The Documentary Podcast

What do you think you are? Part two

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s growing scientific evidence that many animals are not only conscious but they possess a more profound sense of self. They can learn by exper...

The price of citizenship

14 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to be a citizen? Is it about belonging, or about convenience? Katy Long examines two trends which offer stark alternatives: countrie...

Covid in China

14 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When it came to tackling Covid, China has been among the strictest on the planet. There have been almost three years of travel restrictions, testing a...

Saving children from the mafia

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Southern Italy is home to some of Europe's most powerful criminal organisations; the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra in Naples and the Ndrangheta based in...

What do you think you are?: Part one

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is growing scientific evidence that many animals are not only conscious, but possess a more profound sense of self. They can learn by experience...

Farewell to Pelé

08 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or ‘Pelé’ as he became known, is thought by most to have been the greatest footballer to grace this planet. He died ...

Kids who care

03 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Oritsé Williams became a young carer aged 12, when his mother contracted multiple sclerosis and he had to take responsibility for looking after her a...

Women pro surfers: Battling the waves

31 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Patti Paniccia was a surfer back in the 1970s, determined to create a path to professional surfing for women, as well as men. Together with surf promo...

Hope for Alzheimers

31 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Three people caring for loved ones with Alzheimers share their experiences and challenges.

Escape from the Taliban: Point of no return

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sana Safi returns to the story of two Afghan women judges who have had to go into hiding after the Taliban takeover - and are now preparing to be evac...

Fighting 'fat-phobia' in Brazil

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As in many countries, obesity in Brazil is a major issue with one in four Brazilians now classified as obese and more than half the population overwei...

Ukrainians at Christmas

24 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ukrainians at home and abroad reflect on the turmoil of the past year as they prepare to mark Christmas.

Spain's flamenco on the edge

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To many, the passionate music and dance known as flamenco is an important marker of Spanish identity, and perhaps even synonymous with it. So much so,...

Sweden's green power struggle

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Sweden’s far north, indigenous Sami people say their traditional culture and way of life is being threatened by the country’s drive to develop ...

The World Service is 90

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For 90 years the BBC World Service has been broadcasting in dozens of languages to audiences so huge they are counted in the tens of millions all over...

First contact

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For thousands of years we have gazed up at the stars and wondered: is anybody out there? The idea of meeting aliens has been the inspiration for count...

Striking workers

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The global economy is shrinking but our costs are rising, and as people around the world find things harder, many are deciding to go on strike for bet...

Hungary’s Power Dilemma

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Paks, a small Hungarian town on the bank of the River Danube has prospered from its nuclear power station, built by the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s....

Asylums of Japan: Makiko's story

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Makiko Segawa who had a terrifying experience when she was sent to a psychiatric hospital when she was a young woman meets other people who...

Living in space

10 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A long-held human ambition may soon become reality - human settlements on another planet, or in a floating space station. People could fulfil their ho...

Haiti

10 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and, in the last 15 years, the Caribbean nation has had outbreaks of cholera, a devastating eart...

California's cannabis reparations

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In California, cannabis is legal for recreational use and it’s created a multi-billion dollar industry. But who’s been reaping the rewards? For de...

India: Our trains, electric

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The railways are incredibly important to life in India and have connected the country since the first line opened in 1863. But now, nearly 160 years l...

Being LGBT

03 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Apart from football, the men’s World Cup in Qatar has also led to analysis and discussion around the country’s human rights, including its treatme...

Cold-calling Siberia

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sasha Koltun volunteered to fight in Putin's war against Ukraine, though his mother Yelena begged him not to go. Four days later, he was dead, one of ...

Tribal justice

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The past few years have been the most politically turbulent for the State of Oklahoma and its Native American, or Indian, population in over a century...

The reluctant millionaires

26 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why would anyone want to pay more tax? Film-maker, activist and multi-millionaire Disney heiress Abigail Disney presents a very personal introduction ...

Power cuts in Ukraine

26 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of people in Ukraine are having to live with cuts to their electricity, water and heating, as official reports estimate that Russian missile ...

Trouble in Taiwan?

24 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

China’s President Xi Jinping says that Taiwan‘s reunification with the mainland “must and will be fulfilled.” The view from democratic Taiwan ...

Which country should I play for?

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the past couple of years, Fifa eased its rules on allowing players with mixed heritage the opportunity to represent a country, even if you have pre...

Qatar and the fall of Fifa

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Qatar was announced as the host of the men's World Cup in 2022, it sent shockwaves around the football world. The small, spectacularly wealthy co...

The health wagon

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The health wagon serves remote communities in the Appalachian mountains of south-west Virginia. It's the oldest mobile clinic in the USA, founded in 1...

Qatar World Cup

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s 12 years since Qatar was announced as the host country for the men’s World Cup football tournament. Awarding the event to Qatar was a controv...

China's accidental activists

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A group of women are taking on China’s communist government after their husbands and fathers were jailed as dissidents. The women never wanted to be...

Black Roots: DeFord Bailey and country music in Nashville

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Musician Rhiannon Giddens explores the home of country music in Nashville to see how black people shaped this genre. How black is Nashville and its mu...

