The Documentary Podcast

The Watermelons: Myanmar's military moles

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

***This program contains distressing content. The voices of all active Watermelons have been changed for security reasons*** The Myanmar military is n...

Footprints: How did human feet get washed up on the west coast of Canada and the US?

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In August 2007, on an island off Canada’s west coast, the remains of a human foot were found washed up on a beach.Six days later, on another beach 5...

Assignment: Argentina - Milei's Chainsaw

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It has been a year since chainsaw-wielding Javier Milei won the Presidency in Argentina. During his campaign, his chainsaw became a symbol of how quic...

In the Studio: Creating Selfridges’ Christmas windows

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the many traditions in London at Christmas is to visit the capital’s festive lights. People travel from across the world to enjoy the colourf...

The Fifth Floor: Fleeing Chechnya

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why would a young woman flee her family and leave everything behind? BBC Russian's Zlata Onufrieva has been following the journeys of three women who'...

BBC OS Conversations: Syrians after the fall of Assad

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Syrians have finally got their voices back. After 50 years of living under the cruelty of their President, Bashar al-Assad, they can now speak freely ...

Heart and Soul: Black Madonnas

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Author and broadcaster Chine McDonald has never seen a black representation of the Virgin Mary. Black Madonnas are statues or paintings of the Virgin ...

Srebrenica’s forgotten refugees

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thirty years after the war in Bosnia, survivors and their descendants find themselves permanently displaced in their own country. BBC reporter Lauren ...

Introducing World of Secrets S6: The bad guru

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

New season on World of Secrets. Miranda’s search for inner peace through yoga leads to allegations of grooming, trafficking and exploitation. “You...

Assignment: Mining the Pacific – future proofing or fool’s gold?

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Climate change is intensifying, sea levels are rising and the very existence of low-lying Pacific Islands is under threat. The Cook Islands, though, h...

Bonus: The Food Chain is 10!

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Food Chain - as they turn 10!We are celebrating 10 years of The Food Chain with some of our favourite programme moments from ...

Morse code: Ready to transmit

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The World Morse Code championships are fiendishly competitive. Contestants from many countries travel to Tunisia, where they face each other across ti...

The Fifth Floor: Javier Milei's first year in power

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Argentina's president Javier Milei famously campaigned with a chainsaw, promising he would cut public spending. Has he delivered? Verónica Smink of B...

BBC OS Conversations: The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It is coming up to two weeks since a ceasefire was brokered between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since then there have been reports of minor viola...

Heart and Soul: Should I change my name?

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Personal names have spiritual and religious meanings in the Christian tradition. But what if you carry an inherited surname that you feel is profoundl...

Over the fence: From Turkey into the EU

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One way to reach the European Union is via the 'Eastern Mediterranean route' from Turkey into either Bulgaria or Greece. Back in 2015 millions of peop...

100 Women: Byline Afghanistan

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, eight out of 10 women journalists have stopped working. The few female journalists stil...

The Global Jigsaw: The rebels who retook Aleppo

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A shock offensive on Aleppo turned Syria’s forgotten conflict into hot war. The group spearheading it, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), has been at pains...

Assignment: France - trouble on the vine

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Low harvests, economic and climate change and changing tastes have impacted French wine. The French wine harvest has dropped 18% in one year. For some...

Blood on the shelves

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A year-long BBC Eye investigation has uncovered that Chinese tomato paste produced using forced labour in Xinjiang is likely to be being sold in major...

In the Studio: The rebuilding of Notre Dame

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris is one of France’s most famous landmarks. It has stood on the Île de la Cité in the heart of France’s capit...

The Fifth Floor: Russia's runaway soldiers

30 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There has been a record number of cases this year of Russian soldiers deserting their units. Amaliya Zatari from BBC Russian has spoken to one young m...

BBC OS Conversations: Life in Ukraine after 1000 days of war

30 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It is a grim milestone, more than 1000 days have passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the past week, attacks on the country have...

Heart and Soul: At the end of the wall

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of America’s southern border wall with Mexico, James Naughtie meets the people helping recently-arrived migrants survive in the extreme c...

The Cultural Frontline: James Baldwin centenary

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Born in 1924 in Harlem, New York, James Baldwin's novels, essays and speeches articulated the racial oppression facing African-Americans. In works lik...

