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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Brain fog and perimenopause
Sat 29 Nov 2025
The global conversation sparked by a BBC reporter’s brain fog
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Twin spirits: A lost bond that lives in dreams
Fri 28 Nov 2025
How a twin brother lost at birth became one woman’s spiritual guide
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What is the 'Russian cultural code'?
Thu 27 Nov 2025
Why a headdress has become a poster image for the Kremlin’s vision of national identity
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Stemming the tide in Normandy
Tue 25 Nov 2025
In Normandy, in France, coastal erosion is a growing problem. But what should be done?
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Inside India's war on Maoists
Sat 22 Nov 2025
India has been at war with Maoist insurgents for nearly 60 years, is it about to end?
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China’s global spending spree
Tue 18 Nov 2025
Celia Hatton reveals the breathtaking scale of China’s state-backed overseas spending
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Fifty years since Franco: Spain, the valley and a troubled legacy
Tue 18 Nov 2025
Exploring the modern symbolism of a monument built for Franco.
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The Shiralee: D'Arcy Niland's 1955 Australian western
Mon 17 Nov 2025
Classic Australian western The Shiralee is brought to the stage in Sydney
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'No justice, just kills’
Mon 17 Nov 2025
Families of Iraqis killed by US marines in Haditha learn why the killers walked free.
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Film director Gurinder Chadha
Sun 16 Nov 2025
Director Gurinder Chadha's new film Christmas Karma puts a twist on A Christmas Carol
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The COP 30 summit and the climate change frontline
Sat 15 Nov 2025
Stories from the frontline of climate change and the 30th COP climate summit in Brazil
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Finding my true self through Druidry
Fri 14 Nov 2025
Through Druidry on Anglesey, Mhara finds belonging and peace with her true self
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Ukraine's Colombian soldiers
Tue 11 Nov 2025
From jungle guerrilla warfare to frozen trenches: why did they leave?
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The Chinese Cryptoqueen
Mon 10 Nov 2025
The Chinese woman at the heart of the UK’s biggest cryptocurrency seizure
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Chef Yoshifumi Yamaguchi
Mon 10 Nov 2025
At his restaurant in Kampala, Yoshifumi Yamaguchi fuses the cultures of Japan and Uganda
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The great hunger: Stalin's famine in Kazakhstan
Sun 9 Nov 2025
The Kazakhs who came through one of the worst man-made famines the world has seen
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Does Kruger deserve a park?
Sat 8 Nov 2025
The debate surrounding the name of South Africa's iconic wildlife park
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Kai Höss: My grandfather, the Commandant of Auschwitz
Fri 7 Nov 2025
The grandson of Rudolf Höss, Commandant of Auschwitz, comes to terms with his family
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In the shadow of the railway
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Will the US-led Lobito Corridor project deliver a brighter future for Angola?
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Striking gas in Bolivia
Wed 5 Nov 2025
A huge gas find reignites old debates over Bolivia’s energy and environmental future
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The real ‘Yellowstone’: A battle for the cowboy way of life
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Ranches, rodeos and public land - a surprising battle raging in the American West
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Lara Dizeyee's Kurdish couture
Mon 3 Nov 2025
Kurdish designer Lara Dizeyee blends culture and couture at Milan Fashion Week
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What’s behind the war in Sudan?
Sun 2 Nov 2025
Blood spilled in Sudan's el-Fasher massacre is visible from space
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How Russian AI targets news organisations
Sat 1 Nov 2025
‘Russian Doll’ and ‘Doppelganger’: the bot networks targeting journalists
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Women share stories of losing their hair
Sat 1 Nov 2025
Baldness, wigs and dating mishaps – experiences of alopecia
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The right thing: Confronting my abuser
Fri 31 Oct 2025
The gymnast who confronted America’s top sports doctor for abusing hundreds of girls
