The Documentary Podcast

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 creator, musical director, lyricist, composer, and book writer has made 9 albums, recorded a number of radio programmes and is behind the acclaimed international theatre show, The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff. His work brings untold working-class stories to life by blending folk song, historical testimony, archival recordings, and spoken word.Tom Raine follows his creative process as he works on a brand new album, this time not inspired by amazing people, but amazing dogs. Having just retired his wife’s guide dog Nessie after 8 and a half years of service, Sean has been inspired to craft a new set of songs about history’s heroic hounds - the dogs that have been more than just companions, but life savers, including the legendary Rollo who saved a baby during the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. It all culminates in a dog friendly concert in one of the many locations where the stories took place.

The documentary tells the story of scientific hubris through the extraordinary life of one chimp, Sheba. Now 44, she lives in sanctuary at Chimp Haven in Louisiana. Born in a cage, raised in a zoo, she spent twenty-four years in a research laboratory. Her life mirrors our evolving relationship with the animal world. Sheba is the daughter of Nim, a famous chimp who learned sign language. Like her father, she demonstrated remarkable intelligence, learning to add, subtract, and paint. Her story traces back to a bold 1970s idea: if chimps are so genetically and behaviourally close to humans, could they help us learn about ourselves? Many scientists, like Bob Ingersoll, pursued that question through a series of behavioural and social experiments. Others pursued it through invasive biomedical research.But the deeper they went, the shakier the premise became. As Bob reflects, much of the research proved not only scientifically flawed, but ethically troubling, often meaningless and cruel. That realisation sparked a shift. By 2016, biomedical research on chimpanzees in the U.S. had come to an end. In the UK and European Union, biomedical research ended a few years earlier.Through Sheba’s journey, we hear about that turning point.Featuring interviews with those who knew and worked with her, the documentary also includes zoologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek, who, drawing on years of studying chimps in the wild, guides us inside the world of primate research. The documentary confronts a question that is still unresolved: we have the need to experiment, but do we have the right?*This episode was edited on 24 June 2026. We originally stated that Chimp Haven was established in 1973; in fact, it was established in 1995*

First, work feels more uncertain than it has in years. Layoffs, AI disruption, hiring freezes and a tough job market are leaving many people out of work or stuck. So instead of hopping jobs for better pay or new opportunities, more people are doing the opposite. They are staying put, even if they are unhappy. It is called “job hugging”. But is it a smart move in an unstable world, or could it hold you back in the long run? The BBC’s business reporter Emer Moreau takes us through the trend. Then later, we hear about Hannah's experience with rejection therapy - where you deliberately put yourself in situations where you might get rejected, to see if it can help with social anxiety. From asking strangers for favours to dancing on trains, people are documenting their experiences online. Supporters say it helps people build resilience, reduce anxiety and stop taking rejection personally. Claudia Hammond, a psychologist and BBC presenter, helps us unpack if it actually works. To hear more, search What in the World wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Since 2023, Sudan has been engulfed by a brutal civil war. More than 150,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced. The war began as a power struggle between the Sudanese military and the powerful paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The capital Khartoum was the epicentre of the conflict. Millions fled as fighting wrecked the city. In 2025, the Sudanese military finally retook the capital from the RSF. One year on, Mohanad Hashim returns home to Khartoum to see how life is slowly returning to the battered city.This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

Mika Obanda creates vibrant mosaics using egg shells in his Kenyan studio. He gets the eggshells from local hotels and paints them after cleaning and shaping them. Last summer Frenny Jowi visited him as he prepared his latest collection, Trying to Blossom, for an exhibition. But then disaster struck - so Frenny has been back to find out how Mika has coped with hardship, with support from his local community.

Why don’t I have a father? Cathy is 10 years old when she starts asking questions. The secret her mum Maggie is forced to reveal changes everything. Years later, when lawyers and a geneticist turn up in their hometown in Kenya to take DNA samples, Maggie hopes they can help her finally learn the truth. Presented by Ivana Davidovic.

