BBC World Service English announces new commissions for spring 2025
BBC World Service English will bring listeners a varied offering of factual and inspiring programming this spring with the return of familiar favourites and new commissions.
Newly commissioned series, The Interview, will bring listeners the best conversations from the BBC, featuring global leaders, decision-makers and cultural icons. Each interview will be packed full of insight and analysis, covering the biggest issues of our time. While the BBC World Service's new sport offer, Not by the Playbook, will hear from some of the most famous names in sport, with inspirational stories on resilience and perseverance.
Audiences can expect the return of Untold Legends, spotlighting the American actress and inventor, Hedy Lamarr, and award-winning podcast Good Bad Billionaire, is back for a third season to analyse the minds, motives and money of the world's richest people.
Dear Daughter, the podcast that's building a 'handbook to life' for daughters everywhere, will be kicking off its fifth season and Amazing Sport Stories: Bill Walton's The Grateful Team, will explore the story of the Lithuanian basketball team that made it to the 1992 Olympics against all odds.
Jon Zilkha, Controller, BBC World Service English, says: 'I'm proud of the breadth, depth and variety we have lined up for World Service English listeners in our new and returning commissions programming this spring. Our new commissions will aim to engage and inspire listeners with stories that inform as well as resonate globally. Our returning series will cover business, sport, lifestyle and history like no other international radio network.'
More information on the new and returning series -
The Interview
Launch 31 March 2025
Conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The Interview will see the best in-depth interviews from the across the BBC curated for World Service English listeners. We'll hear from titans of business, politics, finance, sport and culture. Global leaders, decision-makers and cultural icons. Politicians, activists and CEOs.
Each interview will be packed full of insight and analysis, covering some of the biggest issues of our time.
How does it work? Well, at the BBC, our journalists interview amazing people every single day. And on The Interview, we bring them to you.
You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Not by the Playbook
Launch 5 April 2025
Not by the Playbook will tell inspirational personal stories from sportspeople who have overcome seemingly impossible challenges to succeed.
We will hear from some of the most famous names in sport but on subjects you've never heard them on before. But you don't have to be an Olympic gold medallist to have an amazing and inspiring story – we'll also be scouring the globe for those who make a difference to the world through sport.
We'll give them a platform to tell us about what they are passionate about on and off the field.
You can listen on the BBC World Service on Saturdays at 0900 GMT or you can listen to Not by the Playbook as a podcast, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Good Bad Billionaire, Season 3
March 2025 (10 episodes)
After winning Gold in the Business category at the British Podcast Awards, Good Bad Billionaire is back for a much-anticipated third season.
Simon Jack, Business Editor for BBC News, and Zing Tsjeng, journalist, author and podcaster, find out how the richest people on the planet made their billions, and decide whether they think they are 'good', 'bad', or just another billionaire.
Season 3 will feature big names including pop icon Selena Gomez, and television personality Martha Stewart.
We'll also be taking a peek into the lives of Minecraft-creator Markus Persson, and former Marvel boss, Isaac 'Ike' Perlmutter.
Dear Daughter, Season 5
April 2025 (11 episodes)
The podcast that's building a 'handbook to life' for daughters everywhere.
The fifth season of the award-winning podcast, hosted by Namulanta Kombo, will hear more inspirational letters written from parents to their children.
Having never worked in broadcasting, Namulanta Kombo won the BBC World Service's International Podcast Competition in 2021 with her idea for Dear Daughter. The inspiration for the podcast came from her decision to start writing letters to her young daughter 'Koko'.
Amazing Sport Stories: Bill Walton's The Grateful Team
May 2025 (3 episodes)
Amazing Sport Stories: The Grateful Team is presented by the basketball legend and sports broadcaster Bill Walton, who sadly passed away in May 2024, not long after recording the series.
Sport, music, the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union all come together in the story of how the Lithuanian basketball team made it to the 1992 Olympics – thanks in part to sponsorship from the US rock band, the Grateful Dead.
Untold Legends, Season 2: Hedy Lamarr
June 2025 (8 episodes)
Untold Legends is the BBC World Service, Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds podcast that explores the incredible stories of individuals who had their achievements overlooked.
Season 2 delves into the story of Hedy Lamarr, a Jewish actress who escaped the Nazis to become a Hollywood star.
However, despite being one of the most recognisable faces of her era, few people at the time knew Hedy was also a gifted inventor.
Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr tells the story of a brilliant mind confined to the expectations of her beauty.
Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr is presented by inventor and model Andini, who is joined by Hollywood actress AnnaSophia Robb.
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