Beyond Borders

Making “Spain's Unfinished History” is the focus of our latest episode of The Beyond Borders Podcast. This is the story behind the documentary, told by the team that made it. From a Friday conversion ceremony in the shadow of the Alhambra to 1,300-year-old Islamic water systems being restored to fight Spain's climate crisis, the Beyond Borders team reflects on the communities keeping Al-Andalus al...

This time on The Beyond Borders Podcast, we go behind the story of Sweden's Child Killers: Victims or Criminals? - the documentary that asks how Sweden's gangs turned children into contract killers, and whether anyone can stop them. This is what it was actually like on the ground. From a murder scene we arrived at less than 24 hours after a teenager was shot dead outside his home, to a police weap...

Denmark is one of the happiest places on earth. So why is its government forcing thousands of people out of their homes on account of where they live and who they are? Adam Charlton and David Foster go inside Denmark's controversial "Parallel Societies" policy - a social experiment that's demolished neighbourhoods and broken up communities. Now it’s being legally challenged as potentially unlawful...

Spain’s economy is booming. But its growth relies on a workforce some refuse to even acknowledge. From the people risking death to reach Europe, to the “Sea of Plastic” that enables Europeans to eat fresh fruit and vegetables all year round, these are the human stories behind the headlines.  Hosts: Adam Charlton, David Foster and Nathalie Kantaris Diaz Executive Producer: Alice Tegg Editor: N...

Is this really the last ‘acceptable’ form of racism?   Romany Gypsies have been nomadic for centuries. But today their way of life is under threat like never before. From the road, to the fireside, to the boxing ring, and the heart of Britain’s biggest gypsy gatherings - Beyond Borders explores a community on the fringes that has never felt welcome. Watch the full programme here: https://yout...

For generations Europe’s oldest living culture was told to be ashamed. Its language silenced, its identity suffocated. Now a new fight is unfolding in the Arctic. Not against the past but over progress, and the use of traditionally Sami territory for Europe’s clean energy goals. But this time the struggle isn’t just against the government, it comes from within, and the unspoken power-struggle insi...

Welcome to Liberland, the self-declared micronation in the heart of Europe, that claims to be building a new country from scratch. Sold as a tax-free utopia with no government interference and a crypto-powered economy, Liberland has attracted libertarians, adventurers, and digital nomads from around the world.   But is this bold experiment in freedom a genuine blueprint for the future of...

Welcome to Europe’s most closely watched town. High above the Arctic Circle, on the Norwegian border with Russia, is a place where some say the Cold War never ended. Where a memorial to the Soviet soldiers who defeated the Nazis has a darker meaning since Russia invaded Ukraine. And where those trying to report what’s happening have been targeted by Moscow’s spy network. This is a community living...

Land remains one of South Africa’s most divisive issues. Thirty years after apartheid, communities still clash over race and space. From Orania’s whites-only enclave to calls for redistribution, Beyond Borders explores the voices shaping this struggle - white farmers fearing displacement, black farmers building new futures, Khoi and San reclaiming ancestral land, and families returning to homes lo...

This is a story 200 years in the making - a recreation of Charles Darwin's famous voyage of discovery. Beyond Borders is in South Africa to meet the young scientists assembled from all over the world trying to save the planet, and the creatures we share it with. From reintroducing injured penguins to the wild, to stemming the spread of rabies in seals, and emergency operations on giant injured tur...

Rival gangs are fighting for control of South Africa’s untapped gold, creating a black market worth billions - and costing the country a fortune in lost revenue. Beyond Borders is on the trail of the so-called Zama Zamas, as they are hunted by police, to uncover their deadly underground world - and ask whether the government is guilty of using inhumane tactics to stop them. Hosts: David Foster &am...

Human trafficking is at a record high in the UK. Insiders say as many as 100,000 people are affected. Many of them come from Romania, where poverty, unemployment, and woeful social support makes vulnerable individuals - especially women and children - easy targets for traffickers. The US government says Romania doesn’t even meet the “minimum standards” for the elimination of trafficking. So why is...

The fall of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 exposed the horrors of Romania’s state-run orphanages. David Foster and the Beyond Borders team return to uncover the legacy of one the darkest chapters in the nation’s history. We visit abandoned institutions that still echo with pain, speak with survivors of the system and meet those fighting to end institutional care for good. How far has...

Sri Lanka has been plagued by civil war, natural disaster, political turmoil, and economic collapse. Beyond Borders meets those determined to rebuild their country after decades of misfortune, from a new government taking on a powerful political dynasty, to children freed from years of unbelievable cruelty, and China's multibillion-dollar bet on the island's future.   Join David Foster and th...

Sri Lanka has been living with wounds that won't heal since its decades-long civil war ended. Beyond Borders travels to Sri Lanka to meet the women clearing mines, ex-child soldiers reintegrating into society, war widows finding new opportunities, and families still convinced their missing loved ones are alive. In this companion podcast to the full show, David Foster and the Beyond Borders team br...