Bonus: The Conflict

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Conflict. Jonny Dymond brings together a carefully assembled panel of experts, academics and journalists to talk about the co...

Assignment: Afghanistan - our whole life is a secret

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Taliban edict that women's voices should not be heard aloud renders women up and down Afghanistan inaudible as well as invisible in public. Women ...

In the Studio: Brian Eno

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Legendary musician, composer and producer Brian Eno has turned his attention to the climate crisis. In 2021 he founded the ground-breaking organisatio...

Me and my digital twin

24 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ghislaine Boddington aspires to be interconnected with an AI digital companion that advises and supports her, keeps her healthy and represents her aro...

The Fifth Floor: How to apologise to a king

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After publicly criticising the Ashanti King, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, journalist Afia Pokua had to apologise following a strict traditional protocol...

BBC OS Conversations: Smog in Delhi and Lahore

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine waking up in the morning and going outside to discover that the air is so toxic that it makes your eyes water and can make it hard to breathe....

Heart and Soul: An African missionary in France

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Father Michel was brought up in a devout family in a devout country. He witnessed the horrors of the Second Congo War but when he was sent to France h...

Amapiano: The sound of South Africa

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

South African DJ Legendary Crisp, charts the rise of the homegrown dance music genre Amapiano. She finds out where the hypnotising, jazzy, soulful sou...

In the Studio: David Chipperfield

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

David Chipperfield is a world renowned, Pritzker prize-winning architect with major buildings in cities across the globe from Berlin to Beijing. But w...

Life at 50°C: Syria's water wars

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The autonomous north-east region of Syria, once regarded as one of the most fertile areas in the country, is today struggling to find enough water to ...

Assignment: Plastic recycling’s dirty secrets

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An estimated five million tonnes of plastic waste is exported each year, with the majority coming from 10 high-income countries. Malaysia has become a...

The 10 years that changed women's football

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2015, BBC World Service launched the first BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award, to raise the profile of the women’s game but also hig...

The Fifth Floor: Leaving for an African dream

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hollywood star Idris Elba recently announced he'll soon relocate to Africa and promote the film industry there. He spoke to BBC Africa's Thomas Naadi ...

BBC OS Conversations: The aftermath of the Valencia floods

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

More than two weeks after the floods that swept through the Valencia region of Spain, the streets are still being cleared of mud and debris. More than...

Heart and Soul: The human shield

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the age of 34, Donna Mulhearn – a committed Christian - had grown disillusioned with her career as a journalist and political adviser. When she h...

Faith on the fly: The airport chaplains

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You can spend hours in an airport and never learn anything about the people around you. But follow the chaplains of London Heathrow, and you might sta...

Poisoned flood: South Sudan life at 50°C

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A historic trial is underway in Sweden. Two European executives of a Swedish oil company are accused of aiding and abetting war crimes in South Sudan....

In the Studio: Opera Australia

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sydney has one of the most recognisable opera house in the world, but some of the most innovative opera-making is happening at the other end of town, ...

The Fifth Floor: What do Georgians want?

09 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why are people protesting on the streets of Tbilisi, in Georgia, and how did people vote in Indian-administered Kashmir? With correspondents Nina Akhm...

BBC OS Conversations: Americans react to Donald Trump's re-election

09 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On 20 January, Republican Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. His domestic pledges include promises to bring dow...

Heart and Soul: The Arab Holocaust museum

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty years ago, one man took it into his hands to educate Arab-Israelis about the Holocaust and its ongoing psychological effects. Khaled Kasab Maha...

Tuvalu: The first digital nation?

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When rising sea levels threaten a country’s very existence, how can its culture be preserved? Tuvalu wants to create an online replica of its landsc...

Bonus: People Fixing the World: Fixing elections - for the better

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the People Fixing the World podcast. 2024 has been called a record breaking year for elections, with billions of people eligible ...

Tongue and talk: Keeping language alive in Africa

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ghanaian journalist Justice Baidoo is teaching his two young boys how to speak the ancient African language of Ahanta. He home schools them with lesso...

In the Studio: TRIVAX

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Formed by guitarist and vocalist Shayan, TRIVAX was formed in 2009, in the underground music scene of his home city, Tehran. The capital of a country ...

