The Documentary Podcast Podcast
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.
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 the global housing crisis to gerrymandering in US politics to the miracle doctor of Lourdes, 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 impact our lives. Discover how people find solutions to global problems and look at the world through the lens of its media.
Powered by the BBC World Service’s global network, The Documentary Podcast is about the people living the story – helping you see the world with greater clarity.
Episodes to download
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Fishrot: Clear waters, murky dealings
Tue 21 Feb 2023
How journalists in Namibia and Iceland broke an epic corruption scandal, all about fish
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Nigeria elections
Sat 18 Feb 2023
Nigerians discuss issues that are important to them in this month's elections
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On the frontline of Brexit
Thu 16 Feb 2023
David Baker assesses the impact of Brexit in Northern Ireland.
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America's first black bank
Tue 14 Feb 2023
Szu Ping Chan looks at the the history and collapse of The Freedman’s Bank and its legacy
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World Wide Waves '23: The sounds of community radio
Sat 11 Feb 2023
How Rumphi FM in Malawi and Inuit radio in Canada are supporting marginalised communities
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The earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Sat 11 Feb 2023
We hear from people in Turkey and Syria since the earthquake struck the region on Monday
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The great German sausage crisis
Thu 9 Feb 2023
Who is going to make the sausages in Germany if no-one wants to be a butcher?
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The travelling speech therapist
Tue 7 Feb 2023
Speech therapist Mary Weinder travels to the Turks & Caicos islands to teach children
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Living with power cuts
Sat 4 Feb 2023
We hear from people who experience regular power interruptions
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Uruguay’s Cash Cow
Thu 2 Feb 2023
How does Uruguay’s beef industry compete with their neighbours and climate change threats
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The Night Witches of World War Two
Tue 31 Jan 2023
The all-female Soviet combat unit which terrorised German forces using wooden biplanes
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A short history of sadness
Sat 28 Jan 2023
Author Helen Russell explores a history of gloom, and how different cultures tackle it
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Iran Protests: Tales from the frontline
Thu 26 Jan 2023
Why did people take to the streets, risking arrest and a barrage of bullets?
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The Black Book
Sat 21 Jan 2023
Why was the Black Book, a chronicle of the Nazi extermination of Soviet Jews banned?
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Yiddish glory: Jewish refugees in Central Asia
Sat 21 Jan 2023
A journey to discover Yiddish songs confiscated by the KGB
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A return to Paradise
Thu 19 Jan 2023
Survivors rebuild a town destroyed by one of the worst wildfires in California's history
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What do you think you are? Part two
Tue 17 Jan 2023
Are animals 'sentient' beings? Sue Armstrong reports on the latest scientific evidence
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The price of citizenship
Sat 14 Jan 2023
What does it mean to be a citizen? Is it about belonging, or about convenience?
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Covid in China
Sat 14 Jan 2023
We speak to people in China and Chinese abroad about the country's Covid policy
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Saving children from the mafia
Wed 11 Jan 2023
Why an Italian judge is taking kids away from Mafia families
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What do you think you are?: Part one
Tue 10 Jan 2023
The scientific evidence that animals are not only conscious but also have a sense of self
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Kids who care
Tue 3 Jan 2023
Oritsé Williams hears from children who are unpaid carers for family members
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Women pro surfers: Battling the waves
Sat 31 Dec 2022
How women surfers fought the sexism of the 1970s to create the first pro-surf world tour
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Hope for Alzheimers
Sat 31 Dec 2022
Three people caring for loved ones with Alzheimers share their experiences and challenges
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Escape from the Taliban: Point of no return
Thu 29 Dec 2022
Sana Safi returns to the story of two Afghan women judges trying to escape the Taliban
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Fighting 'fat-phobia' in Brazil
Thu 29 Dec 2022
The Brazilian city passing laws to fight discrimination against people who are obese