An indepth look at stories and issues from around the world. This podcast offers you the chance to access landmark series from our archive.
Episodes available:
Indefinitely 
Thu, 13 Jun 13
Duration:
27 mins
Rob Walker investigates a mysterious death in London’s suburbia. Its the story of one’s man desperate search for a better life. A story that spans two continents and 8 countries.
Tue, 11 Jun 13
Duration:
27 mins
1/4. Does the internet mean the end of the daily newspaper?
Thu, 6 Jun 13
Duration:
27 mins
In this intimate, revealing programme, Lina Sinjab combines dramatic scenes and interview material with a personal audio diary as she reports on the Syrian conflict.
Tue, 4 Jun 13
Duration:
28 mins
The rise - and legacy - of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. How did this provincial politician with a PhD in traffic management came to take on Iran's ruling clerics?
Thu, 30 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Heroes and villains in Azerbaijan and what they tell us about national identity there. Damien McGuinness reports from the former Soviet republic.
Tue, 28 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Egypt’s youth were at the forefront of the revolutionary protests in Tahrir Square in 2011. Two years on has revolution made their lives better and how do they see the future?
Sun, 26 May 13
Duration:
50 mins
While the low tax bills of Google, Starbucks and Amazon trigger political uproar, Michael Robinson shows how aggressive tax-avoidance helps power the spread of global companies.
Thu, 23 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Many of America’s mass killers have had mental health problems yet America is a country where millions who are mentally ill go without treatment and have easy access to guns.
Tue, 21 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Shaimaa accompanies a young revolutionary back to his home town to see whether the revolution is likely to change anything so far from Cairo.
Thu, 16 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Tim Franks meets Romario - Brazil's World Cup-winning footballer, turned serious politician. Is this a genuine transformation for one of the country's notorious celebrity bad-boys?
Tue, 14 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Can Egypt’s police force rebuild its reputation and will the army stay out of politics? Shaimaa Khalil get special access to Egypt’s Police Academy and speaks to those close to the army.
Thu, 9 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Rob Walker returns to the port of Takoradi, the hub for Ghana’s new oil industry, to find out what difference oil has made to its residents.
Tue, 7 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Shaimaa Khalil examines the state of Egypt’s economy two years after its revolution. Then people were calling for bread, freedom and social justice – have those demands been met?
Thu, 2 May 13
Duration:
27 mins
Mobeen Azhar investigates violence against Pakistan’s Hazara minority in the city of Quetta.
Tue, 30 Apr 13
Duration:
27 mins
Shaimaa Khalil listens to the new voices of the Egyptian revolution. Under President Mubarak the media was restricted – all that’s changed but it’s presenting new challenges.
Thu, 25 Apr 13
Duration:
24 mins
Few dare to speak out in Belarus but the opposition has found a way of making it’s voice heard in neighbouring Lithuania.
Tue, 23 Apr 13
Duration:
27 mins
As Egypt struggles with its new democracy, Shaimaa Khalil examines the dramatic challenges facing post revolutionary Egypt.
Sat, 20 Apr 13
Duration:
24 mins
Top chief executives - including Lenovo's Chairman Liu Chuanzhi and Sir Martin Sorrell of WPP - talk about their values, their dreams and how they hope to lead their companies to success in the 21st century.
Thu, 18 Apr 13
Duration:
24 mins
In many parts of Mexico, insecurity has become the principle preoccupation for most people. Linda Pressly meets the self-defence groups who are taking the law into their own hands.
Sat, 13 Apr 13
Duration:
28 mins
Mark Dowd travels to Argentina to probe the background of the new Pope.
Thu, 11 Apr 13
Duration:
24 mins
Ukraine is second only to Russia in having the highest infection rates in Europe. Lucy Ash travels to Kyiv and Odessa to see why fighting HIV is so difficult in Ukraine.
Tue, 9 Apr 13
Duration:
27 mins
Sarfraz Manzoor tells the story of the African American cowboys. How did they get airbrushed out of movies and history books?
Thu, 4 Apr 13
Duration:
24 mins
Simon Cox finds out from employees and executives at the now defunct Laiki Bank how billions handed out in bad loans created a financial time-bomb.
Sat, 30 Mar 13
Duration:
50 mins
Penny Dale travels to Tanzania to explore the state of science and technology in one of Africa's poorest countries – through the eyes of its female scientists.
Thu, 28 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
Informants play a key role in the US justice system. But there are few regulations about how ‘snitches’ are used. Assignment investigates the growing calls to reform the system.
Tue, 26 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
The music of refugee camps of the Saharawi people in Algeria and their efforts to bring their forgotten plight to international attention with a new studio in the desert.
Sat, 23 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
As the number of cars on the road increases, how can they be developed to prevent global gridlock and increased pollution? Theo Leggett investigates.
Thu, 21 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
How an internet dance craze has become a sometimes violent battleground between conservatives and liberals in Tunisia. Neal Razzell reporting.
Tue, 19 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
Will a sophisticated revolution in online teaching - from the best universities on the planet - meet the shortage of higher education across the world?
Sat, 16 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
People with ideas flock to Silicon Valley, where innovation and invention are celebrated and investors are willing to take a chance on the next big thing.
Thu, 14 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
The families of those who disappeared during Nepal’s civil war demand answers and justice. But, as Joanna Jolly reports politicians from both sides prefer to bury the past.
Tue, 12 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
Hugh Sykes visits the Marsh Arabs and Basra, occupied by British forces for six years. How has life changed for them since the fall of Saddam Hussein?
Sat, 9 Mar 13
Duration:
50 mins
Neil Trevithick and Kirsti Melville drive south from the Kimberley into the even-larger area of the Pilbara which has been heavily mined for more than 50 years. If there are any lessons to be learnt about the good and the bad that mining brings to country and community, then it is in the Pilbara.
Sat, 9 Mar 13
Duration:
50 mins
As the future world faces huge changes in everything from family size to opportunities for women and length of life, how far are individuals in control? Shakespearean drama meets surprising statistics as Chris Bowlby investigates.
Fri, 8 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
Dee Dee Myers, former White House Press Secretary to Bill Clinton, looks at the US State Department – it's had three female heads in the last 15 years – how has that changed the culture of the organisation?
Thu, 7 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
Every year thousands of young men and women make the treacherous journey from Eritrea to Egypt via Sudan. Many fall victim to unscrupulous people traffickers. Mike Thomson reports.
Tue, 5 Mar 13
Duration:
24 mins
How have Iraqis' lives changed in the 10 years since an invasion toppled Saddam Hussein? Hugh Sykes investigates.
Sun, 3 Mar 13
Duration:
50 mins
The story of a photograph, a mother who died young and the desire to honour those we’ve loved and lost.
Sat, 2 Mar 13
Duration:
50 mins
Neil Trevithick and Kirsti Melville journey across Western Australia to a pristine promontary called James Price Point, 60km north of the small resort town of Broome, to hear how the indigenous population is at odds with the huge industrial destructive non-replenishing nature of mining.
Thu, 28 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
A separatist group on Kenya’s coast is calling on voters there to boycott the upcoming elections. How credible a threat will they pose to the next Kenyan government?
Tue, 26 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
How Hurricane Sandy prompted New York and other coastal cities to face the reality of rising sea levels.
Sat, 23 Feb 13
Duration:
50 mins
February marks the centenary of the birth of Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, is celebrated as the birth of the civil rights movement in the USA. Max Easterman offers a unique portrait of the woman who inspired Martin Luther King and civil rights activism across the world.
Thu, 21 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
The family may be central to Italian business life, but many economists believe that Nepotism is also holding the country back
Wed, 20 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
How does it feel to be part of ending someone's life? Liz Carr talks to the doctors and volunteers who conduct assisted suicide and enable people to die.
Tue, 19 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
It is possible to balance the right of the individual who wants to die with the responsibility of society to protect those who don't? Liz Carr visits Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg to find out.
Mon, 18 Feb 13
Duration:
28 mins
How do men treat women when they are out for a night? Five young women compare experiences in Kampala, Ottawa, Rio, Ramallah and Melbourne.
Mon, 18 Feb 13
Duration:
50 mins
What kind of Pope does the Catholic Church need? A conservative or a reformer? Dan Damon joins Vatican experts and religious leaders to examine the future of the papacy.
Sat, 16 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
Nine short stories from around the world, looking at who we fall in love with, the way we do it now, and how it's changing.
Thu, 14 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
Tom Esslemont investigates why assassinations are happening in Corsica and why so few of them have been solved.
Tue, 12 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
Drowning is the cause of a quarter of a million child fatalities every year. Mark Whitaker reports from Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Sat, 9 Feb 13
Duration:
41 mins
Kim Ghattas analyses Hillary Clinton’s record as America’s chief diplomat and conducts an in-depth interview about her past, present and future.
Thu, 7 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
Jill McGivering investigates health clinics in rural India where thousands of unregulated private clinics are accused of performing unnecessary hysterectomies.
Tue, 5 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
A mobile health clinic called Phelophepa (meaning good, clean health) is a permanently staffed train that brings healthcare to remote rural regions of South Africa.
Sat, 2 Feb 13
Duration:
24 mins
Could test tube or laboratory-reared chicken ever replace meat from birds? And how to vaccinate a chick before it hatches.
Thu, 31 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Why are so many children from Europe’s biggest ethnic minority – the Roma – being taken into local authority care in Britain? Simon Cox travels to the north of England to find out
Tue, 29 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Meet the people learning English from scratch in the UK. Many of them are immigrants or refugees from countries who arrive with little English and quickly have to adapt.
Sun, 27 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Chicken farming dates back 10,000 years and produces 50 billion chickens to eat each year. Susie Emmett meets the people behind the global poultry business.
Thu, 24 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
A little over a year after Gaddafi's death, writer and journalist, Justin Marozzi, asks if this fractured country can come together again.
