http://www.bbc.co.uk An indepth look at stories and issues from around the world. This podcast offers you the chance to access landmark series from our archive. Education en Thu, 09 May 2013 14:14:02 +0200 Sat, 03 May 2025 14:30:00 +0200 30 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss iono.fm 2.5.2.0 2013 no Daily feeds@iono.fm (Feed Manager) https://cdn.iono.fm/files/p4/logo_4_20250908_202335_1400.jpeg http://www.bbc.co.uk An indepth look at stories and issues from around the world. BBC episodic BBC bbc@iono.fm false GB https://iono.fm/e/1698449 https://iono.fm/e/1698449
Producer: Bob Howard
Sound engineer: James Beard
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy

(Image: Medical assistant weighing young girl at the university hospital in Naples, Italy. Credit: Sofia Bettiza/BBC). ]]> Education Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:31:00 +0200 0 0 Italy’s child obesity time-bomb 0 0 BBC full 29:09 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1697916 https://iono.fm/e/1697916 Education Mon, 20 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Tom Bailey: Can a walk across the Arctic be art? 0 0 BBC full 28:15 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1697825 https://iono.fm/e/1697825 Education Sun, 19 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Love on trial: India's age of consent controversy 0 0 BBC full 29:46 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1697818 https://iono.fm/e/1697818
The custom of men being married to more than one person at the same time, known as polygamy, is practiced in many parts of the world, particularly across the African continent. It's traditionally rooted in cultural, social, and economic values across various tribes in different regions, such as the Zulu in South Africa, a country where polygamous marriage is legally recognised. Now, a new hit Zulu language TV series, The Polygamist, has got people discussing the topic. BBC Africa reporter Khanisile Nkobho has been following the issue. 

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.) ]]> Education Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:30:00 +0200 0 0 Belarus's university in exile 0 0 BBC full 28:54 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1697713 https://iono.fm/e/1697713 Education Sat, 18 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Older women and the challenge of IVF 0 0 BBC full 26:12 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1697318 https://iono.fm/e/1697318 Education Fri, 17 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Harry Haft's unspeakable fight 0 0 BBC full 29:36 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1696850 https://iono.fm/e/1696850 Education Thu, 16 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Follow the money: The beef with US beef 0 0 BBC full 22:34 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1696369 https://iono.fm/e/1696369 Education Wed, 15 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Moscow’s enemy number one 0 0 BBC full 29:34 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1695933 https://iono.fm/e/1695933
But there are families unsettled by the Supreme Court’s ruling. When Puri and Salvador’s daughter, Ana, chose assisted dying at the age of 28 they didn’t think about intervening in her decision,…because she was an adult, because she was independent,” says Puri. Ana had been born with Spina Bifida and became increasingly unwell with neuropathic pain that is difficult to treat.

Something that gave Puri and Salvador immense comfort after they lost their daughter was the knowledge that Ana’s organs were donated (with Ana’s permission) to keep others alive. And it’s the issue of organ donation that is helping to keep the euthanasia story in the news in Spain. Noelia’s mother, Yolanda Ramos, claims her daughter was under pressure to commit to donating her organs. And the anti-euthanasia Foundation of Christian Lawyers in Spain (Fundacion Espanola de Abogados Cristianos) that has represented both of Noelia’s parents is advocating a ban on organ donation in euthanasia cases. Why does this matter? ]]> Education Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Euthanasia in Spain: Whose life is it anyway? 0 0 BBC full 32:19 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1695410 https://iono.fm/e/1695410
He is now awaiting trial in the US and has pleaded not guilty. He is accused of building a criminal empire connecting China's chemical factories to the Mexican cartels flooding the US with fentanyl.

The BBC investigates his rise and fall, speaking to his former friend, and to cartel members who knew him as “number one” and the "king of fentanyl”. ]]> Education Mon, 13 Jul 2026 01:00:00 +0200 0 0 The Chinese fentanyl king 0 0 BBC full 28:37 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1695319 https://iono.fm/e/1695319 This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from In the Studio, exploring the processes of the world’s most creative people.
If you’ve been affected by issues raised in this programme, you may want to speak to a health professional or an organisation that offers support. ]]> Education Sun, 12 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Jordanian director Zain Duraie 0 0 BBC full 29:49 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1695304 https://iono.fm/e/1695304
A statue of Saint Olga is a much-loved figure in Central Kyiv, Ukraine. So much so, that when Russia invaded Ukraine, the statue was given a flak jacket with the words “she needs armour” written on it. Saint Olga of Kyiv is celebrated by Ukrainians and Russians alike. She’s a saint in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches and her saint’s day is celebrated on 11th July. BBC Ukrainian’s Irena Taranyuk explores her sometimes violent history.

