World of Secrets

Latest Episodes:

Dr Skin: Trailer Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

The creams, serums and pills that millions rely on today to make themselves younger have a dark past. In the 1950s in America, a doctor arrived in a prison in Philadelphia. His name was Albert Kligman. What he saw before him when he looked around the prison was not prisoners but test subjects. In his words “acres of skin”. He set up a testing programme and started working with some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in America. But his commercial operation at the jail would stretch far beyond cosmetics...

Dr Skin is a Samizdat Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Presenter: Alzo Slade Series producer: Tom Fuller Series editor: Joe Sykes Sound design: Richard Ward Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Catching My Teacher: 5. Courage Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Classmates and teachers at the school urge Sukma to withdraw her allegations. But she’s going to go undercover to demand answers from Abah. Meanwhile, after three long years of dating online, Zia and Yusron are finally meeting in Cairo —will they feel the same about each other in real life? And then Sukma goes home to tell an important person the truth. While Yusron and Zia have one more call to make.

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

This audio was updated on 13th October 2026 to included a preview of the next World of Secrets season, Dr Skin.

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Adelina Lece-Bere, Paul Agusta, Mian Tiara, Kartika Jahja and Astudestra Ajengrastri. Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Investigation executive producer: Adam Jessel Investigation editor: Michael Simkin Investigation executive editor: Liz Gibbons Special thanks to the BBC News Indonesia team.

Catching My Teacher: 4. Powerful enemies Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

It feels like Abah and the school has won. And they have lost. Yusron is torn between supporting Zia and the promise he made to his mum. But then they meet someone who knows exactly what they’re going through — because it happened to her. And now some crucial new information has come to light.

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Adelina Lece-Bere, Kartika Jahja, Astudestra Ajengrastri. Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Catching My Teacher: 3. Is this how you repay me? Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

The students' former headmaster — the man they revered and called “Father” — knows all about their undercover investigation into him. Evidence Zia submitted just weeks ago to the body that oversees their school, after they promised to help them get justice. Instead a cover up has begun. They will record it all, but can Yusron, Zia and Sukma withstand the pressure they are now under?

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Adelina Lece-Bere, Paul Agusta. Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Catching My Teacher: 2. The student detectives Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Yusron gets the permission he needs to start chasing the truth. Information begins flooding into the student detective WhatsApp group they set up. Memories from the alumni that now take on new significance and information from students still at their boarding school. They need to make sense of it but who can they trust with their evidence?

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

Catching My Teacher: 1. The golden boy Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Deep friendships and memories are made at a boarding school among the rice paddies in Lombok, Indonesia. But the lesson they’re taught to remember most is: “We hear and we obey.” And the person they’re expected to obey is the founder and headmaster — the man they’re told to call “Abah”, or “Father”. But when Yusron, the school’s golden boy, gets in touch over instagram with Zia — a fellow former student — she reveals something that begins to unravel all that he believes in.

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Paul Agusta Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Catching My Teacher: Trailer Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

They were taught to obey. But they learnt to resist, turning detective. Students from a network of Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia hear about a dark secret at the heart of the powerful institution that shaped their lives. They set out to seek the truth - at every step, they’re secretly recording. It’s a story about friendship, love and who you can trust.

Catching My Teacher is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.

The Abercrombie Guys: 12. Mike Jeffries to stand trial Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Updating you on Mike Jeffries' time in a prison hospital and the latest legal developments. What has been revealed in court, and when is the trial scheduled to take place?

Host Rianna Croxford is joined by Business Insider’s Laura Italiano to dig into the details of Mike Jeffries’ time in a federal medical facility in North Carolina, the subsequent court hearings, and why it has taken nearly three years for a trial to be scheduled.

What’s next for Mike Jeffries, Matthew Smith and Jim Jacobson as they remain under house arrest?

World of Secrets: The Abercrombie Guys investigated sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie and Fitch.

This episode contains strong language.

Presenter: Rianna Croxford Producer: Ruth Evans Editor: Ed Campbell and Richard Fenton-Smith

Searching for Soldier Dad: 6. Update Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

What’s been happening in our investigation since the last episode? Tristan Redman talks to season host Ivana Davidovic and lawyer James Netto for the latest on Cathy, Peter and Yvonne, the Kenyans who are seeking relationships with their army dads. We also hear about the response from listeners to the series.

Searching for Soldier Dad follows DNA detectives as they track down the British soldiers who fathered children in Kenya then disappeared. With access to every stage of this cutting-edge process, we followed a team of lawyers and a leading geneticist as they travelled to Kenya to help locate the British soldiers who fathered children then vanished, witnessing the groundbreaking legal and scientific detective work used to find the missing dads.

Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Searching for Soldier Dad: 5. Answers May 18, 2026

Show notes

Cathy and Peter are now speaking with their dads. But are the new relationships all they hoped for?

Lawyer James Netto has a “day in court like no other” when a father makes a shock appearance.

And we travel to a barracks in the South of England to ask pressing questions of the British Army.

Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Presenter: Ivana Davidovic Series producer: Josephine Casserly Sound design: Tom Brignell Executive producer: Matt Willis Commissioning senior producers: Katy Davis and Anne Dixey Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

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