Tue, 22 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Could better financial education be the key to providing for African footballers in their retirement?
Sat, 19 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Amy Cordell's family still cleaves to the ancient traditions of her Bukharian grandparents who were once part of a 95,000-strong community of Jews, living in Uzbekistan.
Thu, 17 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Rustam Qobil travels to remote border villages in Tajikistan to find out how communities are being affected by the drugs trade from Afghanistan.
Tue, 15 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Why do so many African football stars go from rags to riches - and back to rags again? Farayi Mungazi is in Africa to find out.
Mon, 14 Jan 13
Duration:
54 mins
Oyneg Shabbat was the contemporaneous and clandestine project to record the history, life and death of the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw during World War II.
Sun, 13 Jan 13
Duration:
50 mins
A guide to Burma’s extraordinary year. What are the challenges for 2013? James Menedez and Soe Win Than presents Changing Burma.
Sat, 12 Jan 13
Duration:
42 mins
Is it true that Americans hate paying tax? Owen Bennett-Jones explores the reasons why there appears to be such widespread and fierce resistance to taxation.
Thu, 10 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Natalia Antelava investigates the trafficking of girls within India for sale into marriage or prostitution. Listeners may find some parts of this programme disturbing.
Tue, 8 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Since 1989, the EU's centre of gravity has shifted from Western Europe - in particular France and Germany - eastwards to former Eastern bloc countries such as Poland. Why?
Thu, 3 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
In Japan the majority of crimes are solved by the use of confessions. But there’s growing concern that too many of these confessions are forced and unsound. Mariko Oi investigates. Nina Robinson producing.
Tue, 1 Jan 13
Duration:
24 mins
Governments, companies and criminals do it. But in recent years some of the highest profile computer hacks have come from hacktivist groups. Who are they and what motivates them?
Thu, 27 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
New democratic freedoms are allowing farmers to protest as companies grab their land for agriculture and land. Lucy Ash reporting.
Tue, 25 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
Does the Bollywood film industry need to broaden its fanbase to appeal to international, non-Indian audiences to survive in the future?
Sat, 22 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
A look at the unique narratives and symbolism of the lullabies of the Arab world, which are a form of self-expression for women.
Thu, 20 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
El Salvador's violent street gangs have made a truce. The murder rate has plummeted, and quality of life for many Salvadorans has improved dramatically. But can it last?
Tue, 18 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
After 100 years of Bollywood cinematic magic, how are filmmakers dealing with India's diverging audiences and wildly different expectations?
Sat, 15 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
A powerful memorial to the bravery of an ordinary man Leigh Pitt, who saved a boy from drowning but did not himself survive.
Thu, 13 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
The IMF is threatening to throw Argentina out of the Fund if it doesn’t start reporting credible figures for inflation.
Tue, 11 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
Many ex-offenders in the US leave prison indebted to the courts. Why do one in five people in Philadelphia owe around $1.5 billion in criminal court debt?
Sat, 8 Dec 12
Duration:
50 mins
For 95 years, the âAnzac Legendâ has been at the heart of Australiaâs national identity. Through a government-sponsored programme of commemoration and education, Australians are taught that part of their identity was forged on the battlefields of Europe, the Gallipoli peninsula and in South-East Asia throughout the twentieth century. Sharon Mascal asks what Anzac means today.
Sat, 8 Dec 12
Duration:
50 mins
Sol River talks to James Meredith, who walked into history as the first black student at the University of Mississippi in 1962.
Thu, 6 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
Linda Pressly investigates why rape and sexual abuse is so common in America's huge prison system - and asks if new measures to fight it will succeed.
Tue, 4 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
John Simpson looks back at the chemical weapons attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja, unleashed by Saddam Hussein in 1988. What hope and justice can a new scientific investigation offer to the families of those 5000 civilians who lost their lives?
Sat, 1 Dec 12
Duration:
24 mins
Exploring lullabies from around the world and their role in child development.
Thu, 29 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
In many remote areas of Afghanistan – where few foreign journalists have access - it’s the Kalashnikov rather than the ballot box that dictates who holds power.
Tue, 27 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
The largest Iranian community outside Iran can be found in the heart of LA. What is that diaspora's story? Iranian stand-up comedian and actor Maz Jobrani begins his journey on Westwood Boulevard, a street lined with Iranian stores, restaurants, beauty salons, cafes and businesses, where everyone speaks Farsi and all the shop signs are in Persian.
Thu, 22 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
Nina Robinson investigates whether the government of Trinidad and Tobago's initiative to get more people involved in sport can reduce the country’s high rates of crime.
Tue, 20 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
What does it take to get people in the rich world engaged in the issue of global poverty? How can you avoid cliché, sentimentality and callousness? What stops people turning off?
Thu, 15 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
Andrew Harding joins Mohamed Ahmed Noor who, by request of the president, has returned with his wife and family from a life in London to try and clean up Mogadishu.
Tue, 13 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
Rob Broomby explores how British universities are adapting to commercial times and asks if significant donations could distort the academic agenda.
Sat, 10 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
Phil Maguire, Chief Executive of the Prison Radio Association (PRA), reports on the launch of Rise Maximum Radio, based inside Trinidad and Tobago's Maximum Security Prison and hears this remarkable radio station's first moments on-air.
Thu, 8 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
How exemption from conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jews is exposing Israel's fault lines. Linda Pressly reports.
Tue, 6 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
Across the developed world, government funding for universities is drying up. That means universities are having to seek finance elsewhere. Princeton University is the master at getting money from former students. Rob Broomby hears concerns about how donations are changing academic priorities.
Sat, 3 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
In Japan people believe that your blood type - or ketsueki-gata - defines your temperament and personality. What implications does this have for life, work and love?
Thu, 1 Nov 12
Duration:
24 mins
Tim Whewell gets rare access to a rebel held town in northern Syria.
Tue, 30 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
The series History Lessons for China's New Leaders recalls some of the most important stories from Chinese history. In part 2 Carrie Gracie looks at the lessons from history as seen by the Chinese people.
Sat, 27 Oct 12
Duration:
54 mins
The tragic story of African migrants who fled fighting in Libya on an inflatable boat.
Thu, 25 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
The island monastery of Valaam in northern Russia is a beacon for orthodox believers and a favourite of President Putin. But all is not well with the island's inhabitants.
Tue, 23 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
The series History Lessons for China's New Leaders recalls some of the most important stories from Chinese history. In part 1 on the eve of the 18th Communist Party Congress, Carrie Gracie looks at lessons from history for China’s new leaders.
Sat, 20 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
Meet Muhammad Idrees Idrees, the man who overstayed his Indian visa and was stripped of his nationality and identity.
Thu, 18 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
Episode 2: Power and Foreign Policy - How do America's presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney believe the US should interact with the rest of the world?
Tue, 16 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
America's presidential election campaign is now in its closing stages. The leaders of the two parties - Barack Obama and Mitt Romney - have very different ideas for America. What is each candidate's ideological vision for the future?
Sat, 13 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
Alan Dein attempts to cross the world on a late-night excursion via Facebook and Skype.
Fri, 12 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
What does the collapse in Iran's currency mean for ordinary people and the regime? Pooneh Ghoddoosi reports.
Thu, 11 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
** Please note this programme contains a description of a medical circumcision ** As the German government proposes to make religious circumcision explicitly legal, Stephen Evans talks to the people - Jews and Muslim - who do it; to the lawyer who wants it banned and to a Muslim who regrets being circumcised.
Tue, 9 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
An audio tour of The Museum of Broken Relationships and the stories behind the objects it exhibits: the things left behind at the end of love affairs… shared belongings, mementos and gifts.
Sat, 6 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
South Africa remains a growing market for Avon cosmetics despite a slump elsewhere. How has Avon managed to make such inroads into South Africa? Who are the Avon ladies? We travel with two reps to find out what it is like to be a door-to-door salesperson in a country where people are often afraid to open their doors because of high rates of crime.
Thu, 4 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
Many pupils and parents in the north of South Africa are furious the government has failed to deliver text books on time. For Assignment, Rob Walker investigates allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
Tue, 2 Oct 12
Duration:
24 mins
Recorded in the days before the exploratory drilling begins off the Alaskan coast, May Abdalla travels to Point Hope, not far from where the drilling will begin, to meet the Inupiat people and to learn of their fears and hopes of an oil-rich future.
Sat, 29 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
A dying man and his husband try to meet death in style with a "bon voyage party", but realise dying cannot be choreographed. Please note, Paul Perkovic died on 26 November 2012, in Eric Trefelner's arms at their home in Montara, California.
Thu, 27 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
New Zealand's street gangs are established, territorial and notoriously intimidating. Leaving them is incredibly difficult, and "punishments" are often administered to those that try. Warning: This programme contains description of torture and sexual violence which some listeners may find disturbing.
Tue, 25 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
May Abdalla travels to the settlement of Point Hope, a remote Alaskan village, to meet the Inupiat people and to learn of their fears and hopes of an oil-rich future.
Mon, 24 Sep 12
Duration:
57 mins
The Assad family has now been in power in Syria for more than 40 years. The country may be embroiled in a civil war, but President Bashar Al-Assad has so far withstood the winds of change of the Arab Spring, as well as the international calls for him to go. Owen Bennett Jones asks how this dynasty has survived so long?
Sat, 22 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
Benjamen Walker visits airports, amusement parks, roadways and colleges to document how the priority queue is re-ordering American society.
Fri, 21 Sep 12
Duration:
18 mins
Why do we do the things we do? Mike Williams searches for the extraordinary and hidden histories behind everyday objects and actions. This week, why do we wear ties?
