The Documentary Podcast

BBC World Service

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 Sierra Leone's cocaine trail, to Israelis driving sick Palestinians to hospital, to child obesity in Italy...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.

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20 episodes
Updated Today

Episodes20

Newest first

Today · 27 min
What is so-called 'Jihadi cool'?
How extremist content is quietly spreading on TikTok and Instagram
Yesterday · 26 min
A Chinese dissident's journey
A policeman turned dissident’s quest for freedom
Yesterday · 23 min
Wildfires in Europe
Victims and volunteers share their experiences of the wildfires in France and Spain
Friday · 26 min
Rastafari and I
Silas Gray travels to Ethiopia to explore the legacy he inherited from his Rastafarian dad
Thursday · 32 min
A battle that changed Ireland
How a World War One battle still affects people and communities
Wednesday · 18 min
Sierra Leone: The cocaine trail
Ed Butler investigates one of Europe’s most wanted drug smugglers
Tuesday · 26 min
The Kenyans taking on multinational chemical companies
We follow a lawyer and a nurse who are building this unprecedented case
Monday · 26 min
James Turrell: Master Of Light
James Turrell in Aarhus, Denmark, on his latest Skyspace, As Seen Below – The Dome
July 26 · 49 min
Driving across the divide
Israeli volunteers meeting ill Palestinians at the check point to drive them to hospital
July 25 · 26 min
Saving Nigeria's vultures
Vultures are under threat. One community in Nigeria is turning that around
July 25 · 23 min
The lifelong toll of surviving disaster
Disaster survivors share experiences of coping with the lifelong impact on their lives
July 24 · 26 min
Searching for my samurai mother
Will researching her samurai ancestry help Rimi get to know her deceased mother?
July 23 · 32 min
The spirit of Tala: The rapid rise of Tonga's netball team
Tonga’s extraordinary netball journey to becoming a force on the international stage
July 22 · 42 min
Bonus: Forgiving a killer - from Lives Less Ordinary
Why I don’t hate my attacker – from Lives Less Ordinary
July 21 · 27 min
Italy’s child obesity time-bomb
How Italian children have become some of the most overweight in Europe
July 20 · 26 min
Tom Bailey: Can a walk across the Arctic be art?
British artist Tom Bailey starts his 600km trek through the Arctic borderlands
July 19 · 26 min
Love on trial: India's age of consent controversy
How India’s child‑protection law is punishing some teens for consensual relations
July 18 · 26 min
Belarus's university in exile
How the Belarus government targets independent higher education by threatening students
July 18 · 23 min
Older women and the challenge of IVF
Women share their experiences of fertility treatment
July 17 · 26 min
Harry Haft's unspeakable fight
A father's story of survival from Nazi death matches to US boxing rings

The Documentary Podcast

What is so-called 'Jihadi cool'?

A Chinese dissident's journey

Wildfires in Europe

Rastafari and I

A battle that changed Ireland

Sierra Leone: The cocaine trail

The Kenyans taking on multinational chemical companies

James Turrell: Master Of Light

Driving across the divide

Saving Nigeria's vultures

The lifelong toll of surviving disaster

Searching for my samurai mother

The spirit of Tala: The rapid rise of Tonga's netball team

Bonus: Forgiving a killer - from Lives Less Ordinary

Italy’s child obesity time-bomb

Tom Bailey: Can a walk across the Arctic be art?

Love on trial: India's age of consent controversy

Belarus's university in exile

Older women and the challenge of IVF

Harry Haft's unspeakable fight