The Documentary Podcast Podcast
Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can uncover hidden truths and make sense of the world. Documentary storytelling from the 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 China’s state-backed overseas spending, to on the road with Canada’s Sikh truckers, 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.
Episodes to download
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Mrinalini Mukherjee: Hemp sculptures
Today
Indian sculptor Mrinalini Mukherjee and her delicate hemp sculptures
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US foreign policy in five doctrines
Yesterday
From the Monroe Doctrine to Trump, we look back at five big US foreign policy shifts
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Daughters of thunder
Friday
The transformative work and faith of black female pastors in the American south
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Bonus: Introducing: The History Bureau
Wednesday
If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that turns out to be flawed?
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Greece: Rescuers on trial
Last Tuesday
The aid workers put on trial for people-smuggling after saving migrants from drowning
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Black girlhood in photos and writing
Last Tuesday
Sisters Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet’s photos and words on the lives of Black girls
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New elements
Last Sunday
The search for element 120 begins at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
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Kenyans lured to Russia's frontline
Sat 17 Jan 2026
The promise of a good job has tricked some into fighting in the war in Ukraine
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Stories from the New Silk Road: The Bering Sea
Thu 15 Jan 2026
The China-Russia-US tensions in the Bering Sea and China’s push for wider influence
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Putin's foreign fighters
Tue 13 Jan 2026
Why are young men from around the world risking their lives fighting for Russia?
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The Netherlands: 10 new cities?
Mon 12 Jan 2026
The Netherlands is experiencing a housing crisis. Could 10 new cities be the answer?
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Bianca Raffaella: A world of blurred vision
Mon 12 Jan 2026
Sahar Zand meets partially sighted painter Bianca Raffaella in her studio in Margate
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Looking for No Man's Land
Sun 11 Jan 2026
Is there anywhere left on Earth that is unaffected by humans?
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Taraneh: Iran's defiant actress
Sat 10 Jan 2026
Why has a documentary about Taraneh Alidoosti been watched by millions in Iran?
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Life in Venezuela
Sat 10 Jan 2026
How has life changed for Venezuelans after the detention of Nicolas Maduro?
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Living side by side: Morocco’s Jews and Muslims
Fri 9 Jan 2026
How two Abrahamic faiths in Morocco have embraced peaceful coexistence
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Returned to sender
Thu 8 Jan 2026
The self-titled 'Message In a Bottle Hunter', who hunts for bottles on beaches all over
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World Questions - Greenland
Wed 7 Jan 2026
Jonny Dymond chairs a debate about the future of Greenland.
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Persian poetry and politics
Wed 7 Jan 2026
How poetry is used by Persian-speaking leaders to build legitimacy
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South Africa and the fight against TB
Tue 6 Jan 2026
Why South Africa's global impact in the fight against tuberculosis is under threat.
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Ismo Leikola
Mon 5 Jan 2026
We follow the Finnish comedian Ismo Leikola as he performs in both English and Finnish.
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The power of nostalgia and a first kiss
Sun 4 Jan 2026
It turns out you can also feel nostalgic for things you weren’t around for
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Afghanistan's love poetry princess
Sat 3 Jan 2026
Rabia Balkhi is one of the most famous Afghan poets, but she also died for love
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Astronauts and the future of space exploration
Sat 3 Jan 2026
What is it like to live on the International Space Station?
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Kibera Ballerinas
New Year's Day 2026
Amid the pirouettes, Carolyne Kiambo discovers how ballet is helping young Kenyans
