Global Affairs Documentaries
Boxing Day Tsunami
First came an earthquake deep below the Indian Ocean. Minutes later, in the early hours of Boxing Day 2004, a 100-foot wall of water ripped through Indonesia. Then the tsunami reached Thailand, leaving unimaginable devastation in its wake. Using eye-witness accounts, BBC Select presents this gripping documentary investigating this horrific natural disaster. Could the catastrophe have been averted?
India's Partition: The Forgotten Story
The Partition of India was one of the most seismic events of the 20th century. In 1947, the country was divided into two new nations, independent India, and Pakistan. The split led to violence, disruption, and death. Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, director of Bend It Like Beckham, travels from London to Delhi meeting people whose lives were torn apart by Partition.
The Shamima Begum Story: The Girl Who Joined ISIS
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
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
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.