BBC Documentaries

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.
Daily English United Kingdom Education
60 Episodes
1 – 20

Stories from the New Silk Road: Norway

The Norwegian town of Kirkenes set on the coast and inside the Arctic Circle, is on the edge of what the Chinese refer to as the Polar Silk Road. The Northern Sea Route or Northeast Passage is an increasingly valuable shipping route for both Russia and China, hugging the Russian…
4 Dec 8PM 27 min

Filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk: Animating Ukraine’s War

Iryna Tsilyk is one of Ukraine’s best known young documentary makers. She made her name following the lives of soldiers, female paramedics and families living on the frontline in East Ukraine after the region was taken over by Moscow-backed separatists. However after Russia’s full-scale invasion brought the war to Iryna’s…
3 Dec 8PM 30 min

Introducing Amazing Sport Stories

Sport but not as you know it. A brand new sports storytelling podcast.Imagine being stranded in the “death zone” on one of the world’s highest mountains. How about running 200 miles in a dark tunnel? We’ve been searching the world for the most amazing sport stories. Other podcasts bring you…
3 Dec 9AM 5 min

Kissinger’s Legacy

Henry Kissinger was one of the most important diplomatic figures of the last 50 years. James Naughtie looks back at his global influence, as he reflects on his own interview with Kissinger, conducted just a year before his death.
2 Dec 8PM 29 min

BBC OS Conversations: Israel and Gaza - securing freedom

A week without war meant that the temporary pause in fighting was replaced by the emotions of family reunions. Before the air strikes resumed on Friday, dozens of the hostages captured by Hamas in the 7 October attacks were released, while Palestinians held in Israeli jails had been allowed to…
1 Dec 8PM 25 min

Heart and Soul: Follow God, not the people

Brought up in a devout Catholic family in the suburbs of Kampala, Frank Mugisha knew that something was different about him even as a small boy. He was gay, although in those days he had no words for it. Growing up, he was subjected to conversion therapy, and his family…
30 Nov 8PM 28 min

Kissinger

Few alive can claim as much influence over the shape of the modern world as Henry Kissinger. The former US Secretary of State and Nobel Peace laureate is loved, loathed and listened to - for the decisions he took, the attitude he espoused and for his knowledge and analysis of…
30 Nov 9AM 50 min

Assignment: Poland's forest frontier

Assignment reports from Poland’s eastern frontier, where the Polish government has built a steel border wall - 186 kilometres long and five metres high, it’s meant to stop global migrants from Asia and Africa trying to cross from the Belarusian side. But the wall cuts straight through the Białowieza forest…
29 Nov 9PM 27 min

Gaza diaries

English teacher Farida and Khalid, a medical supplier, document through intimate voice messages their struggle to survive the war in Gaza. They tell a story of immense loss and resilience in a worsening humanitarian crisis.
29 Nov 6AM 28 min

Sweden: Living With Guns and Gangs

Sweden has become a European hotspot for deadly shootings, rocking its reputation as a safe and peaceful nation. Last year, a record 62 people were killed in gun violence in the Nordic nation, which has a population of just ten million. There has been a fresh wave of shootings and…
28 Nov 5AM 27 min

In the Studio: Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle, the visionary behind the 2012 London Olympic opening ceremony and the Oscar-winning director of films like Slumdog Millionaire, Yesterday and Trainspotting, returns to his home town of Manchester, England, to direct a hip-hop dance spectacular to open a breath-taking new venue, Aviva Studios. The show, called Free Your…
26 Nov 8PM 27 min

The Cultural Frontline:K-Drama: A global force on screen

Korean drama, or K-drama, is enjoying phenomenal worldwide success. Thanks to video-on-demand streaming - and given a boost by the pandemic - South Korea is now one of the largest content providers in the world. In this edition of The Cultural Frontline actress Min-ha Kim, who stars as Sunja in…
25 Nov 8PM 30 min

BBC OS Conversations: Hostages, prisoners and peace

After seven weeks of war between Hamas and Israel, there was a deal for a pause in the fighting. On Friday morning the rockets and gunfire fell silent in Gaza. The agreement also included the release of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and Israeli hostages held in Gaza; plus more aid…
24 Nov 8PM 27 min

The Trial of Oscar Pistorius

In 2014 Audrey Brown told the dramatic story of the trial of the athlete Oscar Pistorius After becoming a Paralympics champion, Oscar Pistorius rose to fame as the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. He became a hero to millions – until the fateful night when he shot…
24 Nov 9AM 50 min

Heart and Soul: Wolves in sheep's clothing

When Kenyan-born nurse Margaret Ruto chanced upon an internet story about an American Christian missionary accused of sexually abusing children in a Kenyan orphanage, she knew she had to act. The orphanage in question was close to where Margaret had grown up. The man accused of the abuse lived ten…
23 Nov 8PM 29 min

Florida's political refugees

Americans on both sides of the political spectrum are escaping states they no longer feel comfortable in - they’re calling themselves ‘political refugees.’ And the sunshine state of Florida is at the heart of this political sorting. How can one US state be both a safe haven for Americans fleeing…
22 Nov 9PM 30 min

We the people are Barbados

In September 2020, Barbados announced its decision to become a republic, removing the British monarchy as head of state. November 30th, 2021 marked not only the 57th anniversary of the nation’s independence but a new beginning as a republic. Award-winning author Candice Brathwaite, explores Barbados’ transition to a republic two…
20 Nov 8PM 31 min

In The Studio: Damon Galgut - Adapting The Promise for the stage

Damon Galgut’s 2021 Booker Prize-winning novel, The Promise, chronicles the slow decline of a white family on a farm outside Pretoria, South Africa, and the ripple effects of a deathbed promise – made but not kept – to give the family’s Black housekeeper ownership of the small house in which…
19 Nov 8PM 27 min

The Debate: Israel Gaza - What happens when the war ends?

The BBC’s Mishal Husain is joined by a panel of guests to discuss what happens when the Israel Gaza war ends. On the panel are Jeremy Bowen, BBC International Editor; Daniel Levy, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations; Lord Ricketts,…
18 Nov 8PM 40 min

BBC OS Conversations

The war in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel continues to cost many lives. It is also increasing tensions and anger around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protest marches; there are reports of a rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism in some countries; and…
17 Nov 8PM 24 min
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