Rephonic
Artwork for The Documentary Podcast

The Documentary Podcast

BBC World Service
China
Artificial Intelligence
United States
Russia
Belarus
Ukraine
Ebola
Brexit
South Africa
Penalty Shootout
Gaza
United Kingdom
Beyonce Knowles
Jamaican Revivalism
Afghan Refugees
BBC World Service
Sierra Leone
Dementia
Afghanistan
Ireland

The best documentaries from the BBC World Service. Hear the voices at the heart of global stories. Where curious minds can uncover hidden truths and make sense of the world. From the Chinese export boom, to Malawi's food security, to the fading influence of Russia's oligarchs, we go beyond the headlines. Each week, all year round, we bring you the stories shaping our world. From the personal voice... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes2000Founded21 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
DocumentarySociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Documentary Podcast

Latest Episodes

An estimated 1.4 million people, around two thirds of Gaza's population, live in some form of tent or temporary structure. Last weekend’s heavy rain flooded tens of thousands of these makeshift homes, leaving some people without any shelter at all. A... more

High in the mountains outside Madrid stands the Valley of Cuelgamuros (formerly know as the Valley of the Fallen), a huge memorial site commissioned by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1940, at the end of the Spanish Civil War, where tens of ... more

China appears determined to acquire America’s most advanced computing technology – but how far might it go to get it? Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has resigned after publicly acknowledging having an affair, amid reports raising questions about whether the... more

The contest for technological supremacy, paving the way to future wars of algorithms. Across the skies of Ukraine and Russia, an arms race is unfolding in real time. Earlier this summer it seemed Ukraine had the edge when it delivered drone strikes d... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The Inquiry
The InquiryBBC World Service
Global News Podcast
Global News PodcastBBC World Service
Witness History
Witness HistoryBBC World Service
Lives Less Ordinary
Lives Less OrdinaryBBC World Service

Recent Guests

Will McBain
Works on river daylighting projects for engineering company Arup
Arup
Episode: River rebound
Malo Patron
Artist tracing the buried Bièvre's path through Paris in chalk
Episode: River rebound
Helen Cavalier
Vice Director of Collections at Mobilier National
Mobilier National
Episode: River rebound
Ingun Lee
Professor and former Seoul city government construction director for the restoration project
Episode: River rebound
Simon Ogden
Retired town planner and chair of the Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust
Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust
Episode: River rebound
David Quist
Co-founder of Gnome, developing koji-based protein from industrial byproducts
Gnome
Episode: Japan’s next meal?
Yuki Hanyu
Scientist and founder of the Shoujin Meat Project and Integra Culture
Integra Culture
Episode: Japan’s next meal?
Naka Okazaki
Member of the Shoujin Meat Project who grows cultured meat at home
Shoujin Meat Project
Episode: Japan’s next meal?
Rachel Sanderson
Journalist who worked for Reuters in Italy
Reuters
Episode: Recommending - Inheritance: Fiat

Host

BBC World Service Hosts
Diverse BBC World Service reporters and program hosts who contribute to the documentary and current affairs slate.

Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars from 7.5k ratings
  • Very educative and wide reaching.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Damilola Olawuyi
    16 days ago
  • An excellent sampling of what the BBC has to offer, ranging from current affairs to spiritual and religious podcasts. Recommended.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    TrinityWildcat
    a month ago
  • Blah-blah

    Let’s talk about anything under the sun other than the fact of a genocide for which we manufactured consent.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    here-to-read
    South Africa2 months ago
  • Terrific series, but COMMERCIALS!

    Love this series, but as a paying subscriber to BBC World Service, why am I hearing annoying commercials? Minus 4 stars.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Saurolophus
    United States3 months ago
  • Informative but sadly all the ads seem to be from ARAMCO (big oil) lately

    Great episodes about protecting wildlife, nature, etc. …sponsored by big oil and hacksawed journalists. #BRAVO !!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Tolga M
    United States5 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some reviews critique perceived propaganda or imbalance in certain topics.
Mixed feedback about ads and perceived bias in some episodes.
Many highlight global relevance and diverse voices as strengths.
Listeners praise in-depth storytelling and credible sourcing.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Rebranding sleep apnoea
Q: What is the difference between sleep apnea and ordinary snoring?
Lindsay Browning explains that snoring involves vibration from partially obstructed tissue while breathing continues. With obstructive sleep apnoea, breathing pauses; loud snoring can be a sign of the condition.
Rebranding sleep apnoea
Q: At what point did you work out in your life there was an issue with getting proper sleep?
Cheryl Diamond says she had struggled with tiredness and severe snoring since childhood, but was diagnosed at 41 after raising the effect of her snoring on her marriage. CPAP treatment later transformed her energy and sleep.
Can businesses trust AI?
Q: And what would your advice be to those businesses?
Gary Marcus recommends moderating expectations, double-checking everything and not rushing to adopt AI before it demonstrates a reliable return on investment.
Can businesses trust AI?
Q: What is it about these large language models, as AI is often called, that make it hallucinate like this?
JV Roig says models are trained both to align with facts and to be helpful, and those goals can conflict. They predict likely next words from imperfect training data, so they may produce plausible answers instead of admitting uncertainty.
Japan’s next meal?
Q: But Craig, let's also talk about money, because I'm assuming this will be more expensive for people to buy.
Langren says producing a kilogram currently costs $80 to $200 and would need to become about ten times cheaper, though costs may fall as the technology develops.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Documentary Podcast

What is The Documentary Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The episode catalog suggests a documentary-style program that covers global issues through on-the-ground reporting, expert interviews, and human-interest voices. Topics span global health, technology, climate, culture, and international affairs, with a strong emphasis on firsthand storytelling, corroborated context, and investigative framing. Standout elements include deep dives into underreported crises, ethical debates around technology and power, and rich narratives that connect policy to personal lives. The show appears to mix scholarly analysis with accessible storytelling, making complex topics approachable for curious, civically engaged listeners who value credible journalism and global perspectives.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Documentary Podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Documentary Podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Documentary Podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Documentary Podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Documentary Podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Documentary Podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Documentary Podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Documentary Podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Documentary Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Documentary Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Documentary Podcast:

1. The Inquiry
2. Global News Podcast
3. The Audio Long Read
4. Witness History
5. Lives Less Ordinary

How many episodes of The Documentary Podcast are there?

The Documentary Podcast launched 21 years ago and published 2000 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Documentary Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Documentary Podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Documentary Podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Documentary Podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Documentary Podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Documentary Podcast?

Recent guests on The Documentary Podcast include:

1. Will McBain
2. Malo Patron
3. Helen Cavalier
4. Ingun Lee
5. Simon Ogden
6. David Quist
7. Yuki Hanyu
8. Naka Okazaki

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days