The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich) ]]> Education Sat, 11 Jul 2026 14:30:00 +0200 0 0 Why Taiwan and Malaysia's luxury fruit growers have a complex relationship with China 0 0 BBC full 29:58 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1695245 https://iono.fm/e/1695245 Education Sat, 11 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Chasing the Wimbledon dream 0 0 BBC full 26:36 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1694857 https://iono.fm/e/1694857
Presenter: Jake Warren
Producer:: Leo Danczak
Editor:: Macalister Bexon
A Message Heard production for BBC World Service ]]> Education Fri, 10 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Diving for Yuko 0 0 BBC full 30:09 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1694554 https://iono.fm/e/1694554 Education Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:30:00 +0200 0 0 Secrets of the ant trade 0 0 BBC full 29:56 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1694011 https://iono.fm/e/1694011
For decades in the US, “Made in China” signified a product that was cheap, poorly made, and, in some cases, produced through exploitative labour. But today, the label signifies something quite different in many American minds - state-of-the-art tech and luxury goods that even rival America, for arguably the first time in US history.

Often overlooked is the fact that China’s ascendance as an economic superpower was far from inevitable. Today we speak to historian Elizabeth Ingleson to trace the evolution of the Made in China brand and to explore what responsibility the United States had for awakening its own economic rival.

The Global Story tells in-depth stories from where the world and America meet. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Producer: Xandra Ellin and Sam Chantarasak
Executive producer: James Shield
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins ]]> Education Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Was ‘Made in China’ made in America? 0 0 BBC full 30:11 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1692932 https://iono.fm/e/1692932 Education Tue, 07 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 China’s collapsing population 0 0 BBC full 30:18 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1692529 https://iono.fm/e/1692529 Education Mon, 06 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Karin Slaughter: thriller penned in mountain cabin 0 0 BBC full 28:06 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1692459 https://iono.fm/e/1692459 Education Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:34:00 +0200 0 0 A History of the United States in 100 Objects 0 0 BBC full 29:48 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1692428 https://iono.fm/e/1692428
 As the group stage of the World Cup comes to a close, Cape Verde, a tiny nation off the coast of West Africa, is celebrating a remarkable achievement. It's their first ever time at the tournament, but the Blue Sharks, as their team is known, have made it out of the group stage with a series of strong performances where they have held big teams like Spain and Uruguay to account. Meanwhile, in South Korea, a much more seasoned squad packed with international talent have arrived home in defeat after losing to teams their critics feel they should have beaten. The fallout has been painful. Paul Njie, journalist with BBC West Africa and Jake Kwon, Seoul Correspondent for BBC News, reflect.

The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Irena Taranyuk.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.) ]]> Education Sat, 04 Jul 2026 14:36:00 +0200 0 0 Balochistan's disappeared 0 0 BBC full 29:57 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1692367 https://iono.fm/e/1692367
As buildings collapsed, the impact was devastating. Over two and a half thousand are recorded dead but, with tens of thousands of people still missing, the final number will be much higher.

We hear from people who were in Caracas and the nearby port of La Guaira - one of the worst affected areas.

Some have been made homeless. Some are students, who were about to graduate and are now mourning the loss of friends. Some, like Gonzalo, are continuing to search for those who are still trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

While rescue teams have arrived from all over the world, Gonzalo is dismayed at the shortage of aid from his own government.

"As Venezuelans right now we cannot afford to stop and process. We are stuck in the loop of helping, helping, helping, helping, helping. We have to get each other out, we have to get each other out, which is a beautiful thing," said Gonzalo.

"But the painful thing is that it's just a sign of how alone we are. How destroyed the network of this country is and that is the most desolating part of it all."

