The Documentary Podcast Podcast
Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can make sense of the world. Home of the best documentaries from the BBC World Service.
Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can uncover hidden truths and make sense of the world. Home of the best documentaries from the BBC World Service.
From the impact of drought on crops, tourism and trade, to Africa's first film city, to the Romanian teenagers who built a DIY internet...we go beyond the headlines.
Each week we look at the stories shaping our world and hear voices connecting people from across the globe, asking how news stories are shaping their lives. We also follow spiritual journeys, examine the world through the lens of its media and focus on solutions to global problems.
Episodes to download
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What in the World: Will AI make your degree pointless?
Yesterday
We speak to three students who tell us how they think AI could change their careers.
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The Vatican's AI battle
Yesterday
Silicon Valley says it's ‘creating God’ with AI. The Catholic Church is watching closely
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LA: Rising from the ashes
Thursday
Jonathan Glancey meets architects leading LA’s recovery from 2025’s catastrophic fires.
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The Kansas City cycling revolution
Wednesday
Kansas City was named America's worst city for cyclists in 2008. Has it improved?
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Raiders of the lost art
Tuesday
How Manhattan's Antiquities Trafficking Unit works to track and return stolen art
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The sound of soft power
Last Sunday
Does the world still need international radio as a tool of soft power?
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Ukraine and Russia’s recruitment war
Last Saturday
Ukraine and Russia face different challenges recruiting fighters
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Experiences of drought
Last Saturday
Failing crops and angry alligators – how a lack of rain is affecting people worldwide
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The creator of France's 'Untouchables' houses
Last Friday
The man behind inclusive homes where accident survivors live with non-disabled people
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The world's largest wildlife crossing
Wed 12 Aug 2026
Can a major engineering project help save Califonia's mountain lion population?
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Victoria Falls: An environment on the edge
Tue 11 Aug 2026
How over development around The Victoria falls could threaten its delicate ecosystem
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Special forces on trial
Sun 9 Aug 2026
Was a detective murdered to cover up the alleged crimes of South Africa’s special forces?
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Africa's first film city
Sun 9 Aug 2026
On the edge of Lagos, a vast scrubland is being developed into an ambitious film city
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Rapping behind bars in Cameroon
Sat 8 Aug 2026
How a record label was created in one of Cameroon's most notorious prisons
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Ariana Grande and the public scrutiny of women
Sat 8 Aug 2026
Fans and content creators share their experiences
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A singer’s search for peace
Fri 7 Aug 2026
A Lithuanian singer’s journey from New Age spirituality and ayahuasca to faith
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The teenagers who wired Romania
Thu 6 Aug 2026
How Romanian teenagers built a daring DIY internet network that inspired telecoms giants
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The Engineers: Flying at the Edge
Wed 5 Aug 2026
Aircraft engineers Kelly Latimer, Rob Miller, Daniel Moczydlower on their pioneering work
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Getting Gaza back online
Tue 4 Aug 2026
Amid the tents and the rubble Gaza is developing once again as an unlikely tech hub
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Skatepark designers Nine Yards
Mon 3 Aug 2026
The designers of Paris's Olympic skatepark start work on a new project in Amsterdam
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What is so-called 'Jihadi cool'?
Sun 2 Aug 2026
How extremist content is quietly spreading on TikTok and Instagram
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Wildfires in Europe
Sat 1 Aug 2026
Victims and volunteers share their experiences of the wildfires in France and Spain
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Rastafari and I
Fri 31 Jul 2026
Silas Gray travels to Ethiopia to explore the legacy he inherited from his Rastafarian dad
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A battle that changed Ireland
Thu 30 Jul 2026
How a World War One battle still affects people and communities
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Sierra Leone: The cocaine trail
Wed 29 Jul 2026
Ed Butler investigates one of Europe’s most wanted drug smugglers
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The Kenyans taking on multinational chemical companies
Tue 28 Jul 2026
We follow a lawyer and a nurse who are building this unprecedented case
