The Documentary Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Hunger in Gaza Aug 02, 2025

Show notes

Israel faces growing international isolation over the shocking images of starvation in Gaza. Although Israel says there are no restrictions on aid deliveries – which it co-ordinates – or any starvation, charities warn the aid being allowed in is only a fraction of what is needed. The BBC is banned by Israel from reporting in Gaza but, in our conversations, doctors and journalists in the territory tell us how shortages of food, water and medical supplies are affecting them and their families. “We are not the same, this is not our shape, this is not our appearance,” Ghada, a journalist working in Gaza City tell us. We also hear from a medical student who shares her experiences of a typical day in Gaza and her hopes for the future. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from BBC OS Conversations, bringing together people from around the world to discuss how major news stories are affecting their lives.

Bergen-Belsen: Among graves, we were born Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany was the only camp liberated by the British Forces in April, 1945. Prior to that, over 50,000 people were murdered there. After liberation, the British Forces, alongside the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJDC) set up another camp about 2km away, the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons (DP) Camp, the largest DP camp in Europe, where over 2,000 babies were born. Known as ‘Bergen-Belsen Babies’, Susan Schwartz and Karen Lasky were two of the many born there and still hold the label ‘stateless’ after their families were eventually accepted and immigrated to Canada. On the 80th anniversary of the liberation, survivors and Bergen-Belsen Babies gather for the week, trying to fill in the gaps of what happened to their families and reflect on their childhoods. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world.

Controlling nature's data Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

Could AI cure cancer using nature's DNA? A London tech firm, Basecamp Research, harvests genetic information from organisms and microbes around the world. Its genome database - the world's biggest - will help supercomputers to create new products, from detergents to medicines. It's a bewildering new frontier, and it comes with big questions: who should own this valuable information? Who should benefit? And what could it unleash?

The JNIM branch of al-Qaeda Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

The JNIM branch of al-Qaeda is one of the world's deadliest jihadist groups. It has firmly planted its flag in the Sahel. Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as a key battlefront for jihadists: around 50 percent of deaths from terrorism in 2024 were registered in the Sahel region alone, according to the Global Terrorism Index. JNIM is an eclectic yet united coalition, rooted in the tribal desert regions of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. We look into its leaders, its narrative, and its modus operandi, and analyse the complexity of a region beleaguered by military coups, ethnic violence, and climate change.

Contributors: Barry Marston, Jacob Boswall Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg

Can Greenland go it alone? Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

Until this year Greenland rarely made the international news and probably only the islanders themselves took much time to contemplate their future. But then US President Donald Trump said he wanted to annexe it for its strategic position and mineral wealth. So the question has become a lot more pressing. With a population of just over 55,000, the biggest island in the world has its own parliament, but foreign policy is controlled by Denmark, something many residents are unhappy about.

Denmark subsidises Greenland to the tune of around $10 000 per person per year. On an island where fishing is the primary source of income, independence would mean either increasing tourism or allowing the mining of minerals like rare earth metals. However the islanders have always favoured strict environmental controls when it comes to mining and it’s expensive for tourists. Hedi Nermin Aziz travels from Denmark to Greenland and talks to politicians, musicians and influencers about Greenland’s Innuit identity and to find out if it can and should go it alone.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

Marina Tabassum: Designing London's Serpentine Pavilion Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum won the commission to create the 25th Serpentine Pavilion – a temporary summer structure for London’s Kensington Gardens. A meeting place in the Royal Parks, A Capsule in Time will also be used for literary and musical events. The arched wooden structure’s translucent panels allow dappled light through, like the South Asian Shamiyana awnings which inspired Tabassum’s design. Marina talks to Erika Wright about how she wanted make a space for the diverse people who use the parks in the summer. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from In the Studio, exploring the processes of the world’s most creative people.

The shooting of India’s biggest hip hop star Jul 26, 2025

Show notes

Sidhu Moose Wala was one of the most famous Punjabi rappers in the world. A devout Sikh, he wore a turban and prided himself on his farming roots. But he also rapped about money, power, criminality and guns. Only hours after his death, a man came forward to claim responsibility for his killing, which left people all over the world wondering: why? Ishleen Kaur has been investigating the killing for season 8 of World of Secrets podcast. It took her into a world of music, and gangsters.

Season 8 of World of Secrets, The Killing Call, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service. To hear more episodes, search for World of Secrets wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia. This is an EcoAudio certified production.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

The hidden pain of fibroids Jul 26, 2025

Show notes

When Oscar winning film star Lupita Nyong'o revealed on Instagram her decade long struggle with uterine fibroids it attracted almost a million likes. The post has sparked a global debate about a health problem that affects millions of women around the world but is rarely talked about. Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in the uterus, the medical term for a woman’s womb. Symptoms can be severe and include heavy menstrual bleeding, painful periods and stomach pain. Black and Asian women are more likely to be affected, and we bring together three women who share their experiences of living with the condition. “A woman sitting across from you at work who’s smiling and having a conversation may be dying inside,” Sateria tells us. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from BBC OS Conversations, bringing together people from around the world to discuss how major news stories are affecting their lives.

Rāgas and Redemption: Alam Khan’s Spiritual Legacy Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

What does it mean to inherit a sacred tradition? Alam Khan was born into one of the most revered lineages in Indian classical music - his father, Ali Akbar Khan, was hailed as one of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century and brought the spiritually rich sarod and rāga music to the West. But Alam's journey has not been one of simple inheritance. Presenter Rajeev Gupta follows Alam across California, from his father's grave to the family music school and into the quiet spaces where Alam seeks refuge. For Alam, it is a deeply personal wrestle: growing up American, immersed in rock and hip-hop, Alam resisted the weight of legacy. But after his father's death, something changed. Going through his father’s recordings, he felt a cosmic calling - one that was more spiritual than familial. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world.

The battle for Bangladesh: Eye Investigations Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

In July 2024 Bangladesh was rocked by protests. They were sparked by anger at widespread corruption, and the reinstatement of a quota system that reserved 30% of civil service jobs for families of war veterans. An estimated 1400 people were killed in the protests which led to Bangladesh’s leader of 15 years, Sheikh Hasina, fleeing the country. After months of painstaking investigation, BBC Eye can now reveal how the police response to the protest unfolded and has verified a leaked audio recording in which Sheikh Hasina is heard authorising her security services to use lethal weapons against the protesters. We follow the story of one young man in particular, struggling to find justice for his 19-year-old brother who was among those killed.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected