Global Eye

A weekly programme from the BBC World Service, bringing forensic journalism from all corners of the world by BBC Eye, the World Service’s critically acclaimed investigative unit. It features expert global correspondents getting to the heart of the biggest international stories.

Global Eye Series 1 release dates →

1. E29

   29. The Groundbreaking Process Helping Kenyans Find UK Soldier Dads

   Finale 6 months ago

   This week, BBC Eye follows Kenyans at the centre of a groundbreaking legal battle to track down their British soldier fathers using novel DNA methods. And more than seven weeks on from US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Selin Girit reports from Turkey on the country’s reaction to a widening regional conflict.

2. E28

   28. How Pakistan positioned itself as a peace broker

   6 months ago

   This week, Farhat Javed looks at how Pakistan has positioned itself as a peace broker in the conflict between the US and Iran and BBC Eye investigates how routine visits for medical treatment in rural Pakistan have led to hundreds of children becoming infected with HIV, uncovering evidence of medical negligence and a failing public health system.

3. E27

   27. Inside China's Schools for 'Rebellious' Teens

   7 months ago

   This week, the Eye team investigates Chinese disciplinary schools promising to ‘fix’ problem children at a devastating cost and Mariko Oi is in Singapore. And we’ll hear how a growing number of girls In India are challenging the practice of child marriage, using sport to forge their own futures.

4. E26

   26. The global trade fuelling one of the world’s biggest wildlife crimes

   7 months ago

   This week, the Eye team reveals how soaring global demand for eel has fuelled a vast illegal trade worth billions, exposing criminal networks, trafficking routes and controversial deals. Plus Rebecca Henschke reports from Indonesia on how the archipelago’s extraordinary natural wealth is under renewed threat.

5. E25

   25. Inside Australia's Big Social Experiment

   7 months ago

   This week, the accounts of some of the women brutally repressed by the Iranian government during the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests and Katy Watson is in Australia examining the impact of the country’s first of its kind social media ban for under 16s, three months on.

6. E24

   24. Battling Islamic State group in Somalia

   7 months ago

   This week, the Eye team follows Puntland forces on the front line in far-eastern Somalia, examining how the Islamic State group has expanded its influence across Africa, and Kalkidan Yibeltal has rare access to Jonglei state in South Sudan, where renewed conflict threatens a fragile peace accord.

7. E23

   23. The Week That Changed The Middle East

   8 months ago

   This week Carine Torbey is in Lebanon reporting on the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran and Nawal Al-Maghafi looks at the events of an extraordinary week when longstanding tensions finally erupted into open conflict.

8. E22

   22. The Untold Story of Nepal's Mass Protests

   8 months ago

   In this week’s episode,‌ Norberto Paredes reports from Venezuela on the future of Venezuela’s oil sector. President Trump sees it as a big business opportunity for the US oil sector, but will the return of US firms be the answer the country needs? Plus, as interim President Delcy Rodríguez walks a diplomatic tightrope, can she continue to satisfy Washington without alienating her socialist base? And BBC Eye’s forensic investigators uncover the untold story of last year’s mass protests in Nepal that toppled the government. With exclusive eyewitness accounts, we can reveal where the order to use live ammunition came from and how unarmed demonstrators were killed as authorities lost control of the crowds.

9. E21

   21. Ukraine: Growing Up Without Dad

   8 months ago

   In this episode, Zhanna Bezpiatchuk reports from Kyiv on four years of war, death, destruction, resilience and hope. Has the war of attrition - attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure - made Ukrainians more likely to give up territory in return for peace, or has Ukrainian resolve only strengthened in the face of Russian aggression?

10. E20

    20. 02/02/2026: Russia’s Foreign Fighters and the Struggle to Rebuild Syria

    Mid-season finale 9 months ago

    In this week’s episode, the foreigners lured to fight on the front line for Russia, and more than a year on from the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Lyse Doucet reports from Damascus on the challenges of building a new Syria.

11. E19

    19. 26/01/2026: Russia Accused Over Interpol as Trump Targets Greenland

    9 months ago

    In this week’s episode,‌ BBC Eye reveals allegations that Interpol’s systems are being abused by Russia in order to repress dissidents abroad, and Katya Adler reports from Greenland on Donald Trump’s attempts to take control of the island.

12. E18

    18. 19/01/2026: Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the Impact of War

    9 months ago

    In this week’s episode, Emir Nader reports from Jerusalem on the impact of the Israel-Gaza war and there’s a special report from the BBC Eye team who spent a year at the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem at the heart of the Occupied West Bank; a facility that serves all expectant mothers, regardless of religion or ethnicity.

13. E17

    17. 12/01/2026: Silicon Valley and the Future of AI

    10 months ago

    AI is changing everything – from how we work to how we live. The World Service’s cyber correspondent Joe Tidy is in Silicon Valley, California, the beating heart of the AI revolution to report on exactly what’s at stake. And he’ll be exploring the next frontier of artificial intelligence, one that was, until recently, a sci-fi dream.