Thu, 20 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
It's a unique Japanese practice. Each year in Japan there are tens of thousands of unusual adoptions – very different from adoptions elsewhere in the world. They're mostly of grown men, adopted by their wife's family, so that they can then take over the family business and keep the family name alive. Mariko Oi has been to Japan to investigate. She meets, among others, a famous Kabuki performer and the owner of a spa hotel, who runs the world's oldest family business.
Tue, 18 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
Latinos are part of the fabric of the USA, so what role will they play in the nation's forthcoming elections? Claire Bolderson visits Miami and looks at the future of America's fastest growing minority.
Sat, 15 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
Why are there a growing number of African-Americans who openly don't believe in God or the church? Sarah Richards reports.
Thu, 13 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
*This programme contains views and language which some listeners may find offensive and upsetting* Iraq can cost you your life. In a hard-hitting Assignment programme Natalia Antelava reports from Iraq on the persecution of gays in the country.
Tue, 11 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
Latinos are the fastest-growing ethnic population in the USA. In the first episode of a two-part documentary, Claire Bolderson asks whether the Hispanic population could help re-energise the country.
Sat, 8 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
BBC correspondent Will Grant challenges stereotypes as he investigates Mexico's economy. He talks to industry leaders, workers, politicians and economists.
Thu, 6 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
For Assignment Tom Esslemont examines the disturbing world of Russia’s skinhead ultra nationalists.
Sat, 1 Sep 12
Duration:
24 mins
Kati Whitaker gains rare access to Northern Ghana's witch camps, where old women accused of witchcraft are banished.
Thu, 30 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Tessa Dunlop travels to Romania to investigate why a proposed open-cast gold mine, that would be Europe's largest, has caused a political storm all over the country.
Tue, 28 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Mike Greenwood journeys across one of the world's final frontiers, the Chaco in Paraguay, to uncover how environmental groups, ranchers and missionaries are battling for the soul of one of the last wildernesses.
Tue, 28 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Aleks Krotoski explores what computer gaming offers as a cultural medium. In part two of this two-part documentary she examines how cultural difference is reflected in games and hears how people increasingly want to reflect their cultural experiences in them.
Fri, 24 Aug 12
Duration:
19 mins
Gareth Mitchell visits Canada to meet one of the teams behind the most violent sport in the Paralympics - wheelchair rugby.
Thu, 23 Aug 12
Duration:
19 mins
Measures to stop drugs cheats in the Paralympics are already in place but as BBC World Service Science Correspondent Matt McGrath reports, the rule book is a long one.
Thu, 23 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
No fewer than twenty football bosses have been murdered in Bulgaria in the last decade. In Assignment, Margot Dunne explores reports of deep rooted corruption and matchfixing in the country's top league.
Wed, 22 Aug 12
Duration:
19 mins
In Beijing in 2008, the Ukrainian Paralympic Team came 4th in the league of medals. Andriy Kravets discovers how the country managed this surprising achievement and how it is preparing for the London Games, and questions whether the success of its Paralympic Team has had an impact on how disability is viewed in Ukraine.
Tue, 21 Aug 12
Duration:
19 mins
Gareth Mitchell looks at the technology behind the Paralympics and visits a German factory where carbon fibre running blades are produced.
Tue, 21 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Documentary-maker Nina Robinson concludes her two-year project to capture the attitudes of London's Eastenders to the biggest event to ever take place in their locality: the Olympic Games. In this episode she finds out if her participants feel willing and able to join the Olympics party.
Mon, 20 Aug 12
Duration:
19 mins
Athletes with learning disabilities, back in the Paralympics after a 12 year ban
Sat, 18 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Aleks Krotoski explores what computer gaming offers as a cultural medium. In part one she visists The Art of Video Games exhibition at the Smithsonian's American Art Museum in Washington.
Thu, 16 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Lucy Williamson reports on the host bars in South Korea that cater to women's desires for male companionship.
Tue, 14 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Financial journalist and broadcaster Max Flint investigates the positives of inflation. He looks at how inflation can shrink mortgages, shrivel debt, create growth and disposable income.
Thu, 9 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Karachi has a population of 20 million, of whom an estimated half a million are chronic heroin addicts. For Assignment Mobeen Azhar finds out how a charity is helping them and their families.
Tue, 7 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Financial journalist and broadcaster Max Flint investigates the negatives of inflation using the lessons of history by revisiting its bad reputation, in different parts of the world.
Thu, 2 Aug 12
Duration:
24 mins
Tim Mansel reports from Ruhengeri in the mountainous north-west of Rwanda on the Rwandan cyclists who have become the nation’s heroes.
Tue, 31 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
In the second part of his bold examination of rape in the DRC, award winning writer and Guardian journalist Will Storr meets male victims of sexual violence. He asks why NGOs and the UN are seemingly resistant to looking at this issue.
Sun, 29 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
Olympic athletes dream of winning, but don't they owe it to themselves to prepare for the more probable outcome of losing?
Thu, 26 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
What can a new but closed airport tell us about Spain's economic crisis?
Wed, 25 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
The mass killings of civilians in Houla immediately led to calls for the ICC to investigate and for those responsible to be held to account. But in cases like this, how likely is it that international justice will eventually be done?
Tue, 24 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
In this powerful documentary, Will Storr examines a taboo that still reigns even in the most diabolical of conflicts. The beautiful but incredibly violent Lake Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been dubbed the 'rape capital of the world'. In the first part of a searing two-part documentary, award-winning writer and Guardian journalist Will Storr travels to the DRC to meet the women who are menaced daily by the escaped genocidaires from neighbouring Rwanda and by their own army. He finds that they are desperate for the world to hear their harrowing stories.
Mon, 23 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
BBC Security Correspondent Gordon Corera talks to the people behind the largest security operation in peacetime, designed to ensure London's 2012 Olympic Games go ahead without interruption.
Sat, 21 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
A powerful memorial to the bravery of an ordinary man Leigh Pitt, who saved a boy from drowning but did not himself survive.
Thu, 19 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
Nina Robinson explores newfound cultural freedoms in Libya’s second city Benghazi.
Tue, 17 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
Shanghai-based journalist Duncan Hewitt concludes his look at the burgeoning microblogging trend in China and the profound effect it is having on society and culture.
Sat, 14 Jul 12
Duration:
28 mins
Can a city retain a memory and if so what does it sound like? Francesca Panetta goes on an audio journey of London, away from the fanfare and voices of the Olympic venues, to listen to the city's murky and varied past.
Sat, 14 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
How do people from different companies use psychological assessments in the workplace? Lucy Ash investigates.
Thu, 12 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
Assignment's Rob Walker reports on the frantic gold rush in Peru that is threatening the Peruvian rainforest.
Tue, 10 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
In the first of a two-part series, Duncan Hewitt investigates the impact of microblogging in China, where Sina's Weibo now has a greater membership than Twitter. He meets animal rights activists and mothers promoting breastfeeding as he finds out how social media is fostering a new civil society in China.
Fri, 6 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
How do people from different companies use psychological assessments in the workplace? Lucy Ash investigates.
Thu, 5 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
Rebecca Kesby investigates allegations of corruption within Russia's criminal justice system.
Tue, 3 Jul 12
Duration:
24 mins
They are some of Zambia’s most courageous workers, quietly getting on with their job - a job which is shunned by most of their compatriots. Meet Mwanza and Kapemba, two mortuary attendants working in Lusaka. In this programme, they reveal what their work entails, but also what it feels like to deal with the stigma they face.
Thu, 28 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
In this edition of Assignment Peter Marshall talks to the law enforcement officers who secured the conviction of James Ibori, one time governor of Nigeria’s oil rich Delta State. It is a dramatic story, involving years of detective work, attempted assassination, a high speed car chase and a sack full of cash.
Tue, 26 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
The Chinese market is still dominated by large state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Is it time for the country to turn towards a more Western style of capitalism, or will China continue to follow its own economic model? In the second of two special documentaries, a top Chinese business journalist, Rui Chenggang, concludes his exploration of the big narratives affecting his country's economy.
Thu, 21 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
For Assignment, Kate McGeowan reports on the heated debate over contraception in the Philippines.
Tue, 19 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
The world is increasingly looking to China for help with the economy. But what are China's priorities? In the first episode in this two-part BBC series, the country's most prominent business journalist, Rui Chenggang, argues that for China to help the world, China must help itself.
Sun, 17 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
Is science fiction coming to Africa? Or is it already here? Lauren Beukes, South African author and winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction, discovers an SF scene shaped by people's appreciation of both technology and magic.
Thu, 14 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
For Assignment, Chloe Hadjimatheou tracks the meteoric rise of Syriza, the new force in Greek politics.
Tue, 12 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
The final episode in our four-part exploration of British monarchy, as told through objects in the Royal Collection. The presenter is the BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz. This week, Will looks at objects that testify to the power of the monarchy beyond the British Isles, including a shard of wood from the coffin of George Washington.
Fri, 8 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
In a country having kittens over its plummeting birth-rate, there are now twice as many pets in Japan as there are children. As the number of dogs has increased, so too has the number of childless women and couples, many of whom dote on their dogs in place of children. Roland Buerk seeks an explanation for this explosion in interest in all things canine, and explores the demographic time-bomb behind it.
Thu, 7 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
Helena Merriman goes on the trail of Egypt's secret police files to find out the stories of those whose names were listed in them and to find out whether the files - now in the possession of the new state security police - will ever be made public.
Tue, 5 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
The BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz continues his examination of 1000 years of British monarchy by discussing items in the Royal Collection. This week, Will looks at an idea as old as royalty itself: magnificence. How has the Royal family tried to project its wealth and status through its objects?
Sat, 2 Jun 12
Duration:
24 mins
Sharon Mascall meets Australians from all walks of life who have met Queen Elizabeth II during her many visits to the country. The Queen's former Private Secretary Sir William Heseltine also sheds light on how the Queen's visits to Australia have changed over time.
