The Documentary Episodes Episode guide

Will Coley meets Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants who crossed the Sahara and Mediterranean to Sicily to seek political asylum.

The Abandoned homepage

Egyptian writer Tarek Osman examines the history of the desert kingdom.

Saudi Arabia - Sands of Time homepage

American writer and satirist PJ O’Rourke hits the campaign trail to give his own unique take on the British election.

PJ O'Rourke on the UK Campaign Trail homepage

As the UK faces a highly competitive general election, Mary Ann Sieghart explores how the parties plan to form a government.

Who Will Govern Britain? homepage

Saxophonist Courtney Pine celebrates 50 years of John Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme" - one of the greatest jazz albums ever made.

A Love Supreme - 50 Years On homepage

Ever wondered how to make the Chinese laugh? Comedian Des Bishop has learnt Mandarin to take his jokes to China to find out.

Stand Up for China homepage

Uuganaa Ramsay questions how her ethnicity became a term for Down's Syndrome, then for idiocy, and rediscovers its true meaning.

The Meaning of Mongol homepage

Take a ride with Ahmed, a failed asylum seeker, who sleeps on London’s night-buses.

Sheltering on the Night Bus homepage

Dawood Azami presents the astonishing stories of the Afghan Cameleers who opened up Australia.

Australia's Afghan Cameleers homepage

As part of 'A Richer World', Elizabeth Ohene tells the story of how the fridge has transformed people’s lives around the world.

Fridgeonomics homepage

Linguist Mark Turin tracks down some of the world's endangered languages.

On Language Location homepage

Monica Whitlock documents Sasha Tsaliuk’s struggle to fight for the existence of his beloved Moscow Acapella Jewish Choir.

Sasha's Song homepage

Rupa Jha takes you to the heart of India, to give a unique insight into what it means to live in the world’s biggest democracy.

Living India homepage

Matthew Teller asks how training at the UK's Military Academy at Sandhurst bolsters militarised monarchies in the Arab world.

Sandhurst and the Sheiks homepage

Lucy Ash examines the Russian military strategy of deception, maskirovka, from the 14th Century to the current crisis in Ukraine

Maskirovka - Deception Russian-Style homepage

Fred Dove investigates China's attempts to make itself a cricketing nation, and meets some of China's finest cricketers.

Batting for the Middle Kingdom homepage

Over 400,000 pages of Joseph Stalin’s private papers have gone online. Daniel Kalder uncovers new sides to the notorious leader.

Digitising Stalin homepage

Alan Kasujja presents a series of snapshots of a continent building its own opportunity, in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

My Africa homepage

Vietnamese writer Le Ly Hayslip reflects on her life and work shedding new light on her country's experience of the Vietnam war.

Heaven and Earth - Le Ly Hayslip homepage

Zareer Masani examines the history and future of India’s biggest business group.

Tata - India's Global Giant homepage

Yona Laks and Vera Kriegel speak about their experiences as part of Josef Mengele’s experiments on Jewish twins at Auschwitz.

Mengele's Twins homepage