14. E16

    16. 05/01/2026: Greenland’s Stolen Children & The Future of the French Republic

    10 months ago

    In this week’s episode, how Greenlandic parents across Denmark are fighting to be reunited with children forcibly taken into care. Andrew Harding reports from Paris on whether the French Republic, created to bring stability after years of upheaval, can still hold together today.

15. E15

    15. 15/12/2025: The Deceit Behind Cancer Charity Scams in Conflict Areas

    Mid-season finale 10 months ago

    BBC Eye’s Simi Jolaoso reports on a global scam network that claims to raise millions of dollars for children with cancer in war zones and deprived areas, but none of the funds raised ever reach them.

16. E14

    14. 08/12/2025: South Africa’s G20 - Housing Woes & Trump’s Refugees

    11 months ago

    Nomsa Maseko reports from South Africa in the wake of the first-ever G20 on African soil. In two exclusive reports, Eye Investigations hears from residents of abandoned and hijacked buildings just a few kilometres from the summit location and, in the province of Free State, meets some of President Trump’s South African refugees.

17. E13

    13. 01/12/2025: Georgia Police accused of using chemical agent as Russia’s Shadow war expand

    11 months ago

    In this week’s episode,‌ BBC Eye investigates allegations that police in the former former Soviet republic, Georgia used a chemical weapon against protestors and Elizaveta Fokht reports from Berlin on Russia’s shadow war against the West.

18. E12

    12. 24/11/2025: Palau’s Role in the World’s Largest Bitcoin Seizure

    11 months ago

    In this week’s episode, BBC Eye tells the incredible story of the Chinese woman behind behind the scam that led to the world's biggest bitcoin seizure and Shawn Yuan reports from the Pacific Island Nation of Palau.

19. E11

    11. 17/11/2025: New Evidence Challenges U.S. Probe into 2005 Haditha Killings

    11 months ago

    In this episode, Anna Foster reports from Iraq and BBC Eye uncovers new evidence raising serious doubts about the American investigation and trial for the 2005 killings of 24 Iraqi civilians carried out by US marines in the town of Haditha.

20. E10

    10. 10/11/2025: Wildlife in Colombia’s River Magdalena in Peril as Brazil Prepares for UN Climate Summit

    12 months ago

    In this episode, BBC Eye investigates a disturbing trend of wildlife deaths along Colombia’s lifeblood, the River Magdalena, and Camilla Mota reports from Brazil ahead of the latest United Nations climate talks.

21. E9

    9. 03/11/2025: Dubai’s Hidden Sex Trade – and the Threat Facing Peru’s Uncontacted Tribes

    1 year ago

    In this episode, the Eye team goes undercover to expose an illegal prostitution ring in Dubai, and Stephanie Hegarty is in Peru to report on the plight of one of the world’s largest uncontacted tribes.

22. E8

    8. 27/10/2025: Gen Z Uprisings and the Fall of Two Leaders

    1 year ago

    In this week’s episode we explore the rise of gen Z protests around the world. The Eye team uncovers what really happened during the popular youth uprising that led to the downfall of Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Sammy Awami is in Madagascar, where another wave of political unrest driven by gen Z anger and frustration toppled President Andry Rajoelina.

23. E7

    7. 20/10/2025: Spies in Hong Kong & Lebanon's Uncertain Future

    1 year ago

    In this week’s episode, BBC Eye uncovers a growing culture of surveillance and informants in Hong Kong in the wake of the so-called “patriots law” and Carine Torbey reports from Beirut on how what is happening in Lebanon could shape the future of the entire Middle East.

24. E6

    6. 13/10/2025: Opioid Crisis in West Africa & Report from Kashmir

    1 year ago

    This week, an investigation into unlicensed opioids that have been driving a major public health crisis in West Africa and Diyva Arya is in Indian Administered Kashmir.

25. E5

    5. 06/10/2025: Missing Leader Mystery & Cuba’s Economic Collapse

    1 year ago

    In this week’s episode, significant new evidence that may hold the clue to the fate of a Middle Eastern political leader missing for more than 40 years, and Will Grant reports from Havana on Cuba's worst economic crisis since the Cold War.

26. E4

    4. 29/09/2025: Kenya’s Protest Killings

    1 year ago

    In this week’s episode, an investigation exposing members of the security forces who shot dead protesters at Kenya's parliament last year. And reporting from Nairobi, Waihiga Mwaura explores the aftermath of that brutal crackdown on those who took to the streets.

27. E3

    3. 22/09/2025: Fake News Network & Melting Alaska

    1 year ago

    In this episode, a BBC undercover reporter exposes a fake news operation in a European country about to go to the polls and Anna Holligan is in Alaska, America's last frontier, where rising temperatures are threatening communities, livelihoods and fragile ecosystems.

28. E2

    2. 15/09/2025: Syria’s Lost Children & South Korea’s Martial Law

    1 year ago

    In this week’s episode: an investigation into the disappearance of children under the Assad regime in Syria and Jean Mackenzie reports on the political turmoil in South Korea following the short-lived declaration of martial law last year.

