The Documentary Podcast

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

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. The best of documentary storytelling from the BBC World Service. From China’s state-backed overseas spending, to on the road with Canada’s Sikh truckers, to the front line of the climate emergency, we go beyond the headlines. Each week we dive into the minds of the world’s most creative people, take personal journeys into spirituality and connect people from across the globe to share how news stories are shaping their lives.

Categories: Society & Culture

Listen to the last episode:

*** This episode contains scenes of violence and descriptions you may find upsetting *** Eyewitnesses from a city in Iran describe how armed forces loyal to the Islamic regime killed countless protesters in a lethal crackdown on demonstrations earlier this year. Seen through the eyes of people who were in Isfahan, this programme pieces together a snapshot of events from the 8-9 January. That is when huge numbers of people took to the streets to protest decades of oppression and call for an end to the Islamic Republic. Thousands of people across the country were killed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's armed forces. The regime blamed the bloodshed on what it called rioters and street terrorists backed by the country's enemies. The UN has called for an independent investigation. However, any prospect of clarity about what happened is at risk of being overshadowed by the current conflict engulfing Iran. The first waves of US and Israeli military strikes on Iran killed Ali Khamenei. There are reports of hundreds of civilian casualties too on a population that’s already paid a heavy human price for standing up to the regime.

Previous episodes

  • 5136 - Forty-eight hours in Isfahan 
    Thu, 05 Mar 2026
  • 5135 - Namibia’s hydrogen superpower dream 
    Wed, 04 Mar 2026
  • 5134 - Can Syria’s Kurds save their women’s revolution? 
    Tue, 03 Mar 2026
  • 5133 - Kwan Pun Leung: The image creator of nature 
    Mon, 02 Mar 2026
  • 5132 - Rewriting a revolution 
    Sun, 01 Mar 2026
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