Host: James Reynolds
BBC producers: Iqra Farooq and Ryan Keane.
Boffin Media producer: Sue Nelson
Editors: Harriet Oliver and Arja Haikonen

An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production in partnership with the OS team. ]]> Education Sat, 04 Jul 2026 05:39:00 +0200 0 0 The Venezuelan Earthquakes 0 0 BBC full 26:35 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1692006 https://iono.fm/e/1692006 Education Fri, 03 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Cast out: Faith of a gay Nigerian priest 0 0 BBC full 29:45 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1691559 https://iono.fm/e/1691559 Education Thu, 02 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 The social lives of bacteria 0 0 BBC full 29:46 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1691181 https://iono.fm/e/1691181
But is a viral video going to be enough to turn a failing business into a success? Lisa's got to fix the sprawling menu, digitise the paper ordering system and cut costs.

Lisa and Rumella meet restaurant turnaround expert David Hopkins from the Fifteen Group in Canada, who's on hand to give advice and to explain why restaurants are such difficult businesses to run.

Meanwhile the Mand family in Sydney Australia know only too well what Lisa and Sophie are going through. Last year, son Bhav documented his fight to save his dad's failing restaurant. So how's it doing now?

And, in such a difficult industry, when is the right time to walk away? Rumella hears from Carleigh Bond, who made the tough decision to close her vegan fast-food restaurant Forked Up in October 2025.

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate. To hear more, search The Food Chain wherever you get your BBC podcasts. ]]> Education Wed, 01 Jul 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 The Food Chain: Can I save the family restaurant? 0 0 BBC full 29:44 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1690745 https://iono.fm/e/1690745 Education Tue, 30 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Switzerland's population cap referendum 0 0 BBC full 29:47 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1690327 https://iono.fm/e/1690327 Education Mon, 29 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 The poetry of Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh 0 0 BBC full 29:15 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1690250 https://iono.fm/e/1690250 Education Sun, 28 Jun 2026 05:59:00 +0200 0 0 How did we get here - Israel and the Palestinians 0 0 BBC full 30:08 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1690251 https://iono.fm/e/1690251
A few weeks ago in Afghanistan, in the western city of Herat, people took to the streets in a rare protest after local Taliban government officials reportedly began arresting women perceived to be “improperly wearing the hijab." Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, women’s rights have been restricted more and more. Women are no longer allowed to go to secondary school or university, beauty parlours have been banned, travel restrictions have been put in place dictating how far women can travel from home, and women have been ordered not to speak when out in public. Mahjooba Nowrouzi and Mamoon Durrani of BBC Afghan have been reporting on these protests and looking into Taliban leadership.

The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.) ]]> Education Sat, 27 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0200 0 0 Witnessing the 'Hand of God' 0 0 BBC full 29:35 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1690160 https://iono.fm/e/1690160
“Everything was so quick, everything was so scary,” says Aimee Morrison, who received her new lungs last year, only months after being told she had a chronic degenerative condition, “You don’t really get an opportunity to think about what’s happening … 10-12 hr surgery, unknown results, what’s going to happen afterwards…” As we hear, Aimee’s story was particularly dramatic as only a week before her operation she had given birth to her daughter.

Lung transplant patients require life-long aftercare from physicians like Dr Vicky Gerovasili, as their condition will always eventually deteriorate. “That can be very emotionally stressful,” she says,”but it's also very rewarding because we are becoming part of their life and their family. I sign off patients to go scuba diving, travel the world and that's fantastic to see.” ]]> Education Sat, 27 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 What is it like to have a lung transplant? 0 0 BBC full 26:43 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1689793 https://iono.fm/e/1689793 Education Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Musician on a mission to keep bhajans alive 0 0 BBC full 30:45 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1689289 https://iono.fm/e/1689289 We hear from 1999 Women’s World Cup winner Brandi Chastain about her winning penalty at that tournament.
The coach of Amanda’s former club JVW, in Johannesburg, Alexia Cassar, tells us about the role coaches play in preparing for shootouts.
Finally, commentator Andrés Cantor reminisces about the 2022 World Cup final, while South Africa goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams, who is playing in this year’s World Cup, gives us an insight into how he once saved four out of five penalties in a single shootout. ]]> Education Thu, 25 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Agony and ecstasy: A history of penalty shootouts 0 0 BBC full 30:50 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1688866 https://iono.fm/e/1688866
In this second episode, Alex and guests discuss how leaving the EU impacted UK regulation, science and academia, and fishing and farming, and consider how Brexit has impacted the EU and British internal politics ten years on. Did Brexit allow the UK to free itself from the ‘burdensome bureaucracy’ of the EU and innovate independently, or leave it out of the loop? Did UK fishers and farmers get a better deal post Brexit? Were there fears the UK’s departure would trigger a domino effect amongst other European nations? And has Brexit ultimately made UK politics more European? ]]> Education Wed, 24 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Brexit Ten Years On (part 2) 0 0 BBC full 1:08:33 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1688426 https://iono.fm/e/1688426
In the first episode, Alex and guests discuss Brexit's effect on the UK economy, trade, and immigration, and how the referendum result impacted Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Did Brexit encourage the trade boom that the Leave campaign promised? Was the UK able to ‘take back control’ of its borders? And has Brexit poured fuel on the fire of the independence movements in the devolved nations? ]]> Education Tue, 23 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Brexit Ten Years On (part 1) 0 0 BBC full 1:08:46 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1687971 https://iono.fm/e/1687971
Tom Raine follows his creative process as he works on a brand new album, this time not inspired by amazing people, but amazing dogs. Having just retired his wife’s guide dog Nessie after 8 and a half years of service, Sean has been inspired to craft a new set of songs about history’s heroic hounds - the dogs that have been more than just companions, but life savers, including the legendary Rollo who saved a baby during the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. It all culminates in a dog friendly concert in one of the many locations where the stories took place. ]]> Education Mon, 22 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Sean Cooney, singer and dog lover 0 0 BBC full 29:15 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1687942 https://iono.fm/e/1687942
Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the show features messages from family and friends at home as well as music requests from Antarctica. For decades it has been part of the traditional midwinter celebrations and, since 2020, it’s been enjoyed by listeners around the world.

