On 27 January 2023, broadcaster Mahmoud Al-Mossallami hosted BBC Arabic radio’s final transmission after 85 years on air. It's the latest strategy shift for BBC World Service, which launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service. Over the years its radio content has transformed in order to meet historical challenges, cater to growing audiences and adapt under fi ... Show More
Today
Is it Game Over for Keir Starmer? Martin Wolf for The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook 2026 (Part Two)
2025 has been an unprecedented year. Donald Trump’s tariff war, conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine, and breakneck innovation in AI have put enormous pressure on the existing world order. Now 2026 is set to be another test of resilience for the global economy. All eye ... Show More
38m 47s
Yesterday
Is it Game Over for Keir Starmer? Martin Wolf for The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook 2026 (Part One)
2025 has been an unprecedented year. Donald Trump’s tariff war, conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine, and breakneck innovation in AI have put enormous pressure on the existing world order. Now 2026 is set to be another test of resilience for the global economy. All eye ... Show More
36m 58s
Feb 13
Fascism, Exile, and Redefining Home in the 21st Century, with Ece Temelkuran
What does it mean to belong when the very idea of home is under threat? In this episode we’re joined by award-winning author and political thinker Ece Temelkuran. Forced into exile for her critical views of President Erdoğan, Temelkuran has long signalled the alarm that fascism t ... Show More
43m 43s
Sep 2023
Radio Times: a century of British broadcasting
In 1923, a new periodical was launched to guide listeners through the BBC’s nascent radio offerings. Its name? The Radio Times. Across the coming decades, it not only featured radio and TV listings, but also offered a window into the nation’s changing media and social landscape. ... Show More
52m 15s
Apr 2023
Is the BBC World Service’s online offering user friendly?
We profile the BBC WS’s online offering: but is it user friendly enough and is it keeping up with ever changing technology? We put these points to the online team.
Plus, a fond farewell to one of the English network’s longest serving news presenters, Bola Mosuro, who this week le ... Show More
9 m
Oct 2023
The BBC's Halloween Hoax
‘Ghostwatch’, a Halloween drama in the style of a documentary, reached 11 million viewers on its first and only UK broadcast on BBC 1, on 31st October, 1992. It starred Sarah Greene, Craig Charles, Mike Smith, and - in a stroke of genius - trusted veteran broadcaster Michael Park ... Show More
11m 18s
Jan 2024
Listeners respond to the boss of BBC World Service English
The New Year saw us broadcast our annual “ask the controller” special edition in which the boss of BBC World Service English, Jon Zilkha, answered a number of comments and questions. But were listeners satisfied with what they heard? We hear your follow-up feedback. Plus, listene ... Show More
9m 48s