Colombia's life-saving pop song

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It is 2010 and Colombian Colonel Jose Espejo has a problem. Not only is the Farc increasing its kidnapping activity, targeting police and military hos...

Living with climate change

12 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While world leaders meet in Egypt at the COP27 climate conference, we bring people together to share how the world around them is changing. Three peop...

Black Roots: Arnold Shultz and bluegrass in Kentucky

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Acclaimed musician Rhiannon Giddens explores bluegrass music in Kentucky, the history of the banjo and the story of Arnold Shultz. For many listeners ...

The weather changers

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries we've made sacrifices, sent prayers to gods and summoned witches, in an attempt to bend the weather to our will. Science suggests now we...

Voting in the US

05 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Americans are preparing to vote in their midterm elections. The rising cost of living, abortion, immigration, crime and gun rights are all issues that...

America’s Dropbox Babies

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Until Roe vs Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June, sweeping away Americans’ constitutional right to abortion, no one gave much thought t...

Black Roots: Frank Johnson, Joe Thompson and the fiddle in North Carolina

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Acclaimed musician Rhiannon Giddens returns to her home state of North Carolina to explore the lives of two black fiddlers: Joe Thompson and Frank Joh...

The crime that only women commit

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Society drives people, particularly women, in every way to look beautiful. We see it on television, in the movies, and in magazines. The social pressu...

The bleak reality behind the red light district

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amsterdam's red light district hides a secret world of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. People who know what really goes on share their stor...

The UK’s cost of living

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak begins his leadership in a time of crisis. He inherits an economy with inflation at more than 10 percent - its highest rate in 40 years - ...

Svalbard’s climate change fight

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Svalbard is the fastest warming place on earth. Deep inside the Arctic Circle, it is home to the world’s northernmost settlement, Longyearbyen, whic...

The scramble for rare earths, part 2

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Misha Glenny finds out whether the European Union can end its dependency on China for rare earths and critical raw materials and he discovers that Rus...

Recaptive number 11,407

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An astonishing series of documents in Sierra Leone named the Registers of Liberated Africans record details of Africans freed from slavery by the Brit...

Out of the shadows

22 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Assassination, sabotage, cyberattacks - the undeclared war between Israel and Iran is one of the longest running conflicts in the region. As attempts ...

Women in Iran

22 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sports climber Elnaz Rekabi has become the latest symbol of the anti-government protests, begun and led by women in Iran. She competed in the Asian Ch...

The Brain Drain

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Kenyon investigates the ‘brain drain’ of doctors from developing countries to work in the UK. The large scale recruitment of foreign doctors ...

The scramble for rare earths, part 1

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Misha Glenny explores the world of rare earth metals and other critical raw materials. They are vital for the future of technology and the green trans...

Ojousan power

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Japan the concept of yamato nadeshiko describes the classic ideal of Japanese women: a beautiful but modest female, dedicated to the wellbeing of h...

Who is Xi Jinping?

15 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Just over a decade ago, President Xi Jinping was a virtual unknown. Few would say that now. In ten years, he’s reworked the Chinese Communist party,...

Russians going to war

15 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As missile strikes by Russia have intensified across Ukraine, we bring together Russians to hear their thoughts on the war. President Putin last month...

Bye-bye Baguette?

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The bakers and farmers trying to wean Senegal off imported wheat. Trotting along on a horse and cart, over the bumpy red dirt roads, through the lush ...

Father figures

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The fathers of Michael Brown and Terence Crutcher, as well as George Floyd's uncle, reflect on the moment that forever altered their families’ lives...

The bread line

08 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From the fields of Ukraine to a bakery in Beirut, we find out what it costs to produce a global staple - bread.

Indonesia stadium disaster

08 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Indonesia continues to search for answers and comfort after more than 130 fans died at a football match. There appears to have been a deadly combinati...

Leicester: Behind the Divide

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Leicester is one of the most diverse cities in England – often presented as a shining example multi-cultural Britain. But tensions between some fact...

Peace and justice: Sexual violence in the DRC

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

More than a decade after the UN raised the alarm on the scale of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sexual violence remains a persis...

Protests in Iran

01 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The world has witnessed extraordinary protests across Iran during the past fortnight. It followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was arrest...

Argentina: Life with hyperinflation

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation in Argentina is racing towards 100%. In a country where prices are constantly on the move, it’s hard to navigate daily life as salaries sl...

Going for gold In Ghana

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ghana is Africa's leading producer of gold. The majority of Ghana's gold mining operation is legally undertaken by national and global mining corporat...

The future of hip-hop: Atlanta

24 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cakes Da Killa is in Atlanta, the epicentre of hip-hop and home of trap music. The success of southern queer artists like Lil Nas X and Saucy Santana ...

Money in Lebanon

24 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

All banks in Lebanon have been shut indefinitely. They say it is for safety reasons following a string of raids by customers demanding access to their...

A ‘Me Too’ Moment for Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Jews?

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community is struggling to come to terms with high-profile sex abuse scandals. In the past year, two of its leading l...

