The Documentary Podcast

OS Conversations: Mass tourism

11 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic stopped most of us travelling anywhere, but now the United Nations predicts that international tourism will soon return to pre-Covid leve...

Heart and Soul: A Colombian Christmas in February

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the heart of Colombia, very special Christmas celebrations take place not in December but in February. Its roots lie in the days of slavery when ma...

Twin towns

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The small rural town of Igbo-Ora in south-western Nigeria proclaims itself to be the “twin capital of the world". It has an astonishingly high twin ...

Bonus: World of Secrets: The Disciples investigation live show

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the World of Secrets podcast. Inside the World of Secrets investigation – the story of the journalism behind The Disciples. Hea...

Assignment: Italy's mafia whistleblower

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last year in Italy the biggest anti-mafia trial in 30 years reached a climax. On the stand were the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta: they are estimated to run...

In the Studio: Abhishek Singh

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Indian artist Abhishek Singh’s comic books have sold more than half a million copies and been translated into Italian, Spanish, French and English. ...

The Fifth Floor: Love and politics in Russia

04 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nataliya Zotova of BBC Russian tells us how Yulia Navalnaya has stepped in for her husband since his death and how there is somewhat of a precedent fo...

BBC OS Conversations: Student protests in the US

04 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The war in Gaza has triggered demonstrations at dozens of universities thousands of miles away in the United States. There have been hundreds of arres...

Heart and Soul: Jewish dating

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dating in the Jewish world can be a struggle - different denominations, beliefs, being Kosher or not Kosher, ideologies and geography makes navigating...

South Africa: The people shall govern

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

South Africa is marking 30 years of democracy this year, reflecting on the remarkable transition from apartheid that captivated the world. While some ...

Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the Lives Less Ordinary podcast. Evy Mages grew up in and out of foster care in 1970s and 80s Austria. But even when she started...

Assignment: Kosovo - euro or bust?

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's a quarter of a century since Kosovo emerged from a brutal war, one which pitted local ethnic Albanians against Serbs. Twenty-five years on, the g...

In the Studio: Kenyan artist Wangari Mathenge

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wangari Mathenge used to be a high-flying corporate lawyer before turning to her first love of art. She likes to express herself through her colourful...

The Cultural Frontline: Exposing the fake Russian modern art collection

28 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past twenty years, paintings from a private collection of Russian and Ukrainian modern art have been sold to museums and private collectors a...

The Fifth Floor: The disinformation wars

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How is disinformation created and spread, and how is it impacting the way journalists work? We'll look at what's going on in Latin America, Russia and...

BBC OS Conversations: Ukrainian aid from the US

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After months of delays, US politicians agreed a $61bn aid package of military assistance for Ukraine to support their fight with Russia. Ukraine’s P...

Heart and Soul: The whale worshippers of Vietnam

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On the southern shores of Vietnam, whales are revered as gods of the oceans. Eliza Lomas visits whale temples and a whale cemetery, hearing about the ...

Super-rich Swedes

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sweden has a global reputation for championing high taxes and social equality, but it has more dollar billionaires, relative to its population size, t...

Forward Thinking: Can feminism fix the internet?

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From deepfakes to the fear of AI taking jobs, to the social media giants making money from abusive content, our technology dominated world is in a cri...

Assignment: Armenia's lost garden

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For three decades Armenians ruled Karabakh – literally “Black Garden” – an unrecognised statelet inside neighbouring Azerbaijan. Many saw it a...

In the Studio: David Haig and Max Webster

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Philip K. Dick's novella The Minority Report was famously adapted into a science fiction blockbuster by director Steven Spielberg in 2002. More than 2...

Bonus: What in the World: South Korea’s shamans are now online

21 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the What in the World podcast. Korean shamans hold significant cultural importance in Korean society. They are often portrayed i...

The Fifth Floor: My emergency kit list

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you prepare for the worst-case scenario? Juna Moon has been talking to young people in South Korea about how they perceive the threat of war in...

BBC OS Conversations: Living in Israel

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The situation in the Middle East is being described as uncharted territory following strikes involving Iran and Israel. This is framed around the war ...