Assignment: Denmark’s weight loss boom town

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Danish town of Kalundborg should be a boom town, as the main manufacturing site for the weight loss drug Wegovy. The pharmaceutical company which ...

The Fifth Floor: Ikat fashion and other Uzbek wonders

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How are the popular Ikat designs made? BBC journalist Ibrat Safo explores Uzbekistan's love story with textiles. Plus, Sanjaya Dhakal of BBC Nepali ex...

BBC OS Conversations: US voters and the cost of living

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout the presidential election campaign, we have been hearing from voters across the political spectrum. One issue keeps coming up: how much it ...

Heart and Soul: How the war in Gaza helped me find God

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vanessa’s Fridays saw her dancing the night away in the night clubs of Liverpool, having drinks with friends, sometimes staying out all night. But n...

The jaguar's last stand

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Pantanal, in western Brazil, is the world’s largest tropical wetland, and home to tens of thousands of animal species. But expansion of shipping...

BBC Trending: The cost of an addiction to Somali TikTok battles

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

They call it the Big Game. Somali influencers are taking part in clan-based battles on TikTok. A US college student who spent $4000 in just four minut...

Assignment: Choosing race

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

'I didn’t know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black,' said Donald Trump, recently.When the former US president ...

In the Studio: Ishmael Reed

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ishmael Reed is one of America's greatest and most prolific living writers - but aged 86 he is writing his first music. Lindsay Johns travels to his h...

Bonus: The Climate Question

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Climate Question podcast - Is the climate on the ballot at the US election? The southern US state of Georgia has received bil...

The Fifth Floor: Where do vampires come from?

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Commonly associated with Count Dracula, the blood-sucking character in Bram Stoker’s quintessential novel, vampires continue to seduce. But where ex...

BBC OS Conversations: US black and Latino male voters

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In less than two weeks, Americans will elect their new president. When it comes to voters, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris know that getting black...

Heart and Soul: Seeking justice from Opus Dei

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Opus Dei is a controversial Catholic organisation with schools and conference centres across the globe. Close links to the Vatican mean members are hi...

Iraq's secret women's shelters

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There is virtually no state provision for victims of domestic abuse in Iraq. As a result, Iraqi women have been left to protect and support each other...

BBC Trending: Meet the anti-witch hunter

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In many parts of the world there is still a fear of witches and witchcraft. Those accused are often vulnerable, yet they are blamed for a variety of a...

Assignment: Singing in Gaza

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amid the rubble, in makeshift tents, children in Gaza are singing - and practising the violin, guitar and traditional instruments such as the ‘oud. ...

In the Studio: Jonny Banger

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sports Banger is a fashion house, rave organisation, and London community centre run by Jonny Banger. The cornerstone of their work is bootleg T-shirt...

Caught at the helm

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Katy Fallon tells the story of the refugees and other migrants ensnared in Greece’s legal crossfire. Greek authorities routinely prosecute those fou...

The Fifth Floor: Who runs Russia's African Initiative?

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do a graffiti festival, a first aid training and a football match have in common? These are all events set up by African Initiative, a Russian me...

BBC OS Conversations: Living alongside Mexico's drug gangs

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When she was sworn in as Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to tackle the country’s drug gangs. In the past couple of months, local...

Bonus: What in the World - Liam Payne

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode for The Documentary from the What in the World podcast.The death of One Direction star Liam Payne has shocked the world, and there’s...

Heart and Soul: The dead are not dead

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In certain cultures in Uganda and across Africa, a belief exists where departed husbands return as ethereal entities to engage in intimate encounters ...

The children's hospital of Entebbe

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Until 2021, Uganda had only four paediatric surgeons and a just a few children’s hospital beds for the entire country. In 2020, the mortality rate f...

BBC Trending: Yami Baito - Inside Japan’s dark part-time jobs

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A wave of criminal activity in Japan has been blamed on social media. Yami Baito – meaning “dark part-time jobs” in Japanese – refers to job a...

Assignment: Singapore – drugs, rehab, execution

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Singapore’s drug laws are severe. The penalties for trafficking illegal narcotics range from a prison term to execution. And if you’re caught usi...

