The Documentary Podcast

Justin Rowlatt explores what was the original solar energy revolution – harnessing the sun’s rays to grow food. Some 10,000 years ago our ancestors began to till the soil, producing the energy surpluses needed to feed the first cities and civilisations. Growing crops was gruelling work, as Justin discovers at Butser Ancient Farm, when he tries to till some soil himself with a replica Stone Age mattock. But what first prompted our ancestors to take up such an arduous way of life in the first place?

Seventy-five years ago, when aching hunger dominated people’s lives in post-war Europe, a food parcel seemed like a miracle. Particularly when it had come all the way across the Atlantic from the United States. And there is one type of parcel that changed people’s lives across continents: The CAR.E parcel. In 1945, the American relief organisation CARE set out to ease the suffering of starving Europeans after World War Two.

Covid-19 infections in several countries are causing pressures on hospital resources to rise again. At the same time, polarising views persist over vaccination and some health workers have witnessed rising hostility and abuse from the public. Hosts Nuala McGovern and James Reynolds hear from two health workers in Canada and the UK about the escalating problems they have experienced.

This year started with the focus on Covid-19 vaccine rollouts and ends with the emergence of a new coronavirus variant, Omicron. Ros Atkins looks at how the pandemic has evolved in 2021 and the challenges that lie ahead.

When our bodies recover from a life-threatening illness, it can sometimes be hard for the mind and morale to follow suit. People can even say they resent their body for 'letting them down'. This was the Anne's experience. She speaks to Sister Dang Nghiem for advice about learning to love her body again and having the confidence to live a full life once more.

With crypto currencies – like Bitcoin and Troon - booming there’s never been a better time to mine for crypto online. Mines in this context describe hundreds of computers that solve complex mathematical puzzles to produce cryptocurrency. And with many wanting to jump onto the crypto band wagon mines are springing up across the world - even fake ones. For Assignment, James Clayton speaks to two Indian victims of a crypto scam - who thought they were investing in a mine, which in fact did not exist. He looks at how one of his own BBC reports was used by the scammers as part of the deception. And he investigates how scammers were able to extract money from victims with seeming impunity. With India close to banning crypto currency currencies all together - are crypto scams ruining the Bitcoin dream? Reporter: James Clayton Producer: Regan Morris Editor: Bridget Harney(Image: Hacker in front of a computer. Credit: Witthaya Prasongsin)

Justin Rowlatt goes right back to the origin of our species two million years ago to explore how the mastery of fire by early humans transformed our metabolism, helping us to evolve our uniquely energy-hungry brains. The physical evidence for early use of fire is frustratingly thin on the ground, according to archaeologist Carolina Mallol. But primatologist Jill Pruetz says she has learned a lot from observing chimpanzees interact with wildfires on the African savanna.

Several countries are seeing the pressure that a new wave of Covid-19 is placing on their hospitals once more, and they’re reintroducing measures to try and slow down the spread of infections.Host Nuala McGovern brings together people working in the healthcare sector to think about the pressures on people’s mental health after almost two years of caring for those who are sick or dying due to the pandemic.Nuala talks with hospital workers in the Dominican Republic, the United States and South Africa. For some it’s constant stress, anxiety and burnout. For others, it’s led to even more serious outcomes including post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

The new Omicron variant poses a potential risk of spiralling coronavirus infections globally and governments around the world are putting plans in place to tackle it. One solutions is to make Covid vaccines compulsory. This week, Ros Atkins, looks at the debate around Covid vaccine mandates. (Photo: A health worker prepares a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Credit: Getty Images)

Thousands of people – mostly migrants from the Middle East - are camped in freezing weather at the Poland-Belarus border. Many have spent thousands of dollars to fly into Belarus on tourist visas, with the hope of an easy crossing into the EU. They’re pawns, trapped in a battle of wills between Belarus’ autocratic president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and Poland and the European Union. The Polish government is taking a tough line, imposing an exclusion zone along the border and sealing off the area to journalists and aid workers. Migrants caught in the forest are arrested and sent back to Belarus. Several, including two children, have died from the cold and more deaths are expected as winter sets in. Meanwhile local residents are divided about how to deal with the humanitarian disaster unfolding on their doorstep. For Assignment, Lucy Ash visits towns and villages in the area to see what impact the crisis is having on people’s lives. Reporter: Lucy Ash Produced by: Lucy Ash and Eva Krysiak Editor: Bridget Harney Research: Grzegorz Sokol(Image: Polish volunteers provide relief to injured migrants stranded in the icy forest. Credit: Agnieszka Sadowska / Agencja Wyborcza.pl)