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The Documentary 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.

World Service,2542 episodes

Episodes

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Surviving an avalanche
Stories from people who've been buried by snow
17 Jan 2026,23 mins
Eternal horizons
Exploring one of the world's rarest funeral rites - the Sky Burial
16 Jan 2026,26 mins
Stories from the New Silk Road: The Bering Sea
The China-Russia-US tensions in the Bering Sea and China’s push for wider influence
15 Jan 2026,26 mins
Putin's foreign fighters
Why are young men from around the world risking their lives fighting for Russia?
13 Jan 2026,29 mins,
The Netherlands: 10 new cities?
The Netherlands is experiencing a housing crisis. Could 10 new cities be the answer?
12 Jan 2026,27 mins
Bianca Raffaella: A world of blurred vision
Sahar Zand meets partially sighted painter Bianca Raffaella in her studio in Margate
12 Jan 2026,26 mins
Looking for No Man's Land
Is there anywhere left on Earth that is unaffected by humans?
11 Jan 2026,49 mins
Taraneh: Iran's defiant actress
Why has a documentary about Taraneh Alidoosti been watched by millions in Iran?
10 Jan 2026,26 mins
Life in Venezuela
How has life changed for Venezuelans after the detention of Nicolas Maduro?
10 Jan 2026,24 mins
Living side by side: Morocco’s Jews and Muslims
How two Abrahamic faiths in Morocco have embraced peaceful coexistence
09 Jan 2026,26 mins
Returned to sender
The self-titled 'Message In a Bottle Hunter', who hunts for bottles on beaches all over
08 Jan 2026,26 mins
World Questions - Greenland
Jonny Dymond chairs a debate about the future of Greenland.
07 Jan 2026,49 mins
Persian poetry and politics
How poetry is used by Persian-speaking leaders to build legitimacy
07 Jan 2026,36 mins
South Africa and the fight against TB
Why South Africa's global impact in the fight against tuberculosis is under threat.
06 Jan 2026,33 mins
Ismo Leikola
We follow the Finnish comedian Ismo Leikola as he performs in both English and Finnish.
05 Jan 2026,26 mins
The power of nostalgia and a first kiss
It turns out you can also feel nostalgic for things you weren’t around for
04 Jan 2026,23 mins
Afghanistan's love poetry princess
Rabia Balkhi is one of the most famous Afghan poets, but she also died for love
03 Jan 2026,26 mins
Astronauts and the future of space exploration
What is it like to live on the International Space Station?
03 Jan 2026,24 mins
Two families from Sarajevo
How a Muslim and Jewish family saved each other.
02 Jan 2026,26 mins
Kibera Ballerinas
Amid the pirouettes, Carolyne Kiambo discovers how ballet is helping young Kenyans
01 Jan 2026,26 mins
Four Months in Gaza
A raw and intimate perspective on the terror, anger, and hope of living through war.
31 Dec 2025,26 mins
When Christian nationalists come to town
People in Gainesboro, Tennessee have some new neighbours - and not everyone is happy.
30 Dec 2025,26 mins
Haroon Mirza: Creating a sculpture with light, sound and video
Artist Haroon Mirza creates a sculpture made light, sound and video
29 Dec 2025,26 mins
BBC correspondents' look ahead to 2026
BBC correspondents and editors share their insights for what mighlt lie ahead in 2026
28 Dec 2025,49 mins
Not-so-golden weddings
How record gold prices are taking the sparkle out of Indian weddings
27 Dec 2025,26 mins
Why I chose to adopt
Parents and adoptive children discuss their experiences
27 Dec 2025,22 mins
The lord and dance: Michael Flatley
Irish dancer Michael Flatley reveals the role of faith in his life
26 Dec 2025,26 mins
The gift of science
This Boxing Day and holiday season, our present to you is the science of gifts
25 Dec 2025,49 mins
Bonus: 2025 in conversations from The Interview
A special episode for The Documentary featuring conversations from The Interview in 2025
24 Dec 2025,26 mins
Argentina's elusive big cats
After decades of extinction, wild jaguars are roaming once again in Northern Argentina.
23 Dec 2025,26 mins