The Documentary Podcast

Solutions Journalism: Prison of the mind

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In many countries around the world, prison populations are bursting at the seams. However, in some Northern European countries, prisons are closing an...

BBC Trending: The chatbot bridging an aid gap

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A mechanical engineer by day, Hania Zataari felt compelled to put her skills to use as the war intensified in Lebanon. Hailing from the south, one of ...

Assignment: The Gambia - when migrants are forced to go home

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Each year young people from the tiny West African nation of The Gambia try to reach Europe through “The Backway” - a costly, perilous journey over...

In the Studio: Madame Gandhi

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kiran Gandhi, aka Madame Gandhi, is an American artist, activist and producer who originally started out as a percussionist for popular British artist...

Paths of return: A special homecoming to Sierra Leone

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, we join a group of African-Americans who have all taken a DNA test and discovered their ancestors came from this country on...

The Fifth Floor: China's empty maternity wards

11 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eunice Yang from BBC Chinese reports on the closure of over 400 maternity wards across China. Plus, South Korea's illegal tattoo parlours with BBC Kor...

BBC OS Conversations: Dealing with trauma after vehicle-ramming attacks

11 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past decade, cars and trucks have been used as lethal weapons in an increasing number of attacks. Fourteen people died and at least 35 were i...

Heart and Soul: The plight of Hindus in Bangladesh, part two

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sahar Zand follows young Hindu activists Banamali and Sukanto, who are documenting the violence they say authorities and media are ignoring. She joins...

Licence to operate a space object

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since humans have been on earth, the night sky has caused many to gaze upwards, open-mouthed in astonishment. Beyond its beauty, it has facilitated bo...

Child soldiers and capoeira

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the city of Goma, former child soldiers are being rehabilitated using capoeira, the Brazilian martial art. Since the start of the conflict in 1996 ...

BBC Trending: Were Valencia's floods engineered weather?

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The people of Valencia are still trying to come to terms with the events of 29 October - in a matter of hours, the Spanish city was hit by flash flood...

Assignment: South Korea - the feminist hunters

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why feminism has become a dirty word in South Korea. In South Korea being a feminist is now something that can only be admitted in private, thanks to ...

In the Studio: Dan Perri

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You might not know the name Dan Perri, but you will probably have seen his work: he designed the title sequences for some of the most famous films in ...

The Fifth Floor: Fighting crime with kitchen spoons

04 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago, the town of Anam in Southern Nigeria was known for all the wrong reasons: high levels of crime and knife and gun violence. A group of...

BBC OS Conversations: How going viral changed my life

04 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“I’m looking for a man in finance …” is the opening line of one of the most viewed, copied and remixed social media posts of the year. The wom...

Heart and Soul: The plight of Hindus in Bangladesh: Part one

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of Bangladesh’s political unrest and the student-led protests that led to the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 20...

The dogs of Palermo

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Palermo, and across southern Italy, there are two main types of stray dog. There are the semi-wild packs that live on the edge of human settlements...

Built different: Why women athletes suffer ACL injuries more than males

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The fear of an Anterior cruciate ligament injury, or ACL, hangs over all athletes. It is a season-ending injury, agonising, and with a long painful re...

Assignment: The human cost of developing Cambodia's Angkor wonder

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tourists are flooding to Cambodia's "8th wonder of the world," the ancient temple complex at Angkor. But the rapid expansion of the site comes at a te...

Bonus: Americast - Former US President Jimmy Carter has died aged 100

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former US President Jimmy Carter has died aged 100. The 39th U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate lived longer than any president in history....

In the Studio: Tomás Saraceno

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno's studio is two big and old industrial units covered in graffiti, in what was East Berlin. This was where the compa...

Bonus: HARDTalk - Past Notes

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A special bonus episode remembering some past HARDtalk guests who died in 2024. All of them made a significant impact, whether it be in politics, acti...

The Fifth Floor: Bollywood binge

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why are old Bollywood hits being re-released in cinemas? And why are horror movies doing so well this year? Journalists Meryl Sebastian, Yasser Usman ...

BBC OS Conversations: Becoming an Olympic and Paralympic trailblazer

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this year, five countries won Olympics medals for the first time in history. We celebrate three of those athletes from Nepal, Cape Verde and D...

Heart and Soul: From the ashes of Notre Dame

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019 a devastating fire ripped through the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Locals looked on in disbelief, and millions watched on televisio...

The street that tech built

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The city of Florence is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. But are new technologies and hyper-tourism changing it forever? Writer...

Bonus: HARDTalk - 2024 Review

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A special episode from the HARDTalk podcast. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur looks back on some of the most powerful moments from 2024 in his end of year ...

Assignment: Poland's ghosts, Ukraine's heroes

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ukraine and Poland are neighbours and close allies in today’s conflict with Russia. But the ghosts of victims of an earlier war have returned to div...

In the Studio: International film school

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Reid visits a school in Bulgaria where they are teaching their pupils how to make movies. They are making a short film about their local horse ma...

The Global Jigsaw: Russia’s gateway to Africa in jeopardy

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What would the potential loss of Syria naval and air bases mean for Russia? The fall of the Assad regime triggered the start of possibly the greatest ...

The Fifth Floor: K-drama craze

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

K-dramas are taking the world by storm. What's the secret of their success? BBC journalists Faith Oshoko, Julie Yoonnyung Lee and Samantha Haque discu...

BBC OS Conversations: Syrian prisoners and their families

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It has been two weeks since the fall of the Assad regime and the horror of the brutal and corrupt system he oversaw has been laid bare. Since the star...

Heart and Soul: Antisemitism in Turkey

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Members of Turkey’s ancient Jewish community say they feel forced to hide their identities and practice their religion in private, after a marked ri...

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...