Midwinter celebrations at the British research stations include a feast, exchange of presents, watching the 1982 horror film The Thing (where an alien monster terrorises an Antarctic base) and listening - on short wave - to the BBC’s Midwinter Broadcast.

A Boffin Media Production for BBC World Service ]]> Education Sun, 21 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0200 0 0 The Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast 0 0 BBC full 42:13 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1687881 https://iono.fm/e/1687881 Education Sun, 21 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 How Germany fails disabled people 0 0 BBC full 32:56 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1687860 https://iono.fm/e/1687860
In May, in a town north-western Peru, a group of Catholic priests knelt and publicly asked forgiveness from descendants of the indigenous Tallàn community. The scene, captured on video, shows a group of priests in robes addressing the representatives of the community before stepping down to be among them and kneeling. Isabel Caro from BBC Mundo tells the story of the struggle behind this gesture.

The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich) ]]> Education Sat, 20 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0200 0 0 Everest tourism's toll on Sherpas 0 0 BBC full 30:02 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1687795 https://iono.fm/e/1687795
South Africa is the continent’s most developed economy, attracting citizens from poorer countries seeking work. But it also has a high rate of unemployment – almost one in three are without jobs. Although (officially) foreigners make up some 6% of the population, many more migrants are believed to be in the country without papers.

Protestors have told them they have until the end of June to leave, and some nations have already been repatriating their citizens.

In our conversations, we bring together migrants to share their experiences of rising tensions. We also hear from people who have decided to return and South Africans who want an end to illegal migration.

“For us to fix this country of ours, we have to secure our borders,” Olivier tells host James Reynolds. “People here illegally either they are criminals, or they are suffering in the process or they’re just getting a whole bunch of stuff for free and not contributing.” ]]> Education Sat, 20 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 South Africa's migrant deadline 0 0 BBC full 27:58 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1687394 https://iono.fm/e/1687394
In this edition of Heart and Soul, Emily Wither speaks to Iranians inside the country about how war, repression and disillusionment have reshaped their relationship with religion. For some, years of state control in the name of Islam — now intensified by the trauma of recent conflict — have deepened the divide between official religion and personal faith.

Some still pray to God, but in intimate, private ways far removed from state doctrine. Others have drifted away from formal religious belief altogether, finding comfort instead in Persian poetry, music, mysticism and ancient cultural texts such as the Shahnameh. Through anonymous voices from inside Iran, the programme explores a quiet but profound spiritual shift: away from imposed religion, and toward more personal and self-fashioned ways of making meaning. ]]> Education Fri, 19 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 War, God and the Islamic Republic 0 0 BBC full 27:29 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686955 https://iono.fm/e/1686955
Presenter/producer: Dan Hardoon
Editor: Mike Wendling
Sound engineer: Richard Courtice
A Story² Production for BBC World Service

(Photo: A composite image showing a woman packing a suitcase, alongside Russian passports and a stylised Russian flag, illustrating Westerners preparing to relocate to Russia. Credit: Getty Images) ]]> Education Thu, 18 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 The Russian Dream 0 0 BBC full 26:47 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686526 https://iono.fm/e/1686526
Sheba is the daughter of Nim, a famous chimp who learned sign language. Like her father, she demonstrated remarkable intelligence, learning to add, subtract, and paint. Her story traces back to a bold 1970s idea: if chimps are so genetically and behaviourally close to humans, could they help us learn about ourselves? Many scientists, like Bob Ingersoll, pursued that question through a series of behavioural and social experiments. Others pursued it through invasive biomedical research.