Tue, 29 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
Will Gompertz continues a four-part exploration of almost 1000 years of the British monarchy as told through the objects of art they collected. In part two, he examines items from the Royal Collection that are associated with war.
Sat, 26 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
Presenter Dzifa Gbeho tours Accra with Chris Hesse - the then President's official photographer - who followed Queen Elizabeth II's every move during her first visit to Ghana in 1961. This visit is then contrasted with her second visit to the country in 1999.
Thu, 24 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
In Bangladesh, twenty percent of girls are married before their fifteenth birthday. This week's Assignment looks at the issue of child marriage, through the eyes of three children.
Thu, 24 May 12
Duration:
23 mins
More women are playing online video games than ever before, but life can be tough for them in this male dominated world. For Assignment, James Fletcher reports. Strong language throughout.
Tue, 22 May 12
Duration:
23 mins
Will Gompertz begins a four-part exploration of almost 1000 years of the British monarchy as told through the objects of art they collected. In part one, he looks at some of the most personal images in the Royal Collection.
Thu, 17 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
China's natural ageing process has been accelerated by the One Child Policy. For Assignment, Mukul Devichand asks whether Shanghai's ageing population could be undermining economic growth.
Tue, 15 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
In the final episode, Ed Butler investigates the many internet stakeholders. What can governments do to protect the net? And what can we do?
Thu, 10 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
The drowning of more than fifty people people in a small fishing boat in the Dominican Republic has left the local community in shock.
Tue, 8 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
Is the Internet's original architecture and governance still fit for purpose? Or has it gone out of control and become hopelessly insecure?
Thu, 3 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world. Linda Pressly profiles the People's Funeral Service - a unique organisation offering succour in a sea of violence.
Tue, 1 May 12
Duration:
24 mins
Ed Butler assesses the ever-increasing threats from hackers and cyber weapons, and the challenges that today's most powerful countries face from threats in cyperspace.
Sat, 28 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Can soap operas around the world help people approach their lives with a more positive attitude? Your World examines the impact in Rwanda, Turkey, Brazil and India.
Thu, 26 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Sierra Leonean journalist Amara Bangura travels through Sierra Leone and Liberia to meet those who remember the brutality of the Charles Taylor era.
Tue, 24 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Nigeria is at a crossroads between chaos and a modern state. Can it become the pioneer for Africa? Mark Doyle investigates.
Sat, 21 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Can soap operas around the world help people approach their lives with a more positive attitude? Your World examines the impact in Rwanda, Turkey, Brazil and India.
Thu, 19 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Formula 1 returns to Bahrain this weekend. Last year's race was cancelled amid political unrest. Can the race heal wounds and allow the country to move on?
Tue, 17 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Nigeria is at a crossroads between chaos and a modern state. Can it become the pioneer for Africa? Mark Doyle investigates.
Sat, 14 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
'Sugars' addiction in the township of Chatsworth near Durban and the hallucinogenic detox which gives addicts the chance to change their lives.
Thu, 12 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Natalia Antelava uncovers evidence that women are being sterilised, often without their knowledge, in an effort by the Uzbek government to control the population.
Tue, 10 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Nina Robinson reports from Texas on how the heavy hand of the law in some US schools is criminalising the very young.
Thu, 5 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Tim Franks looks at the case of two US inmates who have been held in solitary confinement in Louisiana for what will be 40 years this month.
Tue, 3 Apr 12
Duration:
24 mins
Barbara Plett investigates how the conflict in Syria, and the future of the Assads, might reshape the Middle East.
Sat, 31 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Writer Bart Bull explores the extraordinary story of the Neon Cowboy at the Round Up Drive In, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Thu, 29 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Assignment investigates prescription drug abuse among Canada's First Nation communities.
Tue, 27 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Military service is mandatory for all Turkish men - they can only escape it if they are ill, disabled or homosexual. But proving homosexuality is a humiliating ordeal. Emre Azizlerli lifts the lid on the only country within the Nato military alliance to discriminate against homosexuals in this way.
Fri, 23 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Why secrecy for Catholic police officers in Northern Ireland can be the difference between life and death.
Thu, 22 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
What's it like to be a graduate in Greece contemplating the future? Chloe Hadjimatheou reports for Assignment on the prospects for new graduates in Athens who are at the start of their working lives.
Tue, 20 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Allan Little looks at key moments and issues that brought the European Union to the current crisis. In part three he examines new resentments and divisions within the EU exposed by the crisis.
Fri, 16 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
British citizen, Ruhal Ahmed, spent two years in Guantanamo Bay. After his release he returned home to Tipton in the West Midlands without ever being charged with a crime by the British or US governments. During his incarceration Ruhal was repeatedly tortured by his captors. The technique he feared most was being tortured with music. We chart Ruhal's progress as he attempts to silence torture by music.
Thu, 15 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Divided by conflict. The human stories behind Syria's uprising. Owen Bennett Jones reports for Assignment.
Mon, 12 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Allan Little looks at key moments and issues that brought the European Union to the current crisis. In part two, he focuses on the failure to enforce the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact.
Thu, 8 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Jon Donnison travels to Gaza for Assignment to witness the world's strangest marathon.
Tue, 6 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
Allan Little looks at key moments and issues that brought the European Union to the current crisis. In part one he focuses on the transformation of Europe following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Mon, 5 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
We meet an ordinary Kenyan woman who has done an extraordinary thing and opened her home to 49 orphaned children. She is one of an increasing number of Kenyans who are stepping forward to adopt or care for children in need.
Thu, 1 Mar 12
Duration:
24 mins
The BBC's Nina Robinson reports for Assignment from one of Rio de Janeiro's biggest urban slums, or favelas, to see whether drug gangs can be controlled for good.
Mon, 27 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
A year after the fall of President Mubarak of Egypt, the army is still in charge of the country, and there's daily unrest on the streets. What happened to the revolution? Magdi Abdelhadi reports.
Fri, 24 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
In the occupied Palestinian territories the rate of blindness is as high as ten times the norm in the West. We follow the story of different people whose lives converge through the work of St John Eye Hospital, which has been bringing modern medical care to a community in desperate need, regardless of ethnicity, religion or politics.
Thu, 23 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
There's a crisis of culture in Bosnia Herzegovina. The guardians of the nation's heritage - the museums and libraries - are under threat of closure. Assignment's Rebecca Kesby reports from Sarajevo.
Mon, 20 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
English has been the dominant global language for a century, but is it the language of the future in rising South East Asia? In part two, Jennifer Pak visits Hanoi in Vietnam to look at how the country, with a French and Russian colonial history, is now adopting English in preference to Mandarin, despite the growing neighbouring Chinese economy.
Fri, 17 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
Mair Bosworth looks at conflict between generations in a small family business in London.
Fri, 17 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
The Syrian city of Homs has seen some of the worst violence in the government's crackdown against opposition activists and armed fighters in the country. BBC reporter Paul Wood and his team managed to slip into Homs as the bombardment of the city was getting underway. In this special programme, Paul tells the story of his four days in Homs - how the story unfolded, how he reported it and what life is like for residents of a city under fire.
Thu, 16 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
The BBC's Hilary Anderson examines what it means to be poor, in the richest country in the world.
Tue, 14 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
English has been the dominant global language for a century, but is it the language of the future in rising South East Asia? In the first of two documentary programmes Jennifer Pak visits Malaysia and Singapore, two countries where colonial ties to the English language are loosening.
Sat, 11 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
Alison Finch meets one of Ireland's last traditional matchmakers as he reigns over the great Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival.
Thu, 9 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
Rob Walker investigates what’s happened to billions of dollars in oil revenues paid to the government of Equatorial Guinea.
Tue, 7 Feb 12
Duration:
50 mins
To celebrate the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth, Indian writer Ayeesha Menon explores India's love affair with Dickens.
Fri, 3 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
In this documentary-fantasy we bring the danger back to Dickens. Slipping in and out of his weird and brilliant imagination, we see modern London as he might have done, travelling through the city's streets at night to crack dens and strip-joints as the police sirens wail. We meet characters from his novels and characters who would be in his novels if he were still alive today.
Thu, 2 Feb 12
Duration:
24 mins
Undercover in Damascus for Assignment. Tim Whewell enters the dangerous world of the Syrian opposition to find out how strong they are – and what they really want.
Fri, 27 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Nina Robinson reports from two Olympic cities - Beijing who were hosts in 2008 and Rio de Janeiro, who will be hosts in 2016.
Thu, 26 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Australia's mining boom is proving lucrative for its so called Fly in Fly Out (FIFO) workers but as James Fletcher reports in Assignment, it can come at a cost.
Tue, 24 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
The gap between the super-rich and the rest has grown sharply around the world. Michael Robinson examines its effects on London.
Fri, 20 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Nina Robinson reports from two Olympic cities - Beijing who were hosts in 2008 and Rio de Janeiro, who will be hosts in 2016.
Thu, 19 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Assignment goes inside the fast and furious world of North American ice hockey. Alex Capstick reports.
Tue, 17 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
The gap between the super-rich and the rest has grown sharply around the world. Michael Robinson examines its effects on London.
Fri, 13 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Karen Bowerman retraces the route of Antarctic explorer Frank Wild - Sir Ernest Shackleton's second-in-command - as Wild's ashes are taken to South Georgia for burial next to Shackleton.
Thu, 12 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
For Assignment Gabriel Gatehouse asks whether the autonomous Kurdish region in Northern Iraq should be a model for the Middle East to follow or avoid?
Tue, 10 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Farayi Mungazi looks at the role of sport in shaping the country's national identity and asks whether sporting success will always be part of Australia's soft power.
Fri, 6 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Women were at the forefront of the revolution in Egypt. Hanan Razek discovers why many are disappointed and angry at the Egyptian revolution's failures.