Heart and Soul: Should I change my name?

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if you carry an inherited surname that you feel is profoundly un-Christian? Should you keep it or change it? Robert Beckford is going through thi...

The poker parent

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An eight-year-old girl holds two cards in her hand. She places several plastic poker chips into the middle of the dining room table and makes a bet. S...

Forward Thinking: Can going vegan feed the world?

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Could going vegan help feed the world and save the planet? While industry and energy production are often singled out as the main drivers of climate c...

Assignment: Reggaeton - the pride of Puerto Rico?

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reggaeton’s the soundtrack to Puerto Rico. The globally popular music reflects what’s going on in the cultural and political scene of the Spanish-...

Bonus: The Global Story on Iran-Israel attacks

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A special bonus episode on the Iran-Israel attacks from The Global Story podcast. Israel says 99% of the missiles and drones fired by Iran on Saturday...

In the Studio: Helle Nebelong

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Danish landscape architect Helle Nebelong is a pioneer of the natural playground movement. Natural playgrounds are made of natural materials, rather t...

His and hers medicine

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Zoe Williams talks to researchers and clinicians around the world as she investigates how and why the care of women has been so neglected, and what...

The Fifth Floor: A journalist's life in Israel

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is it like to work in Jerusalem right now? BBC journalist Shaina Oppenheimer shares her experience of living in Israel and monitoring the conflic...

BBC OS Conversations: Sudan's war - One year on

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sudan has experienced a year of civil war. It’s been described by the United Nations as “one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent histor...

Bonus: The Global Story

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Global Story podcast: Washington’s antitrust cases against Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta The US government is suing some...

From the Archive: Heart and Soul - Faith, terrorists and mercy at Guantanamo

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An episode of Heart and Soul from our Archive. Dr Jennifer Bryson interrogated suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists at the infamous Guantanamo Bay. She work...

Bonus: What in the World

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the What in the World podcast. When it comes to elephant conservation, Botswana is the world leader. It is now home to more than ...

Forward Thinking: Jocelyn Bell Burnell

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered a previously unknown kind of star, the Pulsar. A Nobel prize followed, but not for Jocelyn; her male boss too...

Assignment: New Caledonia - new agreement needed

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

New Caledonia is an island archipelago in the south Pacific. It has an incredible diversity of birds and plants. Its history includes a period serving...

In the Studio: Ellie Simmonds

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Public swimming pools are more than just concrete and water. Often, they are the heart of a community, a place to exercise, to meet people and connect...

El Salvador's missing children

07 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During El Salvador’s brutal civil war hundreds of children were separated from their families. Some were seized by soldiers during military operatio...

The Fifth Floor: My Ramadan

06 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It’s a period of prayer, celebrations and community gatherings and Muslims worldwide observe it ...

BBC OS Conversations: Living with cancer

06 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world was shocked to hear the news that the Princess of Wales is being treated for cancer. In her video message, Catherine encouraged everyone fac...

Heart and Soul: The caste faultlines in Modi’s India

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As India completes 10 years of being governed by the Hindu nationalist BJP, Divya Arya explores the divergent political and religious views of differe...

Azovstal: The 80 day siege

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to live in darkness underground for 80 days, while bombs and missile strikes rain down from above and ratio...

Forward Thinking: Is it ethical to live longer?

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Venki Ramakrishnan considers both why we might live longer, and the dilemmas this raises. In the last few years, medical...

Assignment: Secret Sisters. Political prisoners in Belarus

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Belarus has huge numbers of political prisoners - around three times as many as in Russia, in a far smaller country. Almost industrial scale arrests b...

In the Studio: Maria Grachvogel

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maria Grachvogel’s design have been worn by many famous names including actors Emma Thompson and Angelina Jolie, as well as Spice Girl and now desig...

Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary

31 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the Lives Less Ordinary podcast. The Jordanian coach who started a refugee kids’ football team in the US after being rejected b...

Bonus: The Global Jigsaw: Moscow attack: disinfo wars

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the Global Jigsaw podcast.Who is behind the Crocus City Hall attack? Within an hour of last week’s deadly attack on a concert h...

