Twitter: Breaking the Bird reveals the insider story of the social media site in new documentary for BBC iPlayer and BBC Two
A new documentary for BBC Two and iPlayer will go inside the creation of a once-radical, groundbreaking tech startup in Twitter: Breaking the Bird. From Candle True Stories and Bitachon365 in association with CNN Original Series, the 75-minute documentary follows the insider story behind the meteoric rise and eventual sale of the revolutionary app featuring the voices of the founders themselves. Twitter: Breaking the Bird will premiere on BBC Two and iPlayer on 31 March.
In 2006, a group of tech entrepreneurs created the earth-shattering social media app, Twitter. In just a few years it transformed the way the world communicated. Twitter was adopted by celebrities, politicians and the everyday masses as a source for news, entertainment and community. Through firsthand accounts from some of its original founders and early employees, this is the inside story of Twitter's inception, explosive growth across the world, and the dark underbelly of online hate and harassment that emerged.
Twitter: Breaking the Bird features new interviews with co-founder and former CEO Ev Williams and co-founder Biz Stone, who share their personal experiences of how a group of idealistic friends set out to build a digital utopia, and how that vision morphed into the platform now owned by Elon Musk. Featuring additional insight from numerous Twitter employees from the rank and file to the C-suite, and analysis from journalists like Kara Swisher who have been covering the company since day one, Twitter: Breaking the Bird is the definitive tale of the corporate clashes and revolving door leadership behind the scenes at this once trailblazing company.
'It's thrilling to hear from the original creators of Twitter about their joyous, and sometimes chaotic, early days setting up the world's most disruptive tech platform; and shocking to see how their decisions over two decades shaped today's social media conversation,' said Tom Coveney, Commissioning Editor for the BBC. 'This is an entertaining and highly informative film that we hope will delight BBC viewers and stimulate debate across the UK.'
'Candle True Stories is proud to bring viewers an unprecedented look at the rise and evolution of Twitter,' said James Goldston, President and founder of Candle True Stories. 'While capturing the creativity, chaos, and conflicts that shaped the world's digital town square, this series challenges us to confront one of the most pressing questions of our time: Is there such a thing as too much free speech?'
'Twitter's story is one of both boundless innovation and cautionary lessons,' said Sheldon Lazarus, Executive Producer at Bitachon365. 'Through this series, we reveal the human ambition, conflict, and resilience behind the social media giant that shaped global conversations in ways no one could have imagined. At Bitachon365, we're proud to bring audiences a definitive and deeply personal look at the birth, rise, and reinvention of a tech phenomenon."
Twitter: Breaking the Bird was commissioned for BBC Two and iPlayer by Jack Bootle, BBC Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual. It is executive produced by James Goldston and Ricardo Pollack for Candle True Stories, Sheldon Lazarus for Bitachon365, and Amy Entelis and Lyle Gamm for CNN Original Series. Fred Hepburn is co- executive producer and the series director is Kate Quine. Tom Coveney is the Commissioning Editor for the BBC.
Twitter: Breaking the Bird will premiere on BBC Two and iPlayer on 31 March.
