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PODCAST

The Documentary Podcast

BBC World Service

The best documentaries 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. From Australia"s relationship with China, to Turkey"s sinkhole problem, to understanding the behaviour of dictators, we go beyond the headlines. Each week, all year round, we bring you the stories shaping our world. From the personal voices behind the headlines to perspectives on faith and spirituality and how work and money

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

26:52

The Kenyans taking on multinational chemical companies

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/28

In Kenya, a young lawyer is bringing a legal case against the Kenyan government, regulator, and several multinational agrochemical companies. He’s working alongside activists and health practitioners, and they claim that hazardous pesticides and herbicides, designed to make farming for efficient, are damaging the health of farmers in Kenya. They are demanding changes to regulation, as well as increased education and compensation for people who they claim, have had their health severely

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26:27

James Turrell: Master Of Light

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/27

The American artist James Turrell is famous for his Skyspaces. A Skyspace is chamber with an opening to the sky. Turrell bathes the roof with light that subtly changes colour, which affects our perception of the colour of the sky itself. Julian May travels to ARoS, the Art Museum in Aarhus, Denmark to meet James Turrell as he prepares his latest SkySpace, entitled As Seen Below – The Dome. It is a monumental work, which from the ground outside looks like tumulus, an ancient a grass covered burial

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49:32

Driving across the divide

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/26

Cars driven by Israeli volunteers wait at check points to give lifts to sick Palestinians to their hospital appointments - what the volunteers call “one hour of peace”. Since Hamas’s attacks on 7 October, it has become an increasingly rare space for Israelis and Palestinians to speak and build trust and connection amid the trauma of war. Most Palestinians from the occupied West Bank are prevented from travelling to Israel, among them patients in desperate need of specialised medical treatment. Some

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26:36

Saving Nigeria's vultures

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/25

When it comes to conservation, adorable and majestic animals often attract the most concern for their plight. It's not so easy to get the public's attention when it comes to animals that are perceived as weird or creepy or downright unpleasant. The vulture, traditionally associated with death and carrion, falls into this unlucky group. Globally, around 70% of vultures are now under threat of extinction and Nigeria's vultures are no exception. BBC West Africa journalist Makuochi Okafor has been

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23:19

The lifelong toll of surviving disaster

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/25

It has been a month since the twin earthquakes in Venezuela, estimated to have killed more than five thousand people. But there have also been some remarkable stories of rescue with people being pulled alive from the rubble many days after the disaster.In our conversations, we bring together people who survived disasters to discuss the long-term impact the events have had on their lives.Marinel lived through Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in 2013 and was one of the strongest typhoons in

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26:30

Searching for my samurai mother

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/24

When her mother dies, Rimi Tanaka regrets that she never truly got to know her. And so when her mother’s literary agent calls Rimi out of the blue, and asks her if she wants to write the book Akemi was writing when she died, Rimi seizes the opportunity. Akemi was researching her samurai ancestry, learning more about their philosophical code, and how it can teach us to live a fuller life today. Can completing her mother’s spiritual quest help Rimi finally come closer to someone she felt she never

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32:21

The spirit of Tala: The rapid rise of Tonga's netball...

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/23

In 2014, Tonga had no national netball team, coach, squad, or training facilities. Determined to change that, former television news anchor Salote Sisifa became CEO of Tonga Netball and promised the board that within five years she would build a team capable of competing internationally and reaching the world’s top 10 by 2025. If she failed, she would resign. Alongside, Head Coach Jaqua Pori-Makea-Simpson, Salote propelled Tonga from 42nd to seveth in the world rankings navigating national disaster,

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42:35

Bonus: Forgiving a killer - from Lives Less Ordinary

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/22

Why I don’t hate the person who tried to kill me in Norway’s worst terror attack from a far-right extremist. Bjorn Ihler speaks to Lives Less Ordinary, the podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Fifteen years ago today, on 22 July 2011, Bjorn Ihler was a 20-year-old performing arts student and a member of the youth division of the Norwegian Labour Party. He participated in the Party's summer camp on Utøya island, about 35km from

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27:10

Italy’s child obesity time-bomb

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/21

Children who are so obese they’re banned from their local gyms. Two and three year olds who are so used to juice and fizzy drinks they find it difficult to drink water. This is the child obesity epidemic hitting Italy. The country is often considered the spiritual home of the fabled mediterranean diet, celebrated as the secret to a long, healthy life. But Italy’s children are now the second most overweight in the EU. The reasons for this change in a generation are complex and hotly disputed. Experts

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26:29

Tom Bailey: Can a walk across the Arctic be art?