BBC OS Conversations: Messages from Gaza

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

BBC OS producer Kristina Völk has been following the lives of several people in Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year...

Heart and Soul: An ‘Encore’ for Jesus

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour is a Catholic order of nuns made up of mature women called to a religious life in their later years. It was f...

Bonus: HARDtalk

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from HARDtalk, in-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities. Stephen Sackur is on the road in Guyana, South Americ...

Assignment: Choking in Chiang Mai

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a period earlier this month, the historic city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand had the worst air of any city in the world.The city gained the s...

Rwanda 30 years on

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Victoria Uwonkunda makes an emotional journey back to Rwanda, where she grew up. It is the first time she has visited since the age of 12, when she fl...

Bonus: The Black 14

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from the Amazing Sport Stories podcast - The Black 14. Sport, racism and protests are about to change the lives of “the Black 14” ...

In the Studio: Helmut Deutsch and Michael Volle - Staging Winterreise

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Volle is a baritone singer who has made his name with magisterial operatic performances, particularly Wagner. Helmut Deutsch has been playing ...

Bonus: The Global Story

24 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Global Story podcast. Rare access inside Sudan's forgotten war. The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday, maki...

The Cultural Frontline: Bjarke Ingels

23 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bjarke Ingels is the Danish architect who is responsible for creating the flood defence project for Manhattan. In 2012 Hurricane Sandy saw flood wate...

BBC OS Conversations: Protesting farmers

23 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Long lines of tractors have become an increasingly common site in recent months on the streets of many European cities. In Poland, farmers blocked roa...

Heart and Soul: How the Church’s role in Argentina’s dictatorship shook the nation’s faith

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Next Year will mark 50 years since the start of a seven-year violent military dictatorship in Argentina. During this period, many who opposed the fasc...

Assignment: Border Stories, part 2 - Coyotes and Kidnap

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of people every day are on the move across Mexico towards the border with the US. But for migrants, this is one of the most perilous journey...

Bonus: What in the World

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Philippines is one of the most at risk countries in the world from the effects of climate change, with typhoons becoming more severe. At the same ...

A reckoning with drugs in Oregon

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, the people of Portland, Oregon - a famed city of progressives and counterculture - voted to pass Measure 110, the USA’s boldest drug policy...

Trapped in Oman

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A story of humanity in the face of inhumanity.It starts with women from Malawi who travel to Oman in the hope of improving their lives. Instead, they ...

In the Studio: Colm Tóibín

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Irish author Colm Tóibín is among the world’s most celebrated contemporary writers. His works includes novels such as Nora Webster and The Blackwa...

Bonus: The Global Story

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Global Story podcast. Panama Canal: It's running dry and it's going to cost us. The Global Story brings you one big story eve...

BBC OS Conversations: Haiti gangs and stray bullets

16 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Haiti is facing its most most acute humanitarian crisis for more than a decade. There’s been a surge in violence with armed gangs in control of most...

Heart and Soul: Not even water?

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

They are the top questions asked to anyone who is fasting for Ramadan: no food or water? But what is Ramadan? Why Fast? And how do young Muslims manag...

Assignment: Border Stories, part one - Zero Tolerance

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018 the US government under President Trump introduced a policy of “Zero Tolerance” at its border with Mexico. Anyone attempting to enter the ...

Running out of sand

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It is hard to believe but the world is running out of sand. Our insatiable appetite for the substance that makes everything from skyscrapers to smartp...

Bonus: Lives Less Ordinary

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from Lives Less Ordinary podcast. Miracle on the ocean floor. Have you ever locked eyes with a stranger and wondered, "What’s their ...

In the Studio: Peter Beatty

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2021, with UK Covid restrictions putting plans for his creative collaborations on hold, British artist and musician Peter Beatty decided to take th...

Bonus: The Global Story

10 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Global Story podcast. Why young people are having less sex. The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday, making s...

BBC OS Conversations: The cost of living crisis in Nigeria

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nigeria is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation. Over the past year the price of the staple food, rice, has more than doubled and a ...