But the deeper they went, the shakier the premise became. As Bob reflects, much of the research proved not only scientifically flawed, but ethically troubling, often meaningless and cruel. That realisation sparked a shift. By 2016, biomedical research on chimpanzees in the U.S. had come to an end. In the UK and European Union, biomedical research ended a few years earlier.

Through Sheba’s journey, we hear about that turning point.

Featuring interviews with those who knew and worked with her, the documentary also includes zoologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek, who, drawing on years of studying chimps in the wild, guides us inside the world of primate research. The documentary confronts a question that is still unresolved: we have the need to experiment, but do we have the right? ]]> Education Wed, 17 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Sheba: Just Like Us? 0 0 BBC full 53:23 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686324 https://iono.fm/e/1686324
Presenter: Carine Torbey
Producer: Nick Holland
Sound: Rod Farquhar
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples
Editor Penny Murphy

(Image: Displaced Lebanese people. Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images) ]]> Education Tue, 16 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Lebanon's Abandoned Lives 0 0 BBC full 33:39 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686033 https://iono.fm/e/1686033 Education Mon, 15 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 World Cup poetry: lines for the beautiful game 0 0 BBC full 30:43 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686034 https://iono.fm/e/1686034 To hear more, search Business Daily wherever you get your BBC podcasts. ]]> Education Sun, 14 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Introducing: Business Daily: Who’s behind Sierra Leone’s illegal fishing problem? 0 0 BBC full 22:44 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686035 https://iono.fm/e/1686035
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich) ]]> Education Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0200 0 0 Ground zero: reporting an epidemic 0 0 BBC full 30:50 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686036 https://iono.fm/e/1686036 Education Sat, 13 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 World Cup superfans 0 0 BBC full 27:46 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686037 https://iono.fm/e/1686037 Education Fri, 12 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Following the path of the rose 0 0 BBC full 30:44 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686038 https://iono.fm/e/1686038
To hear more, search What in the World wherever you get your BBC podcasts. ]]> Education Thu, 11 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Introducing: What in the World 0 0 BBC full 25:47 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686039 https://iono.fm/e/1686039
In this episode, Tom and Nicky head deep into the TikTok Farlands - the semi mythical place you supposedly reach if you scroll too far, too late, until your feed stops looking normal and starts serving up surreal, eerie and deeply unhinged videos. The name comes from Minecraft’s Far Lands, the glitched edge of the map where the world used to break apart, and TikTok users have borrowed it to describe the “end of the algorithm”: a strange zone of distorted edits, ominous warnings, weirdcore imagery and recurring figures like the now iconic fat bee playing the violin. TikTok’s Farlands have become a shorthand for what happens when doomscrolling tips into digital folklore.

But the Farlands aren’t just a joke. Tom and Nicky ask what this trend says about internet culture now. In a platform ecosystem dominated by polish, branding and optimisation, the Farlands feel like the return of an older internet: raw, surreal, handmade and proudly bizarre. At the same time, the meme also works as a critique of doomscrolling itself — turning algorithmic exhaustion into shared mythology, and making people newly conscious of how deep into the feed they’ve wandered.

So in this episode, we ask: is the TikTok Farlands a genuine return of weird, creative internet culture — or just another algorithmic genre?

Also in this episode: Karen looks at how AI detection tools may be changing the way we all write. As detectors spread through schools, publishing and professional life, students, teachers and writers are increasingly shaping their prose around what software might flag - dropping stylistic quirks, sanding off rhythm, and checking their own work in advance for fear of a false accusation. Researchers say the central problem is not just whether detectors catch AI, but how they balance false positives and false negatives in high stakes settings. And with a growing parallel market of “humanizer” tools promising to make AI text sound more human - and pass detection - the result may be an arms race that leaves everyone writing in a flatter, safer and more paranoid style.

