Documentaries & Specials
Each month, the BBC World Service offers new documentaries and specials selected specifically for U.S. audiences, with in-depth, relevant reporting. Typically one-hour, or two half-hours on a similar topic, they offer great content for any time of day, and satisfy audiences' needs for deeper narratives and more reflective listening.
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Are microplastics affecting our health?
Air window: August 29 - September 25, 2026
One hour
Scientists say they have found microplastics in human organs like the brain, gut and even in our blood. So what’s the evidence that microplastics are changing our bodies and affecting our health? Claudia Hammond puts your questions on microplastics to a panel of experts and asks what the science can really tell us.
World Questions: Nigeria
Air window: September 5 - October 2, 2026
One hour
This month, presenter Jonny Dymond and the World Questions team are in Nigeria, West Africa, for a special edition of the program, broadcast from its largest city, Lagos. A panel of leading businesspeople, journalists and influencers will debate timely and vital topics including disinformation, fake news, trust and the upcoming elections in the country. The program will be recorded in front of a large public audience at the University of Lagos.
The Reunion - The 9/11 Attacks
Air window: September 11 - October 9, 2026
One hour
On September 11, 2001, suicide attackers hijacked two passenger planes flying over the eastern United States and crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, causing both buildings to collapse. The repercussions of this deadly attack were felt profoundly around the globe, and continue to be felt today. Twenty-five years on, BBC presenter Kirsty Wark travels to New York to bring together the first responders and survivors who lived through that morning. New York Fire Department Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer was the first commander on the scene, and later became planning chief for the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero.
BBC Ukraine Special
Air window: September 19 - October 16, 2026
One hour
In the BBC Ukraine Special we bring you two special programs that look at the impact of Russia's war in Ukraine.
In the first half, we discuss how the Russian language could be playing a part in Ukrainian identity. Russian is perceived as the language of the enemy and it is now restricted by law with measures to enforce communication in Ukrainian. But these language laws are angering many in primarily Russian-speaking places such as Odesa in the south, Ukraine’s third-largest city. Some call it a colonial hangover, while others say cultural diversity is what Ukraine should be fighting for.
In the second half, we head east to hear about the Ukrainian rescuers who are dodging drones to evacuate civilians from frontline areas. Thousands of people still live dangerously close to active combat. We explore how civilian evacuation efforts have evolved throughout the war, and how rescuers are adapting to an increasingly hostile and unpredictable battlefield.
BBC Natural World Special
Air window: September 26 - October 23, 2026
One hour
In the BBC Natural World Special we bring you two programs that unpack some of Earth's marvels.
In the first half, we delve into the story of the iceberg which was the world's largest for almost four decades - measuring as deep as the height of New York City's Empire State building. We unpack how the colossal chunk of ice, known as A23a, formed in the Antarctic over thousands of years, through to its final chapter ... shrinking, melting and feeding the ocean from which it came.
In the second half, we head underwater and look at the fish that can deliver electric shocks that are four times more powerful than the electricity in your plug sockets at home. From Germany to Brazil, we learn about the evolution and anatomy of this aquatic life form, even exploring how some have developed a specialised organ allowing them to generate a high voltage.
BBC Himalayan Mountain Special
Air window: October 3 - October 30, 2026
One hour
The BBC Himalayan Mountain Special brings you two special programs that take a closer look at life in the Himalayas in Asia.
In the first half, following Nepal's devastating floods in August, we visit the remote mountain village of Halji, near the Tibetan border. Its home to a thousand-year-old Buddhist monastery, one of the oldest in Nepal, but a melting glacier and repeated flooding threaten the community's future having already destroyed parts of the village. While neighboring communities have abandoned their homes, Halji's residents remain. We look at why they are determined to stay, and the dangers of this changing climate.
And in the second half, we travel to the remote Spiti Valley in the Himalayas to explore the folklore and spiritual beliefs of the Bhoti people. From protective deities known as lhas to hidden lands called biyuls, we’ll uncover stories that continue to shape daily life there. But as technology and tourism transform the region, these ancient traditions are faced with an uncertain future.
BBC Geopolitics Special
Air window: October 10 - November 6, 2026
One hour
The BBC Geopolitics Special brings you a look at two complex relationships.
In the first half, we highlight Australia’s turbulent and evolving relationship with their number one trading partner - China. Having signed a free trade agreement eleven years ago, recently there has been a marked shift in relations, with Australia balancing its security dependence on Washington with its economic reliance on Beijing. From businesses to diplomats and military personnel, we explore whether China is Australia’s enemy, friend, or as some critics suggest, ‘frenemy’.
And in the second half, we examine the politics of water and the struggle that casts a shadow over the future of the Middle East. For centuries, the Tigris and Euphrates carried goods, armies and ideas, shaping some of history's greatest empires. Today, they have become the focus of a growing geopolitical struggle. As climate change, water shortages and Turkey’s dam projects increase pressure on supplies, Iraq is being forced into negotiations that extend far beyond water, touching on trade, energy and security.
In Our Time: Indian Indentured Labour
Air window: October 17 - November 13, 2026
One hour
Misha Glenny and guests discuss what changed after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1833, when sugar planters recruited Indian workers under contracts of indenture to replace formerly enslaved laborers. Over the next 90 years, more than a million Indians travelled to colonies across the empire, from Guyana and Trinidad to Mauritius and Fiji, often facing deception and abuse. The system drew increasing criticism, with Mahatma Gandhi and others arguing it closely resembled slavery. Although indenture ended in the early 20th century, many workers chose to remain, forging new identities and helping to create a new Indian diaspora.
Germany's Rust Belt Revival
Air window: October 24 - November 20, 2026
One hour
In Dortmund, in the west of Germany, a once-industrial city has reinvented itself over the last 20 years as a hub for tech, start-ups and logistics. Historian and author Katja Hoyer explores how investment in universities, business support and urban renewal helped drive the transformation. But this has come with shortages of affordable housing and unemployment. We’ll explore what lessons Dortmund's revival can offer other regions facing de-industrialization.
BBC Food Special
Air window: October 31 - November 27, 2026
One hour
The BBC Food Special takes a look at timely discussions on food.
In the first half, we head to Japan, a country which produces only around 40% of the calories its people consume. With little spare farmland, it is running out of ways to make more food. We take a look at the leftovers from sugar production used to feed an ancient fungus which is grown and harvested as a high-protein food. And we meet the hobbyists and chefs growing meat from animal cells and ask how far these ideas are from dining tables.
And in the second half, we investigate whether meat-free burgers, mince and sausages might be less healthy and worse for the environment than eating meat. We head to a facility in India developing lab-grown meat and unpack whether it really is the healthy choice, and what it is doing for the planet.
Broadcast Rights
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