The Documentary Podcast

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  Living lands of Hawai'i 16.10.2026 26хв

  After 23 years in the US military left him broken, Native Hawaiian park ranger Keoni Kaholoaʻā finds healing in Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and in Pele, the elemental deity who lives within. Kīlauea, on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, sometimes erupts as often as every few weeks. New land is still being constantly made. For Native Hawaiians, this is not geology, this is Pele, the volcano deity, elemental force of fire and creation and a living ancestor whose presence is felt in the lava, in the steam and in the volcanic rock itself. Her poetic name - 'Ka wahine `ai honua' - means the woman who devours the land.
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  The dream academy 15.10.2026 26хв

  Sean Allsop has had insomnia for much of his adult life and now sees it as a problem he wants to understand. He explores what countries are doing to tackle poor sleep and he examines the financial strain sleepless nights place on a nation. At home in the UK, he visits the first helpline dedicated to poor sleepers, joining a call as staff help people find answers and navigate the often confusing world of sleep advice. He also spends a night at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam, wired up with EEG electrodes as we discover what happens inside the sleeping brain and see first hand how scientists study sleep and investigate why some of us struggle to get it.
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  Breaking the code of silence 14.10.2026 23хв

  We travel to the Italian island of Sicily to see how Palermo residents are fighting back against the influence of the mafia. Presenter Myra Anubi meets people from the charity Addiopizzo, which encourages residents to stop paying protection money known as "pizzo." Meanwhile we visit a neighbourhood regeneration scheme which encourages young people to get involved and resist the temptation of joining the mafia.
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  Hungary after Orban 13.10.2026 26хв

  Hungary under Viktor Orban was a model for the populist right the world over. But in April 2026 he and the party he led, Fidesz, was decisively defeated in an election that brought an end to his 16 years in power. In the six months since the election some of what Viktor Orban had institutionalised has been rolled back. The state-funded media is no longer under government control. Hungary has a new president, a former judge who had been peremptorily swept from office under the previous government. Hungary has recovered billions of Euros from the European Union withheld because of what it saw as democratic backsliding under Orban. There is a new policy towards Russia, in which the 2022 invasion of Ukraine is explicitly condemned. In early September Hungary expelled 10 Russian diplomats accusing them of activities incompatible with their status, a move unthinkable under Viktor Orban.
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  Why are birth rates falling across the world? 12.10.2026 17хв

  Birth rates are falling across much of the world, raising questions about the future of ageing populations and economies. We look at why people are having fewer children, from the financial pressures facing couples in the US to changing social attitudes. We also examine government efforts to reverse the trend, including Finland's generous family support system and Hungary's costly incentives for larger families.
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  Recommending: Trouble with Hubble 11.10.2026 34хв

  A brand new season of the BBC’s space podcast explores the story of the revolutionary Hubble Space Telescope and the tiny flaw that almost destroyed the dream. This is the first episode in the season, to listen to more just search 13 Minutes wherever you get your BBC podcasts. In this episode, our view of the universe could be transformed by one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever built but a terrible disaster strikes Nasa. After decades of meticulous planning, will the Hubble Space Telescope make it into space? Nasa believes the telescope is capable of doing the impossible: peering deeper into the universe than ever before and unlocking some of its greatest secrets. But Hubble is delicate and extraordinarily complex and it will be Astronaut Kathy Sullivan’s responsibility to help get it into space, no matter what. Archive: Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music. 13 Minutes: Trouble with Hubble is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service. Presenter: Dame Dr Maggie Aderin
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  The politics of water: Iraq and Turkey 11.10.2026 28хв

  Two rivers helped build civilisation. Now they are at the centre of a geopolitical struggle that casts a shadow over the future of the Middle East. For centuries, the Tigris and Euphrates carried goods, armies and ideas, shaping some of history's greatest empires. But today, a toxic mix of climate change, outdated irrigation methods and conflicting national interests is pushing these rivers to the brink. As Turkey’s vast dam projects reduce downstream flows, Iraq is being forced into negotiations that go far beyond water, touching on security cooperation, trade routes and energy. The Global Jigsaw tells the story of how water became a geopolitical bargaining chip.Find out more about BBC Monitoring on our website: monitoring.bbc.co.uk/Contributors: Dilay Yalcin, Mohammed al-Jumaily Producer: Dilay Yalcin, Barry Sadid Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
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  What goes on in a US college frat house? 10.10.2026 23хв

