The Documentary 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.

World Service,2705 episodes

Episodes

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Introducing: The Food Chain - Rethinking the potato
The rise, fall and return of one of the world's most popular foods
07 Jun 2026,27 mins
Finding soldier Tom
A prisoner of war hid from the Nazis for 2 years, but after the war he disappeared.
06 Jun 2026,26 mins
Injured during childbirth
Women share their experiences to help others
06 Jun 2026,23 mins
The missionary soldier
A self-described missionary soldier on faith, fear, and the cost of going towards gunfire
05 Jun 2026,26 mins
The Black Power Station: I rap what I like
The young South African hip-hop artists translating hardship into hope
04 Jun 2026,28 mins
Good Bad Billionaire: Beyonce
How Beyonce went from talent show tween to music mogul
03 Jun 2026,45 mins
Italy’s migrant fruit pickers
Why Italy’s anti-immigration government is issuing thousands of visas for migrant workers
02 Jun 2026,29 mins
Africa's football dreamers
The Ghanaian boys and girls dreaming of football stardom
31 May 2026,49 mins
Embargo and the Cuban spirit
Can the spirit of the revolution in Cuba survive the increased pressure from the US?
30 May 2026,26 mins
Responding to Ebola
Tackling the latest outbreak and what it is like to catch the disease
30 May 2026,23 mins
Jamaica’s sacred heartbeat
Jamaica’s revivalists preserve faith, healing, and identity through sacred traditions
29 May 2026,26 mins
Manosphere messiahs: Kenya
The real-world impact of the global manosphere in Kenya including influencer Andrew Kibe
29 May 2026,29 mins
Manosphere messiahs: Mexico
The real-world impact of the global manosphere including Mexican influencer El Temach
28 May 2026,30 mins
São Paulo's carnival competition
Join São Paulo samba school Águia de Ouro as they prepare for carnival 2026
27 May 2026,32 mins
Sierra Leone: The diamond that saved a thousand lives
In 2017, five men found the third largest diamond ever unearthed in West Africa
26 May 2026,31 mins
Sydney fireworks, the return
Behind the scenes of Sydney's new year fireworks display designed by Foti Fireworks
25 May 2026,26 mins
The Sarkozy affair
The rise and fall of Nicolas Sarkozy and why this story is gripping France
24 May 2026,57 mins
AI farewells for Russia’s dead soldiers
Families of killed Russian soldiers are paying for AI goodbye videos
23 May 2026,26 mins
Life in a volcano danger zone
People who live and work near volcanos talk of the danger and why it's worth it
23 May 2026,23 mins
Fighting for the children of Chernobyl
Adi Roche, whose faith inspired a lifetime helping children affected by the disaster
22 May 2026,26 mins
When Shiraz calls
Intimate conversations of two Iranian sisters - one in the UK, the other in Iran
21 May 2026,28 mins
Introducing: Focus on Africa - Electric vehicles: fixing Africa's fuel crisis?
Fuel prices continue to rise, could electric vehicles provide relief?
20 May 2026,23 mins
Victim or Accomplice? The Story of Jeffrey Epstein’s Pilot Girlfriend
Was Nadia Marcinko - a model, then a pilot - a victim, or accomplice, of Epstein?
19 May 2026,45 mins
Thomas Keneally: What’s next for the Schindler’s List author?
Schindler's List author Thomas Keneally on writing into his tenth decade
18 May 2026,26 mins
Introducing: CrowdScience - What keeps the universe in balance?
What keeps the stars burning? And is the universe in balance?
17 May 2026,32 mins
How Belarus silenced its free press
Belarus has crushed press freedom with jail terms for journalists and their readers
16 May 2026,26 mins
Hantavirus nearly killed me
“I died for 11 minutes” – what’s it like to be infected with hantavirus?
16 May 2026,23 mins
Speaking from the Heart
The story of Anna, a Christian who at the age of 25 became “locked in” after a stroke
15 May 2026,26 mins
An animal exodus
The UK Natural History Museum is moving millions of precious specimens to a new home
14 May 2026,26 mins
Introducing: Not By The Playbook - Why it is never too late
The story of Mike Flynn, Meg Robson Austin, rower Arshay Cooper and boxer George Foreman
13 May 2026,58 mins