The Documentary Podcast: Archive 2012

Does the Bollywood film industry need to broaden its fanbase to appeal to international, non-Indian audiences to survive in the future?

A look at the unique narratives and symbolism of the lullabies of the Arab world, which are a form of self-expression for women.

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?

After 100 years of Bollywood cinematic magic, how are filmmakers dealing with India's diverging audiences and wildly different expectations?

A powerful memorial to the bravery of an ordinary man Leigh Pitt, who saved a boy from drowning but did not himself survive.

The IMF is threatening to throw Argentina out of the Fund if it doesn’t start reporting credible figures for inflation.

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?

For 95 years, the ‘Anzac Legend’ has been at the heart of Australia’s 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.

Sol River talks to James Meredith, who walked into history as the first black student at the University of Mississippi in 1962.

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.

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?

Exploring lullabies from around the world and their role in child development.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Rob Broomby explores how British universities are adapting to commercial times and asks if significant donations could distort the academic agenda.

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.

How exemption from conscription for ultra-Orthodox Jews is exposing Israel's fault lines. Linda Pressly reports.

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.

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?

Tim Whewell gets rare access to a rebel held town in northern Syria.

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.

The tragic story of African migrants who fled fighting in Libya on an inflatable boat.

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.

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.

Meet Muhammad Idrees Idrees, the man who overstayed his Indian visa and was stripped of his nationality and identity.

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?

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?

Alan Dein attempts to cross the world on a late-night excursion via Facebook and Skype.

What does the collapse in Iran's currency mean for ordinary people and the regime? Pooneh Ghoddoosi reports.

** 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Benjamen Walker visits airports, amusement parks, roadways and colleges to document how the priority queue is re-ordering American society.

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?

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.

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.

Why are there a growing number of African-Americans who openly don't believe in God or the church? Sarah Richards reports.

*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.

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.

BBC correspondent Will Grant challenges stereotypes as he investigates Mexico's economy. He talks to industry leaders, workers, politicians and economists.

For Assignment Tom Esslemont examines the disturbing world of Russia’s skinhead ultra nationalists.

Kati Whitaker gains rare access to Northern Ghana's witch camps, where old women accused of witchcraft are banished.

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.

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.

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.

Gareth Mitchell visits Canada to meet one of the teams behind the most violent sport in the Paralympics -€“ wheelchair rugby.

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.

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.

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.

Gareth Mitchell looks at the technology behind the Paralympics and visits a German factory where carbon fibre running blades are produced.

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.

Athletes with learning disabilities, back in the Paralympics after a 12 year ban

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.

Lucy Williamson reports on the host bars in South Korea that cater to women's desires for male companionship.

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.

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.

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.

Tim Mansel reports from Ruhengeri in the mountainous north-west of Rwanda on the Rwandan cyclists who have become the nation’s heroes.

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.

Olympic athletes dream of winning, but don't they owe it to themselves to prepare for the more probable outcome of losing?

What can a new but closed airport tell us about Spain's economic crisis?

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?

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.

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.

A powerful memorial to the bravery of an ordinary man Leigh Pitt, who saved a boy from drowning but did not himself survive.

Nina Robinson explores newfound cultural freedoms in Libya’s second city Benghazi.

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.

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.

How do people from different companies use psychological assessments in the workplace? Lucy Ash investigates.

Assignment's Rob Walker reports on the frantic gold rush in Peru that is threatening the Peruvian rainforest.

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.

How do people from different companies use psychological assessments in the workplace? Lucy Ash investigates.

Rebecca Kesby investigates allegations of corruption within Russia's criminal justice system.

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.

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.

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.

For Assignment, Kate McGeowan reports on the heated debate over contraception in the Philippines.

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.

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.

For Assignment, Chloe Hadjimatheou tracks the meteoric rise of Syriza, the new force in Greek politics.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In the final episode, Ed Butler investigates the many internet stakeholders. What can governments do to protect the net? And what can we do?