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The Documentary Podcast

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 Australia's relationship with China, to Turkey's sinkhole problem, to understanding the behaviour of dictators, 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.

Episodes

Following the 1989 revolution, a generation of young Romanians in Bucharest transformed the country's digital landscape by constructing grassroots, DIY internet networks. Driven by a profound hunger for communication and freedom, these teenagers bypassed prohibitive costs and infrastructure gaps by stringing cables bet...

The engineers: Flying at the edge

05 Aug 2026

49m

Getting Gaza back online

04 Aug 2026

26m

Skatepark designers Nine Yards

03 Aug 2026

26m

What is so-called 'Jihadi cool'?

02 Aug 2026

27m

A Chinese dissident's journey

01 Aug 2026

26m

AI processed

Chinese dissident Dong Guangping recently achieved a perilous escape from China, crossing the Yellow Sea in a rubber boat to reach South Korea before resettling in Canada. His journey, marked by multiple failed attempts and significant personal risk, highlights the extreme measures taken by those seeking freedom from p...