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PODCAST

The Documentary Podcast

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 China’s state-backed overseas spending, to on the road with Canada’s Sikh truckers, 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

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

26:39

BBC OS Conversations: The impact of Trump's tariffs

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/12

Donald Trump’s decision to slap tariffs on global trade has sent the world reeling. Stock markets have tanked. Gloomy economists have hit the airwaves. Governments, their backs against the wall, have responded with either stoic resignation or threats of revenge. But it’s business owners who find themselves at the centre of the storm. Steve in Boston, USA, runs a company whose flagship product contains three Chinese parts. He’s concerned about the effect tariffs will have on his business and others

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26:26

Heart and Soul: Guns, grief and god

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/11

On 4 September 2024, the town of Winder in the US state of Georgia became the latest scene of a school mass shooting. Two students and two teachers were killed. The suspect was 14 years old. The deadly attack at Apalachee High School left a community torn apart by guns and brought together in grief. In each of the previous four years there have been more than 600 mass shootings in the United States - almost two a day on average. Edward Stourton has been to Georgia to visit the church community

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26:41

Heart and Soul: Violence, children and Cambodia’s monks

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/10

***This programme contains descriptions of genocide and violence against children*** Fifty years ago the fall of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, to the Khmer Rouge sparked a modern-day genocide that saw millions murdered in just four years. Today, a group that was almost entirely destroyed in the bloodshed is working both in person and online to heal the wounds that are still keenly felt. Religious practice was effectively outlawed under the Khmer Rouge and Buddhist monks were viciously targeted by

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25:51

The Cultural Frontline: South East Asian cinema - a...

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/09

In South East Asia, cinema attendances are growing, thanks to a renewed interest in local product. For instance, the Thai movie How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, broke box office records this year. We hear from director Pat Boonnitipat about the reasons why he believes his film touched the hearts of so many people. The same is true in Vietnam. Last year the country produced its biggest national and international hit Mai, which also became a social media sensation. Historian Tuyet Van Huynh

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26:39

Assignment: Unidentified flying drones in Denmark

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/08

When mysterious orb-like lights were recorded in the sky above Koge, a small port town in Denmark, the UFO scene took notice. But it wasn't just believers who wanted to know what these unidentified flying objects were.Danish police and the Danish security services describe the objects as large drones - similar to the ones seen on the USA's East Coast before Christmas. But no-one can say who is flying them, or why. Could it be the Russians?Lucy Proctor meets the people involved in Denmark's unique

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26:29

In the Studio: Anna Clyne and Jody Elff

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/07

Contemporary classical music composer Anna Clyne is one of the most performed and in demand composers in the world.For her next commission, she is working on a new concerto for the St Louis Symphony Orchestra in Missouri, US. The piece is called PALETTE, and will feature seven movements related to seven colours: plum, amber, lava, ebony, teal, tangerine and emerald green.Anna will be working with her Grammy-winning audio engineer, sound artist and designer husband Jody Elff on the composition, using

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49:27

Donald Trump’s new world order

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/06

President Trump has upended the international order to promote his “America First” agenda. He has thrown countries and their leaders around the world off balance with his radical departure from decades-old United States foreign policy. With so many changes going in different and sometimes seemingly opposing directions, Jamie Coomarasamy tries to get behind what’s driving the President’s agenda, and looks at how the world is adjusting to a new reality.

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26:33

The Fifth Floor: India's 'godwoman'

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/05

Delhi correspondent Divya Arya recently met a woman who claims to perform miracles. She’s called Radhe Maa and her devotees see her as a God. She’s not the only person in India who claims to have god-like powers, but she is unusual as mostly these people are men. Divya got rare access to the lavish home in which the 'godwoman' lives, to better understand this world of unquestioning faith. Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia

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23:18

Adolescence

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/05

The hit Netflix show, Adolescence, has prompted a global conversation on toxic masculinity. The series is based in the north of England and centres on a 13-year-old boy, Jamie, accused of murdering a teenage girl. In our conversations we explore some of the issues the series has raised, including the role of social media in promoting online misogyny and bullying. We hear from a group of boys who tell us what they have been viewing online, one girl we speak to wonders if she would be better off not

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26:30

Heart and Soul: I was shot at school and wouldn’t...

