The Documentary Podcast
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. The best of documentary storytelling from the BBC World Service.
From China’s state-backed overseas spending, to on the road with Canada’s Sikh truckers, to the front line of the climate emergency, we go beyond the headlines.
Each week we dive into the minds of the world’s most creative people, take personal journeys into spirituality and connect people from across the globe to share how news stories are shaping their lives.
From China’s state-backed overseas spending, to on the road with Canada’s Sikh truckers, to the front line of the climate emergency, we go beyond the headlines.
Each week we dive into the minds of the world’s most creative people, take personal journeys into spirituality and connect people from across the globe to share how news stories are shaping their lives.
Episodes
Mentioned books
20 snips
Feb 1, 2026 • 43min
Ukraine: Whose peace?
Margarita Malyukova, Kiev-based BBC Monitoring reporter offering on-the-ground views of occupied areas. Vitaly Shevchenko, Russia editor and analyst on Kremlin messaging and public mood. They compare competing peace plans, debate disputed clauses like territory and troop limits, unpack information warfare and media narratives, and explore enforcement, frozen assets and the human cost of life under occupation.
32 snips
Jan 31, 2026 • 26min
Archaeology and war
Grigor Atanasyan, BBC Russian correspondent, on the controversy around archaeologist Alexander Butyagin and Crimean digs. Ashay Yegde, BBC India reporter, on the Kalbeliya nomadic community, their music, dance and battles for burial rights. Hyojung Kim, BBC Korean correspondent, on the viral 'Young 40' caricatures and what they reveal about generational tensions in South Korea.
19 snips
Jan 31, 2026 • 24min
ICE in Minnesota
Sean and Terencio, local Republican figures supporting immigration enforcement. Jeff, Randy and Jacob, bar owners and a witness who reopened their pub and recount community grief and protests. Anne, preschool leader caring for families and children affected by raids. Chachi, an Ecuadorian migrant who lived through an ICE home arrest and hiding. They discuss raids, shootings, protests, community responses and political tensions.
Jan 30, 2026 • 26min
Jesus in a shop doorway
Mick Fleming, once trapped in addiction and crime who became ordained and now supports others in recovery. He recounts childhood trauma, a moment of blinding light that halted violence, meeting a homeless man who sparked his faith, visions that guided him to recovery groups, and his work running street ministry and addiction support.
12 snips
Jan 29, 2026 • 27min
Hungary: The alternative to Orban
Peter Magyar, former Fidesz insider turned leader of the new TISZA party, challenges Viktor Orbán for 2026. The conversation follows his viral moments, the movement’s grassroots country tour and surprising European election breakthrough. It explores why diverse voters are rallying, the campaign’s outreach tactics and the practical hurdles of unseating a long-standing regime.
Jan 28, 2026 • 49min
Shepherd's Eye In The Sky
Aminu Nyako, CEO of a solar-powered dairy in Nigeria, and Joshua Liza, a Maasai pastoralist and natural resource economist, share practical perspectives. They discuss pastoral mobility, rangeland restoration, digital tools like real-time pasture maps, solar-powered milk collection, mobile tech for traders, and carbon finance for landscape stewardship.
Jan 27, 2026 • 30min
Nigeria: Killings, land and cattle
A reporter travels to Plateau State to explore cycles of violence tied to land, ethnicity and politics. Tensions over indigene versus settler rights and shrinking grazing land spark clashes. Local peacebuilders and a joint farming project offer surprising cooperation. The limits of community-led reconciliation without state support are examined.
Jan 26, 2026 • 27min
Mrinalini Mukherjee: Hemp sculptures
Nilima Sheikh, painter known for theatrical suspended scrolls; Candy Stobbs, exhibition manager who oversees packing and conservation; Tarini Malik, Royal Academy curator who shaped the show; Naman Ahuja, art historian situating Mukherjee in Indian modernism. They discuss the scale and mystic presence of hemp sculptures. Curation choices, transport and installation challenges, and artistic lineages are explored.
68 snips
Jan 25, 2026 • 57min
US foreign policy in five doctrines
Kathleen Burke, Emeritus Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at UCL, on the Reagan Doctrine and Reagan's background. Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian at Rice, on Nixon and postwar strategies. Jay Sexton, historian of 19th-century US policy, on the Monroe Doctrine. They trace five major US foreign policy shifts from Monroe to post-9/11, contrasting interventions, containment, and changing presidential styles.
23 snips
Jan 24, 2026 • 26min
Protest in the age of the 'Kill Switch'
Raghurandra Rao, India reporter on prolonged local shutdowns like Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur. Roncliffe Odit, BBC Swahili correspondent on Uganda’s election blackout and economic fallout. Hadi Nili, BBC Persian correspondent on Iran’s technical total blackouts and coping measures like Starlink. They discuss how states order shutdowns, methods used, and the wider social and economic impacts.