In the Studio: Mia Lehrer and the LA River

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Los Angeles river has been a concrete channel since the 1930s, when the US Army Corps of Engineers decided to concrete over the original river for...

An end to Aids?

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the four decades since the pandemic took off, we have seen around 40 million people worldwide killed by HIV. Today, around the same number of peo...

The Fifth Floor: The wolf salute

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Grey Wolves, a Turkish far-right political movement, is getting increasing attention worldwide. So is their hand gesture, depicting a wolf’s hea...

BBC OS Conversations: Israelis remember the hostages

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Commemorations took place in Israel this week to mark 7 October, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed by Hamas gunmen and 251 were taken hostage into n...

Heart and Soul: Reclaiming yoga

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With a global market worth more than $100 billion dollars a year, yoga is a massive industry. With its origins in India, Yoga is often considered to b...

BBC Trending: The curse of the blessing scam

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Female con artists are exploiting superstition and family love to swindle women with Chinese heritage living in the west. The blessing scam is an elab...

Bonus: The World Debate: What is the path to peace in the Middle East?

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mishal Husain is joined by a panel of guests to discuss whether this is a path to peace in the Middle East.Joining Mishal are Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's ...

Bonus: People Fixing the World

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the People Fixing the World podcast. Concerns are growing about the effects of smartphones on both adults and children, so we're ...

Bonus: The Conflict: Israel and Gaza one year on

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lyse Doucet reflects on some of the biggest moments from this conflict with BBC colleagues Jeremy Bowen, Anna Foster and Rushdi Abualouf, who have bee...

US local news 2024: On the front page frontline

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gary O'Donoghue meets local newspaper editors in America to hear about the challenge of reporting during a divisive presidential election campaign. In...

The Fifth Floor: Mollywood's MeToo

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rampant abuse and 'mafia' style intimidations: these are the conditions thousands of women working in one of India's film industries allegedly faced f...

BBC OS Conversations: My year in Gaza

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On 7 October 2023, Hamas gunmen attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 more hostage. Israel responded with airstrikes and by sending tro...

Heart and Soul: Father Adamski

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Adamski seemed to have it all. At 19, he had met Kathy, the love of his life and the woman he would marry. In his 20s, he landed a prestigious j...

Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the Lives Less Ordinary podcast. British-Iranian Anoosheh Ashoori spent years in one of Iran’s toughest prisons after being sna...

BBC Trending: The Baku initiative?

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In May, riots broke out in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia - a group of islands in the South Pacific. Protesters were calling for indep...

Saving a sinking city: Jakarta

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jakarta is facing all sorts of problems - deadly floods, land subsidence, extreme pollution, notorious traffic and overcrowding. Indonesia’s outgoin...

Assignment: Panama’s water fights

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Panama is one of the wettest countries in the world. It also has a world famous shipping canal which earns it billions of dollars a year. With big mon...

In the Studio: Ian Rankin, part two

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Rankin is on a deadline to complete his next Inspector Rebus thriller. He is happy with the first draft: “at the moment, it is perfect!”. But ...

In the Studio: Ian Rankin, part one

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Rankin has been called “the king of crime fiction”. His Inspector Rebus books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, translated into...

The Fifth Floor: Who is Mexico's first female president?

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On October 1st, Claudia Sheinbaum will take office and become Mexico's first female president. What will her presidency look like? With Laura García ...

BBC OS Conversations: People in Lebanon and northern Israel

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The escalating conflict between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel is being described as one of the most intense in recent times. The current fighting ha...

Heart and Soul: Istanbul’s church of wishes

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, queues of people of all faiths visit a Greek Orthodox Church on the first day of each month to make a wish. Emily ...

Bonus: The Inquiry - How are the Taliban governing Afghanistan?

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Inquiry. Just over three years ago the Taliban seized Kabul and stormed to power in Afghanistan. They soon declared a new gov...

BBC Trending: An (online) storm in a Philippine rainforest

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What do Hollywood legend Leo DiCaprio, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, and English zoologist Jane Goodall have in common? They have all taken...

Bonus: The Climate Question

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Climate Question podcast.BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt travels to Somalia to investigate the links between global warming...

Assignment: Reproductive rights: A divided flock

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The US ‘pro-life’ movement has gained ground in recent years, with courts overturning women’s right to an abortion and questioning the legality ...