Global Affairs Documentaries

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BBC Select has a range of compelling documentaries focusing on the latest global issues and social issues that matter to us all. Stream shows from BBC News and leading documentary filmmakers and get the inside story on politics, influential world leaders, regional conflicts and more.

The Shamima Begum Story: The Girl Who Joined ISIS

Shamima Begum

Shamima Begum left London aged just 15 and disappeared inside the Islamic State group. She emerged four years later in 2019, a vilified figure who had her British citizenship revoked. Now Shamima gives the definitive account of everything that happened to her. In this exclusive interview she explains how she was radicalized, what life in ISIS was like and her hopes for the future.

The World's Biggest Bomb

Collage image of the US flag and the USSR symbol in the shape of a missile

Why did American and Soviet scientists race to explode the biggest bomb of all time?

In 1954, the USA exploded its first hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific. It remains America’s biggest bomb. A few years later the USSR detonated a device even larger and more devastating. It’s one of the most extraordinary tales in the history of science, yet one which is largely unknown. This fascinating history documentary examines why these superpowers raced to build the world’s biggest bomb.

Hong Kong's Fight for Freedom

Watch Hong Kong's Fight for Freedom on BBC Select

Hong Kong, 2019: Protests against a new extradition bill spiral into some of the worst violence the city has ever seen, as thousands of Hongkongers feel their freedom is under threat and take to the streets.

Using artificial intelligence to protect their identities, this two-part documentary series tells the extraordinary story of the uprising through the eyes of four young people at the heart of the movement.

Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi

Watch Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi on BBC Select

His oil income was a billion dollars a week, and he used torture and murder to silence the opposition. Is this why Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi was called a ‘mad dog’ by Ronald Reagan?

No other dictator so cannily threatened to turn Western powers to cowed appeasers. This dense, powerful documentary interviews those he bereaved, the ones who tried to stop him – and the people who assisted his tyranny.

Prince Andrew and The Epstein Scandal – The Newsnight Interview

Watch Prince Andrew and the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview on BBC Select

In this candid interview with the BBC from 2019, Prince Andrew discusses for the first time his meetings and relationship with convicted child sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Prince Andrew addresses the allegations made against him and attempts to explain his actions. How much did he know about his former friends and how does he now reflect on his time with them?