Documentaries

What the Songbird Said
Angela Saini explores the science of birdsong and its relationship to human language.
12 May 2015,28 mins
The Third Age
Africa
AIDS and and caring for orphans. The struggle to pay school fees and provide clothing
14 Jun 1993,28 mins
More episodes
Genetics Made Simple
Genetics and Ethics
A DNA sample can be compared to evidence from a crime scene
12 May 1999,13 mins
More episodes
A Laureate for Elizabeth
William Sieghart celebrates the seven laureate poets of Elizabeth's reign.
31 May 2022,28 mins
The Wolves Are Coming Back
Rebecca Pates explores the rise of the right-wing in eastern Germany.
27 Nov 2018,28 mins
First Aid
First Aid for Road Accidents
What you should do if you're unlucky enough to come across a road accident?
05 Sep 2000,12 mins
More episodes
California: Paradise Lost
Adam Smith travels through California to discover why being a paradise is so much trouble.
23 Mar 2015,28 mins
Women in Blue
Jackie Malton assesses how the police have tackled sexism and misogyny in their ranks.
20 Apr 2015,28 mins
The Electric Car Shock
How much of a shock will affordable electric vehicles from China give European car makers?
07 Apr 2024,28 mins
We Need to Talk about Stillbirth
Bereaved mum Emma Beck asks why nine babies are stillborn every day in the UK.
22 Jul 2016,28 mins
Right Click: The New Online Culture Wars
Gavin Haynes explores the rebirth of classical liberalism online.
15 Oct 2018,28 mins
Holding Back the Sea
David Shukman examines hard choices about flood defence following Britain's worst winter.
19 Nov 2014,28 mins
The Returnees
How should Britain manage its returning foreign fighters?
22 Mar 2016,38 mins
A Reckoning with Drugs in Oregon
How has Oregon’s radical drug decriminalisation policy changed lives?
18 Mar 2024,28 mins
Not Enough Pride for Charley Pride
Why don’t we all know more about African American country music legend Charley Pride?
14 Oct 2019,28 mins
I Was 30, I'm Now 15
Style crisis?… What style crisis?!
Danielle Fahiya, 30, is now 15. Being home for lockdown is turning her into a teenager!
17 Mar 2021,22 mins
More episodes
Disunited
How has portrayal and participation of African Americans on TV and in film changed?
05 Dec 2003,25 mins
The Fast and the Curious
Tom Heap's confessions of a petrol-headed environmentalist.
22 Apr 2019,28 mins
Planet Bach
Every minute of every day, a musician is playing Bach’s music somewhere in the world.
19 Aug 2021,28 mins
Controlling the Unaccountable Algorithm
Emily Bell asks how we can control the powerful algorithms which shape modern life.
27 Dec 2016,38 mins
The Story of the Talmud
Episode 2
Naftali Brawer finds that in orthodox circles, the Talmud is causing a Jewish revolution.
24 Jul 2013,28 mins
More episodes
Cricket Cabaret
Quirky sound composition inspired by the songs of crickets.
14 Jul 2012,15 mins
A Very Powerful Politician? (The First Year of the Bristol Mayor)
Giles Dilnot finds out if new Bristol mayor George Ferguson is making a difference.
18 Nov 2013,28 mins
The Print Master
Stanley Jones, legendary lithographer on the Curwen Studio, with artist Susan Aldworth.
17 Jan 2012,30 mins
Shaking the Magic Money Trees
How Britain created £435billion out of nowhere - and where the money went.
29 Jan 2018,28 mins
The Goddess of English
Zareer Masani on why Indians worship English as a goddess who can free them from poverty.
28 Nov 2012,30 mins
A Passion for Bach
Exploring the special place the music of Bach occupies in the lives of many music lovers.
11 Apr 2017,30 mins
Refugee Reminiscence
Three refugees talk about something important they have brought from their home country.
20 Aug 2018,28 mins
At Home Abroad
A panel of new Britons discuss what it is like to make a home in a new land.
17 Dec 2014,43 mins
Mapping Pollution
The Effect on our Bodies, Part Two
Toxins found in the home can affect our bodies, health and futures
10 Jul 2006,26 mins
More episodes