The Documentary Podcast

The Mexican state of Sinaloa is synonymous with drug trafficking. With the profits from organised crime a driver of the local economy, the tentacles of ‘narco cultura’ extend deep into people’s lives – especially those of women. In the city of Culiacan, plastic surgeons service demand for the exaggerated feminine silhouette favoured by the men with guns and hard cash. Often women’s surgery will be paid for by a ‘sponsor’ or ‘godfather.’ Meanwhile, a group of women trackers spend their weekends digging in isolated parts of the state, looking for the remains of loved ones who disappear in Sinaloa’s endless cycle of drug-fuelled violence. Producer/presenter: Linda Pressly Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla Editor: Bridget Harney(This programme was originally broadcast in July 2021) (Photo: Lawyer Maria Teresa Guerra advocates for women in Sinaloa. Credit: BBC/Ulises Escamilla)

Owen Bennett-Jones examines how the government in Tehran outwitted the United States in Iraq, which resulted in Tehran having more influence in Baghdad than Washington. He also examines how Islamabad pulled off much the same trick in relation to Afghanistan. But whilst Iran was under US sanctions, Pakistan secured its objectives in Afghanistan whilst simultaneously receiving billions of dollars worth of US aid. As one retired Pakistan intelligence chief bragged – the US was helping secure its own defeat.

A woman born after her mother was raped during the Bosnian conflict of the 1990s says the struggle for reparation and reconciliation continues 25 years later. Suzanne Kianpour discusses what we can learn from past atrocities to help resolve the current political crisis, with Oscar-nominated Bosnian film director Jasmila Zbanic, and Council of Europe human rights commissioner Dunja Mijatovic.

Featuring extraordinarily rare recordings, historian Shirli Gilbert presents this new history of life and music under Nazi tyranny. This episode focuses on music-making in the camps and ghettos of Nazi Europe, including stories of music at Sachsenhausen, Vilna and Auschwitz. This includes a wealth of different styles, from Yiddish Tango and rousing camp anthems, to partisan songs and string quartets. Contributors include Lloica Czackis, Krzysztof Kulisiewicz, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch,

There is much international focus on the possibility of a Russian military invasion of its neighbour Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has spoken of “enormous consequences” if that did happen, warning it would “change the world”. Russia has an estimated 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine but has said it does not want war. While world leaders talk, host Ben James guides us through the discussions among six women in the two countries. In Ukraine, the BBC’s James Reynolds hears from three women in the capital Kyiv about the prospect of war. They include a Olena, a volunteer sniper since 2014 and a professional servicewoman for five years, who is once more prepared to fight for her country.

The cost of food and fuel has risen globally. The pandemic has played some part in it but there are other reasons too. Ros Atkins examines what’s behind the rise in the price of goods and services.

Can we learn to let go of negative thoughts that are bringing us down? Sometimes it can feel as if nothing in life is going the way it should and we judge ourselves for not doing better. Judy is from Thailand and lives in Japan. Her sister has to look after their elderly mother in Thailand alone and Judy is unhappy with herself for not having built a ‘successful’ career in Japan. She speaks to writer and teacher Gary Zukav. He suggests that, even though it sometimes doesn't feel like it, there might be a way to move beyond the control of these negative and damaging feelings.

The high stakes cat and mouse game between police and darknet drug dealers. Police in the UK say they are finally turning the tide on drug dealers selling on the darknet – a secretive part of the internet which has been described as like “online shopping for drugs.” The UK’s National Crime Agency says recent international takedowns of so called dark markets and arrests in multiple countries are a result of new techniques in cyber policing that is giving them the upper hand. However, BBC research suggests that police around the world have an uphill struggle on their hands as many dealers - known as vendors - have survived multiple market place collapses by operating across many different darknet sites. The programme explores the major role played by UK dealers in the global business which is estimated to be worth more than a billion dollars a year. The BBC’s cyber reporter Joe Tidy and BBC data journalist Alison Benjamin journey into this hidden world to speak to vendors and buyers and uncover secrets of the trade. Reporter: Joe Tidy Producer: Paul Grant Editor: Maggie Latham (Image: An ecstasy pill bought on the darknet, being tested at a lab in the UK. Credit: BBC)

In Zambia, smoking is on the rise. One woman wants to change that. BBC global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar follows the story of Brenda Chitindi in her efforts to get tobacco control on the agenda. As tobacco production and consumption increase in Zambia, Brenda and others are campaigning for the introduction of a Tobacco Control Bill to the nation's legislature. It is a campaign they have been fighting for over a decade. With a new government elected in 2021, could this be the moment for change?

"Lama", a student in Afghanistan who fears for her safety since the Taliban takeover, speaks to the country's former education minister Rangina Hamidi, who fled to the United States, and to former US Secretary of State and campaigner for women's rights Hillary Clinton.A co-production by BBC and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and SecurityPresenter: Suzanne Kianpour Produced by Philip Reevell for BBC World Service