Documentaries

Songs for Tahrir
Reem Kelani explores the role of music in the Egyptian revolution of early 2011.
18 Jan 2012,28 mins
The Unconscious Life of Bombs
Daniel Pick traces how aerial bombardment has made the unconscious mind a field of battle.
11 Dec 2017,30 mins
The Map That Made Manhattan
Exploring the Manhattan grid as city matrix, psychic space and a bold political ideal.
31 Aug 2014,30 mins
Rwanda Thirty Years On
Rwanda's journey towards healing and reconciliation after the 1994 genocide.
31 Mar 2024,28 mins
The Homeworker
Lucy Mangan explores the future for homeworking. Who wins - employer or employee?
05 Aug 2013,28 mins
Seth Lakeman and the Newport Folk Festival
Seth Lakeman attends the Newport Folk Festival to explore its history and influence.
07 Aug 2015,28 mins
Young Devolutionaries
Episode 3
Young people from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales share their vision of devolution.
04 Oct 2013,28 mins
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Trump at Studio 54
Frances Stonor Saunders on Trump's disco years and mentorship to McCarthy's henchman.
18 Apr 2017,38 mins
The Secret Lives of Carers
01/12/2015
The care organisations pioneering new ways of looking after people in their own homes.
01 Dec 2015,28 mins
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The Hidden Masters of the Universe
Ben Chu pulls back the curtain on private equity.
16 May 2023,28 mins
Divine Power: The Search for the Dalai Lama
David Sneath reports on the institution of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet.
01 Jul 2018,28 mins
Animal Architecture
Tom Dyckhoff explores the way we design and build for animals.
30 Jun 2014,30 mins
Swooshes, Seaboards, Synths and Spawn
Musician Bishi examines how tech and AI shape the future of music creation.
26 Dec 2019,28 mins
Dads and Daughters
Lauren Laverne and her dad Les explore the relationship between fathers and daughters.
08 Oct 2017,30 mins
Oblique Strategies
Simon Armitage explores the creative possibilities opened up by Oblique Strategies cards
13 Jun 2013,30 mins
Singing Piaf with No Regrets
Caroline Nin listens to those drawn to sing the music of the legendary French performer.
17 Dec 2015,30 mins
Pick up your stretcher and walk!
Disabled Christians carving out an empowering new ‘theology of disability’.
21 May 2019,28 mins
Hong Kong: Love in a Divided City
An intimate glimpse of the Hong Kong protests, as experienced by a newlywed couple.
12 Nov 2019,28 mins
The Touch Test
The Touch Test: Claudia Hammond launches a major new study investigating the role of touch
21 Jan 2020,42 mins
Smile
Kate Williams explores the history and development of the modern winning smile
02 Jun 2012,30 mins
Alvin Hall Goes Back to School
Financial guru Alvin Hall returns to his Florida hometown.
23 Aug 2016,30 mins
Privacy Under Pressure
Episode 3
Steve Hewlett and guests discuss the significance of the erosion of privacy today.
29 Jul 2013,30 mins
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Hip Hop in the Middle East: Rhymes, Revolution and Resistance
Music journalist Jackson Allers explores Arab Spring era hip-hop as a catalyst for change.
19 May 2015,30 mins
The Shadow Pope
Edward Stourton explores the tensions caused by the presence of two popes in the Vatican.
08 Nov 2022,28 mins
The Moderators
Episode Five - The Future
Tech experts speak to Zoe Kleinman about the future of online content moderation.
15 Nov 2024,14 mins
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The Threat to American Democracy
Bracing for 2024
Owen Bennett-Jones explores the risk of a constitutional crisis after the next US election
04 Nov 2022,14 mins
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The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock
Alan Yentob marks the centenary of TS Eliot's poem, with a reading by Jeremy Irons.
02 Jun 2015,43 mins
Reports of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated!
Jamie Dornan discovers what the BBC would say if he croaked it with Kathy Kiera Clarke.
17 Feb 2024,28 mins
Everything Is Everything: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill at 25
Laura Mvula reflects on the impact of Lauryn Hill’s debut album 25 years after its release
22 Aug 2023,28 mins
Starmer's Stormy Year
The inside story of Keir Starmer's turbulent first year as Labour prime minister.
30 Jun 2025,42 mins