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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Citizen journalism - democracy or chaos?
Wed 2 Sep 2009
Michael Buerk analyses the potential – and the dangers – of citizen journalism.
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Why is Africa poor? Part Two
Mon 31 Aug 2009
Accusations of tribalism, corruption and complacency have all been offered as to the...
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World stories: new media in Kashmir
Fri 28 Aug 2009
Violent footage from the Kashmir conflict has been shared almost in real-time by on...
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Assignment - Mutiny in Bangladesh
Thu 27 Aug 2009
Six months ago there was a short military revolt in Bangladesh that threatened to push...
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Why is Africa poor?
Mon 24 Aug 2009
Mark Doyle crosses the continent of Africa and finds a place rich in natural resources...
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World Stories: Fighting for Pao Culture in Burma
Fri 21 Aug 2009
Ko Ko Aung from the BBC's Burmese Service, travelled to Burma to find out why a rebel...
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America's African Outpost
Thu 20 Aug 2009
Fran Abrams is given rare access to the US base in Djibouti questioning military local...
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Gold - part two
Wed 19 Aug 2009
Nick Rankin descends into the deepest goldmine in the world – Tau Tona in South for...
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Selling cheese to the Chinese
Fri 14 Aug 2009
Mukul Devichand tells the story of the Europeans who are trying to persuade China's to...
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World Stories: Bombs, Stamps and Throat Singers
Fri 14 Aug 2009
American physicist Richard Feynman fell in love with the remote Russian region Tuva of...
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Assignment - The Pardon Game
Thu 13 Aug 2009
The Afghan drugs mafia is rich, powerful and entrenched, with connections running into...
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Gold - part one
Wed 12 Aug 2009
Man's long-term obsession with gold and the lengths we have gone to to get it.
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William Morris and the Muslims
Mon 10 Aug 2009
Navid Akhtar examines the influence of Islamic design and values in the life of poet,...
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Tracing the strain
Tue 4 Aug 2009
The World Health Organisation has warned that the worldwide spread of the so-called is...
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Iran and the West - part three
Mon 3 Aug 2009
Iran in the post 9/11 era, a time of friction and unrest over its nuclear ambitions.
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Global Perspective: Chungking Mansions
Fri 31 Jul 2009
A slice of life at a shabby but popular tenement in Hong Kong's teeming commercial...
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Caribbean voices - Part two
Tue 28 Jul 2009
Colin Grant reflects on the BBC’s role in boosting Caribbean writing in the region...
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Iran and the West: From Khomeini to Ahmedinejad - part 2
Mon 27 Jul 2009
The inside story of Iran's war with Iraq, and how the US viewed the conflict - a for...
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Global Perspective - Across the Water
Fri 24 Jul 2009
Nick Rankin travels to Fair Isle, one of the most remote inhabited islands in the to a...
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Assignment - Pakistan - Winning the Peace
Thu 23 Jul 2009
In this week's edition of Assignment, Jill McGivering travels through Pakistan, the of...
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West African journeys - Part two
Wed 22 Jul 2009
Award-winning journalist Sorious Samura drops into the middle of an undercover of a in...
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Iran and the West: From Khomeni to Ahmedinejad - part 1
Mon 20 Jul 2009
For the first time, the BBC tells the story of Iran's relationship with the West over...
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Death Diminishes Me
Fri 17 Jul 2009
A soundscape of memory, loss, regret and hope from men who have been living with HIV...
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The Greening of the Deserts - part three
Wed 15 Jul 2009
In this series, Ayisha Yahya explores climate change issues in the African desert.
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Global Persepctive: Islands of Security
Fri 10 Jul 2009
South Africa's wealthy are retreating to high-security gated communities to protect...
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From Guantanamo to Paradise
Fri 10 Jul 2009
The story of four imprisoned Uyghur men transferred from Guantanamo Bay to the wealthy...
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Assignment - Land Grab Cambodia
Thu 9 Jul 2009
150,000 Cambodians are reported to be facing eviction from their land.
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The Greening of the Deserts
Wed 8 Jul 2009
In this three part series, Ayisha Yahya explores climate change issues in the African...
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Assignment - The Opus Dei enigma
Thu 2 Jul 2009
It's widely regarded as one of the most secretive religious organisations in the world.
