Documentaries
An indepth look at stories and issues from around the world. This podcast offers you the chance to access landmark series from our archive.
Bonus. World of Secrets: The Killing Call
Sidhu Moose Wala explodes onto the Canadian music scene. His sound is a fusion of two worlds - hip-hop with the poetic language of rural Punjab, where he is from. After years of struggle he is making it. But with the spotlight comes a dark side. As his fame grows,…
Re-homing France’s immigrant workers
France’s last foyers – housing for immigrant workers – are set for demolition. But some current residents are worried about what they’ll lose. Hundreds of “foyers” - housing units especially for immigrant workers – were built after World War II. The economy was booming and France needed unskilled labour to…
Max Kidruk: Imagining the future in a science fiction trilogy
How do you imagine the future if you are a science fiction writer living in the present with your country at war? That is the challenge and dilemma for best selling author Max Kidruk. As he nears completion of Collapse, the second volume of a science fiction trilogy The New…
Is the Taliban’s war on drugs working?
Afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of the world's opium, the key ingredient for the drug heroin. When the Taliban took over, they banned poppy farming completely. 3 years on, how has this measure been implemented and how is it affecting people? Yama Bariz and Mamoon Durrani from the…
Undocumented migrants in the USA
Donald Trump campaigned hard on illegal immigration ahead of the presidential election and promised voters a major crackdown if they backed him. Since he came to power, the president has issued executive orders to fortify the country’s borders and suspend the entry of undocumented migrants. He has also vowed to…
Verses for women: Egypt’s Quran reciters
Salma El-Wardany meets young women in Egypt using their voices to amplify their faith – drawing inspiration from the long tradition of female Quran reciters in the country. Following in the footsteps of pioneering women like Sheikha Munira Abdou who was first heard on Egyptian Radio 100 years ago and…
Diabetes in Pakistan: A nation's struggle
British-Pakistani pharmacist turned comedian Lubna Kerr hears from doctors, sufferers, and experts as she explores Pakistan’s growing diabetes crisis. With type 2 diabetes rates now the highest in the world, the disease is affecting millions - shaping lives, straining healthcare, and raising questions about prevention. Many sufferers remain undiagnosed, missing…
Arthur Ashe: More than a champion
An inspiration, a politician, a pioneer on and off court - these just some of the words used to describe Arthur Ashe, who became the first African-American to win the men's Wimbledon singles title against Jimmy Connors in 1975. It was one of the most iconic sporting moments of the…
Sri Lanka: The X-Press Pearl disaster
In 2021, a huge container ship, the X-Press Pearl caught fire and sank off the coast of Sri Lanka, releasing hazardous materials, toxic chemicals and more than 1000 tonnes of microplastic pellets into the sea. The UN called it an environmental catastrophe. Today, Sri Lanka is still counting the cost…
Introducing World of Secrets: The Killing Call
Indian music star Sidhu Moose Wala died in a hail of bullets. Who wanted him dead and why? He was one of India’s biggest stars — a voice millions followed. Then Sidhu Moose Wala was gunned down. This is the hunt for answers over a murder that won’t be forgotten…
What next for Poland?
Why are Poland's young voters turning to the right? With his veto powers, Poland’s president-elect Karol Nawrocki could halt the pro-EU government of Donald Tusk. Poland is a NATO member and backs Ukraine in the war with Russia. Scaling up security is an issue almost all Poles agree on, yet…
Who's Poland's new president?
Poland’s president-elect, Karol Nawrocki, is a right-wing historian, an amateur boxer and a fan of Donald Trump. What will his presidency mean for the region? Kateryna Khinkulova, editor of the newly launched BBC News Polska, explains. Plus, India’s ‘tailor on wheels’ with Anil Kumar reporting for BBC Telugu and the…
Iranians living in the USA
Following the recent bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites by the United States, we talk to Iranians living in the US about their thoughts as they watch events in the Middle East from afar. They describe feeling conflicted about the attacks carried out by their adopted homeland. They worry about friends…
Praise You: A forgotten love letter to black men
DJ Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’ is a song you might have heard in a Hollywood movie or danced to in a club - to this day, it is still his biggest hit. But there is something you won’t know: the singer behind the lyrics or the true meaning of the…
Inside the US trans military ban
One of the first executive orders that President Donald Trump signed in his second term of office stated that being transgender is incompatible with the ‘rigorous standards necessary for military service’. It set the stage for a ban on trans people serving in the military, regardless of ability, rank or…
Pride month special
From the BBC World Service podcast Witness History, this is a special episode to mark June as Pride Month. We are looking back at some of the major moments and movements that changed the lives of LGBT+ people and communities, through first-hand accounts. It’s history told through the people who…
One week in Gaza
The daily realities and private thoughts of a young woman living through war. Every morning, Hanya Aljamal sees the same man from her balcony. “He has this tiny garden in the middle of all this concrete stuff,” she says. “Just across the road, there’s a blown-up building. Yet he’s cultivating…
Joachim Trier: The making of Sentimental Value
We go behind the scenes with director Joachim Trier as he makes the follow-up to his international hit The Worst Person In The World. Producer Stephen Hughes gets exclusive access to the set of Sentimental Value, following the film from pre to post production. In a series of candid interviews,…
Ukrainian life under Russian occupation
Currently about a fifth of Ukraine is under Russian occupation. Olga Malchevska of the BBC News team has spoken to 3 people from different cities in this area. She tells us about the threats they face for being Ukrainian and the small acts of resistance they carry out. This episode…
Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast 2025
It’s the 70th anniversary of this unique BBC radio programme aimed at just a few dozen listeners: The team of scientists and support staff isolated at British research stations in the Antarctic midwinter. Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the show features messages from family and friends at home, music requests from…