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.
BBC OS Conversations: Living through the Los Angeles fires
Vast areas of Los Angeles have been destroyed since these fires began on 7 January. Thousands of homes and businesses have been lost, and tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate. We hear from Kelly, who had just minutes to gather a few possessions before her home…
Heart and Soul: Kaddish - why we pray for the dead
Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize winner and Holocaust survivor, once told Michael Goldfarb of people going to their deaths at Auschwitz asking who will say Kaddish for me? Kaddish is the Jewish prayer for the dead. On the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz' liberation Michael Goldfarb explores the origins and meaning of…
Solutions Journalism: Prison of the mind
Around the world, prison populations are bursting at the seams, but in some European countries, they are closing and reoffending rates are down. The trend has been attributed to a novel approach to justice, one that places the mental health of offenders at its heart. Forensic psychologist Dr Jenny Okolo…
BBC Trending: The chatbot bridging an aid gap
A mechanical engineer by day, Hania Zataari felt compelled to put her skills to use as the war intensified in Lebanon. Hailing from the south, one of the worst hit areas in the country, she has created a chatbot on WhatsApp that simplifies access to much-needed aid. BBC Trending follows…
Assignment: The Gambia - when migrants are forced to go home
Each year young people from the tiny West African nation of The Gambia try to reach Europe through “The Backway” - a costly, perilous journey over land and sea.Many do not make it. In recent years, the EU has done deals with several North African nations to clamp down on…
In the Studio: Madame Gandhi
Kiran Gandhi, aka Madame Gandhi, is an American artist, activist and producer who originally started out as a percussionist for popular British artist MIA, and American electronic music duo Thievery Corporation. She holds a masters degree in Music Science Technology at Stanford University and is on a mission to find…
Paths of return: A special homecoming to Sierra Leone
In Freetown, Sierra Leone, we join a group of African-Americans who have all taken a DNA test and discovered their ancestors came from this country on the West Coast of Africa, before they were trafficked to the US and enslaved. Over their two week trip, we explore the bustling city…
The Fifth Floor: China's empty maternity wards
Eunice Yang from BBC Chinese reports on the closure of over 400 maternity wards across China. Plus, South Korea's illegal tattoo parlours with BBC Korean's Yuna Ku, and why Ghana's traditional kente fabric has been recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, with BBC Africa's Jelilat Olawale. Yuna's documentary…
BBC OS Conversations: Dealing with trauma after vehicle-ramming attacks
Over the past decade, cars and trucks have been used as lethal weapons in an increasing number of attacks. Fourteen people died and at least 35 were injured when a driver of a pickup truck targeted crowds in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Less than a month earlier, a…
Heart and Soul: The plight of Hindus in Bangladesh, part two
Sahar Zand follows young Hindu activists Banamali and Sukanto, who are documenting the violence they say authorities and media are ignoring. She joins them as they respond to a new attack on a Hindu-majority village, where a mob set fire to a yet another building. The attacks are not just…
Licence to operate a space object
Since humans have been on earth, the night sky has caused many to gaze upwards, open-mouthed in astonishment. Beyond its beauty, it has facilitated both the development and advancement of human and animal life on Earth. Celestial navigation guided humans across the seas, forming new trade routes and civilisations. The…
Child soldiers and capoeira
In the city of Goma, former child soldiers are being rehabilitated using capoeira, the Brazilian martial art. Since the start of the conflict in 1996 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, child soldiers have been recruited to fight. After they are demobilised from armed groups, many suffer from mental health…
BBC Trending: Were Valencia's floods engineered weather?
The people of Valencia are still trying to come to terms with the events of 29 October - in a matter of hours, the Spanish city was hit by flash floods, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. But, as news of the floods began circulating on social media,…
Assignment: South Korea - the feminist hunters
Why feminism has become a dirty word in South Korea. In South Korea being a feminist is now something that can only be admitted in private, thanks to a fierce backlash against feminism. Anti-feminists accuse women who advocate for equality as being man-haters, worthy of punishment. Online witch-hunts - spearheaded…
In the Studio: Dan Perri
You might not know the name Dan Perri, but you will probably have seen his work: he designed the title sequences for some of the most famous films in cinema history. Mark Burman hears how he created the titles for Star Wars, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and The Exorcist.
The Fifth Floor: Fighting crime with kitchen spoons
A few years ago, the town of Anam in Southern Nigeria was known for all the wrong reasons: high levels of crime and knife and gun violence. A group of local women, known as 'ụmụadas', decided to take matters into their own hands and confronted criminals with... their kitchen spoons…
BBC OS Conversations: How going viral changed my life
“I’m looking for a man in finance …” is the opening line of one of the most viewed, copied and remixed social media posts of the year. The woman behind it, Megan Boni, aka TikTok’s Girl on Couch, invented the rhyme as a jokey description of the perfect man she…
Heart and Soul: The plight of Hindus in Bangladesh: Part one
In the aftermath of Bangladesh’s political unrest and the student-led protests that led to the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, the country is facing a period of transition and uncertainty. Amid the chaos, harrowing videos and reports of violent attacks against the Hindu minority flooded social media—images…
The dogs of Palermo
In Palermo, and across southern Italy, there are two main types of stray dog. There are the semi-wild packs that live on the edge of human settlements, and then there are the cani di quartiere (dogs of the neighbourhood). These dogs are known by everyone and owned by no one…
Built different: Why women athletes suffer ACL injuries more than males
The fear of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury, or ACL, hangs over all athletes. It is a season-ending injury, agonising, and with a long painful recovery. But why is it happening to so many female footballers? Research shows that ACL injuries are up to six times more likely to happen…