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
Mar 10, 2026 • 30min
The women of IS: Part one
Mina al-Lami, a jihadist media analyst who tracks extremist propaganda. Jiyar Gol, a BBC Persian reporter with on-the-ground experience in northeast Syria. They describe life in the al-Hol tent city. They cover camp conditions, power structures and IS influence. They discuss family separation, child indoctrination, abuses and the transfer of control to Syrian authorities.
Mar 9, 2026 • 27min
Ukraine: The war behind the war
Major Serhiy Lazuk, a Territorial Recruitment Centre officer who delivers sealed notifications to families in Lviv, recounts the heavy emotional toll of his work. He describes going house to house with news of killed or missing soldiers. The conversation covers family reactions, mobilisation patrols, men hiding to avoid conscription, and the long, uncertain aftermath of loss.
5 snips
Mar 8, 2026 • 26min
Graffiti across continents
Wise Two, a Kenyan graffiti artist known for bold geometric motifs, masks and a hieroglyphic pattern, talks about painting across Nairobi and Mexico. He explores merging African and Latin American influences. He describes shifting from spray paint to mixed media, using gold leaf, and tackling tricky surfaces like cylindrical vents. He reflects on community reception, commissions and blending activism with commissioned work.
8 snips
Mar 7, 2026 • 26min
Inside Russia’s ‘Youth Armies’
Zhanna Bezpiatchuk, BBC Ukrainian reporter who exposed how Russia’s Yunarmiya recruits and trains children in occupied Ukraine. Juan Alonso, BBC Mundo journalist who dug into myths around Simón Bolívar’s wealth and will. They discuss forced recruitment, military drills, propaganda rituals for kids, and the origins of Bolívar’s poverty narrative. Short, sharp, and investigative.
Mar 7, 2026 • 24min
Iranians in London
Rahah, an Iranian who moved to the UK to study and has lived there for years, reflects on leaving Iran and studying abroad as a pathway out. Short conversations cover fears for family during airstrikes, enduring survivor’s guilt, nostalgia for home expressed through food, and hopes for Iran’s future. Warm dinner scenes and community resilience weave through the discussion.
18 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 26min
Leaving Isis: Is redemption possible?
Tareena Shakil, a former British woman who travelled to and later left the Islamic State, speaks about losing her way and seeking faith. She recounts online grooming, idealised promises of belonging, the journey to Raqqa with her son, disillusionment amid violence, and the difficult path back to faith, accountability and community.
Mar 5, 2026 • 30min
Forty-eight hours in Isfahan
Sohail, an eyewitness who was trapped in Isfahan streets and saw heavy weapons used, and Parnia, an Iranian protester who took part in the January demonstrations, recount the chaos. They describe massive crowds, sudden violence, mounted machine guns and tracer fire. They speak about hiding, improvised medical care, mortuary scenes and calls for an independent investigation.
Mar 4, 2026 • 26min
Namibia’s hydrogen superpower dream
A remote Namibian desert could become a global green hydrogen hub, promising billions in investment and thousands of jobs. Locals weigh hopes for youth employment against fears of boom-bust cycles and rising rents. Scientists warn of risks to unique desert plants, penguins and coastal ecosystems from desalination, ports and industrial expansion. Political shifts and shaky global markets leave the plan’s future uncertain.
Mar 3, 2026 • 27min
Can Syria’s Kurds save their women’s revolution?
Natasha Walter, British feminist writer who visited Rojava, offers reflective commentary. Berevan Omer, co-mayor of Qamishlo, discusses gender co-leadership and municipal work. Rukhsen Mohamed, spokesperson for the YPJ, describes women's roles and revolutionary mentality. They explore Rojava's experiment in women's equality, the impact of all-women fighting units, local tensions, and threats from renewed government control.
Mar 2, 2026 • 26min
Kwan Pun Leung: The image creator of nature
Kwan Poon Leung, acclaimed Hong Kong-Taiwan cinematographer behind In the Mood for Love, known for poetic, atmospheric image-making. He talks about finding images in light and shadow. He describes intuition-led cinematography, improvisation with directors, using mirrors and chance, and crafting atmosphere through editing and DIY effects.
