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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The lord and dance: Michael Flatley
Boxing Day 2025
Irish dancer Michael Flatley reveals the role of faith in his life
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The gift of science
Christmas Day 2025
This Boxing Day and holiday season, our present to you is the science of gifts
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Bonus: 2025 in conversations from The Interview
Christmas Eve 2025
A special episode for The Documentary featuring conversations from The Interview in 2025
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Argentina's elusive big cats
Tue 23 Dec 2025
After decades of extinction, wild jaguars are roaming once again in Northern Argentina.
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Michael Symmons Roberts' Christmas card poem
Mon 22 Dec 2025
Michael Symmons Roberts writes a poem to put inside a Christmas card
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United in space: How we built the ISS
Sun 21 Dec 2025
How nations collaborated to create the International Space Station
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Living in fear on South Africa's farms
Sat 20 Dec 2025
Farmers in South Africa fear theft and violence, but why do these crimes happen?
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Jewish Australians on the Bondi Beach attacks
Sat 20 Dec 2025
Jewish people in Australia and around the world talk about antisemitism
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Prayers through the checkpoints
Fri 19 Dec 2025
We hear from Palestinians striving to reach places of worship amid increased security
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Elephant conservation in Botswana
Thu 18 Dec 2025
Botswana has more elephants than any other country but conservation is complex
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Introducing The Bomb: Kennedy and Khrushchev
Wed 17 Dec 2025
As the USA and Soviet Union race for supremacy, Premier Khrushchev sizes up JFK
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Stolen brides of Kazakhstan: The fightback
Tue 16 Dec 2025
Kazakhstan has passed a law forbidding forced marriage including the kidnap of women
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Jim Henson's Creature Shop: Back to Fraggle Rock
Mon 15 Dec 2025
The team at Jim Henson's Creature Shop prepare to take Fraggle Rock to the stage
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A makeover for Syria's interim leader?
Sat 13 Dec 2025
Ahmed al-Sharaa has embraced social media to project an apparently moderate image
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The divine gift of sex
Fri 12 Dec 2025
In Catholic Philippines, sex therapist Dr Rica Cruz is on a mission to destigmatise sex
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The struggle of Israel's peace movement
Tue 9 Dec 2025
The Israeli and Palestinian activists who defy threats to dare to call for peace
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Anna-Karin Karlsson: Sunglasses made for icons
Mon 8 Dec 2025
The imaginative world of Swedish eyewear designer Anna-Karin Karlsson
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Steel from shipwrecks
Sun 7 Dec 2025
Materials scientist Anna Ploszajski investigates the scavenging of pre-atomic steel.
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Reporting the Nigerian school kidnappings
Sat 6 Dec 2025
Why it was vital for BBC journalists to visit the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings
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Australia’s under-16 social media ban
Sat 6 Dec 2025
Should children be banned from social media? Australians share their experiences
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The mosque for Bangladesh’s transgender women
Fri 5 Dec 2025
In March 2024, a mosque built by and for hijras provided a rare space for worship
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Made in Russia: The Kremlin’s economic rebrand
Thu 4 Dec 2025
How Moscow is working around international sanctions
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From rocks to riches
Wed 3 Dec 2025
The global trade in meteorites is a booming business. But is science paying the price?
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Joana Vasconcelos: Mask of mirrors
Mon 1 Dec 2025
Joana Vasconcelos' huge mask-like sculpture made from mirrors
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Ireland's new alcohol warning
Sun 30 Nov 2025
Ireland has introduced some of the world’s strongest health warnings on alcohol labels.
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What is the 'Shadow Fleet'?
Sat 29 Nov 2025
How Russia uses oil tankers to evade sanctions and conduct hybrid warfare
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Brain fog and perimenopause
Sat 29 Nov 2025
The global conversation sparked by a BBC reporter’s brain fog
