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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Mapping Epstein's global connections
Sat 2 May 2026
How World Service journalists mapped Jeffrey Epstein's web of influence around the world
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My social life as a wheelchair user
Sat 2 May 2026
Wheelchair users discuss the barriers they face in social situations
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A church without walls
Fri 1 May 2026
In Johannesburg, Pastor Jane creates a church for those sidelined by traditional faith
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Atomic crossroads: Poland's nuclear future
Thu 30 Apr 2026
Poland aims to open its first nuclear power station. Is Chernobyl a distant memory?
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Introducing: In Our Time: The Mariana Trench
Wed 29 Apr 2026
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the exploration of the world's deepest ocean trench
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Neha Vyaso: Crafting consent in Bollywood
Mon 27 Apr 2026
Bollywood’s leading intimacy co-ordinator, Neha Vyaso, workshops consent on and off set
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Introducing: The Climate Question: China's green energy revolution
Sun 26 Apr 2026
Has China managed to stop its greenhouse gas emissions from growing thanks to renewables?
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Inside the Mugabe dynasty
Sat 25 Apr 2026
Why the late Robert Mugabe's wife and children have attracted criticism in Zimbabwe
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Faith and revolution in the Philippines
Fri 24 Apr 2026
How Catholicism helped overthrow a dictator and restored democracy to the Philippines
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Under the influence of AI
Thu 23 Apr 2026
What happens when conversations with AI start to feel more real than the world around you?
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Introducing Searching for Soldier Dad
Wed 22 Apr 2026
DNA detectives track down the British soldiers who fathered children in Kenya
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In Iceland's defence
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Iceland is one of the few nations without a military. Is this a sustainable strategy?
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The last dance floor in Chernobyl
Mon 20 Apr 2026
A young couple fall in love against the backdrop of disaster
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Patti LuPone: Taking the stage at Carnegie Hall
Sun 19 Apr 2026
Patti LuPone has long reigned as one of Broadway’s most formidable leading ladies
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Counting the soldiers dying for Russia
Sat 18 Apr 2026
Hundreds of thousands of Russians have died in the war in Ukraine, but who are they?
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Experiences of miscarriage
Sat 18 Apr 2026
Two couples on the emotional toll of losing an unborn child and their relationship
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Jamaica: Shaken, not broken
Fri 17 Apr 2026
Hurricane Melissa devastated many of Jamaica’s 1,600 sacred spaces
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Back to books: Sweden’s digital backlash
Thu 16 Apr 2026
Why tech-savvy Sweden is ditching screens for books and pens in its schools
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Surviving my daughter's killing
Wed 15 Apr 2026
When 19-year-old Ann was killed, her mother chose restorative justice
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Pakistan: Hospitals putting children at risk of HIV
Tue 14 Apr 2026
How and why Pakistani hospitals might be putting children at risk of HIV
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Helping prisoners become better parents
Mon 13 Apr 2026
An innovative scheme in Scotland is helping dads in prison become better parents
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British Queen Elizabeth II's century of fashion
Sun 12 Apr 2026
A new exhibition features the wardrobe of the late Queen Elizabeth II
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Bringing India's daughters back home
Sat 11 Apr 2026
In India, a film about domestic violence urges fathers to step in and protect daughters
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Hopes for a 'fragile' Middle East ceasefire
Sat 11 Apr 2026
People from across the Middle East share their stories
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Your questions answered about Artemis II and space travel
Fri 10 Apr 2026
We put our listeners' questions to former Nasa astronauts, Steve Swanson and Nicole Stott
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Freddie’s second verse
Fri 10 Apr 2026
Freddie left fame behind to follow Buddhism and find stillness in Hong Kong
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The battle for Hungary
Thu 9 Apr 2026
Viktor Orban faces a high-stakes election showdown as Peter Magyar takes him on
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