29. E1

    1. 08/09/2025: Ukraine Under Fire & Sudan’s Crisis

    1 year ago

    In the first episode, we hear from residents in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Nawal Al-Maghafi reports on the escalating crisis in Sudan.

Global Eye returns for a new series, bringing you forensic journalism from all corners of the world by BBC Eye - the World Service's critically acclaimed investigative unit - and featuring expert global correspondents taking you to the heart of the biggest international issues.

Global Eye Series 2 release dates →

1. S2 E12

   E12

   12. 12/10/2026

   3 weeks ago
2. E11

   11. Serbia at a Crossroads

   1 month ago

   In this episode: Sandra Maksimovic reports from Serbia, where a deadly infrastructure disaster has become the catalyst for the country's biggest political challenge in years. What began as a demand for accountability has grown into a nationwide student-led protest movement against corruption, exposing deep divisions over governance, transparency and Serbia's future direction. As the country heads to the polls, we examine a nation increasingly divided between competing visions of what Serbia is and what it should become. Plus: the growing debate over AI safety. How realistic are warnings that artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity?

3. E10

   10. The Murder That Changed Malta

   1 month ago

   In this episode, Anna Holligan reports from Malta, where a landmark verdict in the murder case of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has reignited questions about corruption, accountability and whether reforms promised after her death have ever been fully delivered. Plus, BBC Eye reports on a story of power, secrecy and murder at the heart of South Africa's security establishment.

4. E9

   9. Indonesia's Toxic Haze Crisis

   1 month ago

   In this episode: Rebecca Henschke reports from Indonesia on a devastating environmental crisis as vast forest and peatland fires burn across the country, covering the region in toxic haze and raising urgent questions about climate, industry and political accountability. And BBC Eye investigates allegations of abuse at some of Indonesia's Islamic boarding schools, as a former student speaks out, we examine claims that powerful institutions have helped shield an accused teacher from justice.

5. E8

   8. El Salvador: The Price of Safety

   1 month ago

   In this episode: João Fellet is in Brazil ahead of the election there and he investigates El Salvador's controversial crackdown on gang violence. Once considered one of the world's most dangerous countries, El Salvador has seen violent crime fall dramatically. But as politicians elsewhere in Latin America, including Brazil, look to its example, we ask what lies behind the headlines? And what has this transformation really cost?

6. E7

   7. Nigeria's Growing Kidnapping Crisis

   2 months ago

   In this episode, Yemisi Adegoke reports on Nigeria's growing kidnapping crisis and meets some of the girls who survived an abduction four years ago and are now back at school in defiance of their kidnappers. And BBC Eye investigates claims Nigeria's Christians are being deliberately targeted for their faith.

7. E6

   6. Inside The Taliban's Afghanistan

   2 months ago

   In this episode, Mahjooba Nowrouzi reports from Afghanistan on the fate of the young women footballers in exile fighting for their voices to be heard. And BBC Eye has rare access inside Afghanistan's Taliban leadership, offering remarkable insight into the men now shaping the country's future.

8. E5

   5. Ghana’s reparations campaign

   2 months ago

   On this episode, Aleem Maqbool reports from Cape Coast, Ghana, on the country's efforts to spearhead a global campaign for reparations from nations and institutions that profited from the transatlantic slave trade. And BBC Eye has exclusive access to Interpol officers as they target human trafficking networks in West Africa and help a father search for his missing children.‌

9. E4

   4. A Journey Across Iran

   3 months ago

   Nawal al Maghafi journeys across Iran to areas rarely accessed by international journalists, speaking to people from across Iranian society about the impact of the war, and what comes next. Also, rare access to the motorcycle riders who risk their lives to smuggle Iranian fuel across the mountains into Pakistan. The BBC's senior international correspondent Nawal Al Maghafi is reporting from Tehran on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian Service. These restrictions apply to all international media organisations operating in Iran.

10. E3

    3. Japan’s Changing Identity

    3 months ago

    This week, BBC Eye talks to Ukrainians civilians abused in Russian-occupied Ukraine and tracks down the prison guards, officials and soldiers likely responsible. And Kurumi Mori explores a question now shaping the future of Japan: as the country relies more on foreign workers, can it embrace greater diversity without losing what it means to be Japanese?

11. E2

    2. Inside Hungary's Political Earthquake

    3 months ago

    This week, in the aftermath of a political earthquake in Hungary, Stephanie Hegarty explores whether the downfall of Viktor Orbán could be a warning sign for populist leaders everywhere, and BBC Eye investigates the Russian nationalists who are taking the law into their own hands.

12. E1

    1. On The Trail of Mexico’s ‘Fentanyl King’

    3 months ago

    This week, Shawn Yuan is in Mexico investigating the extraordinary story of one of the world's most wanted fugitives - a man accused of fuelling the global fentanyl crisis. And from Mexico to Kenya, BBC Eye goes inside the online manosphere.