  The President of Cornell University says it "must do better" after a woman alleged she was drugged and raped by a group of men at a fraternity – or frat – house. Fraternities are all-male social organisations where the students live, study and socialise, and many are known for their parties. But they are also controversial and have been criticised for elitism and dangerous initiation rituals, referred to as hazing. “There’s a lot of forced drinking to get guys into a state of severe inebriation and if you weren’t participating you would be punished,” Mikey, a former President of a frat house tells us. “I did some things that I’m certainly not proud of.” Our guests share their experiences of secrecy, alcohol and discuss attitudes to women. They also describe working with young men today to help them understand consent.
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  Jamaica: Shaken, not broken 09.10.2026 26хв

  From historic buildings linked to emancipation to tiny village chapels, Jamaica is home to the world’s highest density of churches. The Caribbean Island faced a profound spiritual crisis after Hurricane Melissa devastated many of the 1600 sacred spaces where people gathered to worship. Journalist and presenter Nick Davis, who has returned to his family's roots and now lives on the island, takes us on an emotional journey back to Black River and Lacovia, in the heart of the hardest-hit areas. Nearly six months on from one of the worst storms in living memory, Nick joins volunteers as they continue to dig through the rubble and salvage what they can. Their places of worship may be razed to the ground, but those who once gathered here demonstrate how faith brings fresh hope and a resilience that reaches far beyond the bricks and mortar.
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  America’s gerrymandering civil war 08.10.2026 28хв

  Electoral battle lines are being drawn and redrawn in the United States right now, as Republicans and Democrats up the ante in an electoral redistricting war that many fear is undermining democracy. BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher looks at how a once-a-decade act of political admin has turned into a rolling process of political partisanship, as parties compete to redraw voting districts, as they try to lock in near-guaranteed majorities. We look at the recent US Supreme Court ruling which has fuelled this growing political battleground and explore accusations of racist bias behind the decision making. While many observers are focused on the impact this could have on the imminent midterm elections, we look beyond November to see how it could shape all future elections as political parties work to manipulate the system in order to leave nothing to chance.
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  The everyday tech helping to prevent disasters 07.10.2026 25хв

  For International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (13 October), we are finding out how technology can help prevent disasters, save lives and help rescuers. In Argentina, we meet Franco Rodríguez Viau whose family friends lost their home in a fire, inspiring him to find a way of tracking wildfires. He was just a teenager when he began developing an app that combines Nasa satellite imagery with other data sources to identify and intercept fires before they become unmanageable. Meanwhile in Colombia, podcasters and sound engineers tell us about using their specialist recording equipment and live analysis of sound to detect breathing and tapping beneath earthquake rubble, helping rescuers locate survivors.
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  Saving young men from murder: The Homeboy story 06.10.2026 26хв

  British Psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, who has spent a lifetime working with violence perpetrators, visits Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang rehabilitation in the world. It offers, training, education, therapy and other services, was set up by a Jesuit Priest, Father Gregory Boyle. It was his response to the so-called “decade of death,” in the late 1980s, as his neighbourhood was terrorised by gang violence. Today, 40 years on, it has been called one of the most successful gang rehabilitation organisations in the world. Talking to Father Boyle and several former gang members, Dr Adshead explores the Home Boy model of rehabilitation and asks if something similar could work in other parts of the world.
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  Bonds: Heroes or villains? 05.10.2026 17хв

  With the cost of Government debt hitting its highest for many decades across the world, we explore how the world became so dependent on bonds, those IOUs from governments and firms that helped build the modern economy. Bonds are often dismissed as a dull corner of finance, but behind the scenes they have played a central role in major economic dramas around the world. We hear about their history, how they have shaped companies and countries, and why some fear the bond market could trigger the next global meltdown.
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  Syria’s justice in absentia 04.10.2026 41хв

