Radio and PodcastRadio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts
The Documentary cover
Society & Culture

The Documentary

BBC

The best of BBC World Service documentaries and other factual programmes.

The Documentary Podcast Guide

Listen to The Documentary, a Society & Culture podcast by BBC. Stream 2,066 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.

Show Topic

Browse this show under Society & Culture podcasts.

Episodes

20 episodes are loaded now from a catalog of 2,066. More episodes can be opened from this page.

Episodes

20 of 2,066 episodes

Sean Cooney, singer and dog lover

Sean Cooney is a powerful voice in British folk music and theatre. Winner of 3 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards with his band the Young'uns, the crea...

26:40Jun 22, 2026

The Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast

This unique BBC radio programme is aimed at just a few dozen listeners: The team of scientists and support staff isolated at British researc...

38:31Jun 21, 2026

How Germany fails disabled people

Disabled people are the most unfairly treated minority in Germany, according to one former member of parliament. This is especially true in...

28:40Jun 21, 2026

Everest tourism's toll on Sherpas

At the beginning of June a clean-up crew on Mount Everest were clearing abandoned tents and rubbish, when they saw a man in the distance, co...

26:37Jun 20, 2026

South Africa's migrant deadline

For many undocumented migrants in South Africa, the past few weeks have brought uncertainty and fear about what lies ahead. South Africa is...

23:43Jun 20, 2026

War, God and the Islamic Republic

Since the outbreak of war involving Iran, Israel and the U.S. in late February 2026, Iranians have been living through months of fear, insta...

27:29Jun 19, 2026

The Russian Dream

It is an unlikely migration trend: Westerners swapping their lives in Texas or London for Moscow or Nizhny Novgorod. In 2024, President Vlad...

26:47Jun 18, 2026

Sheba: Just Like Us?

The documentary tells the story of scientific hubris through the extraordinary life of one chimp, Sheba. Now 44, she lives in sanctuary at C...

49:29Jun 17, 2026

Lebanon's Abandoned Lives

People who’ve had to abandon their homes because of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah explain what life is like in Lebanon. A social...

29:22Jun 16, 2026

Ground zero: reporting an epidemic

Ebola is a frightening and deadly disease, killing on average one half of people infected and spreading rapidly without containment measures...

26:37Jun 13, 2026

World Cup superfans

The most watched sporting event in the world has not been without its controversies, including high ticket prices and transport costs, as we...

23:33Jun 13, 2026

Following the path of the rose

Saint, Sinner, Freedom Fighter, Leader, Follower, Symbol of the Divine Feminine - Mary Magdalene is one of the most controversial and signif...

26:31Jun 12, 2026

Introducing: What in the World

First, work feels more uncertain than it has in years. Layoffs, AI disruption, hiring freezes and a tough job market are leaving many people...

21:34Jun 11, 2026

Khartoum: Lessons in war

For three years a brutal civil war has been raging in Sudan. Hundreds of thousands have been killed. Millions have been forced from their ho...

27:57Jun 9, 2026

Trine Hahnemann: mixing cookery and hygge

Renowned Danish chef Trine Hahnemann tells Sahar Zand how she combines the concept of hygge with her cooking. Hygge is a word that is embedd...

26:29Jun 8, 2026

Finding soldier Tom

For more than 80 years, no-one knew what happened to a Soviet prisoner of war who escaped from the Nazis on the Channel Island of Jersey and...

26:28Jun 6, 2026