Finding home in Uganda

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In August 1972, Idi Amin publicly condemned Ugandan Asians as ‘the enemy’, enforcing a brutal policy that ordered them to leave the country within...

The future of hip-hop: New York

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Homophobia and misogyny are ingrained in hip-hop. But a new generation of women and queer artists are determined to challenge the status quo. Cakes Da...

The Queen

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Queen is lying in state in Westminster Hall in the UK Parliament. Tens of thousands of people have been queuing to pay their final respects. The l...

Kentucky flooding

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Historic levels of flooding in eastern Kentucky in August caused 37 deaths. The State’s governor described it as the worst natural crisis Kentucky h...

Britain's cost of living

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has set out a plan to help with people’s soaring energy bills, food and petrol prices. And then there is the challenge o...

The Texas Tank: A Prison Radio Station Changing Lives

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, used to be known as the Terror Dome for its high rates of inmate violence, murder and suicide. Poluns...

Samburu: The fight against child marriage

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Samburu county, in northern Kenya, is one of many places where it is normal for girls as young as 11 to be married, often to men more than three times...

The floods in Pakistan

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It has been called "a monsoon on steroids" by one United Nations chief after record-breaking rainfall and floods destroyed over a million homes in Pak...

Global Britain after Boris Johnson

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Boris Johnson prepares to stand down as UK Prime Minister, the BBC’s Ritula Shah asks what his premiership has meant for Britain’s standing in ...

What next for School no 20?

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Max, Alyona, Serhiy, Oleg, Alina and Vladyslav are leaving school this year - six 17 year olds full of dreams. Serhiy plans an epic bike ride; Max pou...

What are we searching for? Part 2

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

By examining internet search data, Ben Arogundade discovers the surprising stories of how, from the tiniest villages under attack to major cities host...

Ukrainians six months on since the start of war

27 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

August 24 is always a significant date for Ukraine, as it marks official independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. This year, however, it also marke...

Lacrosse: Reclaiming the Creator’s game

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why are Native Americans striving to ‘reclaim’ the game of lacrosse?Lacrosse may have the reputation as a white elitist sport, played in private s...

What are we searching for? Part 1

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are people looking for online within the world’s major war zones? By examining internet search data, Ben Arogundade discovers the surprising st...

How things are done in Odesa

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Odesa, legendary Black Sea port city and vital geo-strategic nexus of global trade, is living through Russia's war against Ukraine. Always fiercely in...

OS Conversations: One year of the Taliban

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In August 2021, the Taliban entered the capital Kabul, unchallenged, to take control of Afghanistan, 20 years after the Americans toppled them from po...

Moldova - East or West?

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, the former Soviet Republic of Moldova has recently been awarded EU candidate status.In an echo of what happene...

Afghan Stars now

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A year on from the Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15th August 2021, Sahar Zand talks to some of the Afghans who featured in her 2019 World Service progr...

Bonus podcast: The Bomb

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The man who stole the atomic bomb. Klaus Fuchs is the spy who changed history - why did he give the blueprint to the Soviets? This is season 2, episod...

The Engineers: The future of cars

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From the fuel that powers them to the drivers who drive them, engineers are innovating every aspect of the automobile, including solar-powered vehicle...

OS Conversations: Drought

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're seeing drought all around the world. Without significant rainfall, lakes and rivers have been drying-up, pastures are becoming dusty deserts and...

After the ‘narco president’: Rebuilding hope in Honduras

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When the president stands accused of drug trafficking, what hope is there? From 2014, for eight years Juan Orlando Hernandez ruled Honduras like his p...

Inheritors of partition

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In homes across the UK, partition is not history but a live issue for its young descendants. Over the course of a year, Kavita Puri follows three peop...

Women's football

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Women’s football is on an incredible high around the world after a month of five international tournaments with record breaking crowds. Those tourna...

Ukraine: Collaboration and Resistance

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ukrainian forces have launched a counteroffensive to retake Kherson, the largest city captured by Russia in this year's invasion. But the occupiers ar...

My granny the slave

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Claire Hynes goes on a personal journey to uncover the story of an Antiguan foremother, who is thought to be one of the first women to flee a s...

Fighting wildfires

30 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Parts of the world, such as Europe, have experienced record temperatures and, amid the heat, wildfires are burning. In the United States, there are se...

The return of the tigers

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tigers are making a remarkable comeback in Nepal. The small Himalayan nation is on track to become the first country to double its wild tiger populati...

Birmingham’s grassroots heroes

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 2022 Commonwealth Games is being hosted by the UK’s central city of Birmingham - ethnically diverse and where the age profile is younger compare...

Extreme heat

23 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As temperature records are broken around the world. People around world share with host James Reynolds how to negotiate the warm weather and how the h...

Shanghai lockdown

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After two months of a gruelling strict lockdown, Shanghai has emerged a changed city, some residents say. During the 65 toughest days, some were reduc...

Nursing matters

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Zambia, at the Lusaka College of Nursing and Midwifery, college head Dr Priscar Sakala-Mukonka is training the next generation of nurses in their n...

Sri Lanka crisis

16 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a week where protestors stormed the residences of its leaders, forcing the president to resign, Sri Lanka continues to face its worst economic cris...