The Documentary Podcast podcast

The Documentary Podcast

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 conflict in the Middle East to the advance of AI, 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 share how news stories are shaping their lives.

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 conflict in the Middle East to the advance of AI, 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 share how news stories are shaping their lives.

 

#2000

Italy’s migrant fruit pickers

In Italy, Georgia Meloni’s coalition government gained power on an anti-immigration politi... more

17 hrs Ago

29 MINS

29:03

17 hrs Ago


#1999

Africa's football dreamers

Football is an obsession for many Ghanaians and a route to fame and fortune for a talented... more

31 May 2026

49 MINS

49:15

31 May 2026


#1998

Embargo and the Cuban spirit

Last week, the American government charged the former Cuban leader, Raúl Castro, with cons... more

30 May 2026

26 MINS

26:28

30 May 2026


#1997

Responding to Ebola

With the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the head of the World Health ... more

30 May 2026

23 MINS

23:26

30 May 2026


#1996

Jamaica’s sacred heartbeat

At a hillside gathering in Watt Town, Jamaica, drums, prayer, and song converge in a livin... more

29 May 2026

26 MINS

26:28

29 May 2026


#1995

Manosphere messiahs: Kenya

It started in the West with influencers like Andrew Tate. Now the Manosphere has gone glob... more

29 May 2026

29 MINS

29:58

29 May 2026


#1994

Manosphere messiahs: Mexico

It started in the West with influencers like Andrew Tate. Now the manosphere has gone glob... more

28 May 2026

30 MINS

30:04

28 May 2026


#1993

São Paulo's carnival competition

Every year during Brazil’s carnival celebrations, samba schools are tasked with creating e... more

27 May 2026

32 MINS

32:44

27 May 2026


#1992

Sierra Leone: The Diamond that saved a thousand lives

In 2017, five men digging in an open pit found the third largest diamond ever unearthed in... more

26 May 2026

31 MINS

31:09

26 May 2026


#1991

Sydney fireworks, the return

New Year’s Eve in Sydney is more than the 12 o’clock show. It is an event that takes over ... more

25 May 2026

26 MINS

26:29

25 May 2026


#1990

The Sarkozy affair

The story of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise and fall has been gripping Fra... more

24 May 2026

57 MINS

57:18

24 May 2026


#1989

AI farewells for Russia’s dead soldiers

'Virtual farewells' have become a trend on Russian social media. AI generated videos, depi... more

23 May 2026

26 MINS

26:28

23 May 2026


#1988

Life in a volcano danger zone

Earlier this month, a volcanic eruption, which sent a plume of ash some 10km into the sky,... more

23 May 2026

23 MINS

23:39

23 May 2026


#1987

Fighting for the children of Chernobyl

Forty years ago, the world’s worst nuclear accident took place at Chernobyl, in what was t... more

22 May 2026

26 MINS

26:36

22 May 2026


#1986

When Shiraz calls

A personal account of day-to-day life in Iran told through the conversations of two Irania... more

21 May 2026

28 MINS

28:23

21 May 2026


#1985

Introducing: Focus on Africa - Electric vehicles: fixing Africa's fuel crisis?

Kenya is the latest African country to increase fuel prices citing the US-Israel war with ... more

20 May 2026

23 MINS

23:52

20 May 2026


#1984

Victim or Accomplice? The Story of Jeffrey Epstein’s Pilot Girlfriend

Nadia Marcinko, originally Marcinková, was born in Slovakia and met Jeffrey Epstein as an ... more

19 May 2026

45 MINS

45:11

19 May 2026


#1983

Thomas Keneally: What’s next for the Schindler’s List author?

Rachel Naylor visits the Booker Prize-winning author Thomas Keneally in his home in Sydney... more

18 May 2026

26 MINS

26:30

18 May 2026


#1982

Introducing: CrowdScience - What keeps the universe in balance?

Listener Ndanusa in Ghana, is gazing up at the stars, and wondering what keeps our univers... more

17 May 2026

32 MINS

32:28

17 May 2026


#1981

How Belarus silenced its free press

Until the end of March this year, BBC News Russian was the only source of independent repo... more

16 May 2026

26 MINS

26:29

16 May 2026