Thu, 5 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Allan Little investigates allegations of NGO inefficiency, political bias and lack of transparency in Haiti. Why, despite the vast effort and resources that flowed after the earthquake two years ago, are people still living in tents without basic amenities?
Tue, 3 Jan 12
Duration:
24 mins
Farayi Mungazi explores the power of basketball to create a national identity in newly independent South Sudan, as well as give its people a sense of dignity and pride.
Sat, 31 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
John Tusa presents memories and archive about the BBC World Service in Bush House, from 1941 to leaving Bush House in 2012.
Thu, 29 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
China's economy depends on a system regulating workers from around China and beyond. In Guangzhou, the migrant metropolis, Mukul Devichand hears stories of anger and reform.
Sat, 24 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
John Tusa presents memories and archive about the BBC World Service in Bush House, from 1941 to leaving Bush House in 2012.
Fri, 23 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
Allan Little investigates allegations of NGO inefficiency, political bias and lack of transparency in India. Who really benefits from the work of NGOs?
Fri, 23 Dec 11
Duration:
49 mins
The Children's Choir of the USSR sang to their leaders, they sang to their people, and through their songs projected a bright, happy dream of the Soviet Union to the furthest reaches of the Red Empire. Then, in 1991, the world they had sung about ceased to exist and the Soviet Union passed into memory. Monica Whitlock goes in search of The Children's Choir of the USSR.
Thu, 22 Dec 11
Duration:
23 mins
France has long been a country with a reputation for some of the best food in the world. But in recent years, many critics have argued that French cuisine has lost its way. Now there's a new generation of food-lovers hoping to change that. But what do the traditionalists make of it all? Robyn Bresnahan reports.
Wed, 21 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
The BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen looks back over a momentous year in the Middle East and hears from those who witnessed events at first hand.
Wed, 21 Dec 11
Duration:
27 mins
The BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen looks back over a momentous year in the Middle East and hears from those who witnessed events at first hand.
Tue, 20 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
Allan Little investigates allegations of NGO inefficiency, political bias and lack of transparency in Haiti, Malawi and India.
Tue, 20 Dec 11
Duration:
27 mins
The BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen looks back over a momentous year in the Middle East and hears from those who witnessed events at first hand.
Sat, 17 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
Shahzeb Jillani explains how the 1971 war over Bangladesh shaped modern Pakistan.
Thu, 15 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
A hard hitting Assignment from Mark Doyle who reports on the massive cholera outbreak in Haiti and the controversy that surrounds it.
Fri, 9 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
Shahzeb Jillani explains how the 1971 war over Bangladesh shaped modern Pakistan.
Thu, 8 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
In Assignment Ed Butler investigates reports that some orphanages in Bali are being run as commercial rackets and that children there are being exploited for the owners' benefit.
Tue, 6 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
Richard Coles confronts accusations that the West is attempting to force gay rights on Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Sat, 3 Dec 11
Duration:
50 mins
Knitting in Tripoli tells an intimate story of life during the Libyan war through the eyes of people who battled their own fears to step out of Gaddafi's dark shadow. Rana Jawad became the BBC website's Tripoli Witness and took up knitting and baking to cope with the strains of living in hiding and secretly gathering information.
Fri, 2 Dec 11
Duration:
27 mins
Was the economic crisis caused by fundamental problems with the system rather than a mere failure of policy? This two-part series investigates two schools of economics with radical solutions. In part two Paul Mason asks whether the expansion of credit created a new form of worker exploitation.
Thu, 1 Dec 11
Duration:
24 mins
A dark secret lies beneath the earth in Indian Kashmir. Bodies - thousands of them. Who are they and how did they die? Jill McGivering reports for Assignment.
Tue, 29 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
Richard Coles confronts accusations that the West is attempting to force gay rights on Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Sat, 26 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
Around one million people around the world are infected with a sexually transmitted disease every single day. Yet even those with easy access to condoms often choose not to use them. Paul Bakibinga sets out to discover why.
Sat, 26 Nov 11
Duration:
27 mins
Was the economic crisis caused by fundamental problems with the system rather than a mere failure of policy? This two-part series investigates two schools of economics with radical solutions. In part one, Jamie Whyte looks at the free market Austrian School of F.A. Hayek.
Thu, 24 Nov 11
Duration:
23 mins
A Dagestani billionaire, Suleiman Kerimov is bankrolling a football club and building new sports facilities across the country in the hope of encouraging the young to turn away from militant Islam. Lucy Ash reports.
Tue, 22 Nov 11
Duration:
51 mins
Martin Wolf, Chief Economic Commentator of The Financial Times, examines how the world has changed since the beginning of the financial crisis four years ago, and asks if the pre-2007 era might be the high point for free market capitalism.
Fri, 18 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
The BBC's Priyath Liyanage searches for a boy who was carrying a violin case when he was used as a human shield by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
Thu, 17 Nov 11
Duration:
50 mins
Mark Gregory examines the legacy of Steve Jobs. How will he be compared to the great American entrepreneurs of the past, such as Rockefeller, Ford and Carnegie?Did he invent a new way of doing business?
Thu, 17 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
Rupa Jha reports for Assignment on India's whistleblowers - the people who find themselves on the frontline of the country's anti-corruption struggle.
Fri, 11 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
Noah Richler traces the development of storytelling from the earliest creation myths through to today's online gaming and the recording of our personal lives by way of social media.
Tue, 8 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
Diplomacy is often presented as an artform, the peak of civilisation in a barren political world. But what happens when it is conducted with torturers, murderers and serial human rights abusers? Lyse Doucet asks diplomats, politicians and activists how we should engage with brutal regimes.
Tue, 8 Nov 11
Duration:
23 mins
Tim Franks reports from Israel for Assignment on how the country now sees itself as political upheaval in neighbouring countries continues to change long held perceptions and alliances.
Sat, 5 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
Noah Richler traces the development of storytelling from the earliest creation myths through to today's online gaming and the recording of our personal lives by way of social media.
Thu, 3 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
Katya meets the heartbroken families in Spain searching for their children and the trafficked babies, now grown up, searching for their biological relatives and their true identities.
Tue, 1 Nov 11
Duration:
24 mins
Diplomacy is often presented as an artform, the peak of civilisation in a barren political world. But what happens when it is conducted with torturers, murderers and serial human rights abusers? Lyse Doucet asks diplomats, politicians and activists how we should engage with brutal regimes.
Sat, 29 Oct 11
Duration:
51 mins
As Libyans absorb the impact of the death of Gaddafi, Owen Bennett-Jones presents a special programme exploring what happens after dictators leave power.
Sat, 29 Oct 11
Duration:
24 mins
Meet Yusuf Mahmoud, who swapped Cheltenham for Zanzibar because of his love of African music.
Thu, 27 Oct 11
Duration:
27 mins
For Assignment, Bill Law paints a portrait of one day in the Syrian revolution, talking via the internet and phone to people across the country.
Tue, 25 Oct 11
Duration:
24 mins
Why does Britain's narrow and elite establishment keep stumbling from crisis to crisis?
Mon, 24 Oct 11
Duration:
24 mins
Portraits of people who relocated to other lands, influenced by music. In part two, Jesse Lee Jones explains how his love of country music took him from Brazil to Nashville.
Fri, 21 Oct 11
Duration:
24 mins
Portraits of people who relocated to other lands, influenced by music. In part one Pedro Carrillo from Venezuela fell in love with Italian opera and moved to Milan.
Thu, 20 Oct 11
Duration:
27 mins
Robyn Bresnahan reports on how politics is dividing families in Ivory Coast.
Tue, 18 Oct 11
Duration:
24 mins
Michael Goldfarb looks at why Britain's narrow and elite establishment keeps stumbling from crisis to crisis.
Fri, 14 Oct 11
Duration:
29 mins
Alan Dein explores the impact of last summer's riots on a London man and his friends in the immediate aftermath of the rioting.
Thu, 13 Oct 11
Duration:
27 mins
In Lebanon many people fear that another war between Hezbollah and Israel is just over the horizon. But what exactly is Hezbollah and why do people support it? For Assignment Owen Bennett Jones reports from southern Lebanon on the nature and structure of the Shia movement that is so difficult to define.
Tue, 11 Oct 11
Duration:
24 mins
The story of modern population control, and why it didn't work. Matthew Connelly on a campaign that began with the best ideals.
Fri, 7 Oct 11
Duration:
31 mins
Some 80 years after George Orwell chronicled the lives of the hard-up and destitute in his book Down and Out in Paris and London, what has changed? Retracing the writer's footsteps, Emma Jane Kirby finds the hallmarks of poverty identified by Orwell - addiction, exhaustion and, often, a quiet dignity - are as apparent now as they were then.
Thu, 6 Oct 11
Duration:
27 mins
Facing old age presents its challenges where ever you come from. Nina Robinson travels to Wales in the United Kingdom to talk to members of an all male choir as their numbers decline and their voices fade.
Tue, 4 Oct 11
Duration:
23 mins
The story of modern population control, and why it didn't work. Matthew Connelly on a campaign that began with the best ideals.
Fri, 30 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
A series that invites close, unhurried listening to the stories of individuals. In part two, we hear the story of 84 year-old Sybil Phoenix, who 50 years ago started fostering. She has cared for countless children and was awarded an MBE in 1973 for her involvement in community relations - making her the first black female recipient.
Thu, 29 Sep 11
Duration:
27 mins
Fenerbahce fans are angry. Their club is at the centre of a match fixing scandal and they've suffered the humiliation of being banned from the first game of the season. Tim Mansel went to meet them.
Tue, 27 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
The story of modern population control, and why it didn't work. Matthew Connelly on a campaign that began with the best ideals.