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/04

School shootings in the USA continue to be a far too common tragedy. In January 2017, 16-year-old Logan Cole, who lives in a small town in the American mid-west was shot in the bathroom of his high school by a fellow student. His injuries were extensive. Afraid for their own lives, other students jumped out of school windows, running shoeless across snowy fields in the freezing Ohio winter. As the news rippled around the small neighbourhood, there was an overwhelming sense of shock, despair and

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26:29

The subsea war

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/03

The 'accidental' severing of undersea cables or pipelines seem an almost daily occurrence these days but how reliant are we on this infrastructure, how much of it is there, and what steps are being taken to protect it? Business and economics editor Douglas Fraser investigates who might be behind these thinly veiled acts of sabotage and what their motivation might be. With much of the activity happening in the North and Baltic seas Douglas travels to Norway to see how the Navy there have long

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26:46

Living in a bubble: The headphone revolution

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/04/02

Headphones and earbuds have experienced a phenomenal rise in popularity worldwide, transforming how people consume audio content and impacting on various aspects of daily life. Per Sennström, one of the creators of Swedish company Earin, shares insights into how wireless earbuds first came about and how the revolution in listening took hold so quickly. The allure of high-quality sound, sleek designs, and wireless connectivity has led to their status as fashion accessories, often seen as a statement

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28:02

Assignment: Lebanon - Hezbollah in trouble

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/03/31

Hezbollah, the militia and political movement in Lebanon, has been battered by the war with Israel. Its leaders were assassinated, hundreds of fighters killed, and many of its communities now lie in ruins. Until recently a formidable power with the ability to paralyse the country, the group now appears a shadow of its former self. For the first time in decades, even some supporters are questioning its purpose. Is this a turning point? The BBC’s Hugo Bachega travels to Hezbollah’s strongholds to find

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26:29

In the Studio: Lindy Lee’s Ouroboros

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/03/31

Lindy Lee’s Ouroboros is the most expensive single artwork commission in Australian history. A $14 million, three-tonne, 10-metre wide freestanding shell of mirror-polished stainless steel with 48,000 individually cut plasma-cut perforations: Lindy calls the Ouroboros “her”. Mia Hull talks to artist Lindy Lee, NGA Director Nick Mitzevich, foundry director Eve Willems, haulage “megatrucker” Jon Kelly and legendary pilot driver Nick.

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49:28

The Covid generation revisited

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/03/30

Five years on from the global lockdown we catch up with the "Covid Generation", the class of 2020 - school leavers and graduates from around the world, to find out how the coronavirus pandemic affected their lives and studies as well as employment prospects. Did they have to change plans, were their careers put on hold, did they spot a new opportunity? We hear about the ongoing effect of the coronavirus pandemic on young people's prospects and what advice the class of 2020 has for today's school

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27:06

The Fifth Floor: Tales from Tbilisi

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/03/29

Faranak Amidi visits three places in Tbilisi, Georgia to find out more about its history and what's behind the current political turmoil in the country. The Parliament building has been the site of the recent protests, where people have been gathering for more than 100 days. The ‘Dezerter bazar’ was said to be founded by deserters from the Czar’s army, who came there to sell their equipment over 100 years ago. Now it’s the biggest farmers market in Tbilisi. The history of the sulphur baths date back

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23:12

BBC OS Conversations: Protests in Turkey

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/03/29

Across Turkey, hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets after the arrest of President Erdogan’s main political rival, the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu. It is the worst unrest for more than a decade and police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protestors and arrested hundreds of people. Presenter Mark Lowen was in Turkey earlier this week and meets two university students, who say they are protesting to protect democracy. He also brings together three Turkish

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26:31

Heart and Soul: Kai Höss - My grandfather the...

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/03/28

In a cinema in south-west Germany, an audience is gathered to watch an Oscar-winning film, The Zone of Interest, about the life of Rudolf Höss, commandant of Auschwitz. Those present comprise Jewish people from around the world, and the special guest is Rudolf’s grandson, Kai.The topic was rarely visited during Kai's childhood. It was only after a school history lesson that he began to comprehend Rudolf’s role as head of the largest mass murder site in history.Journalist Shiroma Silva talks to

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26:29

The Cultural Frontline: The Los Angeles fires

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/03/27

The fires that devastated parts of Los Angeles in January this year killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Angelino Laura Hubber talks to those affected by the fires and looks at the ongoing impact on the artistic and cultural life of the city. She explores how LA is dealing with loss, and how it will rebuild, both physically and artistically. We hear from artist Alec Egan, who lost his home and studio, along with his paintings that were due to be shown at international

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35:36

Malawi: Life in your years

The Documentary Podcast ·

2025/03/26

Life expectancy in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, increased by 19 years (from 46 to 65) from 2000 to 2019 - mostly due to reductions in mortality from HIV, TB and malaria, and declines in childhood diseases. What does this very rapid demographic change mean for governments, policy planners and ordinary people now living so much longer? Will overstretched health and social protection services be able to cope with the demands that come with longer lives - rapidly increasing

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2,353 results

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