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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The Last Dance Floor in Chernobyl
Yesterday
A young couple fall in love against the backdrop of disaster
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Patti LuPone: Taking the stage at Carnegie Hall
Sunday
Patti LuPone has long reigned as one of Broadway’s most formidable leading ladies
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Counting the soldiers dying for Russia
Saturday
Hundreds of thousands of Russians have died in the war in Ukraine, but who are they?
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Experiences of miscarriage
Saturday
Two couples on the emotional toll of losing an unborn child and their relationship
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Jamaica: Shaken, not broken
Friday
Hurricane Melissa devastated many of Jamaica’s 1,600 sacred spaces
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Back to books: Sweden’s digital backlash
Thursday
Why tech-savvy Sweden is ditching screens for books and pens in its schools
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Surviving my daughter's killing
Last Wednesday
When 19-year-old Ann was killed, her mother chose restorative justice
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Pakistan: Hospitals putting children at risk of HIV
Last Tuesday
How and why Pakistani hospitals might be putting children at risk of HIV
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Helping prisoners become better parents
Last Monday
An innovative scheme in Scotland is helping dads in prison become better parents
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British Queen Elizabeth II's century of fashion
Sun 12 Apr 2026
A new exhibition features the wardrobe of the late Queen Elizabeth II
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Bringing India's daughters back home
Sat 11 Apr 2026
In India, a film about domestic violence urges fathers to step in and protect daughters
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Hopes for a 'fragile' Middle East ceasefire
Sat 11 Apr 2026
People from across the Middle East share their stories
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Your questions answered about Artemis II and space travel
Fri 10 Apr 2026
We put our listeners' questions to former Nasa astronauts, Steve Swanson and Nicole Stott
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Freddie’s second verse
Fri 10 Apr 2026
Freddie left fame behind to follow Buddhism and find stillness in Hong Kong
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The battle for Hungary
Thu 9 Apr 2026
Viktor Orban faces a high-stakes election showdown as Peter Magyar takes him on
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Albania: Land, money and the sea
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Ivanka Trump, a beach full of sheep and the changing landscape of southern Albania
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Chef Rodolfo Guzman: Chilean summer menu
Mon 6 Apr 2026
Chilean chef Rodolfo Guzman unlocks the potential of indigenous ingredients
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Growing up black in a white family – the truth behind my birth
Sun 5 Apr 2026
M People star Andrew Lovell’s home life hid a terrible, yet beautiful, secret
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The woman fighting IS in Somalia
Sat 4 Apr 2026
A female soldier on the frontline of Somalia's fight against the Islamic State group
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God, grief and the chatbot
Fri 3 Apr 2026
A mother’s grief, a son’s chatbot, and the faith that sustained her
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The Saltmakers
Thu 2 Apr 2026
The Salt farmers in India's Rann of Kutch fighting to save a 600-year-old history
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Inheritance: Samsung: 1. My kingdom for a horse
Wed 1 Apr 2026
Samsung’s future hangs in the balance as its heir-in-waiting faces jail
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India’s Shadow Children
Tue 31 Mar 2026
Stephanie, a French woman adopted from India, goes in search of her birth mother.
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Kubra Khademi: Art of strength and survival
Mon 30 Mar 2026
Afghan artist Kubra Khademi creates bold works while living in exile in France
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Elana Meyers Taylor: A 20-year journey to gold
Sun 29 Mar 2026
Elana Meyers Taylor won her first Winter Olympic gold medal at the age of 41
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Eighty years of the BBC Russian Service
Sat 28 Mar 2026
How the BBC Russian Service connects with its audience
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Bombings in Lebanon
Sat 28 Mar 2026
Families in Lebanon share their experiences of living under fire
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Deaf Umrah
Fri 27 Mar 2026
A pilgrimage with deaf Muslims and the challenge of explaining religious teaching visually