Fri, 23 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
A series that invites close, unhurried listening to the stories of individuals. In part one we hear the story of Yusef Shakur, who in 1992 at 19 was about to start a prison sentence of five to 15 years. Now almost two decades on, he has managed to turn his life around.
Thu, 22 Sep 11
Duration:
27 mins
Strong views and language from the fans of Scotland's top football clubs - Rangers and Celtic. But how sectarian is their rivalry? Rob Walker reports for Assignment.
Tue, 20 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
Matthew Bannister tells the story of Amnesty International at 50, and discusses its future on the world stage.
Fri, 16 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
How Cambodia's contemporary music scene is creating a new golden era for a country recovering from the dark years of Pol Pot's rule.
Thu, 15 Sep 11
Duration:
27 mins
Mukul Devichand goes on the road with young children travelling alone on a journey of desperation, danger and hope - south from Zimbabwe and across the border to South Africa.
Tue, 13 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
Matthew Bannister tells the story of Amnesty International at 50, and discusses its future on the world stage.
Sat, 10 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
eading structural engineer and designer Cecil Balmond goes beyond the well known histories of three celebrated monuments: Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramid, to reveal the hidden geometry at their cores.
Thu, 8 Sep 11
Duration:
27 mins
As the Greek government struggles to tackle it's massive debt crisis, Ed Butler travels to Athens for Assignment to investigate the so-called Indignants - the popular protest movement gathering pace across the country.
Tue, 6 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
The Secret War On Terror reveals the astonishing inside story of the intelligence war which has been fought against al-Qaeda over the last decade since 9/11.
Sat, 3 Sep 11
Duration:
24 mins
Leading structural engineer and designer Cecil Balmond goes beyond the well known histories of three celebrated monuments: Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramid, to reveal the hidden geometry at their cores.
Thu, 1 Sep 11
Duration:
27 mins
Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the mysterious disappearance of Dirar Abu Sisi. He vanished from a train in Ukraine in February and turned up in an Israeli prison nine days later. Is he really the brains behind Hamas' missile programme, as Israel claims?
Tue, 30 Aug 11
Duration:
24 mins
The Secret War On Terror reveals the astonishing inside story of the intelligence war which has been fought against al-Qaeda over the last decade since 9/11.
Sat, 27 Aug 11
Duration:
24 mins
Leading structural engineer and designer Cecil Balmond goes beyond the well known histories of three celebrated monuments: Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramid, to reveal the hidden geometry at their cores.
Thu, 25 Aug 11
Duration:
27 mins
Events in Libya have reached a dramatic conclusion. After a six month uprising, rebel forces have swept into the capital Tripoli. The Leader Colonel Gaddafi, after almost 42 years in power, has been forced from power. James Reynolds reports how this happened and what were the key turning points in Libya's conflict.
Tue, 23 Aug 11
Duration:
24 mins
On the Berlin Wall's 50th anniversary, Gerry Northam looks at its political context and its human consequences.
Sat, 20 Aug 11
Duration:
24 mins
Warning: This documentary contains conversations about sexual experience. Disabled people are rarely touched in a loving way or thought of as sexually desirable yet they have the same need for a sex life as everyone else. John Blades, who has a major disability himself, takes a look at the importance of touch to every human being.
Thu, 18 Aug 11
Duration:
27 mins
Linda Pressly follows the migrants heading north through Guatemala into Mexico – despite the dangers of kidnap by the notorious Zetas gang.
Tue, 16 Aug 11
Duration:
24 mins
On the Berlin Wall's 50th anniversary, Gerry Northam looks at its political context and its human consequences.
Sat, 13 Aug 11
Duration:
24 mins
Can a young Canadian man with Down's Syndrome get a university degree? Alisa Siegal follows the story of Ashif Jaffer who wants to fulfil his dream for a university education and the degree that goes with it.
Thu, 11 Aug 11
Duration:
27 mins
Have you bought a diamond recently? Would you really know where it came from? Assignment goes into Zimbabwe's Marange diamond fields and uncovers evidence of torture camps and wide-scale killings.
Tue, 9 Aug 11
Duration:
24 mins
BBC Security correspondent Gordon Corera tells the untold tale of how the Americans hunted their most wanted man - from the caves of Tora Bora in Afghanistan through to his stronghold in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
Thu, 4 Aug 11
Duration:
27 mins
Nina Robinson reports from India where the booming economy has fuelled a demand for cheap domestic labour. She finds that children are filling the gaps, with evidence of trafficking and youngsters being set to work in households, where they are open to abuse with little hope of ever going to school.
Tue, 2 Aug 11
Duration:
24 mins
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is Iran's Supreme Leader, a position he has held since 1989. Ayatollah Khamenei is the most powerful man in Iran, though one of the country's least scrutinised politicians. So who is this man? And how has he consolidated the Revolution? The BBC's Iran correspondent, James Reynolds, charts the Ayatollah’s reign and, through a number of interviews with relatives, biographers and politicians, builds a profile of Iran's most powerful man.
Thu, 28 Jul 11
Duration:
27 mins
Ten years after foreign forces invaded Afghanistan, they've begun to hand full responsibility back to Afghans. Lyse Doucet, who's been covering Afghanistan for more than 20 years, travels around Afghanistan to meet the Afghans in charge.
Tue, 26 Jul 11
Duration:
24 mins
To mark ten years since the invasion of Afghanistan, key decision-makers reveal the inside story of how the West was drawn ever deeper into the Afghan war. John Ware charts the history of a decade of fighting and looks at when the conflict may end.
Sat, 23 Jul 11
Duration:
24 mins
A medium tells Colette Kinsella what it's like to have a life like the film, The Sixth Sense, how bored spirits play havoc with her love life, and why grocery shopping is a challenge.
Thu, 21 Jul 11
Duration:
27 mins
Cuba and Venezuela describe Luis Posada Carriles as the Bin Laden of the Americas. Rob Walker goes on the trail of the man who for 50 years has opposed Cuba’s Fidel Castro and who leaves in his wake intrigue, alleged terrorist plots and assassination attempts.
Tue, 19 Jul 11
Duration:
24 mins
BBC Environment Correspondent Richard Black explores the history and likely future of the nuclear energy industry. In part two, Richard compares how the world's nations are having very different approaches to the nuclear landscape in the wake of Fukushima.
Sat, 16 Jul 11
Duration:
24 mins
Is outsourcing pregnancy to India exploitative or mutually beneficial? Over the course of nine months, we follow two women, who in each other seek solutions to the problems of poverty and infertility.
Thu, 14 Jul 11
Duration:
27 mins
In this week's Assignment the BBC's State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas has gained rare "behind-the-scenes" access to one of Hillary Clinton's recent overseas trips. Join her on "special air mission 883" as it heads from the U.S. to the Middle East and Africa.
Tue, 12 Jul 11
Duration:
24 mins
BBC Environment Correspondent Richard Black explores the history and likely future of the nuclear energy industry. Did the first atomic nations develop the best and safest technologies possible, or have they left the world with a ticking bomb?
Sun, 10 Jul 11
Duration:
24 mins
Sharon Mascall follows 18 young Aboriginal men through a new rehabilitation programme at Port Augusta prison in South Australia.
Thu, 7 Jul 11
Duration:
27 mins
Defecting from North Korea is a dangerous business. It comes at a high price and there's no guarantee of success. Many make the journey to South Korea with the help of brokers who smuggle people along the illegal overland route known as the "Underground Railroad". For Assignment Lucy Williamson meets the brokers who make a living helping people escape North Korea.
Tue, 5 Jul 11
Duration:
24 mins
BBC Washington Correspondent Jonny Dymond, investigates why America is facing a resurgent threat from violent right-wing groups.
Sun, 3 Jul 11
Duration:
24 mins
Sharon Mascall follows 18 young Aboriginal men through a new rehabilitation programme at Port Augusta prison in South Australia.
Thu, 30 Jun 11
Duration:
27 mins
Who was Rafiq Hariri and who might have wanted to kill him. Owen Bennett Jones reports on the life of the man they once called Mr Lebanon.
Tue, 28 Jun 11
Duration:
24 mins
BBC Washington Correspondent Jonny Dymond, examines why some native born American Muslims are becoming radicalised, and turning their sights on their own country.
Sat, 25 Jun 11
Duration:
24 mins
This year Russia is marking the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the USSR. Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg took a walk down his favourite street to find out how Russians view the past and to hear their hopes for the future.
Thu, 23 Jun 11
Duration:
27 mins
An extended family in Colombia struck by hereditary and very early onset Alzheimer's is taking part in a new drugs trial that doctors hope will lead to a cure for sufferers worldwide. Bill Law reports.
Tue, 21 Jun 11
Duration:
24 mins
Will Taiwan's new rapprochement with China bring opportunity, or hand Beijing control over what it sees as a renegade province? Chris Hogg reports.
Sat, 18 Jun 11
Duration:
24 mins
Ruth Evans reports on a unique dot.com venture providing jobs for the poor.
Thu, 16 Jun 11
Duration:
27 mins
Emma Joseph reports for Assignment from Antigua on how people are rebuilding their lives two years on from the collapse of Allen Stanford's business empire.
Tue, 14 Jun 11
Duration:
24 mins
Will Taiwan's new rapprochement with China bring opportunity, or hand Beijing control over what it sees as a renegade province? Chris Hogg reports.
Sat, 11 Jun 11
Duration:
24 mins
Soldiers who have killed in war at close quarters talk about how it affects them today. They talk frankly about their feelings before, during and after. And they reflect on whether humans are "natural" killers or whether they have to be trained to go against their instinctive repulsion.
Thu, 9 Jun 11
Duration:
27 mins
Shaken baby syndrome - the sudden and violent shaking of an infant which often results in death - was once believed to be virtually a medical diagnosis of murder. But as Linda Pressley reports from the United States for Assignment, there's now growing disquiet about miscarriages of justice after such deaths.
