Documentaries

Would you still walk down the aisle if you found out that you're prospective in-laws, the best man and congregation were fake? Roland Buerk investigates Japan's growing 'rent a friend' service and why social standing is driving excluded people to extremes.

Why is there a crisis in India's microcredit industry? For Assignment Madeleine Morris travels to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to investigate.

Why are racial tensions increasing in one of the most progressive countries in Europe? Joseph Rodriguez goes to a region of Sweden that is symbolic of the divide between the Muslim population and indigenous Swedes.

This documentary series examines the political, economic and cultural mechanisms of China's growing global influence. Michael Robinson, who documented China's awakening for the BBC almost 20 years ago, returns to assess the prospects and problems of the unrelenting shift of power from West to East.

"My mind is unhinged and I'm sick of the smell of blood / it's hard to stay human in such a morass / to avoid prejudice and bigotry/ to keep your hands clean." Through words and verse, Afghan civilians reflect on decades of war. Listen to their poetry.

A snapshot of Iraq as seen through the prism of its main airport. For Assignment, Gabriel Gatehouse talks to the travellers and workers who pass through Baghdad international airport each day.

What sort of relationships do photojournalists form with the people that are the subject of their pictures? Photographer Dalia Khamissy has been documenting the story of the thousands of people who disappeared during Lebanon's civil war.

In the past two years the International Monetary Fund has come out of the shadows to play a key role in efforts deal with global financial crisis. Governments say they want it to fix the global economy as well. But what do those working inside the IMF in Washington really think about their role? And are they up to the job? The BBC Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders has had an exclusive opportunity to interview staff including the Managing Director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss Kahn.

As it enters its tenth year, we look at the history and evolution of Wikipedia, which by allowing people from opposite sides of the world to contribute, has grown into one of the most popular websites on the internet. What does the future hold for the site? Will it simply be replaced by another way of sharing knowledge on a mass level? Or will Wikipedia one day contain the sum of human knowledge? And are there any downsides to this democratisation of information?

For Assignment, Nina Robinson reports on how teenagers are navigating their online lives in a virtual world, where they face the very real risk of being cyber bullied.

Peter White is blind, but travels all over the world for his job. By listening to the sounds of his surroundings, he gets to know a place. What does he discover about the city of Istanbul?

In the past two years the International Monetary Fund has come out of the shadows to play a key role in efforts deal with global financial crisis. Governments say they want it to fix the global economy as well. But what do those working inside the IMF in Washington really think about their role? And are they up to the job? The BBC Economics Editor, Stephanie Flanders has had an exclusive opportunity to interview staff including the Managing Director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss Kahn.

The world’s disappearing food tribes and how their traditional food production may offer the world a sustainable model.

The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, is currently in England fighting extradition to Sweden. Despite this he remains defiant that his whistle blowing website will continue to publish sensitive material. Simon Cox investigates the rise of Wikileaks and asks if it can recover from its recent troubles.

Peter White is blind, but travels all over the world for his job. Though listening to the sounds of a city, he gets to know a place. What does he discover about San Franciso?