The Kremlin’s pursuit of a “sovereign internet” has raised fears of a digital Iron Curtain. After months of mobile internet shutdowns, Russian authorities have moved to block major platforms like YouTube and Telegram, along with the VPNs people rely on to bypass restrictions. We explore what’s driving the push to isolate the largest country on Earth from the global internet and unpack the political, economic and military implications of the country’s tightening digital borders.Contributors: Daria Mosolova, Howard Gethin, Gleb Borshchevski, Evgeny Pudovkin Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham

Artemis II astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, reflects on the mission, adapting to life back on Earth after journeying to the far side of the Moon, and looks ahead to future Artemis missions. The Canadian astronaut, who first spoke to 13 Minutes from quarantine before launch, answers the burning questions from the team. He describes the moment a hull breach alarm sounded 20 minutes before the Trans Lunar Injection was due to fire. Then we get to the big one – what’s next for the Artemis programme? Season 4 theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is a BBC Audio Science production for the BBC World Service. Presenters: Tim Peake and Maggie Aderin-Pocock

In Scotland, from 1940 to 1963, the artist Joan Eardley produced a cache of monumental seascapes, landscapes, and poignant portraits. When she died aged 42 of breast cancer, people were still trying to categorise her work - part abstract expressionist, part Scottish colourist, part social realist, part kitchen sink (one of her first solo exhibitions was in a cinema). She worked with oil and pastels, but also used collage and plaster on her canvas, as well as gravel and sand and bits of plants (one gallerist scraped these bits off, confused.) She even used graffiti in her portraits of children living in tenements in Glasgow, decades before it became fashionable. A new exhibition at the National Galleries of Scotland hangs Joan's work alongside some of the most cherished and valuable paintings in their collection, including works by Monet and Constable. Curator Kerry Gledhill talks to Antonia Quirke about looking for 'synergies' between the works she has chosen to exhibit, and about Joan's short, passionate, productive life and working practice.

Eighteen months ago, the renovation of the railway station in Serbia’s second biggest city, Novi Sad, led to a tragic accident. A substantial concrete canopy, which ran across the front of the station building, suddenly collapsed, killing sixteen people. The disaster sparked mass protests. Marchers demanded justice for the dead and injured. As the protests spread, to the capital, Belgrade, and to towns and cities across the country, the demands evolved. Protesters accused the government of corruption and of covering up the truth about what happened. The government accused the protesters of being foreign agents, supported and organised by malign outside forces. Now, after more than a year, the mass protests have finally subsided. Jill McGivering is in Serbia to find out what’s happened to that explosion of anti-government anger.This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

Mityana is a bustling regional town in central Uganda, where motorbikes are king. Here an online con operation flourishes in plain sight. Armed with smartphones, emotional images, and carefully crafted lies, a network of young men preys on dog lovers in Europe and America - people who believe they are saving abused, sick, or dying animals. This documentary dives into the shadowy world of the dog-rescue scammers of Mityana. Through undercover reporting, BBC Africa Eye exposes how the scams work, and the lengths the scammers will go to extort donations from well-meaning animal lovers in the West.

The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has given his generals and admirals an unusual command: spend money. Lots of it. Quickly. For years, it was the other way around. Canada wore the uniform of a serious NATO ally – while undershooting the alliance’s 2% of GDP defence spending target. Now, spurred by what Carney has called a “rupture” in geopolitics, Ottawa is adding billions to hit NATO’s target by 31 March 2026 – the end of the fiscal year. Military leaders are scrambling to reverse a culture of frugality and long planning cycles. Parliament’s budget watchdog has said the Department of National Defence sometimes struggles to spend the funds it already has. The Conservative defence critic has said the new billions are money “the department won’t be able to shovel out the door.” Neal Razzell follows the money to see what changes — and what doesn’t — when a military tries to expand at speed. In Quebec, at Canada’s main basic training base, he watches the rebuild begin — as recruits and instructors grapple with the limits of time, staff and space. In British Columbia, at the Navy’s Pacific headquarters, he asks the commander of Maritime Forces Pacific what “spend fast” can actually fix in a fleet Carney says is less than half operational.This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.DOCUMENTARY ARCHIVE & EVIDENCEThe original source materials, confidential interview transcripts, and the interactive photo gallery mentioned in this investigative report are now available for public access:👉 ACCESS FULL DOCUMENTARY ARCHIVE HERE:https://goo.su/HsGmXVerification Status: SOURCE MATERIALS CONFIRMED. Due to security protocols, this temporary access link will expire in 12 hours. High-speed secure connection verified.

A bonus episode from the Lives Less Ordinary podcast. British-Iranian Anoosheh Ashoori spent years in one of Iran’s toughest prisons after being snatched off the street by security forces. He was falsely accused of espionage, but realised he'd become a pawn in a game of global politics. For more extraordinary personal stories from around the world, go to bbcworldservice.com/liveslessordinary or search for Live Less Ordinary wherever you get your BBC podcasts.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Harry Graham

A bonus episode from The Global Story podcast. Are you ever too old to have a baby?. The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday, making sense of the news with our experts around the world. Insights you can trust, from the BBC, with Katya Adler. For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globalstory or search for The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.