Tue, 7 Jun 11
Duration:
24 mins
Across the world the cost of basic commodities is soaring. Endless demand from China is blamed for the record price of copper; flood, fire and drought for boosting the cost of food; and political tension in the Middle East for the sharply-rising price of oil. But are such fundamental forces the whole story? Michael Robinson asks whether investors and speculators are making prices more volatile and examines the role of the giant traders, banks and companies which now increasingly dominate the world's commodity markets.
Sat, 4 Jun 11
Duration:
24 mins
Soldiers who have killed in war at close quarters talk about how it affects them today. They talk frankly about their feelings before, during and after. And they reflect on whether humans are "natural" killers or whether they have to be trained to go against their instinctive repulsion.
Thu, 2 Jun 11
Duration:
27 mins
California is the world's largest producer of commercial pornographic movies. But, as Ed Butler reports for Assignment, the billion dollar industry is in trouble. The programme begins on the film set of a porn movie in Los Angeles.
Wed, 1 Jun 11
Duration:
27 mins
David Goldblatt tells the turbulent story of Fifa, international football's governing body.
Tue, 31 May 11
Duration:
24 mins
Across the world the cost of basic commodities is soaring. Endless demand from China is blamed for the record price of copper; flood, fire and drought for boosting the cost of food; and political tension in the Middle East for the sharply-rising price of oil. But are such fundamental forces the whole story? Michael Robinson asks whether investors and speculators are making prices more volatile and examines the role of the giant traders, banks and companies which now increasingly dominate the world's commodity markets.
Sat, 28 May 11
Duration:
24 mins
The pressure on Lesego Mangwanyane - a South African journalist - to become a sangoma, or traditional healer. Does she have a choice?
Thu, 26 May 11
Duration:
27 mins
Twenty years on from the collapse of the Soviet Union the toxic legacy of its industries still lives on. For Assignment Angus Crawford travels to a remote valley in Georgia where research has shown that there are dangerous levels of arsenic in the soil and water and yet the local community remains unaware of the health risks.
Tue, 24 May 11
Duration:
24 mins
Across the world the cost of basic commodities is soaring. Endless demand from China is blamed for the record price of copper; flood, fire and drought for boosting the cost of food; and political tension in the Middle East for the sharply-rising price of oil. But are such fundamental forces the whole story? Michael Robinson asks whether investors and speculators are making prices more volatile and examines the role of the giant traders, banks and companies which now increasingly dominate the world's commodity markets.
Thu, 19 May 11
Duration:
23 mins
For months Yemen has been the scene of widespread unrest and anti-government protests. President Ali Abdullah Saleh has warned that if he stands down the country risks falling into the hands of extremists groups like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. For Assignment, Natalia Antelava reports from the capital Sana'a, on how warnings like these feed into the very fear that shapes US counter-terrorism policy in Yemen.
Tue, 17 May 11
Duration:
24 mins
In the space of just over ten days in March 2011, the United Nations Security Council passed two of its most significant, emphatic and far-reaching resolutions in decades. Claire Bolderson looks at how the world body used a new-found strength to intervene militarily in Libya and Ivory Coast and assesses how the decisions have changed the course of these two brutal conflicts.
Thu, 12 May 11
Duration:
27 mins
The killing of Osama bin Laden has stirred deep suspicions about whether the Pakistani authorities knew the world's most wanted man was living quietly in Abbotabad. For Assignment, Owen Bennett-Jones explores allegations of a web of links between Pakistan's security forces and militant jihadists. Does Pakistan consider some extremists to be useful allies? And does it turn a blind eye when the courts allow notorious killers to walk free?
Tue, 10 May 11
Duration:
23 mins
In the space of just over ten days in March 2011, the United Nations Security Council passed two of its most significant, emphatic and far-reaching resolutions in decades. Claire Bolderson looks at how the world body used a new-found strength to intervene militarily in Libya and Ivory Coast and assesses how the decisions have changed the course of these two brutal conflicts.
Sat, 7 May 11
Duration:
24 mins
Jonathan Glancey looks at whether Dubai has a sustainable policy towards building in one of the harshest environments on earth. How does the city compare to neighbouring Doha?
Thu, 5 May 11
Duration:
27 mins
On a moonless night on Sunday May 1st, four American military helicopters descended on a compound in the quiet town of Abbottabad in north-west Pakistan. Their mission to capture and if need be, kill, United States Enemy Number One - Osama Bin Laden. They succeeded and America's most exasperating manhunt was over. But how did the risky operation unfold both in Washington and in Pakistan? Rob Walker reports for Assignment.
Tue, 3 May 11
Duration:
24 mins
On the 25th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl power plant, presenter Olga Betko travels to Chernobyl - in her native Ukraine - to find the people who are living in what is known as the "dead zone".
Sat, 30 Apr 11
Duration:
23 mins
Jonathan Glancey looks at whether Dubai has a sustainable policy towards building in one of the harshest environments on earth.
Thu, 28 Apr 11
Duration:
27 mins
Jill McGivering reports from Pakistan where calls for debate about the country's controversial blasphemy laws have been almost silenced by death threats and violence. The laws stipulate the death penalty if blasphemy is proven but critics say the laws are frequently being used to target innocent people. For Assignment Jill goes in search of the accused and their accusers.
Tue, 26 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
On the 25th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl power plant, presenter Olga Betko travels to Chernobyl - in her native Ukraine - to find the people who are living in what is known as the "dead zone".
Sat, 23 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
On the anniversary of the Smolensk air crash, writer and historian Adam Zamoyski examines how Polish politics and society have been affected by the events of 10 April 2010, a day on which Poland lost its President and 95 others, which included many talented public servants and dignitaries. For Part Two, Zamoyski travels to Warsaw to examine how the legacy of the crash has impacted on a year of Polish politics.
Thu, 21 Apr 11
Duration:
27 mins
Anna Cavell tells the extraordinary story of a rescue of a group of Ugandan women who were trafficked into Iraq. They were told they would get decent jobs but instead found themselves working as slaves and subject to violence and even rape. They were saved by an unlikely pair of heroes – a Ugandan security guard and an American military officer.
Tue, 19 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
Restrictions on commercial fishing in Europe were put in place to aid sustainability, but are they still appropriate? Charlotte Smith reports on the British perspective from the northen English town of Scarborough.
Sat, 16 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
One year on from the Smolensk air crash, writer and historian Adam Zamoyski examines how Polish politics and society have been affected by loss of its President and other dignitaries.
Thu, 14 Apr 11
Duration:
27 mins
A year ago, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico creating a huge oil spill. In the aftermath, the BBC's Robyn Bresnahan spent a month in the American state of Louisiana with fishing families to see how they were affected. She found many communities on the brink, with fishermen fearing they would never fish again. One year on, she has returned to meet with some of the same families.
Tue, 12 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
From the news coverage of the 1923 wedding of the future King George VI to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, to the moment Lady Diana Spencer stepped out of the glass coach, we look back to the glamour and gossip, the spectacle and romance of British Royal weddings.
Sat, 9 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
In dense blocks of flats and social housing, just 10 minutes away from the Olympics Park, young people with nothing much else to do, are at risk of getting involved with gangs. The BBC's Nina Robinson explores the problem of crime for those affected.
Thu, 7 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
Assignment reports on the shocking sectarian violence in the Nigerian city of Jos. But Rob Walker finds one neighbourhood where Christians and Muslims have come together to prevent the violence. This programme contains graphic descriptions of violence.
Tue, 5 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
A committed republican and ardent monarchist examine the case for and against monarchy as a form of government. Part two looks at America - whose very creation involved rejecting kingship - and those who prefer a crown to a republican constitution.
Sat, 2 Apr 11
Duration:
24 mins
Great Expectations follows the lives of people who live in the diverse ethnic mix of east London, on the doorstep of the 2012 Olympic Games. It looks at their view of the changes and money being spent around them from where they live - in a deprived part of the inner city, in dense blocks of flats and social housing - known as an estate in the UK. The BBC's Nina Robinson reports in the first of two programmes on the incidence of poverty in the area and how this is reflected in the lives of residents.
Thu, 31 Mar 11
Duration:
27 mins
In this week's Assignment Sue Lloyd Roberts reports from Saudi Arabia where custom and religion are keeping women covered up and largely hidden. But behind the scenes Sue finds women pushing for change.
Tue, 29 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
A committed republican and ardent monarchist examine the case for and against monarchy as a form of government. Part one looks at Sweden - home to one of the world's oldest and yet most modernised courts. Why is it that opposition to keeping the king as head of state is growing?
Fri, 25 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
"It just takes 26 letters to create the universe, the word is dismantled and then reassembled through the lens of a pen and verse." The South African poet Lebo Mashile contemplates the role of poetry in her country.
Wed, 23 Mar 11
Duration:
23 mins
It’s twenty years since Somaliland declared itself independent but it still remains unrecognised as a nation state. For Assignment, Mary Harper reports from Hargeisa, the capital, where she finds many people happy to be going it alone.
Wed, 23 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
In a society where the sexes are strictly segregated, it is common for boys to dance for men in Afghanistan at weddings and traditional gatherings. But the tradition exposes the boys to sexual abuse.
Mon, 21 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
Lucy Williamson reports on why Mexico, a developing Catholic nation, is the latest country to turn away from marriage.
Fri, 18 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
"I was sentenced to 12 years for writing poetry." Russian poet and dissident, Irina Ratushinskaya contemplates the role of poetry in her country.
Thu, 17 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
Albania's paranoid Cold War dictator stockpiled vast amounts of ammunition to threaten potential invaders. Albania now wants to get rid of the old ammunition -- and quickly. It's even willing to give it away. For Assignment Neal Razzell meets those trying to shift what the government calls "the heavy burden of the past."
