The Documentary Podcast (BBC)

Chef Rodolfo Guzman: Chilean summer menu

<p>Pink tomato ice cream decorated with edible poppy flowers feature on the summer menu created by chef Rodolfo Guzman for his celebrated Santiago restaurant Borago. Jane Chambers hears how the …

Apr 06, 2026 · 26m

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Growing up black in a white family – the truth behind my birth

<p>M People star Andrew Lovell’s home life hid a terrible – yet beautiful – secret. It would take him decades to find out the truth. At the height of his …

Apr 05, 2026 · 39m

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The woman fighting IS in Somalia

<p>The global activities of the Islamic State group are now believed to be run from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the north-east of Somalia, where IS fighters are entrenched …

Apr 04, 2026 · 25m

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Surviving a shark attack

<p>Shark attacks on humans are rare, but they are slowly on the rise in Australia where all our guests are from. In this episode, they share the terrifying moment when …

Apr 04, 2026 · 23m

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God, grief and the chatbot

<p>When Megan Garcia travelled to Rome, she carried with her a mother’s grief. At the Vatican she met the Pope and asked him to pray for her son Sewell, who …

Apr 03, 2026 · 26m

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The Saltmakers

<p>In India's Gujarat state lies the Little Rann of Kutch, a sprawling salt marsh desert where temperatures soar to 50 degrees Celsius. This harsh landscape is home to the Agariyas, …

Apr 02, 2026 · 26m

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Inheritance Samsung: 1. My kingdom for a horse

<p>In 2017, the heir to South Korea’s biggest company is facing jail, leaving it with an uncertain future. After 80 years of business, how did Samsung get here? And how …

Apr 01, 2026 · 25m

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India’s Shadow Children

<p>Stephanie was brought up in France in a French family, but her birth parents are Indian – she’s an intercountry adoptee. In the 1980s and 1990s thousands of babies, like …

Mar 31, 2026 · 27m

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Kubra Khademi: Art of strength and survival

<p>On a busy street in Kabul, a young artist steps into traffic wearing a steel sculpture she has shaped around her breasts and buttocks. She calls the piece Armour. Within …

Mar 30, 2026 · 26m

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Elana Meyers Taylor: A 20-year journey to gold

<p>Elana Meyers Taylor became the oldest-ever winner of an individual Winter Olympic gold medal when she won the women’s monobob event in Milan-Cortina, aged 41. It was the American’s sixth …

Mar 29, 2026 · 21m

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Eighty years of the BBC Russian Service

<p>The BBC's Russian service marks its 80th anniversary this week. In eight decades, it has grown from a short wave radio service to a multimedia operation reaching upwards of 6 …

Mar 28, 2026 · 26m

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80 years of the BBC Russian Service

<p>The BBC's Russian service marks its eightieth anniversary this week. In eight decades, it has grown from a short wave radio service to a multimedia operation reaching upwards of 6 …

Mar 28, 2026 · 26m

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Bombings in Lebanon

<p>Lebanon’s citizens are again caught under fire. As many as a million people are displaced as they search for a place of safety and there are fears of a major …

Mar 28, 2026 · 23m

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Deaf Umrah

<p>Islamic religious practice is deeply entwined with sound, from the call to prayer to memorising the Quran; learning to recite the holy text is very much an oral tradition relying …

Mar 27, 2026 · 26m

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Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest~serving PM

<p>Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest serving prime minister. He was born in Tel Aviv in 1949, the year after the State of Israel was founded. One of three brothers, Netanyahu …

Mar 26, 2026 · 32m

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Madagascar: From famine to hope

<p>Lying off the south-eastern coast of Africa, Madagascar has been pushed into crisis by a deadly combination of climate change, poverty and environmental degradation. In 2021, more than 1.6 million …

Mar 25, 2026 · 26m

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Billion dollar babies

<p>Eels are a popular food in parts of Asia, but they can’t be commercially bred in captivity. Coupled with trade bans to protect the highly endangered fish, this has led …

Mar 24, 2026 · 51m

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The Romeros: Developing digital games

<p>Brenda and John Romero are towering figures in modern game development, creators whose work has shaped how millions of players experience digital worlds. From their base in Galway on Ireland's …

Mar 23, 2026 · 26m

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Is the revolution in Cuba over?

<p>Cuba is facing one of its most severe humanitarian crises in decades.</p><p>For years, Cuba relied heavily on oil from Venezuela. Those supplies have largely stopped, contributing to widespread fuel shortages. …

Mar 22, 2026 · 24m

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Nepal - “Shot like enemies”

<p>Nepal has just held a historic election — one that has toppled the old political guard and swept a new generation of leaders into power, many backed by Gen Z …

Mar 22, 2026 · 26m

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Bangladeshi newspapers attacked by mob

<p>On 18th December 2025, the offices of two of Bangladesh's biggest newspapers, The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, were surrounded by mobs, attacked and set on fire. At The Daily …

Mar 21, 2026 · 26m

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Navigating the Strait of Hormuz

<p>The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed by Iran for more than a fortnight, preventing vital supplies of oil and gas from leaving the Middle East and sending global …

Mar 21, 2026 · 23m

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Can yoga be Christian?

<p>Yoga is an ancient practice with its roots in Hinduism. It originated over 5,000 years ago in northern India, but for many, has now evolved from a spiritual path into …

Mar 20, 2026 · 26m

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Iran's media at war

<p>The war in Iran through the eyes of the Islamic Republic, and how Tehran’s restrictions on information went full throttle. The Global Jigsaw looks under the bonnet of the machinery …

Mar 19, 2026 · 36m

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Hope and fear: India's space revolution

<p>India is revolutionising its approach to space exploration. Science journalist Alok Jha follows preparations for the country’s first human spaceflight mission. For decades, India focused its space programme on limited, …

Mar 18, 2026 · 49m

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How to spend billions – fast: Carney’s Defence Deadline

<p>The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has given his generals and admirals an unusual command: spend money. Lots of it. Quickly. For years, it was the other way around. Canada …

Mar 17, 2026 · 26m

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Mariam Issoufou: Designing a museum

<p>Architect Mariam Issoufou has always been very ambivalent about museums: "Who decided that the only way to look at art is inside this intimidating, grand building, full of looted objects? …

Mar 16, 2026 · 26m

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How the Oscars went international

<p>On Sunday, many of the film industry’s biggest stars will gather in Los Angeles for Hollywood’s biggest night: the 98th annual Academy Awards.</p><p>Looming over the celebrations are some major upheavals …

Mar 15, 2026 · 28m

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Europe's night train renaissance: Still on track?

<p>Night trains are making a comeback, once again connecting Europe’s cities with the promise of green, serene and iconic journeys. Just a decade ago, it appeared to be the end …

Mar 15, 2026 · 26m

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Iran war: What's life like inside Iran?

<p>The United States and Israel have now been at war with Iran for two weeks, since 28th February. In that time, there have been over 1200 civilian deaths in Iran, …

Mar 14, 2026 · 29m

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Women and the future of Formula 1

<p>Motor racing is one of the few sports where men and women can – in theory – compete on equal terms. But you wouldn’t think that from looking at almost …

Mar 14, 2026 · 23m

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The naked monks

<p>Why would someone live publicly nude for their faith? In parts of India, Jain monks belonging to the Digambara sect permanently renounce all possessions, including clothes. These monks walk naked …

Mar 13, 2026 · 26m

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The women of IS: Part three

<p>What next for the Syrian detention camps and their residents? After the fall of the so-called “caliphate”, tens of thousands of women and children from around the world - followers …

Mar 12, 2026 · 30m

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