The Documentary Podcast

In this four-part documentary, Gary Bryson travels across South East Asia to explore freedom of speech and democracy. In part one he goes to Indonesia. How is independent media faring since the fall of Suharto's dictatorship?

Michael Goldfarb traces the iconic neighbourhood's story by telling the history of a single street in Harlem from 1910 to the present day.

The Philippines is one of the most dangerous places in the world to report from. More than thirty journalists were killed there in a single incident at the end of 2009. Kate McGeowan travels to the troubled southern island of Mindanao to meet one of the reporters whose job it is to cover the daily violence there.

In this two-part series, the BBC’s Paulo Cabral travels to the two places that marked Lula’s life – the poor region in the northeast where the president was born, and the industrial suburb of Sao Paulo where he made his reputation. What has been the legacy of one of the most popular politicians in Brazilian history?

The second part in this series describes what went on behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Former MI6 Chief John Scarlett describes his clandestine meeting with an agent and the Russian defector Oleg Gordievsky talks about his reasons for coming over to the other side.

Why are judges so important in today's world and how do the courts earn and use their power? In part one Laura Lynch hears from judges operating in Russia and Colombia – what does it take for judges to stand up to pressure?

Does Somalia deserve its bad reputation for corruption? In the second of a two-part series, Pascale Harter asks if, after nearly two decades of civil war, is it even fair to talk about corruption in Somalia? Or has it now begun to drive the conflict?

Pioneering French marine explorer Jacques Cousteau brought marine life to cinema and television screens for the first time. Bridget Nicholls speaks to Costeau's friends, family and colleagues as they look back on the life of this difficult but inspiring man in the centennial of his birth.

For Assignment Thomas Fessy investigates allegations that a senior Congolese general profited from the illegal takeover of a gold mine.

It is two years to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games and the residents of a council estate nearby have been watching the venues take shape for a while now. One of the pledges when London won the 2012 bid to host the Olympics was that the East End - the socially deprived area of the city - would be lifted out of its poverty. Is the regeneration of the area affecting those it was supposed to target?