The Documentary Podcast Podcast
A window into our world, through in-depth storytelling from the BBC. Investigating, reporting and telling true stories from everywhere. Award-winning journalism and global issues.
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 protests in Turkey, to the headphone revolution, 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.
Episodes to download
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Troublemakers: Drugged, framed and detained
Sun 2 Feb 2025
BBC Eye investigation into China’s use of psychiatric wards to silence critics
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The Fifth Floor: Inside an Iranian prison
Sat 1 Feb 2025
Friendship, singing, and executions: The stories of women inside Evin prison
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BBC OS Conversations: Immigrants in America
Sat 1 Feb 2025
Views from supporters of border crackdowns and those with undocumented family members
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Heart and Soul: Spirituality in Sin City
Fri 31 Jan 2025
Rajeev Gupta learns about a spiritual movement in Las Vegas.
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Flamboyant funerals
Thu 30 Jan 2025
Hannah Ajala uncovers the stories behind the unique traditions of Ghanaian funerals
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BBC Trending: Ukraine war - the cost of bearing witness
Wed 29 Jan 2025
Open Source analysts and fact-checkers describe the toll of documenting the Ukraine war
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Assignment: Reel revolution? The dramatic rise of Saudiwood
Tue 28 Jan 2025
Saudi's film industry is booming but not all stories can be told
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Songs from Auschwitz
Mon 27 Jan 2025
Imprisoned in Auschwitz, Krystyna Żywulska created some of the most remarkable songs
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In the Studio: Behind the scenes with Ken Loach
Mon 27 Jan 2025
Behind the scenes of Ken Loach's last feature film, The Old Oak
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Bonus: Sportsworld: Julien Alfred - The Race of My Life
Sat 25 Jan 2025
Saint Lucia's first ever Olympic medallist Julien Alfred shares how she won 100m gold
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The Fifth Floor: Russia's crackdown on gay clubs
Sat 25 Jan 2025
Why is Russia closing down gay clubs and arresting drag queens?
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BBC OS Conversations: The first days of the Gaza ceasefire
Sat 25 Jan 2025
People on both sides of the conflict share their experiences
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Heart and Soul: Glorifying God through wine
Fri 24 Jan 2025
Meet the French Benedictine monks who give glory to God by producing heavenly wine
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Israel’s Unrwa ban
Thu 23 Jan 2025
Proposals to ban Unrwa have drawn condemnation and warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe
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BBC Trending: Passport bros
Wed 22 Jan 2025
The impact that young digital nomads known as 'passport bros' are having on MedellÃn
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Assignment: Death marches - uncovering the truth beneath the soil
Tue 21 Jan 2025
How a town in Poland – once in Germany - is discovering its troubling past
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In the Studio: Michael Visocchi
Mon 20 Jan 2025
Michael Visocchi’s sculpture Commensalis, celebrates the whales of Antarctica
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The Coming Storm: Inauguration
Sun 19 Jan 2025
Gabriel Gatehouse follows the characters who have propelled Trump into the White House
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The Fifth Floor: IVF and me
Sat 18 Jan 2025
BBC journalist Ana Maria Roura shares her experience of undergoing fertility treatments
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BBC OS Conversations: Living through the Los Angeles fires
Sat 18 Jan 2025
Survivors share their experiences of escaping the flames
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Heart and Soul: Kaddish - why we pray for the dead
Fri 17 Jan 2025
Michael Goldfarb looks at the origins of Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead
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Solutions Journalism: Prison of the mind
Wed 15 Jan 2025
Dr Jenny Okolo asks if a mental-health-first approach to justice can reduce crime rates
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BBC Trending: The chatbot bridging an aid gap
Wed 15 Jan 2025
The female engineer who has created a chatbot on WhatsApp to help deliver aid in Lebanon
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Assignment: The Gambia - when migrants are forced to go home
Tue 14 Jan 2025
The young Gambians who had to give up on their journey to Europe
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In the Studio: Madame Gandhi
Mon 13 Jan 2025
Musician, artist and activist Madame Gandhi makes music from the sounds of the Arctic
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Paths of return: A special homecoming to Sierra Leone
Sun 12 Jan 2025
A group of African Americans are in Sierra Leone for a very special homecoming
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The Fifth Floor: China's empty maternity wards
Sat 11 Jan 2025
How falling birth rates led to the closure of over 400 maternity wards in China
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BBC OS Conversations: Dealing with trauma after vehicle-ramming attacks
Sat 11 Jan 2025
Survivors, relatives and counsellors share their experiences of vehicle-ramming attacks
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Heart and Soul: The plight of Hindus in Bangladesh, part two
Fri 10 Jan 2025
Sahar Zand investigates the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh
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Licence to operate a space object
Thu 9 Jan 2025
The night sky holds so much power - why are we not fighting harder to protect it?
