The Documentary Podcast: Archive 2011

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.

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.

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.

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?

"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.

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.

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.

Lucy Williamson reports on why Mexico, a developing Catholic nation, is the latest country to turn away from marriage.

"I was sentenced to 12 years for writing poetry." Russian poet and dissident, Irina Ratushinskaya contemplates the role of poetry in her country.

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."