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.
Mrinalini Mukherjee: Hemp sculptures
Art from the circle of friends, family and teachers of artist Mrinalini Mukherjee is now on show at London's Royal Academy, alongside her giant hemp sculptures. Sheetal Parmar hears about the planning behind transporting such delicate works and about the influences behind the creation of her natural forms. This episode…
US foreign policy in five doctrines
Looking back at five big US foreign policy shifts from the Monroe doctrine in the 19th Century to the post-9/11 strategies of the Bush doctrine in the early 2000s. Justin Webb and his guests examine how America’s approach to the world has constantly changed over time, to help answer a…
Protest in the age of the 'Kill Switch'
In the face of widespread protests, the Iranian government ‘switched off’ the country’s access to the internet on 8th January. In Uganda, prior to recent elections, the government of president Yoweri Museveni prevented its citizens from accessing the internet. Worldwide, Afghanistan, Myanmar, India and Bangladesh – to name only a…
Living in Greenland
Described by Donald Trump as “a giant piece of ice,” the world’s largest island has found itself at the centre of global attention. The president’s demands to take over the self-governing Danish territory, potentially even by force, led to a diplomatic crisis and the president threatened economic sanctions against European…
Daughters of thunder
In small towns and rural areas across the south of the United States traditional family churches have long been key guardians of black culture, memory and community spirit. Until very recently women called to preach in these communities faced opposition ranging from grudging acceptance at best to total ostracisation. But…
Bonus: Introducing: The History Bureau
If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft turns out to be flawed? The History Bureau revisits the defining stories of our times with the reporters who first covered them. What did they get right first time around? And, in the chaos and confusion of…
Greece: Rescuers on Trial
In a case with profound implications for European migration policy, two dozen former volunteer humanitarian workers have been on trial on the Greek island of Lesbos. Seven years ago, they were arrested after rescuing thousands of migrants from the sea. Now, following many delays, a court case involving charges of…
Black girlhood in photos and writing
Black girls performing in a parade on the streets of Chicago and playing in the surf at Martha's Vineyard offer a glimpse of what it is like, growing up in the United States today. Sisters Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet are using photographs and words to capture the lives of girls…
New elements
What does it take to make something which has never existed on Earth before? The search for element 120 on the periodic table has begun at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Cosmologist Andrew Pontzen, who is used to studying the processes of creation, visits the 88-inch Cyclotron facility…
Kenyans lured to Russia's frontline
Kenyan authorities recently reported that 200 of their citizens are fighting for Russia in the war in Ukraine. Many of them have reported that they travelled to Russia after replying to job adverts for roles as drivers, security guards and cooks. It was only on arrival that they were sent…
Surviving an avalanche
In the past few days there have been a number of deaths on ski slopes in the Alps and, in recent months, hikers in Greece, climbers in Italy’s Dolomite mountains, and guides in the Himalayas have all lost their lives.The peak season for these huge and potentially lethal mass movements…
Eternal horizons
*** This programme contains graphic descriptions of body mutilation *** In the Nepalese Himalaya, one of the world’s rarest and most spiritually profound funeral rites is still practised: the Sky Burial. In some circumstances when a person dies, their body is offered to wild vultures. According to local Bon and…
Stories from the New Silk Road: The Bering Sea
In 1867, the US government bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars. At the time, critics questioned the value of purchasing such an inhospitable and remote territory. Yet today, due to its abundance of natural resources, America’s largest state has proved to be a significant investment. BBC foreign correspondent…
Putin's foreign fighters
*** This programme contains very strong language *** Over the past year, BBC Eye has followed the journeys of young men from Syria, Egypt, and Yemen who travelled to Russia in search of work, only to end up on the frontlines in Ukraine. Why are these men risking their lives…
The Netherlands: 10 new cities?
'Start by lighting a candle every morning.’ In other words, pray. That’s the advice on one social media platform to those looking for a rented property in the Netherlands. The pressure on housing is immense: an estimated shortage of 400,000 homes. It was the number one issue in the recent…
Bianca Raffaella: A world of blurred vision
Bianca Raffaella is a partially sighted painter based in Margate. Working entirely by touch and memory, her flower and figure paintings emerge from a world of blurred vision, visual static, and sensory recall. Raffaella paints what she perceives in flickers, dappled fragments of colour, flashes of form, shaped through instinct,…
Looking for No Man's Land
Humans have spread to every corner of the globe, transforming ecosystems and reshaping landscapes. Is there anywhere left on Earth that is unaffected by humans? Anywhere we haven’t changed – at all? Presenter Caroline Steel and producer Florian Bohr begin their mission to find No Man's Land, if it exists.
Taraneh: Iran's defiant actress
A recent BBC Persian documentary, Taraneh, has recieved millions of views online. It features an Iranian actress who is considered an icon in the country and has been starring in films for nearly 30 years. Her name is Taraneh Alidoosti and in 2022 she was arrested for taking a photograph…
Life in Venezuela
After the dramatic US military operation that saw Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife taken from the country and placed in a New York prison, what, if anything, has changed for Venezuelans? We speak to Venezuelans about their experiences of living in Venezuela – the good and the bad…
Living side by side: Morocco’s Jews and Muslims
Relations between Jews and Muslims in Morocco have historically been strong unlike elsewhere in North Africa and the Middle East. Although now relatively small, Morocco’s vibrant Jewish community is still regarded as an important part of the country’s history and culture. In Casablanca there are a number of functioning synagogues,…