Documentaries

Throughout the week BBC World Service offers a wide range of documentaries and other factual programmes. This podcast offers you the chance to access landmark series from our archive.

• DocArchive: Global Perspective: Alert Bay

  Teenagers on the island of Alert Bay, British Columbia, talk openly about the beauty and frustration on living in a remote place.

  Duration: 24mins | File Size: 12Mb
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• DocArchive: Thembi’s Story

  Thembi Ngubane’s Radio Diary about living with Aids in a South African Township.

  Duration: 23mins | File Size: 11Mb
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• DocArchive: Assignment - The Opus Dei enigma

  It's widely regarded as one of the most secretive religious organisations in the world. It makes heavy demands on its members - and has been accused of cult-like practices. It's also an influential movement within Roman Catholicism. Opus Dei, made famous by Dan Brown's bestselling novel the Da Vinci Code, has many critics - but few have found out what life is like on the inside. The BBC's religious affairs correspondent, Christopher Landau, has been granted exclusive access to the movement's extensive headquarters in Rome. He meets both priests and lay people who devote their lives (and their money) to this movement which, though less than 100 years old, exerts powerful influence over both its members and the wider church.

  Duration: 23mins | File Size: 11Mb
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• DocArchive: The Greening of the Deserts

  In this three part series, Ayisha Yahya explores climate change issues in the African desert. In programme one she asks, what are the implications for traditional nomadic desert communities?

  Duration: 24mins | File Size: 11Mb
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• Assignment: Iran in crisis

  In this special edition of Assignment, John Simpson reveals how the protests, and the police reprisals that followed, are intricately linked to the rivalry inside the clique of clerics who created the Islamic state.

  Duration: 23mins | File Size: 11Mb
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• DocArchive: Blood and lava

  When the dried blood of Naples' patron saint fails to liquefy, Neapolitans believe great misfortune will descend upon them. With Mount Vesuvius overdue for a major eruption, Malcolm Billings investigates if tragedy awaits this historic city.

  Duration: 23mins | File Size: 11Mb
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• DocArchive: Mubarak's Egypt - part two

  After 28 years in power, President Mubarak's promise of shepherding his country into a stable democracy has all but dissipated.

  Duration: 23mins | File Size: 11Mb
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• DocArchive: Assignment - The Rich in Retreat

  In a programme first broadcast in April, Ed Butler reports from New York on how the super rich have been dealing with the impact of the financial crisis.

  Duration: 23mins | File Size: 11Mb
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• DocArchive: Farm Swap - part two

  In the final part of this series, Mike Gallagher meets a British farmer working vast landholdings in Hungary and Serbia. Does 'going global' in agriculture really offer a better future?

  Duration: 24mins | File Size: 11Mb
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• DocArchive: Mubarak's Egypt - part one

  After 28 years in power, Mubarak's promise of leading Egypt into stable democracy has dissipated. Magdi Abdelhadi reports.

  Duration: 23mins | File Size: 11Mb
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