The Documentary Podcast podcast

The Documentary Podcast

A window into our world, through in-depth storytelling from the BBC. Investigating, reporting and uncovering true stories from everywhere. Award-winning journalism, unheard voices, amazing culture and global issues. From Trump's new world order, to war in Sudan, to climate issues, The Documentary investigates major global stories. We delve into social media, take you into the minds of the world's most creative people and explore personal approaches to spirituality. Every week, we also bring together people from around the globe to discuss how news stories are affecting their lives. A new episode most days, all year round. From our BBC World Service teams at: Assignment, Heart and Soul, In the Studio, OS Conversations, The Fifth Floor and Trending.

A window into our world, through in-depth storytelling from the BBC. Investigating, reporting and uncovering true stories from everywhere. Award-winning journalism, unheard voices, amazing culture and global issues. From Trump's new world order, to war in Sudan, to climate issues, The Documentary investigates major global stories. We delve into social media, take you into the minds of the world's most creative people and explore personal approaches to spirituality. Every week, we also bring together people from around the globe to discuss how news stories are affecting their lives. A new episode most days, all year round. From our BBC World Service teams at: Assignment, Heart and Soul, In the Studio, OS Conversations, The Fifth Floor and Trending.

 

#2000

A makeover for Syria's interim leader?

One year after the fall of Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad, interim president Ahmed al-S... more

8 hrs Ago

26 MINS

26:28

8 hrs Ago


#1999

Somalis in America

Donald Trump says Somali immigrants in the US should “go back to where they came from.” Th... more

20 hrs Ago

23 MINS

23:20

20 hrs Ago


#1998

The divine gift of sex

Sex therapist Dr Rica Cruz is on a mission to destigmatise sex in the deeply Catholic Phil... more

Yesterday

26 MINS

26:30

Yesterday


#1997

Surgery in a backpack

In some places, the nearest safe operating room can be hours or even days away. We find ou... more

11 Dec 2025

23 MINS

23:46

11 Dec 2025


#1996

The struggle of Israel's peace movement

Two years ago a group of Jewish and Palestinian peace activists stood almost alone in Isra... more

09 Dec 2025

29 MINS

29:10

09 Dec 2025


#1995

Anna-Karin Karlsson: Sunglasses made for icons

From a quiet forest outside Stockholm to the world’s most glamorous runways, Swedish desig... more

08 Dec 2025

29 MINS

29:36

08 Dec 2025


#1994

Steel from shipwrecks

In recent years component parts of historic shipwrecks have started to disappear, with rep... more

07 Dec 2025

26 MINS

26:29

07 Dec 2025


#1993

Reporting the Nigerian School Kidnappings

More than 300 children were kidnapped from a school in the Western Nigerian village of Pap... more

06 Dec 2025

26 MINS

26:28

06 Dec 2025


#1992

Australia’s under-16 social media ban

From 10 December, Australian children under 16 will be banned from most social media platf... more

06 Dec 2025

23 MINS

23:59

06 Dec 2025


#1991

The mosque for Bangladesh’s transgender women

On the banks of the Brahmaputra River, a remote village in northern Bangladesh serves as a... more

05 Dec 2025

26 MINS

26:30

05 Dec 2025


#1990

Made in Russia: The Kremlin’s economic rebrand

How Moscow is working around international sanctions: promoting self-sustainability, eleva... more

04 Dec 2025

34 MINS

34:36

04 Dec 2025


#1989

From rocks to riches

Meteorites are pieces of space rocks, which having survived a fiery journey through the at... more

03 Dec 2025

26 MINS

26:31

03 Dec 2025


#1988

Joana Vasconcelos: Mask of mirrors

The Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos is renowned for her large-scale sculptural pieces ... more

01 Dec 2025

26 MINS

26:28

01 Dec 2025


#1987

Young and stateless

What does it mean to belong nowhere? Across the world, millions of people are denied citiz... more

30 Nov 2025

55 MINS

55:27

30 Nov 2025


#1986

Ireland's new alcohol warning

Ireland has become the first country in the world to introduce labels linking alcohol with... more

30 Nov 2025

27 MINS

27:07

30 Nov 2025


#1985

What is the 'Shadow Fleet'?

Around one fifth of the world's oil tankers now belong to the 'shadow fleet', more than a ... more

29 Nov 2025

26 MINS

26:28

29 Nov 2025


#1984

Brain fog and perimenopause

BBC Tech Editor Zoe Kleinman was about to go live on TV to explain a global outage affecti... more

29 Nov 2025

23 MINS

23:10

29 Nov 2025


#1983

Twin spirits: A lost bond that lives in dreams

Claire grew up in a multi-faith household that often looked beyond traditional beliefs for... more

28 Nov 2025

26 MINS

26:30

28 Nov 2025


#1982

What is the 'Russian cultural code'?

Why the traditional kokoshnik headdress is en vogue in Russia, and how it has become a pos... more

27 Nov 2025

32 MINS

32:07

27 Nov 2025


#1981

Stemming the tide in Normandy

Coastal erosion has become a serious problem for many seaside communities, no more so than... more

25 Nov 2025

26 MINS

26:40

25 Nov 2025