To hear more, search The Interface wherever you get your BBC podcasts. ]]> Education Wed, 10 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Introducing: The Interface - What goes on in TikTok's Farlands? 0 0 BBC full 46:24 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1686040 https://iono.fm/e/1686040
Reporter: Mohanad Hashim
Producer: Alex Last
Sound mix: Neil Churchill
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Series Editor: Penny Murphy

(Image: Kids on a swing at a communal kindergarten in Khartoum. It was set up by local mothers who stayed during the battle for the city. Credit Alex Last/BBC) ]]> Education Tue, 09 Jun 2026 05:45:00 +0200 0 0 Khartoum: Lessons in war 0 0 BBC full 32:10 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1683529 https://iono.fm/e/1683529 Education Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:22:00 +0200 0 0 Trine Hahnemann: mixing cookery and hygge 0 0 BBC full 30:41 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1683396 https://iono.fm/e/1683396 Education Sun, 07 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Introducing: The Food Chain - Rethinking the potato 0 0 BBC full 31:06 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1683383 https://iono.fm/e/1683383
Political violence has been a problem in Kenya for decades now. It is often carried out by gangs of young people, known as 'goons', who are sponsored by politicians to threaten, disrupt and attack rivals. After the general election in 2007 over 1500 people were killed and with another election planned for 2027, there are fears violence could erupt again. Wycliffe Muia of BBC Africa has been looking into these politically sponsored violent gangs and what can be done to stop them.

 Traditional fortune telling culture,  known as Saju, is popular in South Korea and has ancient roots. It uses data such as a person's birth year, month, day and hour to determine their future and in South Korea people still sometimes consult it before important life decisions like marriage, or seeking a new job. Now, the practice of Saju is beginning to be combined with AI technology and it's finding a wide audience both online and as a walk-in, more immersive experience. BBC Korean's Yujin Choi went to try it out.

The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich) ]]> Education Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0200 0 0 Finding soldier Tom 0 0 BBC full 30:15 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1683314 https://iono.fm/e/1683314 Education Sat, 06 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Injured during childbirth 0 0 BBC full 27:39 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1682948 https://iono.fm/e/1682948 He describes the moments when his faith and a desire for revenge came into conflict. But how does David know he is on the right side? How does he justify taking his wife and children into war zones? And how does he keep believing in God after seeing so much suffering?
This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world. ]]> Education Fri, 05 Jun 2026 02:36:00 +0200 0 0 The Missionary Soldier 0 0 BBC full 30:09 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1682545 https://iono.fm/e/1682545 Education Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 The Black Power Station: I rap what I like 0 0 BBC full 33:00 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1682137 https://iono.fm/e/1682137 Education Wed, 03 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Good Bad Billionaire: Beyonce 0 0 BBC full 48:31 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1681697 https://iono.fm/e/1681697 Education Tue, 02 Jun 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Italy’s migrant fruit pickers 0 0 BBC full 32:27 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1681129 https://iono.fm/e/1681129
Against this backdrop, the country’s Right to Dream football academy aims to provide a safe passage to international game. Unusually, the school owns a number of top-tier clubs in Denmark, Egypt and the USA, which can act as stepping stones to the world’s top leagues, a path that stars such as Tottenham’s Mohamed Kudus and Atalanta’s Kamaldeen Sulemana have taken.

But while as many as 50,000 children try out for the school, just a handful win scholarships every year. Justice Baidoo meets the talented dreamers who hope to become the next generation of African superstars, from 10-year-olds attending their first trials in rural villages, right through to those taking their first steps as pro footballers in Europe. ]]> Education Sun, 31 May 2026 02:30:00 +0200 0 0 Africa's football dreamers 0 0 BBC full 52:35 Documentaries https://iono.fm/e/1681121 https://iono.fm/e/1681121
 The UN says that at least 32 political prisoners have been executed in Iran since February this year. The UN's Human Rights Office has warned that the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent. Last year, Iran carried out 2,159 executions according to Amnesty International, the highest number since 1981. The Iranian government says that the vast majority are for drugs related offenses or murder. Ghoncheh Habibiazad of BBC Persian has been trying to find out more about the political prisoners who've been executed this year, and she told me about her findings.

The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.) ]]> Education Sat, 30 May 2026 14:30:00 +0200 0 0 Embargo and the Cuban spirit 0 0 BBC full 28:15 Documentaries