Watch Twitter: Breaking the Bird on BBC iPlayer from Monday 31 March
candle@ledecompany.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Our village was made famous by huge TV show – now busloads of brash tourists block our driveways… nowhere's off-limits
Bus loads of tourists come to see locations from the historical drama series TOURIST TROUBLE Our village was made famous by huge TV show – now busloads of brash tourists block our driveways… nowhere's off-limits Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RESIDENTS of a town made famous by a hit TV show have hit out at brazen tourists who peer through their windows and block their driveways. Bampton in Oxfordshire was made famous by the hit period piece with several locations across the village used in filming. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Locals have been subjected to tourists peering in their windows Credit: Twitter - @markchristie 5 St Mary's church features heavily in the show Credit: David Hartley Locals have said the town, which features in Downton Abbey, has become a magnet for tourism and now attracts thousands of brash visitors a year. Some residents told the Telegraph that the tourism has made them a small fortune and helped to improve local amenities. Others have slammed the tourists, demanding their quant village be freed of "brash American accents." Residents of Bampton have told horror stories of their encounters with tourists. Locals have been subjected to selfie-sticks appearing at bedroom windows, tourists wandering into their back gardens and buses blocking up narrow streets. Guided tours of the village are offered to fans of the hit show with some charging as much as £500. Busloads of fans are taken around the small village to visit filming locations made famous by the British drama series. Local shop owners have claimed at one point they were making £1,000 a day from the tourists. The thousands of pounds raised from visiting TV fans has been used to fund renovation works to buildings. Local services have also been improved using the massive wealth brought into the community. Despite all this locals still hit out saying they've had enough of nosey tourists peering in their windows and obstructing their driveways. One resident told The Telegraph: "My friend overheard a tour guide say that Bampton was nothing before Downton Abbey. "Let me tell you – Bampton was a beautiful, expensive place to live long beforehand." 'I live on the main square and they often stand in my driveway. They just go everywhere.' The small village was used for several scenes in the hit show which ended ten years ago. 5 Highclere castle, the main filming location, is more than forty miles away from Bampton Credit: Getty 5 Tourists pay £500 for guided tours of the towns filming locations Credit: SWNS 5 Bus loads of tourists are brought into the small town Credit: SWNS Even though it has been a decade since the last episode of the original series was aired tourists still flock to Bampton. Locations including St Mary's Church and the Manor House, home to Mrs Crawley in the show, can be found in the small village. The main set for the historical drama, Highclere Castle, is forty miles away. The tiny village has a population of just 2,500 and plays host to two coffee shops, a butcher, a deli, a charity shop, an art gallery, antique store and garden centre. Residents claim that visitors spend most of their time and money in a few select locations, bringing no benefit to the rest of the town. A resident told The Telegraph: "They contribute to the library, but apart from that they don't have enough time. 'We are better off with individual travellers, with families in cars – not the buses. There's so much more to Bampton than Downton Abbey.' The Community Hub receives shedloads of support but according to locals the other shops and businesses are left to fend for themselves.
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
When does Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 start this week
Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 is just around the corner and it's looking like we'll be getting some superhero content to kick things off It's time to save the world, with leaks, rumours and even Fortnite OG dropping hints about the content for the upcoming season. Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 is set to start this weekend, following the five-week long mini Star Wars season, and climactic Death Star Sabotage live event. It's been one of the shortest Fortnite seasons since the game launched in 2019, with a weekly update ushering the narrative along before we bid a final farewell to the Force. Well, until next year's annual crossover. While Epic Games hasn't shared its plans for Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4, and we're expecting to see a trailer during SGF 2025 on Friday, June 6 we do have some idea as to what to expect thanks to Twitter leaker @Hypex who shared that theme of the next season of Fortnite is likely superheros, based on datamining and a recent skins survey. As for in-game clues, the Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 start date lines up with the start of Fortnite OG Chapter 4. If you weren't around for the original Chapter 1 Season 4 (that the upcoming Fortnite OG chapter is drawing from), it was called 'Brace for Impact' and the theme was – you guessed it – superheroes. So there might be some connection between the two seasons, whether it's just thematic, or something more. As for the leaks, it seems like Hero-themed Boons might be on the way, as well as a possible collab that ties into the upcoming Superman film that releases on July 11, 2025. Our other favourite Twitter leaker, @ShiinaBR seemingly confirmed the Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 superhero-theme along with fellow leaker @Wensoing who tweeted that we can anticipate hero abilities to boot. So when does the superhero content arrive? Here's what you need to know. When does Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 start? Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 is set to start on Saturday, June 7. As for the exact time, Epic hasn't shared that just yet, but it'll likely be around 4pm PDT / 7pm EDT on Saturday, which is 12am BST on Sunday, June 8 in the UK. We expect the Fortnite Death Star Sabotage live event to last for around 15-20 mins. And looking at the last couple of downtimes for Chapter 6, we estimate it'll be around five hours. Although Epic has had the game up and running earlier than its anticipated downtime before, so we could be back on the Island sooner than that.