Heart and Soul: I joined the Taliban after they kept me hostage

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bara’atu Ibrahim speaks to Jibra’il Omar, formerly Timothy Weeks; an Australian educator who was held captive for three years in Afghanistan by th...

Assignment: Educating Tibet

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Schools in Tibet are changing - and not for the better, say activists. Micky Bristow investigates China’s educational reforms: children as young as ...

Diving With a Purpose

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Diving With a Purpose is a collective of Black scuba divers who search for long-lost slave wrecks. They are on a mission to raise the silent voices of...

Trending - The anti-vax candidate?

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How is Robert F Kennedy’s long record of spreading anti-vaccine misinformation impacting on his bid to be elected US President in 2024? In 2024 ye...

Tumaini

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tumaini (‘hope’ in Swahili) Festival is a unique refugee-led celebration of music, culture and solidarity in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi. Founded...

In the Studio: Ghawgha

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ghawgha is a singer-songwriter originally from Afghanistan. Growing up between Afghanistan and Iran, she now lives in Norway, as part of ICORN program...

Bonus: The Global Story

03 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Global Story podcast. Are you ever too old to have a baby?. The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday, making s...

BBC OS Conversations: Beyoncé and the changing face of country music

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The latest Beyoncé song, Texas Hold ‘Em, has topped the charts in the US and UK. More significantly, however, this is the first time a black woman ...

Heart and Soul: The new iconographers

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Irena Bradley and Kelly Latimore are both iconographers taking the ancient tradition of iconography into the 21st Century. Both interpret their ico...

Assignment: Botswana - living with elephants

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The battle to keep the peace between people and elephants in northern Botswana. The earth’s largest land mammal, the elephant, is an endangered spec...

Trending - The disinformation war in the Middle East

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"A flood of disinformation has erupted across social media in the online propaganda battle that’s being waged alongside the physical conflict betwee...

Storm over a teacup

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the mountainous east of Nepal many communities are dependent on tea. The nitrogen-rich soil of the high-elevation estates allow tea bushes to produ...

In the Studio: Claudia Piñeiro

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Claudia Piñeiro is a multi-award winning novelist, with many of her books being adapted for television. She's one of Argentina's most translated writ...

Bonus: The Global Story

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bonus episode from The Global Story podcast. Is #Me Too finally exploding in French cinema?. The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday...

Bonus: Hardtalk - Defying Putin

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Russian authorities have announced the death of one of the country’s most significant opposition leaders Alexey Navalny in a remote penal colony in ...

BBC OS Conversations: Ukraine war babies and returning home

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It is two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, left millions of Ukrainians as refugees...

Three Million: 5. Ghosts

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Bengal Famine, particularly the experiences of people in the rural areas who suffered the most, is not well remembered today. There is no memorial...

Three Million: 4. The tapes

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kavita Puri discovers a set of cassette tapes containing rare interviews with Indian civil servants who were on the ground across Bengal during the fa...

Three Million: 3. The f-word

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Colonial authorities wanted to censor the famine. They were worried that Britain’s wartime enemies - the Germans and the Japanese - would use it as ...

Three Million: 2. The cigarette tin

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A boy decides how much rice he can give from a cigarette tin to hungry people. A Christian missionary sets up a makeshift relief hospital. A small chi...

Three Million: 1. War

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During the Second World War, at least three million Indian people, who were British subjects, died in the Bengal Famine. It was one of the largest los...

Heart and Soul: Ladino - Saving Greece’s ancient Jewish language

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, the Judaeo-Spanish language of Ladino was spoken in the vibrant streets of Thessaloniki. But today, it is a language on the verge of fa...

Assignment: Pakistan - journalists under fire

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Journalists in Pakistan say they’re under threat of abduction and even of being killed if they criticise the state authorities. Whoever is in power...

Trending: The new fight for land rights

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Malaysian Borneo, indigenous people have struggled for land rights against companies and the state. Using new mapping technology, communities in Bo...

Two Years of War: Voices from Russia

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches, Oleg Boldyrev reports on how ordinary Russians are dealing with life in a cou...

In the Studio: Vik Muniz

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vik Muniz says he owes his artistic career to being shot as a young man, not because he had an epiphany about the meaning of his life, but because he ...