The Documentary: Archive 2014

Can Indonesia break its old reliance on exporting raw materials to realise the potential of a huge, growing and rapidly urbanising population?

Nigeria is a nation of young, vibrant and natural entrepreneurs. Can they overcome the country's terrible legacy - decades of corruption, crime, and mismanagement?

What does the popularity of controversial comedian Dieudonné tell us about France today? Helen Grady meets some of his supporters and those who think he's a dangerous anti-Semite.

meet Ruhan Jia one of the young hopefuls in the world of state-manufactured pop. After decades of being closed off to western pop culture, the pressure is on for China to find a state-endorsed popstar, a fun and cool ambassador who can command the global stage.

Why and how illegal migrants from Burma and Cambodia are being forced onto Thai fishing boats to work, unpaid, for months.

Nick Thorpe reports from Hungary where the government has adopted controversial laws to clear the homeless off the streets. But can you legislate away a social problem?

Natalia Antelava profiles Gulnara Karimova, the socialite, pop star and philanthropist daughter of Uzbekistan's dictatorial president.

It has taken scientists almost 50 years to cure rare diseases through gene therapy. The risks are still great but the field is developing fast, bringing hope to those with untreatable conditions. Now there are growing concerns that athletes will abuse this pioneering technology. Tim Franks speaks to American journalist and sports enthusiast David Epstein, and geneticist Philippe Moullier about the issue of gene doping.

Prostitution is said to be one of the world's oldest professions, and one which has traditionally been the domain of women, but today it is common for men to also sell sexual services. Mobeen Azhar meets some of the many male sex workers doing business in London - now seen by many as the number one destination to ply their trade.

For centuries, Turkish traders have exploited their location on the historic Silk Road between east and west, selling to merchants travelling in both directions. As Jim O'Neill reports, Turkey's geography remains important to this day as the country becomes an aviation hub, a conduit for gas and oil, and a unique visitor destination. Yet Turkish plans go much further too. So can this ambitious country combine its deep-rooted trading skills with ultra modern technology to develop world-beating manufacturers? Or will its much lauded potential remain just that?

Tim Whewell investigates claims that millions of dollars of aid meant for Syria has been wasted due to mismanagement at the Syrian opposition's aid coordination unit.

Indonesia has enjoyed a boom created by its exports of raw materials to China, India and other growing economies. But commodity prices are notoriously volatile and the world's fourth largest nation needs to create a more stable economy as it expands even further and urbanises rapidly. International investors are queuing up to exploit this major market, but as Jim O'Neill discovers the Indonesian story is complex: poverty, poor infrastructure and an historical aversion to foreign interference could all threaten the dream of joining the world's economic A list.

Breakthrough on the identity of a man found on a London street. Months after Jose Matada from Mozambique fell to his death from the undercarriage of an aeroplane flying over London, his family has been traced. This is an update on the story originally broadcast in June 2013.

Mexico's hope of becoming the workshop of North America was shattered by China's domination of cheap exports, but recently, the Mexican dream is in sight again. As Beijing opts for "quality not quantity" of growth, companies are returning, drawn by competitive labour and proximity to the US market. Jim O'Neill travels across Mexico to investigate. He discovers that its ambitions now go far beyond cheap manufacturing. But can Mexico's youthful, reforming government overcome the challenges of widespread poverty, crime and a huge number of people living outside the formal economy?

Will the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi showcase a resurgent Russia or hide real problems within? Lucy Ash investigates.

Jim O'Neill investigates Nigeria; can a nation of young, vibrant, natural entrepreneurs overcome decades of corruption, crime and mismanagement?

James Fletcher asks if mining for rare earths and uranium will destroy Greenland's environment – or lead the country to independence?