The bleak reality behind the red light district

Stories of sexual exploitation and human trafficking in Amsterdam's red light district

• 49 mins

The crime that only women commit

Why are women penalised for ageing?

• 26 mins

Frank Johnson, Joe Thompson and the fiddle in North Carolina

Rhiannon Giddens uncovers the history of African American roots music

• 26 mins

The weather changers

What is weather modification, does it really work and if so, is it problem free?

• 26 mins

Arnold Shultz and bluegrass in Kentucky

The black fiddler and guitarist Arnold Shultz and his influence on bluegrass music

• 26 mins

The real lives of Doha's housewives

Qatar has plans to level the gender playing field, but how is that working out for women?

• 45 mins

Colombia's life-saving pop song

How a message hidden inside a pop song saved the lives of soldiers in captivity

• 26 mins

DeFord Bailey and country music in Nashville

The story of African-American ‘Harmonica Wizard’ DeFord Bailey and country music

• 26 mins

The health wagon

On the road with the oldest mobile clinic in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia

• 49 mins

Qatar and the fall of Fifa

Alex Capstick investigates the controversial bidding process for the Qatar World Cup

• 49 mins

Which country should I play for?

How mixed heritage players decide which country to represent in international football

• 26 mins

The reluctant millionaires

Abigail Disney meets an unusual group of millionaires who are demanding to pay more tax

• 49 mins

Tribal justice

The legal battle that could transform life for Native Americans in the US

• 26 mins

India: Our trains, electric

India aims to have electrified the entirety of its rail network by the end of 2023

• 26 mins

Living in space

Human beings will soon be living in space - but who will go and what will it be like?

• 49 mins

Asylums of Japan: Makiko's story

What is being done to change Japanese attitudes toward mental health?

• 26 mins

First contact

Farrah Jarral on preparing for first contact with extra-terrestrials

• 49 mins

The World Service is 90

Calling the world since 1932. Meet the journalists and hear the treasured archive

• 49 mins

Sweden's green power struggle

The indigenous Sami people who say carbon-cutting technology is harming their way of life

• 26 mins

Nelson Mandela: A legacy in music

Joan Armatrading gives an account of Mandela's life as a lover and an inspirer of music

• 49 mins

The people v J Edgar Hoover: Part one

How J Edgar Hoover built and then ran the FBI for almost five decades

• 49 mins

The people v J Edgar Hoover: Part two

The life and legacy of J Edgar Hoover, who ran the FBI for almost five decades

• 49 mins

Happy news of 2022

A look back at the most uplifting, joyous, positive news stories of the year

• 26 mins

Escape from the Taliban: Point of no return

Sana Safi returns to the story of two Afghan women judges trying to escape the Taliban.

• 26 mins

Women pro surfers: Battling the waves

How women surfers fought the sexism of the 1970s to create the first pro-surf world tour

• 49 mins

Kids who care

Oritsé Williams hears from children who are unpaid carers for family members

• 26 mins

This Cultural Life: Sting

Sting reveals the experiences and influences that shaped his songwriting

• 26 mins

What do you think you are? Part one

The scientific evidence that animals are not only conscious but also have a sense of self

• 26 mins

This Cultural Life: Florence Pugh

Actor Florence Pugh talks to John Wilson about her career and formative influences.

• 26 mins

The price of citizenship

What does it mean to be a citizen? Is it about belonging, or about convenience?

• 49 mins