Wales Online
5 hours ago
- Wales Online
BBC Sport presenter bravely opens up on miscarriage heartbreak
BBC Sport presenter bravely opens up on miscarriage heartbreak The GAA Social Podcast with Oisin McConville and Thomas Niblock spoke to former Galway All-Ireland-winning hurler Johnny Glynn about his and his wife Serena's fertility issues Thomas Niblock opened up about the miscarriages his wife Kirstie has had to go through (Image: thomasniblock/Twitter ) BBC Sport presenter Thomas Niblock has opened up about the personal anguish of miscarriage and fertility complications following his revelation that his wife Kirstie tragically lost three pregnancies. In an emotive segment on the GAA Social Podcast, Niblock and fellow host Oisin McConville invited ex-Galway hurling champion Johnny Glynn to share his harrowing experiences. Living in New York with his wife Serena, Glynn faced similar sorrows in his journey to parenthood. Only recently, after steering New York to victory in the Lory Meagher Cup at Croke Park, Glynn learnt that their latest IVF attempt had failed. During the podcast, McConville described it as a "privilege" to hear such candid and heartfelt discussions about the struggles of fertility, pregnancy loss, and ectopic ruptures, reports Belfast Live. Niblock laid bare the trials he and his wife Kirstie have endured. "It is not an exaggeration in any way - my family and friends would know this - we were very close to losing Kirstie," he disclosed. "So that shapes you. You go from your fertility after that and I am thinking, it would be amazing and I'd love to have kids, like most people would. "Not all - but certainly most. But at the same time when you nearly lose your wife that's the game changer for me and that's the priority. That shapes you as well. Article continues below Johnny Glynn joined Oisin McConville and Thomas Niblock on the BBC's GAA Social podcast "Then time passes by and you definitely do want kids. So that's where we're at, at the minute. We haven't tried IVF. That may be coming down the pathway. My wife is very lucky. She has a great set of friends - been really supportive towards her. She's a very strong person. "She doesn't take things too seriously whereas everybody I would find would be quite different in this scenario. She has a good head on her shoulders. But it still is heavy stuff. I just feel it would be hypocritical if I didn't put myself out there, even though it's a bit weird to be talking about it." Glynn's experience echoed similar sentiments, as he disclosed: "Unfortunately we've had a few miscarriages. We've had an ectopic pregnancy. We've done a few rounds of IVF. "We are after finishing our fifth round of IVF transfers and they've all been unsuccessful so far. To be honest with you, where we are at I don't know exactly. I don't know how we are going to get there yet but we are going to get there. Thomas Niblock opened up about the fertility issues he and his wife Kirstie have endured (Image: thomasniblock/Twitter ) "When we do have kids and if they grow up to be healthy and fine, do you know what I'll take these two years. I'll take this tough time because it's only going to be for a little bit of time. We are going to get over it. We are going to be fine. "Not to sound soft or anything, but as long as myself and Serena have each other, we'll be okay. What upsets me is seeing her so upset. I firmly believe, I will be ok, if she is ok. It's not being able to fix this for her, it's the one thing that is out of my control, that I can't do for my wife. It's a f*****g killer." The pair opened up about their fertility journey, including sperm testing and confronting the discomfort caused by questions about starting a family. Niblock shared an anecdote of common enquiries he faces: 'No kids yet Tommy?' before adding: "I would have known, even not going through our experience, if someone is married a year or two and they are in their 30s and there's no kids, there might be a wee issue there. Don't maybe say something to them. "So I push back and say: 'To be honest, we've had three miscarriages' and the face just drops. But I feel that's important to say that. It's not me being guarded. It's just maybe more: 'you should have a wee think about that.' I am grand with it and it doesn't bother me, but I definitely know of other people it does. The BBC presenter revealed his wife had gone through three miscarriages (Image: thomasniblock/Twitter ) "I am always amazed by the response of so many people. Once you tell people you've had a miscarriage, they'll say: 'Tommy, know all about it, one or two myself.' "Now their stage is different. This is what I think, my whole thing is if you have two or three kids and you have two or three miscarriages before, I'd be 100 percent with that. "It's not mitigation against what happened in the past but your journey is a past tense one. But I think if you are in the midst of it and you don't have any kids and your story to tell is - in my case three miscarriages - you are in a very different place. Article continues below "Not in a mean way but because so many people have no history of talking about it. It is bit weird for me even talking about this. In my life I'd say this is the most I've ever put myself out there so I am at fault as much as anybody else, because it's not talked about. It's not normalised and people don't really know what way to deal about it. "We're still clinging on to hope and hope is a very powerful thing. If hope was gone, then you're realigning yourself - adoptions, fostering, no kids whatsoever. Me and Kirstie will have a brilliant life, no matter what way that goes, as long as she's there." The full podcast is available on BBC Sounds here.
