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: Syrians after the fall of Assad
Syrians have finally got their voices back. After 50 years of living under the cruelty of their President, Bashar al-Assad, they can now speak freely without fear, although some are still cautious. We talk to Syrians across the country, including Ibraheem from Aleppo. He tells host Mark Lowen: “I couldn’t…
Black Madonnas
Author and broadcaster Chine McDonald has never seen a black representation of the Virgin Mary. Black Madonnas are statues or paintings of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. They can be found both in Catholic and Orthodox countries. There are thought…
Srebrenica’s forgotten refugees
Thirty years after the war in Bosnia, survivors and their descendants find themselves permanently displaced in their own country. BBC reporter Lauren Tavriger visits the Tuzla region where families fleeing atrocities, including the Srebrenica massacre, have been living for decades in makeshift settlements originally designed as temporary. She talks to…
Introducing World of Secrets S6: The bad guru
New season on World of Secrets. Miranda’s search for inner peace through yoga leads to allegations of grooming, trafficking and exploitation. “You just get sucked in so gradually... that you don't realise,” says her mother Penny. The Bad Guru is season six of World of Secrets, the global investigations podcast…
Assignment: Mining the Pacific – future proofing or fool’s gold?
Climate change is intensifying, sea levels are rising and the very existence of low-lying Pacific Islands is under threat. The Cook Islands, though, has a plan to assure their peoples’ future. Enter deep sea mining, harvesting metallic nodules on the bottom of the sea floor for use in things like…
Bonus: The Food Chain is 10!
A bonus episode from The Food Chain - as they turn 10!We are celebrating 10 years of The Food Chain with some of our favourite programme moments from the past decade.Fishing to stay alive, chopping onions in remembrance, and tasting people’s names – these stories and more tell us something…
Morse code: Ready to transmit
The World Morse Code championships are fiendishly competitive. Contestants from many countries travel to Tunisia, where they face each other across tiny tapping machines in a competition hall silent but for the clicking. It is called High Speed Telegraphy - the skill and art of sending and receiving fast and…
The Fifth Floor: Javier Milei's first year in power
Argentina's president Javier Milei famously campaigned with a chainsaw, promising he would cut public spending. Has he delivered? Verónica Smink of BBC Mundo will bring us the latest from Buenos Aires. Plus, how thousands of old portrait pictures were found and restored in Uganda, with BBC Africa's Christine Otieno.Produced by…
BBC OS Conversations: The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
It is coming up to two weeks since a ceasefire was brokered between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Since then there have been reports of minor violations on both sides. As the fragile truce continues, we hear from residents about their experiences, their fears and their hopes for peace. For…
Heart and Soul: Should I change my name?
Personal names have spiritual and religious meanings in the Christian tradition. But what if you carry an inherited surname that you feel is profoundly unchristian? Should you keep it or change it? Robert Beckford is going through this dilemma. His surname is a slave name, a brand of ownership passed…
Over the fence: From Turkey into the EU
One way to reach the European Union is via the 'Eastern Mediterranean route' from Turkey into either Bulgaria or Greece. Back in 2015 millions of people reached Europe this way to flee conflicts in the Middle East. Since then, international deals have been struck and border security toughened across Europe…
100 Women: Byline Afghanistan
Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, eight out of 10 women journalists have stopped working. The few female journalists still working are subject to all kinds of restrictions, including no access to official sources, no travelling without a chaperone, as well as abuses such as…
The Global Jigsaw: The rebels who retook Aleppo
A shock offensive on Aleppo turned Syria’s forgotten conflict into hot war. The group spearheading it, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), has been at pains to present itself as a credible governing body, having renounced its jihadist past. With a bounty on his head, its leader, Abu Mohammed al Jawlani,…
Assignment: France - Trouble on the vine
Low harvests, economic and climate batterings, changing tastes - is French wine in crisis? The French wine harvest has dropped 18% in one year. For some famous French wine-making regions the reduction has been much more. A combination of factors, including climate, finances and changing drinking habits has brought some…
Blood on the shelves
A year-long BBC Eye investigation has uncovered that Chinese tomato paste produced using forced labour in Xinjiang is likely to be being sold in major UK and German supermarkets. Runako Celina has teamed up with Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, Alison Killing, to find out the nature and scale of forced labour…
In the Studio: The rebuilding of Notre Dame
The cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris is one of France’s most famous landmarks. It has stood on the Île de la Cité in the heart of France’s capital since the 12th Century. On 15 April 2019, it was engulfed by flames, but thanks to the bravery of hundreds of…
The Fifth Floor: Russia's runaway soldiers
There has been a record number of cases this year of Russian soldiers deserting their units. Amaliya Zatari from BBC Russian has spoken to one young man who managed to get to France along with five others. Nina Nazarova, also from BBC Russian, offers a unique insight into the price…
BBC OS Conversations: Life in Ukraine after 1000 days of war
It is a grim milestone, more than 1000 days have passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the past week, attacks on the country have once again intensified. As winter approaches and temperatures drop, Russia is targeting Ukraine’s energy system to leave millions of people without power. In our…
Heart and Soul: At the end of the wall
At the end of America’s southern border wall with Mexico, James Naughtie meets the people helping recently-arrived migrants survive in the extreme conditions. Beginning his day's journey at a church in Tucson, Arizona, James hears how members of the congregation support a programme helping migrants find work. And at the…
The Cultural Frontline: James Baldwin centenary
Born in 1924 in Harlem, New York, James Baldwin's novels, essays and speeches articulated the racial oppression facing African-Americans. In works like Notes on a Native Son and The Fire Next Time, Baldwin expressed how colour is not a human or personal reality, but a political one. In Giovanni’s Room,…