The Documentary Podcast

In 2005, Michelle Vanek, a 35-year-old mother of four, disappeared on Colorado's Mount of the Holy Cross, a rugged peak so steeped in symbolism that its snow-filled cross has become both landmark and legend. She was hiking with a friend when the pair split up and she vanished. Despite one of the largest search operations in state history, involving helicopters, dogs and hundreds of rescuers, no trace of her was found. But in 2024, an unexpected new chapter unfolded. Pastor Scott Beebe, an experienced search-and-rescue volunteer, dreamt that Michelle came to him, asking to be found "by women." Taking the dream as a kind of calling, he inspired an all-women rescue team to return to the mountain, guided by intuition, faith and a quiet determination to find her and bring her home. Jo Meek speaks to Michelle's husband, Ben Vanek, and to Pastor Scott Beebe, and meets Emily Brown and Erika German from the Vail Mountain Rescue Team who felt a closeness to Michelle on that mountain, decades on.

When cities industrialise the rivers they were built around are first polluted, then turned into sewers and finally built over. It’s a pattern that’s repeated itself for 250 years from 18th century Paris to 21st century Manila. But across the world the fight is on to release and revive our urban rivers. They provide a cooling effect for overheated neighbourhoods, space for wildlife and a welcome place to swim or just dip your toes. Wild swimmer, rower and physicist, Helen Czerski meets the river lovers and the natural life that returns once the light is let back in.

What will the food of the future taste like? In Japan, we discover a fungus turning waste into a high-protein alternative to meat. Then we visit a bedroom where amateur scientists are growing chicken cells. And a restaurant with its very own cultured-meat laboratory upstairs. Could these ideas eventually change the way Japan - and the world - eats food?

Gianni Agnelli is the head of the family that controls Fiat, and the vast business empire beyond the carmaker that helped shape modern Italy. Charming, charismatic and powerful, he's regarded by many as Italy’s unofficial king, and his family de facto royalty. When he dies the country is plunged into mourning and fear for its economic future. But Gianni’s death also triggers an inheritance dispute that will shake his family to its core.

Why does artificial intelligence sometimes make things up? From law firms to consultants, businesses are grappling with the risks of AI hallucinations. What's causing them, and can they be prevented?
(Picture: Conceptual image of a large glowing pink holographic cube with "AI" text, positioned as a central hub within a vast, sparse crowd of silhouetted human figures.)