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.
From the global housing crisis to gerrymandering in US politics to the miracle doctor of Lourdes, we go beyond the headlines.
Each week, all year round, we bring you the stories shaping our world. From the personal voices behind the headlines to perspectives on faith and spirituality and how work and money impact our lives. Discover how people find solutions to global problems and look at the world through the lens of its media.
Powered by the BBC World Service’s global network, The Documentary Podcast is about the people living the story – helping you see the world with greater clarity.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Afghan refugees: Back to zero
Why are millions of Afghans pushed into circular migration and what awaits them in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan? In this series, The Global Jigsaw explores one of the world’
Oct 18 31 min
Afghan refugees: Life in exile
Why are millions of Afghans forced to go home and what awaits them in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan? In this series, The Global Jigsaw explores one of the world’s largest and
Oct 18 29 min
Afghan refugees: The exodus
Why are millions of Afghans pushed into circular migration, and what awaits them in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan? In this series, we explore one of the world’s largest and l
Oct 18 28 min
Final moments with death row inmates
#23 trending · Documentary
Two cases in recent weeks have reignited debate around capital punishment in the United States after the failed attempt to execute Christa Pike and controversy over – now
Oct 17 23 min
Living lands of Hawai'i
After 23 years in the US military left him broken, Native Hawaiian park ranger Keoni Kaholoaʻā finds healing in Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and in
Oct 16 26 min
The dream academy
Sean Allsop has had insomnia for much of his adult life and now sees it as a problem he wants to understand. He explores what countries are doing to tackle poor sleep and
Oct 15 26 min
Breaking the code of silence
We travel to the Italian island of Sicily to see how Palermo residents are fighting back against the influence of the mafia. Presenter Myra Anubi meets people from the ch
Oct 14 23 min
Hungary after Orban
Hungary under Viktor Orban was a model for the populist right the world over. But in April 2026 he and the party he led, Fidesz, was decisively defeated in an election th
Oct 13 26 min
Why are birth rates falling across the world?
Birth rates are falling across much of the world, raising questions about the future of ageing populations and economies. We look at why people are having fewer children,
Oct 12 17 min
Recommending: Trouble with Hubble
A brand new season of the BBC’s space podcast explores the story of the revolutionary Hubble Space Telescope and the tiny flaw that almost destroyed the dream. This is th
Oct 11 34 min
The politics of water: Iraq and Turkey
Two rivers helped build civilisation. Now they are at the centre of a geopolitical struggle that casts a shadow over the future of the Middle East. For centuries, the Tig
Oct 11 28 min
What goes on in a US college frat house?
The President of Cornell University says it "must do better" after a woman alleged she was drugged and raped by a group of men at a fraternity – or frat – house. Fraterni
Oct 10 23 min
Jamaica: Shaken, not broken
From historic buildings linked to emancipation to tiny village chapels, Jamaica is home to the world’s highest density of churches. The Caribbean Island faced a profound
Oct 9 26 min
America’s gerrymandering civil war
Electoral battle lines are being drawn and redrawn in the United States right now, as Republicans and Democrats up the ante in an electoral redistricting war that many fe
Oct 8 28 min
The everyday tech helping to prevent disasters
For International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (13 October), we are finding out how technology can help prevent disasters, save lives and help rescuers. In Argentina,
Oct 7 25 min
Saving young men from murder: The Homeboy story
British Psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, who has spent a lifetime working with violence perpetrators, visits Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang rehabilitati
Oct 6 26 min
Bonds: Heroes or villains?
With the cost of Government debt hitting its highest for many decades across the world, we explore how the world became so dependent on bonds, those IOUs from governments
Oct 5 17 min
Syria’s justice in absentia
With perpetrators in exile, closure is out of reach. As Syria’s new authorities seek to hold figures of the former regime accountable, questions remain over the fate of B
Oct 4 41 min
'Renting is such a struggle'
We bring people together from around the world who are struggling to find somewhere affordable to live. We hear from Spain where the eviction of an 87-year-old woman has
Oct 3 24 min
The miracle doctor of Lourdes
The French town of Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics – this year even welcoming the Pope. This shrine in the Pyrenees Mountains is the site of miracles and C
Oct 2 26 min
Chart trend
Position in the Documentary chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#21#40JulAugSepOct
#12
all-time peak
642
days in the top 50 since Jan 2025
Chart positions
Where The Documentary Podcast ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 18, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
This was super encouraging to listen to. In the volatile politics and destruction of international order we are living through, we all need realistic, optimism, and stories that inspire. Our brains are Velcro a negative and Teflon positive. We need to meditate on beautiful things to thrive and bless those around us. This episode on people power is a keeper.
Marknph · Apr 2026
Kavita Puri’s new show on the bengal famine is outstanding….binge worthy and deeply moving. The music is beautiful yet evocative of this terrible tragedy deliberately and callously created by the colonial British chiefly Churchill.
avm1406 · Feb 2024
Loved this podcast, parts one and two. Admired the decision to feature the creative female POC behind dance music revolutions across two decades. Learned so much. Well done!
Nicolettesurlaplage · Apr 2021
It was nice to listen to people sharing their lasting COVID symptoms even after recovering which I, myself, had been having difficulty in accepting. There are certain instances when my friends and family do not believe that my sense of smell has really been compromised, which has made me sort of question my own judgements. I felt more relieved to know that I am not the only one going through the same.
ravenarchangel25 · Apr 2021
Generally The Documentary is a terrific podcast and I give it five stars but for this one which gets one. What is most annoying is the glottal or vocal fry of the journalist who did the “billion dollar scam” episode. The baby talk along with the vocal fry strikes immense dissonance with the nature of the podcast and, moreover, a serious organization like the BBC. It grates on the ears and the mind. PLEASE, can we ask these journalists to speak in their normal voice and without this contrived affectation that originated in Hollywood? It’s nauseating, interferes with the content and had me turning off the episode. Thank you.
Comendadordehoje · Apr 2023
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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of The Documentary Podcast, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