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/20

Can a trek become a work of art? As British artist and theatre-maker Tom Bailey starts his 600km on skis, Jo Morris tracks his progress through the borderlands of the Arctic where he encounters communities under threat from the climate crisis. As melting ice opens up new shipping routes, sparking debates over sovereignty Tom's ultra-slow journey will also examine the future of cultural tourism.

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26:44

Love on trial: India's age of consent controversy

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/19

Set against the backdrop of one of the world’s toughest child protection laws, Brishbhanu Baruah explores how India’s landmark Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso) is reshaping the lives of young people. Introduced after the 2012 Delhi gang rape, Pocso has been praised for exposing hidden abuse, trafficking, and child marriage. But as reported cases surge into the tens of thousands each year, a growing number involve teenagers in consensual relationships who now face

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26:22

Belarus's university in exile

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/18

In Belarus, new legislation from the government of President Alexander Lukashenko targets anyone who might be regarded as an opponent with charges of being ‘extremist’. Dozens of independent media outlets have recently been designated as ‘extremist organisations’ in the country, as the government cracks down on dissent. But the Belarus government isn’t only targeting media outlets. It’s taking aim at a wide variety of groups and organisations, including a well-respected Belarus university, the

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23:10

Older women and the challenge of IVF

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/18

Over the past five decades, it is estimated that around 13 million babies have been conceived thanks to IVF. The fertility treatment has helped families around the world have children. But new research suggests that older women face a significantly lower chance of conceiving, even when donor eggs are used from a younger woman. This challenges the idea that donor eggs can “reset” an individual’s reproductive clock. We bring together three women to share their experiences of the physical challenges

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26:34

Harry Haft's unspeakable fight

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/17

Harry Haft was forced to fight in more than 70 death matches inside Nazi concentration camps - not against soldiers but against other prisoners. After the war, Harry carried that violence into America’s boxing rings, facing some of the era’s top fighters. Through the eyes of his son Alan, this documentary reveals the deeper cost of survival - a legacy shaped by trauma, rage, and the loss of faith that followed him long after the fighting ended.

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19:32

Follow the money: The beef with US beef

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/16

Why have US beef prices risen around 13% over the past year? Who is making money from the burgers and steaks Americans eat? Presenter Sam Fenwick speaks to a cattle rancher in South Dakota, an agricultural economist in Wisconsin, a meat packer in North Carolina and a restaurant owner in Nebraska to find out what is happening in this quintessentially American corner of the food market. We unpack the US beef supply chain to discover why prices are rising, who is making money from it and who is getting

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26:33

Moscow’s enemy number one

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/15

“Perfidious Albion” - how Britain replaced the US as Russia’s top nemesis and the villain at the heart of its war narrative. Since the re-election of Donald Trump, Russian propagandists have softened their tone on the US, while intensifying their rhetoric against the UK. They have unleashed a wave of elaborate insults, accusations and threats against Britain, amounting at times to a full-blown character assassination. The insults may sound theatrical, and London denies the accusations, but beneath

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29:17

Euthanasia in Spain: Whose life is it anyway?

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/14

In March this year, 25-year-old Noelia Castillo died by lethal injection. Her father had fought in the courts for nearly 2 years to stop her euthanasia, but failed in the attempt. And the debate about who has the right to challenge an adult’s decision to have euthanasia hasn’t gone away. In May, the Supreme Court ruled that those with, ‘a particularly close connection’ to the person wanting to die may have the right to contest an application for euthanasia.Of the 565 people who died by euthanasia

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26:50

The Chinese fentanyl king

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/12

The BBC investigates Zhang Zhidong, also known as “Brother Wang”, a Chinese national described by US law enforcement as one of the most significant drug traffickers in the world.He is now awaiting trial in the US and has pleaded not guilty. He is accused of building a criminal empire connecting China's chemical factories to the Mexican cartels flooding the US with fentanyl.The BBC investigates his rise and fall, speaking to his former friend, and to cartel members who knew him as “number one” and

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26:29

Jordanian director Zain Duraie

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/12

Jordanian director Zain Duraie talks about her debut film Sink, an intense family drama about a mother coping with her son's mental health issues. Zain reveals the severe difficulties she faced to get the film financed, why she sought out the advice of other directors and how the film Titanic changed her life. And she offers her own tips for would-be film-makers. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from In the Studio, exploring the processes of the world’s most creative people. If you’ve

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26:36

Fruit Wars!

The Documentary Podcast ·

2026/07/11

The Atemoya Custard Apple is a much sought-after fruit grown only in one county in Taiwan. The Taiwanese are justly proud of it. Meanwhile, the Musang King Durian - grown in Malaysia - is also highly prized for its unique flavour as the ‘Hermes of Durians.’ Every year, fruit lovers across the region look out for these treats and snap them up where they can, often paying high prices. In recent years, farmers have seen opportunities to raise their income by selling these niche, super-luxury fruits

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2,496 results

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