 mins
Copyright or Wrong
Richard Taylor charts the story of copyright and asks if the law is overreaching itself.
21 Apr 2017,28 mins
Stalking under Scrutiny
A look at the support provided for victims of stalking and ways to stop stalkers.
03 Aug 2016,28 mins
Parkinson's Law Revisited
Matthew Sweet re-examines Parkinson's Law. Does work expand to fill the time allocated?
17 Jun 2013,28 mins