Retreat from Kabul, Part I

The diva and the dictator: opera at war

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Anna Netrebko was the biggest opera star in a generation. Since the war, due to past support for Vladimir Putin, she has effectively been boycotted by theatres around the world. Except, this autumn, she’ll be headlining the Royal Opera House’s new season.  

The Great British honey scandal

For nearly a decade beekeepers around the world have been saying that there’s something very wrong with the honey industry. Prices are down, and so is production, but there’s more honey being sold than ever before. So what exactly is in that jar in your kitchen cupboard?

The mother and the gangs

The number of teenage boys killed on our streets has more than doubled in a decade. This is the story of a mother trying to stop it, while dealing with grief and anger for her son.

Signal failure: Who killed HS2?

HS2 should have been a symbol of engineering excellence. Instead half of it has been scrapped and it's still running £50 billion over budget. This is the story of how Britain’s largest infrastructure project became its biggest scandal.

A lonely death on Jersey

As a tax haven Jersey has a reputation for welcoming the wealthy with open arms, but how does it treat other kinds of immigrants? Jane Kiiti came from Kenya to work in Jersey’s hotels for more than twenty years. Her death raises questions about the conditions migrant workers face and whether the island is doing enough to prevent their exploitation.

The real Salt Path

Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. But the truth behind the hit memoir is very different.

Illiberal land: Hungary’s empire of ideas

This is the story of how and why a small Central European country became the epicenter of global conservatism. It’s the tale of two men…and what happens when we ignore the powerful forces behind a government.

The mystery of Francis Bacon’s minder

This is the story of how a boxing match helped solve a 50-year art world mystery. And how, when a man named Ted wades in to stop a mugging in Soho, it leads to a most unlikely life-altering friendship with an artist who makes him, or his picture, immortal. Image credits: Francis Bacon, Study for Portrait, 1969 © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. DACS 2025 Reporter: Stephen Smith Producer: Katie Gunning Artwork: Blythe Walker Sibthorpe Sound Designer: Dominic Delargy Editor: Jasper Corbett

Liz UnTrussed

Liz Truss was the UK’s shortest serving prime minister, but since leaving office she’s continued to buck the trend. Post premiership, she’s become one of the most vocal among her peers. What has driven her into the arms of the populist right? And what does it tell us about the state of the party she has left behind?

How to disappear

In the UK, a person is reported missing every 90 seconds. But how in a society of internet, phones and social media is it so easy to go missing? This is the story of two men...and how sometimes people don't even realise they've gone missing.