  With perpetrators in exile, closure is out of reach. As Syria’s new authorities seek to hold figures of the former regime accountable, questions remain over the fate of Bashar al-Assad. The former president and members of his inner circle were granted asylum in Russia after a rebel offensive drove him from power in 2024. The transition ushered in a new chapter for Syria, raising hopes for justice, after decades of repression. The Global Jigsaw assesses the obstacles standing in the way of accountability, justice and closure. Can victims of Assad’s brutal reign find redress when some of the regime’s most notorious figures remain beyond the reach of Syrian courts? Find out more about BBC Monitoring on our website: https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/Contributors: Tess Mallinder Heron, Clare Denning, Feras Kilani, Amalia Zatari Producer: Clare Denning, Tess Mallinder Heron, Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
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  'Renting is such a struggle' 03.10.2026 24хв

  We bring people together from around the world who are struggling to find somewhere affordable to live. We hear from Spain where the eviction of an 87-year-old woman has led to widespread protests, highlighting the country’s housing crisis. Young people in Ireland, Nigeria and India share their experiences of the difficulties they face finding a home, and 26-year-old Adam in the UK tells us about moving back in with his parents. “It leaves you quite dreamless, you haven’t really got anything you’re working towards,” he explains.
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  The miracle doctor of Lourdes 02.10.2026 26хв

  The French town of Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics – this year even welcoming the Pope. This shrine in the Pyrenees Mountains is the site of miracles and Christian fervour, where the young shepherdess Bernadette Soubirous saw 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary and where many people believe they have been miraculously healed. The Feast of the Assumption is the most important date in the Lourdes calendar, when tens of thousands travel from all over the world, to drink and wash in the shrine’s water, and sing and pray in huge candle-lit processions behind the white statue of the Virgin Mary. John Laurenson has joined them to hear stories of the faithful, and to meet a woman whose job description is unique in the world. Dr Giana Monami investigates miracles. Her ‘Bureau de Constatation’ brings the cold analysis of science to claims of instant, otherwise-inexplicable, permanent healings. There have been 72 so far. Dr Monami talks about her investigations and the other miracles that happen here. Those that are healed in their hearts. That find God. That end addictions. And there is another Lourdes miracle: the extraordinary solidarity shown by the thousands of mostly-very young ‘hospitalier’ volunteers who help the sick and disabled people who come – also in their thousands – to turn their pain into joy and their suffering into hope
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  West Africa's Ebola outbreak: 10 years on 01.10.2026 26хв

  Ten years on from the Ebola outbreak which tore through West Africa, journalist Tulip Mazumdar reconnects with survivors, healthcare workers and volunteers she met when reporting extensively from the frontline. The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak killed over 11,000. The epidemic exposed how unprepared the world was for fast-moving outbreaks - and how quickly they could spiral out of control. Ordinary people took action and managed to contain the virus. In 2026, Ebola is back in the headlines as the Bundibugyo strain spreads in the DRC. What have we learnt about science communication, pandemic preparedness and grief in the last decade, that can help us today?
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  The joy of walking 30.09.2026 23хв

  How something as simple as a walk can improve our wellbeing, sharpen our thinking and bring communities closer together. We try out an innovative walking map of the UK on a journey through London, then head to the United States and Hungary, where doctors are leading walks to build stronger relationships with their patients.
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  Nepal: In the shadow of a glacier 29.09.2026 28хв

  As Nepal deals with the aftermath of devastating floods, there have been renewed warnings about the impact of climate change on the Himalayas. As temperatures have risen, glaciers across the region have shrunk and the landscape has become more unstable. Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent reports from one remote Nepalese mountain community that faces an existential threat from a melting glacier. The ancient village of Halji, near the Tibetan border, is home to a thousand year-old Buddhist monastery, one of the oldest in Nepal. But high above the village, meltwater has created glacial lakes . In 2011, parts of the village were destroyed when a glacial lake burst and sent a torrent of water and rocks down the valley. Other communities in the area have abandoned their homes, yet here villagers remain. So why are they determined to stay?
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  Can Route 66 towns survive on nostalgia? 28.09.2026 19хв

  We head west along America's famed Route 66. As the road celebrates its 100th birthday, Victoria Craig finds out whether the pull of neon-drenched nostalgia is still attracting visitors and whether new investment can secure the future of the towns that depend on it.