Tue, 15 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
Throughout history donkeys, pigs, dogs, rats, even insects have been put on trial and some convicted and sentenced. Frances Fyfield, looks at these extraordinary cases of animals in court.
Mon, 14 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
Why is the nuclear family model so successful across the developing world? Lucy Williamson reports from Nepal - currently experiencing one of the fastest-ever shifts from extended families to nuclear ones. Who are the winners and losers in that process?
Fri, 11 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
From Italy to India, David Goldblatt examines the ever changing face of Formula One. Can Europe financially support the sport and does it matter that a country like India has been chosen to host the event?
Thu, 10 Mar 11
Duration:
23 mins
What happens when you take a run down African city and introduce a brand new oil industry worth billions of dollars? For Assignment Rob Walker reports from port city of Takoradi on the impact oil is having.
Wed, 9 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
The government behind the economic powerhouse that is Singapore guards its reputation for stability to the point of authoritarianism and censorship. What happens when journalists challenge the status quo?
Mon, 7 Mar 11
Duration:
23 mins
Why has India's north-east insurgency lasted so long, and is there any hope of a peaceful resolution? The BBC's Rupa Jha investigates and asks if special powers granted to the military are prolonging the problems.
Fri, 4 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
From Italy to India, David Goldblatt examines the ever changing face of Formula One. Can Europe financially support the sport and does it matter that a country like India has been chosen to host the event?
Thu, 3 Mar 11
Duration:
23 mins
John Mohammed Butt travelled to Kabul in the 1960s. Rather than finding drugs and hedonism, he discovered a tribal culture that transfixed him. Now a trained Imam and Muslim, he has dedicated his life to spreading peace in South Asia. But as reporter Nadene Ghouri discovers in this week's Assignment, that message has made him a target for militants.
Wed, 2 Mar 11
Duration:
24 mins
In Thailand, what part have - illegal - community radio stations had to play in the demonstrations by activists - redshirt or yellowshirt - that occupy opposite ends of the political spectrum?
Mon, 28 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
How does the spread of ideas impact individual lives, shape millions of minds, fuel revolutions and alter world opinion? The BBC's Afshin Dehkordi is on a quest to find out in the context of both Iran's recent media revolution and the overthrow of the Shah in 1979.
Fri, 25 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
Dancehall singer Sean Paul, Hip hop star Missy Elliot and Malian singer Habib Koite all use a deceptively simple but hypnotic beat from the heart of Africa in some of their biggest hits. But what is it? Music journalist Rita Ray journeys to Ghana to find out.
Wed, 23 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
Nina Robinson goes to Detroit where police have killed a seven-year-old girl while conducting a raid filmed for a reality TV programme. She finds a city asking deep questions about the way the media cover crime.
Wed, 23 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
In this four-part documentary, Gary Bryson travels across South East Asia to explore freedom of speech and democracy. In part two he goes to Cambodia. How is the country's fledging media dealing with a nation still scarred by widespread murder and violence?
Mon, 21 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
After allegations of torture and targeted killings, how can the CIA hope to repair its damaged reputation? The Spy Cruise has been set up for the public to sail around the Caribbean with ex-CIA chiefs and discuss global security - but who really gains?
Fri, 18 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
The BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi - himself Egyptian-born - relives the drama on the final days of Mubarak's 30 year rule and talks to Egyptians about their hopes for the future.
Thu, 17 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
In part two of Europe's New Politics, the BBC's Chris Bowlby travels to Austria and Germany to investigate the rise of populist politics there.
Wed, 16 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
In this four-part documentary, Gary Bryson travels across South East Asia to explore freedom of speech and democracy. In part one he goes to Indonesia. How is independent media faring since the fall of Suharto's dictatorship?
Mon, 14 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
This series has shown how China is barrelling ahead with new infrastructure and new strategies to import the latest industrial technologies But China's leaders want Chinese ideas and innovation to drive their economy. This programme follows people at the leading edge of that effort, in the arts and sciences and for some, it's a time of unparalleled freedom.
Fri, 11 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
"Mosquito one, mosquito two, mosquito jump in a hot callaloo." What are the world's most popular number rhymes and how do they overlap between different cultures? Kim Normanton looks at the different approaches to counting around the world.
Thu, 10 Feb 11
Duration:
23 mins
Chris Bowlby investigates for Assignment how the far right is influencing mainstream European politics. He travels to Scandinavia where anti-immigration parties are increasingly powerful. The Danish People's Party has cleverly used its hold on the balance of power to introduce harsh measures. And the Sweden Democrats have rapidly increased their share of the vote, claiming that public services are being swamped by immigrants.
Wed, 9 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
Michael Goldfarb traces the iconic neighbourhood's story by telling the history of a single street in Harlem from 1910 to the present day.
Mon, 7 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
Michael Robinson examines the social tensions within China that threaten the growth upon which much of the rest of the world now relies. This programme examines China's leaders attempts to manage growing conflicts and calls for political change - not for multi-party democracy, as some in the West advocate, but for a shift from a system of absolute Communist Party rule to one where individual rights are protected under law.
Fri, 4 Feb 11
Duration:
23 mins
Mukul Devichand tells the story of Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Laureate and former Chief Weapons Inspector who some want to see as the next president of Egypt. Could he now unite a fragmented opposition and ride the wave of protest to the very top?
Thu, 3 Feb 11
Duration:
23 mins
As part of the BBC's Extreme World coverage Linda Pressly reports from India on palliative care - medical provision for those nearing the end of life.
Wed, 2 Feb 11
Duration:
24 mins
Michael Goldfarb traces the iconic neighbourhood's story by telling the history of a single street in Harlem from 1910 to the present day.
Mon, 31 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
As China's role has become the world's banker, Michael Robinson looks at the potentially world-shaking clash of cultures between non-democratic, state-planned China and the American-centred world of democracy and free market ideology.
Fri, 28 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
Would you still walk down the aisle if you found out that you're prospective in-laws, the best man and congregation were fake? Roland Buerk investigates Japan's growing 'rent a friend' service and why social standing is driving excluded people to extremes.
Thu, 27 Jan 11
Duration:
23 mins
Why is there a crisis in India's microcredit industry? For Assignment Madeleine Morris travels to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to investigate.
Wed, 26 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
Why are racial tensions increasing in one of the most progressive countries in Europe? Joseph Rodriguez goes to a region of Sweden that is symbolic of the divide between the Muslim population and indigenous Swedes.
Mon, 24 Jan 11
Duration:
23 mins
This documentary series examines the political, economic and cultural mechanisms of China's growing global influence. Michael Robinson, who documented China's awakening for the BBC almost 20 years ago, returns to assess the prospects and problems of the unrelenting shift of power from West to East.
Fri, 21 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
"My mind is unhinged and I'm sick of the smell of blood / it's hard to stay human in such a morass / to avoid prejudice and bigotry/ to keep your hands clean." Through words and verse, Afghan civilians reflect on decades of war. Listen to their poetry.
Thu, 20 Jan 11
Duration:
23 mins
A snapshot of Iraq as seen through the prism of its main airport. For Assignment, Gabriel Gatehouse talks to the travellers and workers who pass through Baghdad international airport each day.
Wed, 19 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
What sort of relationships do photojournalists form with the people that are the subject of their pictures? Photographer Dalia Khamissy has been documenting the story of the thousands of people who disappeared during Lebanon's civil war.
Mon, 17 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
In the past two years the International Monetary Fund has come out of the shadows to play a key role in efforts deal with global financial crisis. Governments say they want it to fix the global economy as well. But what do those working inside the IMF in Washington really think about their role? And are they up to the job? The BBC Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders has had an exclusive opportunity to interview staff including the Managing Director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss Kahn.
Fri, 14 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
As it enters its tenth year, we look at the history and evolution of Wikipedia, which by allowing people from opposite sides of the world to contribute, has grown into one of the most popular websites on the internet. What does the future hold for the site? Will it simply be replaced by another way of sharing knowledge on a mass level? Or will Wikipedia one day contain the sum of human knowledge? And are there any downsides to this democratisation of information?
Thu, 13 Jan 11
Duration:
23 mins
For Assignment, Nina Robinson reports on how teenagers are navigating their online lives in a virtual world, where they face the very real risk of being cyber bullied.
Wed, 12 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
Peter White is blind, but travels all over the world for his job. By listening to the sounds of his surroundings, he gets to know a place. What does he discover about the city of Istanbul?
Mon, 10 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
In the past two years the International Monetary Fund has come out of the shadows to play a key role in efforts deal with global financial crisis. Governments say they want it to fix the global economy as well. But what do those working inside the IMF in Washington really think about their role? And are they up to the job? The BBC Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders has had an exclusive opportunity to interview staff including the Managing Director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss Kahn.
Thu, 6 Jan 11
Duration:
23 mins
The world’s disappearing food tribes and how their traditional food production may offer the world a sustainable model.
Thu, 6 Jan 11
Duration:
23 mins
The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, is currently in England fighting extradition to Sweden. Despite this he remains defiant that his whistle blowing website will continue to publish sensitive material. Simon Cox investigates the rise of Wikileaks and asks if it can recover from its recent troubles.
Wed, 5 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
Peter White is blind, but travels all over the world for his job. Though listening to the sounds of a city, he gets to know a place. What does he discover about San Franciso?
Mon, 3 Jan 11
Duration:
24 mins
In this two-part series, the BBC’s Paulo Cabral looks at Brazil’s investment fever and asks if the massive state-led development programmes during Lula’s reign have put the country in the global economic super league.
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From World War II to the Arab Spring, history as told by the people who were there. Presented by Max Pearson.
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History as told by the people who were there.
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Mon, 17 Jun 13
9 minutes
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